Been playing with my 5.5" Remmy vs ROA lately.

[MCgunner]

It's convenient now to shoot BP. Since we've moved, I've built my shop, Range is right off to the side of it. I shoot a cyoinder, pop the cylinder out and reload it in the shop on my cylinder stand/press real quick like. I do need a capper, though, wold speed things up.

To demonstrate the practical accuracy of the ROA vs the Remmy, I was shooting at 15 yards off hand on a Bush's Baked Beans can I dug out of the trash. Now, the Remmy will group 2.5-3" on paper benched from 25 yards and iit only does that with 30 grains of pyrodex, cornmeal filler, and .454" RB. It doesn't like any other recipe quite so much. It'll put .454" 220 conical into about 5" at 25 yards. The ROA shoots 1"-1.5" at 25 with anything, RB, Conicals, full charges of Pyrodex OR 777, no matter and all to the same POA. Weird, but I'm not complaining!

So, I just got through playing with 'em and the best I got is 3 of 6 hits on the can with the Remmy. That's pretty good. I'm lucky to hit something that small from 15 yards at all with my Navy replica (Pietta). The ROA, however, shot 5 of 6 for its best run and I have no doubt that I caused the one miss. Man, that thing is fun! I was loading it up full with pyrodex and shooting a 220 HP conical (Lee mold). BOOOOOM and WHACK, the can had no chance! ROFL

Anyway, thought I'd relate this. Someone might be interested. ROAs are expensive, but man, there ain't much out there than can shoot with 'em, I can tell ya that!

 

[AbitNutz]

My tricked out 5-1/2" SS ROA is silly accurate. The load I use is 40gr of T7 with a 220gr BigLube bullet and RWS 1075+ cap. Clement deepened the chambers and the barrel face has been trued and the forcing cone cut to 11 degrees.

The fixed sights are dead on for both windage and elevation. However, the Power Custom grip frame points so well I seem to be getting better at snap shooting. If this keeps up I may become a pretty good off hand shot.

 

[MCgunner]

My tricked out 5-1/2" SS ROA is silly accurate. The load I use is 40gr of T7 with a 220gr BigLube bullet and RWS 1075+ cap. Clement deepened the chambers and the barrel face has been trued and the forcing cone cut to 11 degrees.

The fixed sights are dead on for both windage and elevation. However, the Power Custom grip frame points so well I seem to be getting better at snap shooting. If this keeps up I may become a pretty good off hand shot.

Wow, mine's already more accurate than I am. One thing, mine being stock, the adjustable sight is screwed all the way down, but I still have to use a modified sight picture as it shoots high. But, it doesn't seem to matter. Thing hits what I point it at. I'd like to get that fixed, though. No way to raise the front sight, would have to be milled down and replaced somehow. Sounds like money to me.

 

[woodnbow]

A good smith could cut the sight a bit to square the top and then weld a small piece in place to create a patridge type blade. Shouldn't cost more than an hours labor.

 

[dogrunner]

I own two of those '58s. One old piece I bought in the early 90's when Cabela's had a super sale going, the 2nd a 5.5 model on another sale last year.

I was absolutely more than surprised when I received the old full length gun..........looked good and shot even better, rivaling my 28 S&W. Now Pietta #2 has been something of a disappointment. It'll consistently throw shot #1 high left, the rest of the cylinder will print in an approx. 3" group........I have tried duplicating my old gun's loads using black...tinkered with Pyrodex and 777............the results are always identical....one high left and the rest as described.....Now that gun looks great, actually has a better trigger than the old one and without doubt is quicker handling........any ideas or suggestions out there?


Incidentally, far as the ROA goes, my kid bro had one that was a great shooter and he used it to great effect on several game animals. A friend picked up a good looking version for a song last year..........looked great but when he got it home discovered the bore looked like a W.Va coal mine.......pits............no CRATERS in that tube. Still, he ordered a .45 conversion cylinder and thought he'd ultimately replace the bbl.........I was and remain utterly amazed at the results when he ran the first cylinder thru that gun........cloverleaves!!!!.........consistant clover leaves!!!!...........told him that he just ought to clean the thing and never look in the bbl again, anything that shoots that well deserves being let alone!

 

[MCgunner]

I've tossed a few high with my 5.5" remmy, not necessarily the first one, and it was my fault due to pulling the shot. I have 3 cylinders for it and if I sit down and concentrate over a rest, I can put all 6 into 3" about 4" low with a normal combat hold with any of the three cylinders. I've learned to raise the front sight in the notch and take a 6 oclock hold with that sight picture and she's dead on with ball. With 220 conical it shoots a bit high with a normal combat hold and just taking a 6 oclock hold works, but it's not accurate, about 5" groups with that bullet, so I have stuck with ball in that gun and bought a mold that came in the other day for it, Lee, nice mold that tosses balls just as accurate as the swaged Speers I've been shooting.

Anyway, with your gun, maybe a chamber in the cylinder is cut a little off? Wouldn't acount for it tossing the first shot every time, though, that's weird. Not sure on that one.

I do like the handiness of the Remmy and, really, mine's shooting fine, just that the ROA puts it to shame. I'm happy with it as a woods bummin' gun, accurate enough and lighter on the hip than the ROA. For serious hunting, well, no comparison. The ROA loaded to the gills with 777 and a 220 cast hp is pretty mean, does a good .41 magnum interpretation. I may try to shoot something with it in the future. Hell, I've done it with a .357 Blackhawk, why not the ROA?

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Ruger sells a higher front sight insert for those guns that can accept them. It's common for them to shoot high especially in low light.

 

[swathdiver]

The accuracy of your Remmy's would likely improve if you reamed your cylinders to .001 or .002 over groove diameter. They are very likely undersized. The ROA's are typically .001 over I'm told.

 

[Patocazador]

Wow, mine's already more accurate than I am. One thing, mine being stock, the adjustable sight is screwed all the way down, but I still have to use a modified sight picture as it shoots high. But, it doesn't seem to matter. Thing hits what I point it at. I'd like to get that fixed, though. No way to raise the front sight, would have to be milled down and replaced somehow. Sounds like money to me.

See the last 2 or 3 posts in the Ruger Old Army Club thread.

 

[Patocazador]

Ruger sells a higher front sight insert for those guns that can accept them. It's common for them to shoot high especially in low light.

Not when I called them 2 months ago. They couldn't find anything at all. The one to get for a SS is a blade for a .45 Colt SS Blackhawk but they were unavailable so I made one .. very easy.

 

[MCgunner]

Originally Posted by 351 WINCHESTER View Post
Ruger sells a higher front sight insert for those guns that can accept them. It's common for them to shoot high especially in low light.

The stainless gun I had was a pinned front sight. Not my blued one, fixed, not changeable.

 

[AbitNutz]

Is it my imagination or do the fixed sight 5-1/2" ROA's seem to shoot pretty much where the sights line up and the 7-1/2" barrels shoot high?

I had my front sight beveled and serrated to give a bit better sight picture.