POTD: Built From Scratch – The Colt 1860 Richards Conversion
Sam.S 03.29.24
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! With the Rollin White patent expiring in 1869, Colt needed a stopgap cartridge revolver until their new Peacemaker design was ready. The solution was a series of conversions of their popular cap-and-ball revolvers like the 1860 Army to fire modern metallic cartridges. The Richards Conversion, implemented from 1873-1878, was Colt’s major interim cartridge conversion. It added a breechplate with a firing pin and a barrel-mounted rear sight to existing 1860 Army .44 caliber revolvers. The loading lever was replaced by an ejector rod. Around 9,000 Richards Conversions were made on 1860 Army revolvers, plus some on the 1851/1861 Navy models in .38 rimfire. Though soon eclipsed by the Peacemaker, the Richards allowed Colt to rapidly field cartridge revolvers using existing inventory during the early 1870s transition period between percussion and self-contained ammunition. Its simple but modern conversion remains an interesting chapter in Colt’s development of cartridge revolvers.
“Approximately 9,000 “conversions” were manufactured c. 1871-1878 using the Richards system, patented July 25th, 1871. A small fraction of these Richards revolvers, approximately 1,200, were delivered to the U.S. Ordnance Department, and most were issued to cavalry units on the frontier, most notably the famous 10th Cavalry Regiment (Buffalo Soldiers), and nearly all saw hard use. Surviving examples of U.S. Richard’s conversion Model 1860 Army revolvers are rarely seen today and inevitably show heavy service wear. This example started life as an 1863 production Colt 1860 Army percussion revolver that was subsequently converted, with “U.S.” marked on the left of the barrel and a boxed script “OWA” (Orville W. Ainsworth) inspection cartouche stamped on the left of the grip. Designed by Charles Brinckerhoff Richards (1835-1919), one of the co-designers of the famous Colt Single Action Army. Richards revolvers were an important stepping stone to the Single Action Army and often saw intense use on the western frontier. They feature a breech plate with an integral notch rear sight and a floating firing pin instead of using a hammer mounted firing pin. “
Lot 228: U.S. Contract Colt 1860 Army Richards Conversion Revolver. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4090/228/us-contract-colt-1860-army-richards-conversion-revolver.
