Sacrilegious to shorten a Ruger Old Army?

OK. I have three beautiful ROAs, all stainless adjustable sight 7.5 inch models. Really would love to have a shorter barrel version, but as most who follow pricing know, the shorter barrel fixed sight versions are considerably higher priced. Given there are so many of my version ROAs out there, or another could be bought for $425 or so, would it be a gun sin to bob the barrel/lever/etc on a garden variety ROA to make the short one I'd like to have? I guess I'm looking for support. Don

The barrel is replaceable. TAURUSBOB had his work done by Clements Custom Gun, the same outfit that makes the .50 conversion.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=7351196&postcount=358

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=7433291&postcount=378

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=7268331&postcount=17

OK. I have three beautiful ROAs, all stainless adjustable sight 7.5 inch models. Really would love to have a shorter barrel version, but as most who follow pricing know, the shorter barrel fixed sight versions are considerably higher priced. Given there are so many of my version ROAs out there, or another could be bought for $425 or so, would it be a gun sin to bob the barrel/lever/etc on a garden variety ROA to make the short one I'd like to have? I guess I'm looking for support. Don
Absolutely no sin involved. It's your gun. Fix it up anyway you want to, and enjoy it.

It's only a Ruger Old Army. :p :evil:

It's your gun to do as you wish with it. IMHO, very little in the gun world is sacred and I have no issue with making one my own in any way I see fit. The collectors and purists can find their own.

What I would do is buy a barrel and loading lever and cut them down to whatever length you desire and then just swap them out. That way you could always convert it back to the way it came from the factory and everything would be original. That's just me. Guess I'm a strange one though.
Anyway good luck with your project. Looking forward to seeing the results.

its your gun. i say do with it what you want so long as you enjoy it!

That way you could always convert it back to the way it came from the factory and everything would be original.
This is false economy. You'll spend way more that way, on both ends, than you'll ever make back selling it as factory original.

Told you I'm a strange one. I just like to keep some things original if I can.:D

I say............................Shorten It!!!!!:D

http://www.dakotaskipper.net/ebay/baby_ROA.jpg

--Dawg:cool:

Any decent custom work on a BP revolver is worth it as not many customs survived to this day.
The ROA is probablly the coolest of the lot as it is the best made BP revolver ever!
I say do the deed and enjoy it!
ZVP

It can only improve it's balance.

I say, go for it. If I find another ROA for a decent price, I'm gonna chop it into a snub.

Prairie Dawg, I like your ROA snub. Please elaborate on the grips, cylinder pin, and filler pin.

Gripframe was custom cut by the machinist who cut the barrel.
Grips were made by Tru-ivory.
Cylinder pin is by Belt Mountain.
Filler pin was designed by the machinist who did the gun. If you look closely, you will see two little pins sticking out the back.
The idea was that you can turn the cylinder pin screw with these -- a built-in screwdriver.
In reality, it falls out when I shoot the gun, so I mostly leave it out nowadays.
That's an R & D conversion cylinder in 45 Colt.
The front sight is a silver coin, but the machinist was too zealous in his finishing work and buffed out all the coin features.
The holster is by Kirkpatrick Leather.
Very cool little gun.

Course, I have the opposite too:
Custom work by Rowdy Yates......

http://www.dakotaskipper.net/ebay/ROAs.jpg

Too Much Fun!
--Dawg

Here's a pic of the buntline ROAs in action:

http://www.dakotaskipper.net/ebay/prairiedawgsbuntlinebelchingsmoke&flame.jpg

--Dawg

Prairie Dawg - you have literally covered the long and the short of it.

You all are a great and supportive inspiration to me. I guess maybe some of you have experienced the same concerns I have about radically altering a gun that is out of production. I remember though the first time I decided to trim the grip frame on a Single Six of mine, and to drill and tap for lanyard rings on my SBH, BH and two of my ROAs. I remember thinking "these are mine and I'll do as I want!". Kind of a good feeling to tell myself that. Don.

P. Dawg,

Great oogly moogleys! All of Ned's heros would be jealous of them long tall ROAs!

Do the SASS folks make you take a handy cap for having the muzzle so much closer to the targets than anyone else? ;-)

-kBob

Tallbald,

OK I have to see the laynyard ring guns. What lanyard rings did you use and where did you get them from?

-kBob

Actually kBob I made them myself from a stainless steel bolt on my little metal bench lathe. I thread them 5/16-24 and drill/tap the butt of the frame, or sometimes drill and cross-pin them into a drilled corresponding hole in the butt of the grip. The ring part is a nickel plated d-ring opened up slightly, then closed into a cross drilled hole in the lanyard stud. You can see one example at post number 75 on the Ruger Old Army club thread on this forum. Don.

P-Dawg's Avenging Old Army is the coolest thing I've seen in weeks!

dawg,training wheels extra?

The only thing that i can think of as bein sacriligeopus about ROA's is not ownin one, er two, er three, er..........

+1 on P-dawgs Avenger, That thing is so sweet i think i git a cavity every tme i look at it.

I do what I want with my own guns. Some people don't like what I do, but their opinions don't affect me. For example, I did something "sacrilegious" to the rosewood grips on my mint, and newly purchased, Ruger Old Army. But they look better to me now, and that's all that really matters.

Paraie Dawg....how in the cornbread he77 do you load that snubby?

The only thing that i can think of as bein sacriligeopus about ROA's is not ownin one, er two, er three, er..........


I must be apostate; sundered from the Cult of the ROA by excommunication. :eek:

I don't plan to ever own one, which should leave a few extra for you loonies to own or customize as you will. :neener:

(You never know, I might be converted at some point. I'm just not impressed with them, especially after all the hype I've heard/read.)

Shortening the barrel on a ROA? Nahh... that's not sacrilegious. It's your gun, and, like Bruce Lee used to say, "Use whatever works."

Now, that guy in Colorado that buys Vincent motorcycles from all over the world, chops them up and turns them into cafe racers? THAT'S sacrilegious! (Though they're not bad looking cafe racers!)

I guess I am lucky. I grew up shootin bullseye and all sorsts of choppin,filing,welding drilling etc was normal. Taking an expensive gun to start with and cutting on it was hard at first... it gets easy when ya see results! I have chopped all sorts of stuff or had smiths do and they shake their heads... until we are done. Some folks have no vision!

I say go for it!

I don't plan to ever own one, which should leave a few extra for you loonies to own or customize as you will.

Wow.

More for us, Lunie. I have no problem with your lack of love for the ROA.
I love mine and would like a few more.
I like old Fords and Mopars, and don't care if anyone else does or not.
If we all liked the same things, the world would be boring.