[blfuller]

Anyone have the new Old Army with the 5 1/2" barrel? Just curious how much more difficult it is to ram the ball into the cylinder with the shorter lever. Also how's the balance of it compared to the full length barrel. Thanks.

[Preacherman]

Well, I have one, but I've never handled or fired the 7½" version, so I can't say if the ramming action is more difficult or the balance any better or worse... I like mine, though! :D

[ROAshooter]

I have owned and shot a 7.5 SS Old Army for twentythree years.
This past spring I bought the first 5.5 blue Old Army that came up for sale at my local dealer. At first I was having some problems with that short loading lever, but strangely it was from a defect in the gun.
It seemed that Rugers quality control (an issue that seems to be on the rise) had let a problem creep into the gun. The cylinder face aparently had been polished after the chambers had been bored, resulting in a minor "flash". When trying to seat the ball, the short loading arm was trying to overcome the undersized opening, thus overshaving the roundball. This led to severe bullet creep when firing, to the point the balls would lock up the action! A call to Ruger, and they wanted it back to check on the problem. And they wanted six to eight weeks to deal with the problem! Sure! Right! With my dial caliper, I measured the inside diameter of each chamber, each were close enough to specs, but the very rim of the chambers were very much smaller. Sooooo, very carefully, with a RCBS cartridge neck reamer, I "turned" each chamber till it was smooth, and clean.
All the difference in the world! Now even with the short loading arm, it loads easier, the bullet creep is gone, and the gun is a blast to shoot!!!!
Biggest surprise though....with that shortened barrel.....the Ruger Old Army 5.5 has a different 'sound'....more of a "BAM!....when my 7.5 goes "BOOM"....I just love it!!!!!!