The RUGER OLD ARMY Club

arcticap said:
There are two companies making conversion cylinders for the ROA, one is by Kirst and the other is by Howell.

1. https://www.kirstkonverter.com/ruger-old-army.html
2. https://www.howellarms.com/ruger-old-army

Post #2 in this thread mentions some reputable gunsmiths. --->>> https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ths-repair-tuning-and-conversion-work.870077/
THR's Gary "Hoof Hearted" Barnes is listed and is a conversion expert, and this is his website. --->>> http://www.cartridgeconversion.com/Home_Page.php
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ROA Club Members:

296. Bibbyman 297. pinebough 298. Dohrmc 299. BEEMAX 300. LightninST
301. severnsider 302. doubleh 303. Dark Skies 304. hrt4me 305. NathanHale


Welcome NathanHale! :D
Click to expand...
Thank you! Glad to be here and I appreciate the links.
 
I have a question about the converters like Krist and Howell. I have never paid any attention to these things so basically know nothing about them. Can you just order either, install it in your Old Army, and it works? No timing needed? I'm kind of interestede in the 45 Colt one as it was originally a blackpowder round and it just seems appropriate.
 
doubleh said:
I have a question about the converters like Krist and Howell. I have never paid any attention to these things so basically know nothing about them. Can you just order either, install it in your Old Army, and it works? No timing needed? I'm kind of interestede in the 45 Colt one as it was originally a blackpowder round and it just seems appropriate.
Click to expand...

Howell has a FAQs page where they ask the age of your revolver. --->>> https://www.howellarms.com/faq
If you're lucky they can drop right in.
Some guns may need a little bit of work for both cylinders to function.

Kirst has pages for troubleshooting too. --->>> https://www.kirstkonverter.com/faqs-troubleshooting.html
That's why Gary Barnes was mentioned on the last page in post #3575, because he purchases and installs them for folks.
AFAIK he was trained by Kirst.
 
Howell will fit it to your gun, but I have 2 and both worked fine as they came, I bore tested them with a bore size rod, running it down the bore to bottom of cylinder when cocked, any off center and rod would stop at cylinder, no problem, I've used this method to test Ruger 45 Acp cylinder for my Blackhawk and 22 mag cylinder for my single six, all worked and have fired many rounds with no problems.
 
Thanks for the replies. I went to the Barns’ link twice this morning and got nothing, just a blank,white page. I just tried it again and apparently his page is gone. I will go back to Howell’s FAQs which I missed this morning.

Edit: My pistol is ‘73 production model so the cylinder will need to be trimmed before it’s sent out. By the way, Howell is no longer making the cylinder but has still has the one I want.
 
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doubleh said:
Thanks for the replies. I went to the Barns’ link twice this morning and got nothing, just a blank,white page. I just tried it again and apparently his page is gone. I will go back to Howell’s FAQs which I missed this morning.

Edit: My pistol is ‘73 production model so the cylinder will need to be trimmed before it’s sent out. By the way, Howell is no longer making the cylinder but has still has the one I want.
Click to expand...

Gary's website was working when I posted it on Thursday, and his site has his phone number listed.
It's possible that he went away to a shoot or that there's internet problems.
Whichever is the case, he will be back online and he also has an active facebook page.
On Facebook it's --->>> https://www.facebook.com/cartridgeconversion/
Cartridge Conversion Revolvers / dba: GB Enterprises
6490 County Road 4520 LaRue, TX 75770
(817) 219-2966
 
ROA in transit to my new friend. 45Dragoon. Of course, Mike probably makes friends wherever he goes. Something about guns that make an instant kinship. Imparted advice and expertise on what was needed and the best way to go about it. I knew I came to the right place
 
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severnsider said:
I'm looking forward to giving it a try. Our outdoor ranges are presently closed "due to Covid" :confused: and I'm reluctant to shoot it in the back garden in case the neighbours get a fright. However, I've got Hornady round ball, 777 3F, lubed "Wonder Wads", some Remington Remington no.11 caps and have just fitted new Track of the Wolf nipples (had a hell of a job removing the old Ruger ones; all were seized, and the wrench size required was neither imperial nor metric. At least the TOTW nipples can be installed/removed with a 3/16" nut spinner). Needless to say the new ones have had their threads greased with shotgun choke grease but I also have a tub of "Never-Seez" that I bought in the U.S. over thirty years ago. This might be better?
Click to expand...

Wow! How much fun is that? My first outing with it today - all 12 shots into a 6" disk at 20 yards off-hand. 20gr (vol) 16gr (weight) Triple7 fffg / wad / .457" ball. Had to use a .357 lead bullet on top of the ball in order to push it all the way down onto the powder, but I'm very pleased with the outcome. Just waiting for my extended grips from Texas Grips. The USPS tracker appears to show that they have gone on a world tour...... Corpus Christi, Chicago, San Francisco, Sydney (!) where next I wonder?
 
Now that I have installed the Belt Mountain quick change base pin for use with my conversion cylinder, who makes an off pistol cylinder reloading stand that works with the ROA? I have seen some, and asked the sellers, but most them won't work with the Ruger.
 
Hopefully not a daft question, but........... what benefit is there to using a filler (e.g. semolina) beneath the ball with reduced loads to bring it flush to the edge of the chamber? Why not just seat the ball on the wad/powder? Are there implications for accuracy if the ball commences its journey a little way before reaching the forcing cone/barrel?
If filler is recommended, then (a) is a lubed wad still essential and (b) if so does it go under the ball or between the powder and filler? (I'm using Triple7 not "real" BP).
Would appreciate some insight on the above from you gents on here. Thanks!
 
Filler is used by competition shooters on top of the powder and under the wad.
They generally shoot lower velocity target loads, but anyone can use filler to try to improve their accuracy.
Some folks may notice an improvement while others may not notice any difference.
It's partly about trying to create a more consistent load with less variation between shots.

Filler probably has some effects in addition to reducing the distance between the ball and forcing cone.
The filler adds a little extra weight and being compressed may help to seal gases in the chamber and also protect from chain fire.
I'm not sure that there's any wrong loading regimen to use with it, since experimenting can sometimes lead to different results.
I don't think that the lubed wad is essential, since it's partly used as a carrier for black powder lube.
You may find that 777 doesn't really need lube in the chambers, since it's cleaner than black powder but that's up to you.
The more powder loaded, the more residue that's created.
You may find that it easier to swab the bore after every 30+ shots instead of using lube or lubed wads.
Everything can have an unpredictable affect on accuracy.
I recall someone liked to use coarse grits as filler thinking that it helped to scrub the bore.
 
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arcticap said:
Filler is used by competition shooters on top of the powder and under the wad.
They generally shoot lower velocity target loads, but anyone can use filler to try to improve their accuracy.
Some folks may notice an improvement while others may not notice any difference.
It's partly about trying to create a more consistent load with less variation between shots.

Filler probably has some effects in addition to reducing the distance between the ball and forcing cone.
The filler adds a little extra weight and being compressed may help to seal gases in the chamber and also protect from chain fire.
I'm not sure that there's any wrong loading regimen to use with it, since experimenting can sometimes lead to different results.
I don't think that the lubed wad is essential, since it's partly used as a carrier for black powder lube.
You may find that 777 doesn't really need lube in the chambers, since it's cleaner than black powder but that's up to you.
The more powder loaded, the more residue that's created.
You may find that it easier to swab the bore after every 30+ shots instead of using lube or lubed wads.
Everything can have an unpredictable affect on accuracy.
I recall someone liked to use coarse grits as filler thinking that it helped to scrub the bore.
Click to expand...

OK, thanks very much. I may experiment a little in that case, but for me I think I would prefer to keep things as simple as possible. No need for heavy loads here - I can only shoot at 25 yards locally! Thanks again for your explanations. Greatly appreciated.
 
Greetings to all ! It has been a while...... This corona bs has kept everything to almost a standstill here in my parts. I am still trying to convince the owner of an indoor range here that allowing me to shoot my ROA inside his air conditioned range will greatly help in sanitizing it against any living virus.Nothing has been proven to live when anointed by black powder smoke on a regular basis.He insists that it might affect the health of his clients.And that worries him. I suggested that if I come in before his closing time and when all the shooters have left,no one with a breathing condition would be affected. And I and him would leave knowing that everything and any thing that is harmful to human health has been eradicated and dealt with.He promised me he would think very deeply about it and let me know.
 
ROA Club Members:

296. Bibbyman 297. pinebough 298. Dohrmc 299. BEEMAX 300. LightninST
301. severnsider 302. doubleh 303. Dark Skies 304. hrt4me 305. NathanHale
306. Rustmagler


Welcome Rustmangler! :D
 
These cheap parts guns are great to put aside. Parts are hard to get and
high priced. To have an extra to cannibalize is wisdom.
 
Thanks to a generous cowboy action shooting buddy, I have a percussion cylinder for one of my two Ruger Old Armys.

It fits but I'm a little concerned with the endshake. I've not officially measured it, but it's about thumbnail thickness between cylinder bushing and frame. When pushed forward, the cylinder to barrel gap closes. Should I be concerned?

Ruger Old Army cylinder July 2021.jpg
 
How solidly does it lock up? I would be more concerned about end shake in a conversion cylinder for cartridges than a percussion cylinder. But if you have a lot of movement when the gun is cocked, it might concern me more.
 
Good morning/evening All. I'm enjoying the ROA and shall be taking part in some competitive stuff shortly. I have settled on 20gr (vol) of 777, felt wad and .457" round lead ball. Not using any filler (I couldn't see any improvement using semolina) so the ball is seated further into the chamber (but not compressing the 777) to avoid an air gap.
The first six shots are usually quite consistent, provided that I use two hands and concentrate, but subsequent shots become less consistent as more shots are fired. After 24 shots I ran a bronze brush down the bore and it was very stiff on the first pass with a lot of crud emerging. I'm thus wondering whether others have found a similar degradation in consistency and if it is common practice to brush the bore out after each six firings? I had also taken to using "Alox" on the balls, thinking that this might be useful as lubricant, but then realised that this was probably a pointless exercise! I would be interested in your thoughts on the matter of brushing the bore between loadings! Thanks!
 
If you don’t use any or enough lube, water is your friend. Swab the bore with a soaking wet mop on your cleaning rod; dip in water, one pass, dip again, another pass, etc., four or more times. Then a dry patch to remove remaining water. The patch should look clean. The brush is unnecessary. Yes, the water in your bowl will turn black eventually.

Last weekend I shot 10 cowboy action stages with my ROAs using a smear of beeswax/crisco over the ball (50 shots from each revolver). The fouling came out of the barrel using a wet mop only. Over-the-ball lube works.

In my experience Alox and black powder don’t play well together. The fouling will be very hard and crusty.
 
J-Bar said:
How solidly does it lock up?
Click to expand...

I got around to digging out the Old Army the other day and it seems to lock up fine. I did do some finger polishing on the cylinder with Flitz. I matches the high polished gun pretty close.

Ruger Old Army cylinder shine July 2021.jpg
 

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dickydalton said:
Put some lube on the wads.
Click to expand...

J-Bar said:
If you don’t use any or enough lube, water is your friend. Swab the bore with a soaking wet mop on your cleaning rod; dip in water, one pass, dip again, another pass, etc., four or more times. Then a dry patch to remove remaining water. The patch should look clean. The brush is unnecessary. Yes, the water in your bowl will turn black eventually.

Last weekend I shot 10 cowboy action stages with my ROAs using a smear of beeswax/crisco over the ball (50 shots from each revolver). The fouling came out of the barrel using a wet mop only. Over-the-ball lube works.

In my experience Alox and black powder don’t play well together. The fouling will be very hard and crusty.
Click to expand...

OK gents, thanks. I'll forget about the Alox and just try beeswax over the ball (the wads (so-called "Wonder Wads"...... sounds like some kind of incontinence cure) are supposed to be ready-lubed, but they feel quite dry to me. Yes, the fouling comes out easily with water.
 
i have a chance to buy several OAR,s, new in the grey plastic boxs with all papers. blue 7,5" barrels agj sights 650.00 and SS 7.5" barrels adj 750.00 sights. should i buy them.
 
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