Texas-based Cimarron Firearms has released some beautiful new pistols for 2018.
The Wild Bill 1851 Conversion above comes in .38 Special, while the Buffalo Bill Conversion is chambered in the traditional .44-40. Both revolvers evoke Fats Domino’s My Blue Heaven, bedecked in a surfeit of machined engraving.
In the neat but why column: Cimarron’s Pocket Navy Conversion Revolver in .380ACP. Answering my own question, if you’re going to convert the legendary wheelgun from percussion to center fire, why not just go ahead and use a round you can actually find? Not a bad idea after all.
I’ve always liked the look of the open topped colts. I put these in the category of cool range toys.
Now watch someone put wanker rails on them.
Hand one to Industrial Lighting and Magic and tell them to turn it into a Star Wars prop blaster… that should offend/delight a few people.
đź¤
It’ll be used by Django Fett in Episode 9.
Epic Win!
The low-end ones (and the Remington clones) are so inexpensive people have been pulling all kinds of funky mods on them. I love the Remington bellyguns (cut down to a 3″ barrel, butt rounded to a birdshead configuration, conversion cylinder for .45 Long cowboy loads if you’ve got a steel frame) and the best thing is you can do all the work yourself, no professional gunsmith time needed.
I like the engraving.
Like the engraving, love the case hardened look.
I bought their recently introduced engraved 1851 Navy with checkered grips for myself for Christmas. There is no color case hardening on the frame due to the engraving, but it is lavishly engraved on the frame, barrel, and the underside of the trigger guard.
This is one of the best fitted Pietta out of the box that I have purchased. The smoothing and polishing on internals was minimal, and the cam and the locks are sized correctly. I have had several where the cam did not quite fit into the locks and had to be corrected, and the cam dwell was too long, leaving that tell-tale streak on the cylinder. No such issue with this one.
I like the .380 acp
The original 1849 pocket pistol was in .32 cal. It was essentially a belly gun with a very limited effective range. The 1862 Pocket Navy, which is built on the 1849 frame with the same type of modification as between the 1851 Navy and the 1860 Army, was substantially better, a full .36 cal, but only five shots and a lower powder capacity than the 1861 Navy. The 1861 (and 1851 for that matter) Navy conversions were the first Colt .38 cal revolvers. Therefore it is entirely appropriate that the smaller 1862 Pocket pistol (for which no conversion cylinder was ever made) be chambered in a lesser capacity cartridge such as the .380.
With regard to the Cimarron’s Pocket Navy Conversion Revolver in .380ACP, I’ve been waiting for years for a replica manufacturer to come out with a small conversion pocket gun. They certainly had them in the Old West. For this one, I wish the manufacturer had manufactured them in the original .38 S&W caliber, and that they had put a shell ejector rod on the barrel. Without that, shooters are going to have to disassemble the pistol to knock out the fired cartridge cases. I may still have a gunsmith make me a custom 1862 conversion, although at my age that is not high on my bucket list.
As the arti le suggests, finding .380 is a lot easier than finding .38 S&W.
38 SW being hard to find is a lame excuse. 75% of Cimarrons Guns use harder to fine cartridges. Not easy locating o and buying a box of >41 LC , 38 LC, 32-20, 44-40, 44 Special, Colt or Russian. All of which cost more than 50 , .38 SWs . Lets also not forget the reloading factor and the use of black powder or substitute thereof. Perhaps possible but ???? Tradition and authenticity play a big part in what I shoot and what my customers buy. Ill taking a pass until it is chambered appropriately. Other than that, dealing with Cimarron is a pleasure and they ship top quality guns. A .380 ACP Chambering of an 1862 handgun reproduction is just goofy.
380 ACP SAAMI pressure spec: 21,500 psi. That must be the highest pressure cartridge adapted to an open-top revolver yet!
The lack of a loading gate may cause problems unforseen in original cartidge conversions. Most original gateless conversions were chambered for cartridges that used externally lubed bullets. These usually prevented a cartridge from backing out and jamming the revolver during cylinder advance.
I hope the design of the insert behind the cylinder takes care of these issues.
I too have been waiting for a colt pocket cartridge gun. But 380 ? The only logical cal. is 38 LC . It is the same as the original 38 rimfire. and many shooters already load it. I may buy one and ream the chambers or build my own.
I just purchased the 1862 pocket pistol. It is a true historical gem. One more comment. Where do you live where you can’t find .380s ?