5 Shot .45 Colt Conversion on a Budget

Part I

By Max Young

Oh the best laid plans of mice and men. A couple of years ago I picked up what was for me the ultimate revolver. It was a Freedom Arms 454 field grade with a 6-inch barrel. I can recall proclaiming to my wife… "with this gun I will need no other"…or some folly like that. Finally, I had a five gun that was a masterpiece of the gun making art. Soon after plunking down the cash for my newest addition, I was working on cast bullet loads. I found that the gun shot about anything I could come up with and shot really well. I did a little work on it to get it just the way I wanted, mostly just slimming down the grip at the bottom a bit and rounding off some of the sharper metal edges with emery paper. I also opened up the throats a little. But the gun was the way I wanted it and we have been good friends since. Freedom Arms makes a wonderful product and I have not regretted buying it for a second.

But last year the bug started biting at me again. At first it started as just a nibble. The more I thought about it the more I wanted another 5 shot gun. Maybe a conversion on a Ruger Bisley, Hmmm… Soon, the thought of another 5 gun was locked in my head and that is not easy for a guy that has a mind like a steel sieve. I tried to make the voices stop, but stop they would not. I needed the kind of therapy and treatment only a new gun could provide. I recalled my previously mentioned statement to my wife and found a loophole. I did not NEED another 5 shot gun but I did WANT one.

I love the Ruger Bisley grip. It fits my hand like no other. And I feel that the grip style handles heavy recoil better than about any other grip I have used. I visited the sites of several custom gunsmiths. I drooled as I viewed the photos displaying their 5 shot conversions of the Ruger Bisley. No doubt these fellows offered a top quality product, one which any revolver man would be proud to own, but the prices…Now, I am a working man and I don’t make enough money that I can buy such a luxury on a whim. I must plan ahead a little and get in a few hours of overtime here and there to do such things. I needed to make a plan for this project as well. If I cut back on the kids’ food intake and my wife will just walk to work this winter, this new gun thing can happen more sooner than later. Saving started in earnest.

Well, as I was strolling along through the gun sites one evening some time later, I came across mention of a company called Phillips and Rogers. I saw that they offered a 5 shot .45 Colt cylinder for a Ruger conversion. I sent for and quickly received their color brochure and price list. As I reviewed the price of their conversion, I began to get a little worked up. Sweaty palms, fixed stare and uncontrolled mumbling. I had a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley in .45 Colt Long hanging in my locker. The gun shot fine…but it was not a 5 shot gun. And another 5 shot gun was what I was saving for.

In no time I was on the phone to Phillips and Rogers who have their business in Huntsville, Texas. I spoke with them about doing the 5 shot Colt conversion on my Ruger. They were quite knowledgeable and assured me that they would build the cylinder to my specifications. They were easy people to visit with on the phone. I explained that I also wanted to have the barrel taken down to 6 inches and have that NASTY safety warning taken off the side. I would rather buy a new gun with a big booger on it than have that blasted safety warning embossed on the barrel. The booger can be wiped away. I was very specific about having a tight barrel cylinder gap and no end shake. Owning a Freedom Arms gun will do that to you. I also wanted the charge holes cut very tight and .452 throats. I was assured that I would be fully satisfied with the end product. My gun was sent off to Texas for its makeover.

The cylinders at Phillips and Rogers are made of stainless steel. This caused a bit of a dilemma as my gun was blued. Then, like the old apple falling from the tree story, I was struck with genius. Why not a two tone gun? Closing my eyes I tried to get the visual. Yea…that might be neat. I made a call to Ruger and had a new stainless Bisley trigger, hammer and ejector rod housing sent to Phillips and Rogers for my gun. I also ordered a new Belt Mtn. Base pin with the knurled end in stainless to complete the project.

Then I waited…and waited…and waited. Finally, three days later I called to find out where in the #%$# my gun was. I was politely reminded that the gun had just that day arrived and the project would soon begin. Sooo… I waited… and waited. My wife reminded me that the gun would not be coming in the mail so I stopped tackling the mail woman and tossing through her mailbag as she approached the front stoop of the house. I was glad my wife had told me that. My eyes and skin were really getting tired of the daily dose of mailman mace.

About two weeks later I received a phone call from Phillips and Rodgers. They had some bad news for me. I asked him to hold on a moment so I could sit down. After a deep breath and with closed eyes I asked him to give me the news. Well, it seemed as though the alignment for the base pin hole in the front of the frame was off a bit from the hole in the rear of the frame. The problem was that when the oversized Belt Mtn. base pin was tightened down and the gun cocked it would not perfectly "Range Rod." If the pin was not tightened, things were fine. They then offered to attempt to fix the problem on a machine owned by a friend. Through no fault of theirs it would be a few more weeks until I got my gun.

"This was bad news’?, I thought as I hung up the phone? I was really insistent on the tolerances of my gun being tight and it was obvious that my wishes were being observed. Also, to fix the alignment problem was going to cost me no more. So I waited…and waited…

Several weeks later on a bright and sunny day, the UPS truck pulled up in front of the house. I watched with eager anticipation as the UPS man sorted through items located in the truck. My wife asked that I compose myself and simply walk out to the truck and to please remove the nose, mouth and face prints from the front door window. I bolted from the house and covered the distance to the truck in a time Speedy Gonzalez could not match. After asking if I was OK, due to the trembling hand that could barley sign for receipt, I was handed the package. After I kissed him on the cheek I bolted for the house. I think he threw something at me as I exited the truck…never could figure out what his problem was.

In part II you will see the two tone Ruger and I will share the performance with several different cast loads as well as the total cost of the project. I won’t take any poetic license in part II as I did in this telling…I really don’t run quite as fast as I would have had you believe.