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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Building Double Rifles & Gunsmithing

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Huvius
.416 member

Reged: 04/11/07
Posts: 3555
Loc: Colorado

Percussion to cartridge conversions
#237515 - 07/11/13 06:21 AM

I have seen some period rifles which are described as "cartridge conversions", the Alex Henry - converted by Fraser - which went at auction recently comes to mind.

Does anybody here have knowledge as to how it was done and what parts of the original action and barrel were retained?

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He who lives in the past is doomed to enjoy it.

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bouldersmith
.375 member

Reged: 23/03/06
Posts: 626
Loc: Boulder Colorado

Re: Percussion to cartridge conversions [Re: Huvius]
#237527 - 07/11/13 10:38 PM

Look over my 16 bore single the next time you are in the shop, it is a conversion. Usually the the barrel, lock and often the buttstock were saved. An action, often Jones under lever style was fabricated with the fore thought of utilizing the existing parts. Labor was cheap back then. On my rifle it looks like a very small "patch" was silver soldered in place to seal what was the touch hole and to maintain a decent length barrel. Cool stuff for sure. One thing I have noticed it that many of the early conversions have very thin breech balls and often have a very sharp corner at the junction of the water table and the standing breech. I would like to take a deer wit my rifle net year, who knows how old the barrel is, love to see it do its job again someday.
Steve

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New website http://www.bertramandco.com

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Huvius
.416 member

Reged: 04/11/07
Posts: 3555
Loc: Colorado

Re: Percussion to cartridge conversions [Re: bouldersmith]
#237545 - 08/11/13 01:15 AM

I will do that.
I emailed four pictures of the gun in question (I am sure you will guess which one).
I don't own it so don't want to put it up here but will relay the details if the seller allows it. Might be an interesting story anyway.

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He who lives in the past is doomed to enjoy it.

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bouldersmith
.375 member

Reged: 23/03/06
Posts: 626
Loc: Boulder Colorado

Re: Percussion to cartridge conversions [Re: Huvius]
#239623 - 21/12/13 12:45 AM

so what ever happened to the pile o' parts?

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New website http://www.bertramandco.com

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Huvius
.416 member

Reged: 04/11/07
Posts: 3555
Loc: Colorado

Re: Percussion to cartridge conversions [Re: bouldersmith]
#239630 - 21/12/13 02:52 AM

No clue.
I will ask the next time I am in the shop.

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He who lives in the past is doomed to enjoy it.

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DarylS
.700 member

Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26992
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...

Re: Percussion to cartridge conversions [Re: Huvius]
#239632 - 21/12/13 04:43 AM

Many 1853, 1858 and 1861 Enfield percussion military rifles in .577's were converted to .577 Snider simply by removing a section of the barrel at the breech, threading it and screwing the barrel into the snider patent action. The original stock, with further inletting, was kept.

I suspect this is also how the Zulu shotguns came to exist - by removing and threading a section of the breech of a percussion shotgun, threading it and screwing that into what appears to be snider-type action.

Of course, other percussion guns were converted as well, here and abroad.

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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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doubleriflejack
.333 member

Reged: 11/11/07
Posts: 352
Loc: Oregon, U.S.A.

Re: Percussion to cartridge conversions [Re: DarylS]
#239633 - 21/12/13 06:01 AM

bouldersmith: "Usually the the barrel, lock and often the buttstock were saved. An action, often Jones under lever style was fabricated with the fore thought of utilizing the existing parts. Labor was cheap back then. A very small "patch" was silver soldered in place to seal what was the touch hole and to maintain a decent length barrel. Cool stuff for sure. One thing I have noticed it that many of the early conversions have very thin breech balls and often have a very sharp corner at the junction of the water table and the standing breech."
________________________________________

Similar conversions were often done, pinfire to center fire, guns/rifles, most of them from mid 1860s. They too had thin breech balls and sharp corner, junction of water table and standing breech; where later experience taught that action cracking occurred there, so sharp corner was soon replaced by rounded corner, as we now see so common today.

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TH44
.375 member

Reged: 21/02/09
Posts: 734
Loc: West UK

Re: Percussion to cartridge conversions [Re: doubleriflejack]
#239670 - 22/12/13 09:19 AM

I see these conversions sometimes in books, Donald Dallas' especially.

They are excellent examples of the gunmakers art. Most makers advertised the conversions, I would love to handle one and be shown exactly how it was done

I saw a rifle on another forum which had percussion hammers - a sure? sign of a conversion, also with "front" or bar action locks

TH44

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