Ruger old army big $$$$$

I figured they were tougher than that. I've killed a lot of deer with a round ball and 90 grains of powder but I didn't always get an exit wound, not even with a doe and our does aren't very big. They average around 120 pounds. I hate tracking especially when there's not much of a blood trail.
 
hawg said:
I figured they were tougher than that. I've killed a lot of deer with a round ball and 90 grains of powder but I didn't always get an exit wound, not even with a doe and our does aren't very big. They average around 120 pounds. I hate tracking especially when there's not much of a blood trail.
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They are fairly tough and generally stockier, thicker than whitetail deer but even within the species there’s a big difference between a southern muley and his northern cousins. Montana and Canadian mule deer (and whitetails) can get really big. Does around here probably average around 180 or so.
 
hawg said:
Dicky is in NM. I'm in MS. I think he was informing me that we don't have muleys in MS but I already knew that. :rofl:
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NM is mostly mule deer country. There are a few whitetails in the Sacramento mountains. I moved here in 1956 and have seen exactly one in my life. They are much more secretive than the mulies but come close to equaling them in size. 50 or so miles as the crow flies northwest of me below the Melascero Ridge there is a small population of black tail deer. They are very hard to distinguish from the mule deer. Pretty much a replica except for the tail. Once in a while someone will get a muilie in excess of 300 pounds. My personal best has been a 285 pounder killed in middle NM. My BIL got a 315 pound one just north of Lincoln.

As to the Ruger OA I bought mine back in the mid '70's. A fine and accurate revolver and I will pass it on to a grandson. I buy cap and ball guns because I want to shoot cap and ball. If I want to shoot cartridges I would buy a repo 1883 SA. Um, I just did that and more than one. I am old, contrary, and set in my ways. If conversion cylinder makes depended on me there would be none.
 
My burning question is why are there so many firearms that had ho-hum sales when they were being made, but years later all of the sudden there's a new demand for them. There are several I passed up back in the day that I wish I had now. I have more regrets about guns I didn't buy than guns I ever sold.
 
doubleh said:
NM is mostly mule deer country. There are a few whitetails in the Sacramento mountains. I moved here in 1956 and have seen exactly one in my life. They are much more secretive than the mulies but come close to equaling them in size. 50 or so miles as the crow flies northwest of me below the Melascero Ridge there is a small population of black tail deer. They are very hard to distinguish from the mule deer. Pretty much a replica except for the tail. Once in a while someone will get a muilie in excess of 300 pounds. My personal best has been a 285 pounder killed in middle NM. My BIL got a 315 pound one just north of Lincoln.

As to the Ruger OA I bought mine back in the mid '70's. A fine and accurate revolver and I will pass it on to a grandson. I buy cap and ball guns because I want to shoot cap and ball. If I want to shoot cartridges I would buy a repo 1883 SA. Um, I just did that and more than one. I am old, contrary, and set in my ways. If conversion cylinder makes depended on me there would be none.
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I'm pretty close to you over here in Alamogordo and go up in the Sacramento Mountains a lot. I see more Elk than I do deer up there. And there's a lot of cats too.
 
45 Dragoon said:
Well, I don't like everything but I wouldn't take it away because of it. That's pretty harsh!!

Mike
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I said nothing about taking anything away. I was pointing that I wouldn't purchase one as I have no interest in converting a cap and ball revolver into a cartridge firing gun.. I have no problems with anyone that wished to do that but I don't. I am a firm believer in you do you and I will do me.

I see the original conversions as a way to sell basically obselete guns and get rid of on hand inventory.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
.50" Dragoons? 45 grains of powder? Ha. Here's something to make elk-meat with. :)
View attachment 1226862
File pic. Golf club wrap has been removed, and barrel de-blued and de-farbed.
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My son loaded some paper cartridges in this .54 caliber hand cannon, and complained the recoil was " a bit stiff". They were 60 grains of 3F. You can see the ram rod wanting to launch...
Ricky Hip Howitzer 60 gr Goex 5.jpg
 
doubleh said:
NM is mostly mule deer country. There are a few whitetails in the Sacramento mountains. I moved here in 1956 and have seen exactly one in my life. They are much more secretive than the mulies but come close to equaling them in size. 50 or so miles as the crow flies northwest of me below the Melascero Ridge there is a small population of black tail deer. They are very hard to distinguish from the mule deer. Pretty much a replica except for the tail. Once in a while someone will get a muilie in excess of 300 pounds. My personal best has been a 285 pounder killed in middle NM. My BIL got a 315 pound one just north of Lincoln.

As to the Ruger OA I bought mine back in the mid '70's. A fine and accurate revolver and I will pass it on to a grandson. I buy cap and ball guns because I want to shoot cap and ball. If I want to shoot cartridges I would buy a repo 1883 SA. Um, I just did that and more than one. I am old, contrary, and set in my ways. If conversion cylinder makes depended on me there would be none.
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There are 3 species here, Muleys, Whitetail and Cous Whitetail. Cous have an almost cult following. They are small with very compact antlers. About the size of a big dog. They gained a following on account of being really sneaky and hard to hunt.
 
dickydalton said:
I'm pretty close to you over here in Alamogordo and go up in the Sacramento Mountains a lot. I see more Elk than I do deer up there. And there's a lot of cats too.
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Only about 185 miles apart. My wife's oldest sister and her husband lived in Cloudcroft for many years and we would visit back and forth several times a year. I would go deer and turkey hunting with him and even made a couple of elk hunts. When deer hunting we found elk and elk hunting we found deer. I think both species read the hunting regulations. :D During that span of years we watched the elk displace the deer.

While it is short sleeve weather down on the flats it's cold in them thar hills during turkey season especially about sunup at least to this flatlander. I developed an exercise routine to get my legs in shape before hunting there. About 6 weeks ahead of the hunt I would set my manual walker to it's highest setting and start walking as hard as I could until I had to stop. That sure made a difference in those mountains at twice my altitude.
 
Predominantly mule deer in Southern Colorado too though I've seen a couple (two, just two) whitetails and that's when I realized why they were called white tails. Antelope generally don't enter the valley I'm in but I saw one that was about the size of a mule deer. Shocking.

Doubleh - how close are you to Valverde? I've been to Fort Union, Glorietta, Sante Fe (Glorietta Campaign stops) but never went further south than along I-40.
 
TXTad said:
My burning question is why are there so many firearms that had ho-hum sales when they were being made, but years later all of the sudden there's a new demand for them. There are several I passed up back in the day that I wish I had now. I have more regrets about guns I didn't buy than guns I ever sold.
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Methinks that if the ho-hum sales had continued, the supply would have met the demand. Once the gun is discontinued, the demand continues even if it's low and slow. The ROA probably wasn't discontinued due to "no" demand. So it's not a "new" demand. It's no supply.
 
armoredman said:
My son loaded some paper cartridges in this .54 caliber hand cannon, and complained the recoil was " a bit stiff". They were 60 grains of 3F. You can see the ram rod wanting to launch...
View attachment 1226983
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Oh yes, 60 grains in a .54 pistol is certainly "stiff". !!!! My limit is 70 grains, as far as still being able to control the recoil enough, to hit Grizz in the head at 20 yards. But considering the big blocks of dry seasoned wood it will go through, Grizz will have a bad day. Pretty sure it would be as effective as a .44 Mag.

If that is your son shooting, there is a much more effective way to shoot the pistol. If one holds the pistol as if it is a rifle, (imaginary shoulder stock) with the left hand on the fore-stock, and then pull back with the left hand, and push forward with the right hand (kind of "isometric") the pistol will be much more controllable.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Oh yes, 60 grains in a .54 pistol is certainly "stiff". !!!! My limit is 70 grains, as far as still being able to control the recoil enough, to hit Grizz in the head at 20 yards. But considering the big blocks of dry seasoned wood it will go through, Grizz will have a bad day. Pretty sure it would be as effective as a .44 Mag.
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These guys shot a grizzly 24 times with a .40 and a .45 ACP before they brought it down and in the meantime the griz mauled one of the guys arm. https://www.eastidahonews.com/2024/...times-share-their-stunning-story-of-survival/
Ugly Sauce said:
Methinks that if the ho-hum sales had continued, the supply would have met the demand. Once the gun is discontinued, the demand continues even if it's low and slow. The ROA probably wasn't discontinued due to "no" demand. So it's not a "new" demand. It's no supply.
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If profitable demand had been there they would still be made. Who knows how many years they made them at a loss hoping sales would pick back up.
 
hawg said:
These guys shot a grizzly 24 times with a .40 and a .45 ACP before they brought it down and in the meantime the griz mauled one of the guys arm.
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Familiar with that story. Yes, can't think of a worse choice for grizz repellent, or a side arm in Grizzly territory. But that's what a lot of the "kids" take as a sidearm these days. Don't have a clue, and even carry them with hollow point bullets. Wow. Goes to show that magazine/cartridge capacity is no great advantage, or any advantage whatsoever. (in that incident, I believe the one kid's pistol jammed on like the third or fourth shot) An ROA, (ROA content) Colt Dragoon, or even a Remington loaded with a bullet/slug and 4fg would have been a better choice.
 
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hawg said:
If profitable demand had been there they would still be made. Who knows how many years they made them at a loss hoping sales would pick back up.
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That too. Although, the bean-counters may have deep-sixed it just on the grounds that the profit margin was not enough. Joyce Hornady used to produce odd ball bullets, like a .300" for the Carcano I believe, that he lost money on. His bean counters wanted him to drop those bullets, but his stance was that if he didn't make them, then guys wouldn't be able to shoot their old guns. Not sure if that's the quote, so I didn't quotation it. !!! That's why I've always been a loyal Hornady fan, although JH is long gone.

Oh well, they don't make Knucklehead Harleys anymore, and look at what those go for. !!!!
 
Bill Ruger retired in 2000 and died in 2002. His son took over and decided to quit making the old army in 08. High production costs and low sales are the reasons cited for dropping it. If Bill was still alive and in charge they'd probably still be making it.
 
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