Making the Richards-Mason Conversion

Centaure Richards-Mason Conversion: everybody likes challenges now and then. Karl Nedbal and me included. Therefore, we agreed on the next Centaure conversion project on August 22, 2008, the day the Thuer came home. The next Nedbal Centaure conversion will be a RM Army.

Right side view of original RM Army conversion…

Knowing Karl a bit better now I am aware that he prefers the graceful esthetics of Thuers and Richards over the functional lines of the RM: the barrel lug is too clumsy, the sizable gap between conversion ring and cylinder might be functional but does not look sophisticated.

Compared to the Centaure Richards and Thuer conversions the RM Army is a different animal altogether, see pictured Colt Richards-Mason

conversion of an 1860 Army. Certainly challenging but in a different way: the Centaure frame assembly can be used with some specific modifications like in the previous Richards or Thuer project.

Lathing a new cylinder is no big deal after the Richards experience. The critical issue of this conversion project is the barrel with ejector housing: back then the barrel was not a leftover percussion part but purpose made without slot for the loading lever. The breech side of the barrel lug was straight and not cut for the loading slot either. It has the “S” shape typical for the RM Army conversion or Open Top.

…and left side view of the real thing: note “S” shaped barrel lug

Same principle applies to the ejector. Consequently, the C&B barrel of the Centaure could not be used for the conversion but a creative and financially feasible solution was to be found for a RM barrel assembly.

The previous owner of #6176 seemed to have taken her through the paces only once 1966 after the purchase. It appears that he thoroughly cleaned barrel, chambers and the outside of the gun after that shooting session and stowed her away. After I got her I completely disassembled her for a total body check which is my standard procedure

with a new gun …. And yes, you guessed it. A thick layer of oily black crud mixed with some nice spots of soldiers’ gold (rust) in lock, piston holes, chambers, inside of the grip, you name it. But no - and as expected, no harm done: most of the grunge I could wipe away, some needed penetration oil but after my cleaning session

#6176 after purchase and proper cleaning: base gun for the RM conversion

she was technically and optically as good as new, see above. Thanks, Belgian steel makers for your hard steel and FAUL technicians for your fine heat treatment and polishing jobs. You made my day.

Pards & pardettes please, stay tuned and watch what is happening! Because I expect her to look eventually like

this exquisite, nickel plated, cased original Colt 1860 Army Richards-Mason Conversion (left picture) when Nedbal is done with her.

Had to be in Austria on some business November 8, 2008. Paid a visit to the master. He had already installed the newly made period arbor with separate grease groove. The slot for the wedge was not yet cut, the flat RM conversion ring was

roughly contoured. As you can see, the spring-loaded loading gate works (right picture below). Through their German distributor HEGE the friends at Uberti in Gardone had supplied a semi-finished and unmarked RM Army barrel with a bore in .44 Colt caliber. Thanks a lot Suzanne Webb & Giacomo Merlino of Uberti and Dr. Waldemar Gorzawski of HEGE.

The barrel came milled to accept the ejector housing. But it was also of the beefed-up kind, like their barrels

RM conversion ring “in the rough” and new arbor installed. See factory arbor for comparison

Loading gate open, historically correct inside spring

for their regular conversion and Open Top production. To bring the measurements in line with an original RM Nedbal carefully cut a slot from the breech-end of the barrel to the hole for the ejector tube screw: parallel to the center line of the bore through the arbor hole and the slot for the wedge. He then pressed the lug together to the right height, welded and polished the slot, and re-cut the arbor hole from oval to round shape

Barrel came milled for the ejector tube. Holes for the barrel pins need to be drilled

Welded and polished slot right and left from slot for wedge almost invisible

to house the square tip of the new arbor. Next he will have to open up and re-shape the slot for the wedge, to further re-contour the barrel lug and remove some material off its beefy sides, and drill holes for the two barrel pins…

November 17, 2008, Karl Nedbal calling: “The RM is almost completed except for test and proof firing including sight adjustment, and some cosmetic finishing touches like proper contouring of the barrel lug, engraving the Centaure barrel marking, embossing 44 CAL into the trigger-guard, and finally the nickel plating”

Almost completed…left side view

Right side view loading gate open

Almost completed, ejector housing and newly lathed conversion cylinder installed but barrel lug still with “Italian” contour

In addition he mailed more pictures...…but asked for 3 decisions to finalize the RM conversion:

#1 finish of the screws: nickel like the rest of the gun or fire blue?

#2 finish of the trigger guard: nickel plating or leave the brass yellow as it is?

#3 shall the serial be applied to the bottom of the barrel lug? Nedbal would have to make special dies for that purpose because Centaure digits look…different.

Master Nedbal & the Centaure RM

Centaure proprietary naval scene on cylinder 44 CAL on trigger guard

This pistol shall be as PC as possible. Therefore, these were questions for the initiates. Karl will have to wait till I have them researched. I posted a query in the CAS-City STORM forum. Fox Creek Kid’s immediate response brought the issues into historical perspective and I mailed my decisions already the next day. Thanks a lot, FCK.

Nice pattern at 25 meters...thanks to the tall front sight...

…POA = POI

ad #1: nickel plated or blued screws would be PC. I go for nickel like the rest of the gun, looks more elegant,

ad #2: nickel plating of the trigger-guard is the way to go,

ad #3: the barrel needs to be serial numbered to the gun, i. e. extra dinero is requested for the dies.

Loading gate numbered to pistol

PC external gate spring

Vienna proof mark, serial numbers on trigger-guard, frame and barrel…

…further proof marks, Nedbal’s NK stamped under barrel

As with the other two Centaure conversions Nedbal approached completion of this new project with remarkable speed. But in December 2008 there was an unexpected set-back: his free-lance engraver decided it was time to move on. So Karl had to find a new one that would meet his standards. Which meant some delay.

Impressive 8” barrel RM Army, PC nickel plated screws, new high front sight

However, on March 10, 2009 came the message from Vösendorf: “I’ll test fire her during the next few days to adjust the front sight, then have the pistol proof tested and finally nickel plated.”

Time for another long weekend in Austria to bring the baby home. April 30, 2009 was the day of truth, when I saw Karl Nedbal in his shop in Vösendorf again to inspect the finalized pistol, to handle the test fired and proof tested Centaure Richards-Mason conversion for the first time.

Above are a few views of the finalized Centaure RM conversion and his master.

Regarding the machining and finishing process of the Centaure RM I like t share two observations of Nedbal here:

Targets engaged from 8 (left), 25 (center) and 15 meters (right), after too much coffee

# the steel used for the Italian barrel is notably softer than the steel of the Belgian parts (frame) but also compared to Belgian barrels machined and contoured for his previously made Centaure Richards and Thuer conversions. This confirms discussions regarding hardness of steel of C&B revolvers in BP and CAS forums elsewhere. To the best of my knowledge this issue has not been brought up related to the steel of Italian made cartridge firing pistols, however.

# nickel plating of the Italian barrel proved significantly more difficult compared to the Belgian steel made parts (frame, back-strap, wedge, etc.) and the newly lathed cylinder (I am not a metallurgist!). The professional plating company involved needed a couple of goes until they could finally deliver an esthetically acceptable barrel.

Slightly recessed chambers & 3 digits of serial number

New two-tooth hand of RM

Broke some more paper during relaxed shooting on May 6, 2009 at the local indoor range (above). Appreciated her crisp trigger pull. Despite the 1960’s inherent pointability but not unexpected this cowboy had some problems aligning the high gloss front and rear sight: old weak eyes, too short arms and way too much coffee, ha, ha.

Complete disassembly revealed again Nedbal’s strive for the important little PC details that lighten the heart of the initiates: the Centaure C&B revolvers use a single tooth hand like the originals from the 1860s. In this

RM conversion he installed a newly made, period two-tooth hand with leaf spring. Mandatory proof, caliber and inspector marks of the Vienna Proof House in addition to his NK stamp were applied to the breech side of the newly lathed conversion cylinder. Equally important, however, the chambers are slightly recessed and the last 3 digits of the serial number, 176, were embossed there as well.

Conversion hammer made from the C&B hammer

Barrel marking: original Centaure C&B barrel (top), Italian conversion barrel with engraved Belgian marking (bottom)

Did I say I am enthusiastic?

WDN/February 12, 2010

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