ROA Load Data Questions?

[John C]

I'm getting back into shooting C&B revolvers after a hiatus. Before, I was just casually target shooting, and my ROA was very accurate. This time around, I have more time on my hands, and I'm interested in working up some more detailed loads. Previously, I just charged my pistol with 30 gr of FFFg, a WonderWad, and a ball. Now, I'm interested in experimenting with fillers, wads, and BP subs. To this end, I'd like information on the minimum and maximum volumes that the ROA requires to function correctly.

1) I've read that the maximum load in an ROA, by volume, is 50 gr BP under a .457 RB with no filler. This is the most the cylinders will take and still seat a ball that will rotate under the forcing cone. Is this true, or will more powder fit?

2) I've read that the ROA will take a minimum of 35 gr BP, by volume, under a .457 RB, and the rammer is long enough to seat the ball correctly over the powder. Is this true, or can less powder be used?

With this information, I'll have what I need to know to vary my charges.

3) How much powder space, by volume, does a .44/.45 wonder wad take up? I've heard 5 gr of space. Is that true?

4) I've heard that 20 gr of FFFg plus 15 gr of Cream of Wheat/Grits by BP volume underneath a wonderwad is a great target load. What's the consensus?

Thanks,

-John

 

[robert garner]

15 or 20 grains with cream of wheat filler seems to be the preferred load for targets.
Havent a clue to just what the chambers maximum is,however it will be more than your accuracy load will be.
Most(it seems) ROA's will have one chamber not correctly aligned with the bore,classic ballistics has an app for that.
take a few(ha) minutes and go thru the Ruger Old Army clubs posts!
robert

 

[Patocazador]

ClassicBallistx cylinders are deeper cut than factory ones so they have more volume, an asset for shooting longer conical bullets like SWCs. They also are bored all the same diameter unlike the factory ones.

 

[grter]

About 40 to 47 grains of black powder with a roundball depending on how hard you compress You can fill it up with fffg (thats right 4f) if you wish.

With the longer heavier connicals 30 to 35 grains.

I don't like "target loads" because half of the fun is the big boom with a lot of smoke. I read during the Civil War the weaker framed Remmys were often loaded pretty hot.

If I was a competive target shooter I could see the need for light 20ish grain loads but 40 is so much more fun. I really would like to try 4f someday.

It will work with 2f as well and is really opimized for 3f powder (okay I use the Pyrodex equivalent black is hard to get on the fly) which is all I have used so far.

 

[AJumbo]

I must be doing something wrong- I can't for the life of me get 50 gr of powder behind a ball in my stock ROA, at least not without using a breaker bar on the loading lever. It seems like 40 gr will fit fine if I don't use a wad; I can't even find published load data for much over 40 grains. My Treso and T/C measures agree on what a 40gr. charge looks like, so do I have a rare, valuable, 'short-bored' ROA, lol?

 

[grter]

No it sounds about right.

 

[dickydalton]

I am getting 40 grains of Olde Eynsford under a RB and a wad in the 5 1/5" ROA I just got. I am loading the cylinder off the gun on a Powder Inc. loader though and there is Zero room for the balls to move forward. I'm using a T/C clear plastic adjustable measure. I always did wonder about those 50 grain loads myself.

 

[John C]

Thanks, gentlemen, for your replies. I really appreciate it, because it's a huge pain to put too much powder in a C'n'B revolver.

I'm a target guy, so I don't have much use for heavier loads, but I wanted to get a general idea on what the range of powder loads the ROA has.

Does anyone know how much the lower end loads are? By lowest, I mean the lowest one can go and still have the rammer seat the ball correctly over the powder?

Thanks,

-John

 

[rodwha]

Of course all powder measurements are a little different so everyone's replies on a max volume may be a bit different.

What I found in my ROA was that I could get 45 grns of 3F Triple 7 under a bare ball with a slight amount of space left after compressing it heavily. When I tried that load using 3F Olde Eynsford I had to remove the nipple and push the ball out as Olde E obviously doesn't compress as much.

I found 35 grns of T7 to be the most accurate load with every projectile I've tried so far (I only adjust by 5 grn increments though).

Like grter I don't care much for light loads. I'd much prefer to practice with what I call my standard load, and I, too, enjoy the smoke and thunder. Offhand I can likely keep them all in the black at 25 yds, so I figure that's good enough.