Will Ruger ever make ROAs again.?

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I hear ya Gordon and I agree with the R&S details. R&S's are nice except for the fact that you can't really put coil springs in them and that that "straight up" hammer spur !! Lo!!! It'd be a good candidate for a "fanner" (but not with flat springs) !! The thing I'm not sure about is a factory conversion that would be better than a gated ROA?

Mike
 
My understanding was that Ruger discontinued the ROA because the tooling was wearing out and they didn't think there was enough of a market to justify new tooling.
 
I hear ya Gordon and I agree with the R&S details. R&S's are nice except for the fact that you can't really put coil springs in them and that that "straight up" hammer spur !! Lo!!! It'd be a good candidate for a "fanner" (but not with flat springs) !! The thing I'm not sure about is a factory conversion that would be better than a gated ROA?

Mike
I have both and the ROAs are way better than the R&S. I just needed to have an R&S!
 
The point is that Ruger manufactures cartridge revolvers that sell better than the ROA would.
Why would they want to retool, redirect machinery, personnel and other resources to manufacture a product that is in less demand than what they are already building and cant really keep up with demand on?

Yeah - with all the concern about dems banning guns, the demand for cartridge guns is pretty high right now.. If the repubs take over congress in 2022 maybe things will change.
 
I keep getting howled down for saying this, but I see no reason one of the clone makers couldn't add a reproduction ROA to their production line. Cimerron, Taylor's, maybe could get a production run.

Maybe some American company could take up making them? There are companies that already make a lot of the parts. Wouldn't be much of a stretch to CNC out a receiver.

The ROA was so great because it WASN’T made of soft Italian steel. It was as tough and durable as Ruger’s centerfire Blackhawk series and they were built like a tank. They could only afford to be brought to market at a reasonable price point due to Pine Trees advanced investment casting procedures.

An American made CNC ROA clone might be very good, but it would be VERY expensive to say the least. It was a design and manufactature uniquely Ruger that had its place in history that is sadly over! The ROA will never be released again. It didn’t sell well hence why it was discontinued and now today the youth want nothing to do with black powder muzzleloading revolvers and the few old guys that would buy the new tooled up for ROA are dying off.

IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.
 
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No no no!

You must not get it do you?

The ROA was so great because it WASN’T made of soft Italian steel. It was as tough and durable as Ruger’s centerfire Blackhawk series and they were built like a tank. They could only afford to be brought to market at a reasonable price point due to Pine Trees advanced investment casting procedures.

An American made CNC ROA clone might be very good, but it would be VERY expensive to say the least. It was a design and manufactature uniquely Ruger that had its place in history that is sadly over! The ROA will never be released again. It didn’t sell well hence why it was discontinued and now today the youth want nothing to do with black powder muzzleloading revolvers and the few old guys that would buy the new tooled up for ROA are dying off.

IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

I guess I'm a statistical outlier.. I turned 21 last November,and had been dreaming of owning muzzleloaders since i was a child. Something about my philosophy that simply evolved when i became an engineer. Something about being able to appreciate where we are in technology by appreciating where we came from.

But I see what you're getting at, it's the same thing with my other hobby, Numismatics. Young people aren't generally interested in such things anymore.
 
It’s more likely that some inventor will make a percussion cylinder to convert a Blackhawk into a copy of the ROA. And it won’t be cheap.
 
The percussion revolver market is dominated entirely by reproductions, original designs like the ROA have a very niche market in the US. Unless you can make them for under $300, nobody has any interest in a percussion revolver that's not a repro.
 
Ruger doesn't discontinue guns that sell. If the ROA is gone, there's a good reason for it. For decades the Italian replicas were cheap and made to a price point. Which is to say softer steels and less than perfect machining. The Old Army was made in the US to the same standards as the Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk. It was naturally going to cost more. Then, just as it is now, people shop according to the bottom line and too many chose that shiny brass gun in the plastic blister pack. Then there are those like myself who respect the Old Army for its quality and durability but have absolutely no interest in owning one.
 
It’s more likely that some inventor will make a percussion cylinder to convert a Blackhawk into a copy of the ROA. And it won’t be cheap.

Your thinking in the right direction but that is precisely why the ROA is the most versatile revolver ever made! The Blackhawk cyl length isn't long enough to incorporate provision for nipples and have an adequate volume for powder. We would be listing it as the most anemic big bore bp revolver!! But, making the ROA into a Blackhawk is the direction to go in. That's the reason for the gated conversion. With that ability, the ROA can do it all . . . and very well.

The percussion revolver market is dominated entirely by reproductions, original designs like the ROA have a very niche market in the US. Unless you can make them for under $300, nobody has any interest in a percussion revolver that's not a repro.

Sounds like nobody would buy a ROA for $650.00 - $700 . . . oh wait a minute, they already do . . and that's for the "sighted" variety!!

Mike
 
I think that another company will eventually develop a gun similar to the ROA.
Maybe a smaller company that wants to increase it's production, and to distinguish itself, and they could even sell direct to the public.
Even the ROA has room for improvements, the blued models had aluminum grip frames up until 1985.
It's just whether or not a company wants to make the long term investment.
 
The ROA will never be released again. It didn’t sell well hence why it was discontinued and now today the youth want nothing to do with black powder muzzleloading revolvers and the few old guys that would buy the new tooled up for ROA are dying off.

IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

Never say never. We could get a gun ban in america and if BP was still not classed as a firearm, BP sales would soar.
 
The ROA revolvers were basically a BP rendition of a sort of 1858 Remington New Model Army built on a Ruger Blackhawk frame. There are very many similarities and some parts are interchangeable. It saw its day in infamy, but I wholly doubt Ruger would re-introduce it because there is no market for it in the long run. You must remember it was introduced during the BP C&B revolver heyday decades ago.

The Ruger bean counters would not even take a second look at it these days.

Regards,

Jim
"Sort of" is even a stretch. Actually they are a lot more like the Spiller and Burr in ways than they are the Remington. The Old Army is not a close copy at all of any historic revolver.
 
I got a Ruger Old Army like this late production one about same great condition in box for about the same price as this one sold for today on Gun Broker , under $700 delivered. The crazy priced ones for $1000+ just sit there dreaming .
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/895098786

I got tired of bidding on Rogers and Spencers that went to this price and above. Yes the Ruger is better in every way !Now if Pietta was to make a coil spring version with a very few modern internal improvements and sell it for $500 we would have a winner. Still would not be as strong as the Ruger Old Army .
 
Giving this more thought, maybe it could happen, but it won't be the ROA of old. Since Ruger makes the Wrangler now, could it be possible they offer a new ROA using the same frame material or does Aluminum not hold up to black powder? I mean, the barrel and cylinder would still be steel, just the frame wouldn't be.

I figure if Ruger could hold a $400 price point, they could sell some.
 
Be careful, CZ may get the Huglu Cooperative in Turkey busy making Colt Dragoons
I said American made, which implies guns made as good as the current SAA. I'd rather send a Uberti to Turnbull than buy a cheap knockoff with the Colt name.
 
Marketing determines what Ruger makes. We think there is a demand but who knows what marketing thinks?

If they make more on their AR style rifle, they'll do that. Chase the $$$ (and I can't blame them for wanting to be profitable to their shareholders).
 
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