Stick to steel framed C&B revolvers. With a steel frame .44 cal C&B revolver you can easily swap in a 45 Colt Conversion cylinder.
There are conversion cylinders available for .36 caliber C&B revolvers but it's a reloader's proposition. .36 Cal uses a .375 bore that requires either a hollow base wadcutter bullet (.357 dia) or a heal based 38 cal bullet.
But don't let that hold you back from buying a .36 C&B revolver.
I bought a Pietta 1858 and a Kirst 45 Colt Conversion cylinder back in 2001, shot a couple cylinders of 45 Colt through it and shelved it till about 2014. The action was horribly gritty.
In 2014 I was heading out to contract in Africa and decided I wanted to try the 58 with BP before I left. Bought Pyrodex Pellets, Hornady Round ball, and Remington #10 caps, fired it off and was hooked. I now have a Pair of 44 cal Pietta 1858 Army Revolvers , a pair of 44 cal Pietta 1860 Army Revolvers, a Lyman Great Plains Rifle in 54 cal, and most recently picket up a Pietta 1851 Navy Revolver in 36 during the recent Cabela's sale.
I find I like my pair of 1860 Army revolvers the best. Actions are significantly smoother than the 58's. Use a little Tennessee elevation and they are easy to get on target.
The rear sight on the hammer is different but works just fine.
Regarding Rocklock's mention of which gun gums up 1st, my experience is the opposite. I note my 1858 Remington gummed up before 1860 Colts did over the coarse of a week of shooting without cleaning. I slather bore butter on the arbors (Cylinder Pin) of my Colts and shoot a couple cylinders per day over the coarse of a week. The Colts keep shooting.
I will note I did the same with my Pietta 1858 (and Pyrodex) and the gun locked up tight in a weeks time. Requiring the use of a mallet to free the cylinder pin. Maybe not a fair comparison as my Colts have only been shot with black powder and the Remington was shot with Pyrodex. Note - the ease in which the cylinder can be removed from the Remington is a plus for a quick cleaning between shooting and loading. Disassembly of the Colt really isn't that hard to do either but tools (a punch and a mallet) are required.
I recently added Wolff EMF Colt Mainsprings PN# 32280 to my pair of the Pietta 1858 revolvers and find that the addition of this spring significantly improves the feel / smoothness of the action. Details on that spring modification can be read about here:
http://1858remington.com/discuss/index.php/topic,5248.0.htmlOn to the pics!
My recent purchase - Pietta 1851 Navy - 36 Cal, 20gr of Goex FFFg, Hornady .375 diameter ball, and Remington #10 caps.
The rear sight is tiny on this gun and I keep getting 2 flyers. I need some more practice with it. Note this is shot a 21ft using 2 hands and a 6 o'clock sight picture, holding on the base of the 7 ring.
Pietta 1860 Army - 44 Cal, 30gr Graf's Schuetzen FFFg, Hornady .454 diameter ball, homemade wool felt wads, and Remington #10 caps.
Shot at 21ft using 2 hands, 6 o'clock sight picture holding on the base of the 5 ring.
Pairs: