NEED HELP, Identify 1858 New Army Conversion

Topics related to Pre - 1898 Remington Pistols
dieNusse1
Posts: 400
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 5:12 pm
Location: Mishawaka, IN

Re: NEED HELP, Identify 1858 New Army Conversion

Post by dieNusse1 »

My first guess would be to look at 44 S&W brass also known as the 44 Russian. I don't know how available the 44 S&W is but the 44 S&W Special is a longer version of the 44 S&W and could be cut down and used. However, you may want to make a cast of the chamber to get a better idea. Good luck and enjoy.
aardq
Posts: 439
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2005 1:02 pm

Re: NEED HELP, Identify 1858 New Army Conversion

Post by aardq »

Hi Nodakr,

You might try Buffalo Arms for BP loads. Slug the bore, and measure the cylinder length to get the OAL of the cartridge, and go from there. The original factory conversions were in 44 Colt, so a cut down 44 spec case should work.
Good luck and let us know how it shoots.
Dan
AntiqueSledMan
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2019 5:25 am

Re: NEED HELP, Identify 1858 New Army Conversion

Post by AntiqueSledMan »

Hello nodakr68,

I load & shoot the .44 Colt Original in a reproduction conversion. I think the 44 Special rims will be to large, you can get .44 Colt brass from Track of the Wolf.
Details are given in my pdf located here,
https://1858remington.com/index.php?topic=8675.0
I wouldn't use a full charge, rather cut it back & use a filler.

AntiqueSledMan.
Nodakr68
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:46 am

Re: NEED HELP, Identify 1858 New Army Conversion

Post by Nodakr68 »

A question just came to mind, does Remington have an archive division like Colt ? Where a guy can find out shipment information etc ?
aardq
Posts: 439
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2005 1:02 pm

Re: NEED HELP, Identify 1858 New Army Conversion

Post by aardq »

Hi Nodakr,

First you need to determine the caliber. Slug the bore with a soft lead round ball or slug to get the bore dimensions. Then you can make a cast of the chamber and get the case dimensions from that. Or take the cylinder to a gun or cartridge show and actually insert various rounds into the chambers until you find one that fits. Ask the dealer to do this, as many of them are touchy about others doing things like this. Once you know the caliber, you can work on finding brass.
There are some books on cartridge conversions that describe the steps to make the new cartridge.

I have a NMA conversion that turns out to be 44 S&W. No other 44 or 45 cartridge would fit the chambers. But then I don't plan on shooting my gun.

Good luck with your search.
Dan
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