Ruger Old Army Longing

[Ziabeam]

Haven’t earned the right yet to post a WTB thread in this forum, so I’d like to hear any suggestions on where I might find one already waiting for a buyer. Tried the usual haunts like Gunbroker and Guns America etc. My hope is someone can steer me to a forum that has a good chance of the odd duckling fixed sight Old Army being listed. I’ve been selling a LOT of my centerfire and black powder guns recently on Gunbroker to fund a MUCH smaller collection, and a fixed sight Ruger Old Army is high on my wish list.
I’m all ears.
Ed

 

[EmGeeGeorge]

Watch track of the wolf like a hawk, like everyday in the a.m. check it. A stainless fixed just sold there... I see one there every two or three months, always sold/pending.

 

[Catman42]

if you find a fixed sight ruger old army you will pay dearly for it. they dont run cheap. get a uberti remington 1858. the levers dont come apart when you open them like the ruger does and it is very well made.

 

[J-Bar]

The Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) conducts and sanctions cowboy action matches. They have a classified ad section on their website and ROAs show up for sale occasionally. You must be a member of SASS (I think it is $60 per year to join) to be able to conduct business from the classified ad section. You could join SASS, post a "Want To Buy" ad and keep refreshing it for a year to see if anything you like will show up. Many states allow transfer of percussion guns without FFA dealer being required, so you could look at the membership fee as a trade-off for some paperwork, that is if you live in a permissive state.

Link to the classified ad section:

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/forum/14-sass-wire-classifieds/

 

[Armored farmer]

I lost a gunbroker bid on a ROA in the final seconds of the auction. Frustrated, I bought a Remington '58 pietta instead.
It cost a fraction of the ROA that I had bid on. Man, was I lucky to lose that auction.! I couldnt be happier with the pietta. I bought this target model last year. They are excellent guns, maybe not as good as a ROA, but very good indeed.
The Uberti's are also.

 

[MCFLYFYTER]

Just wait it out. You will either find one cheap, or realize it's way too much money for the little you will shoot it. You can find used repros dirt cheap, and you will enjoy it just as much. The old armys sure are nice though...

 

[J-Bar]

The grip on a ‘58 Remington is different than the grip on an ROA. It’s great if the Remington feels good in your hand, but it doesn’t in mine. Don’t buy either one until you test the feel in your hand.

 

[Ziabeam]

View attachment 915103 I lost a gunbroker bid on a ROA in the final seconds of the auction. Frustrated, I bought a Remington '58 pietta instead.
It cost a fraction of the ROA that I had bid on. Man, was I lucky to lose that auction.! I couldnt be happier with the pietta. I bought this target model last year. They are excellent guns, maybe not as good as a ROA, but very good indeed.
The Uberti's are also.

My dad had a fixed sight stainless ROA that mom sold for $250 when he passed in late 2018. Family friend assured her I wouldn’t want it... grrrr lol. The Piettas are nice, but the ROA just speaks to me. I use to work at Freedom Arms building .454 Casull SA revolvers, of which I still own one. I had given it to dad in 1989, and mom returned it when he passed. The ROA was his answer to my not being able to afford the .45C cylinder for the Casull even with my employee discount. His philosophy was the ROA offered the correct bore dim’s for .45C conversion and worked better with squeezed down .457 balls than Pietta’s larger bore.
Edit;
BTW I have a Pietta ‘58 for sale on Gunbroker, also sold one a few days ago, the original plum colored kit version from the seventies. Have a few Pedersolis being dug out to list, and a few dozen smokeless firearms have been and will be sold. In a downsizing mode to help finance a few restorations. My user name is “cleefurd” Also listing several guns per week.

 

[SlowFuse]

The grip on a ‘58 Remington is different than the grip on an ROA. It’s great if the Remington feels good in your hand, but it doesn’t in mine. Don’t buy either one until you test the feel in your hand.

This is a good point. I can shoot my '58 repro fairly well but have been thinking of adding some sort of brass shims under the grips to fatten it up. They're too small for my hands.

OP, good luck on your search!

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

I haven't looked at Gunbroker more than occasionally in a few years since they made their big changes to how the searches work etc.
I recall that the fixed sight models didn't pop up all that often even back then.
If you want one you need to decide how much you are willing to pay and just grab one when you get the chance buy it now at your price.
Don't worry about paying too much because it's not actually money spent. You can always sell it later and there is a fair enough chance you will make money doing so to boot.
Way better than the return you'll get on an awful lot of things you likely spend your money on.

 

[Ziabeam]

Just wait it out. You will either find one cheap, or realize it's way too much money for the little you will shoot it. You can find used repros dirt cheap, and you will enjoy it just as much. The old armys sure are nice though...

Dad left me 52 lbs of black powder... SOMETHING’s getting shot a lot lol. You’re right though. Might not be the pistol. Also bought two of his old cannons from mom. One shoots golf ball size and the other 1”. I made dad a ball mold for the latter, and we made some good videos of it being fired.

 

[Armored farmer]

This is a good point. I can shoot my '58 repro fairly well but have been thinking of adding some sort of brass shims under the grips to fatten it up. They're too small for my hands.

OP, good luck on your search!

The piettas are better imho than the uberti's. More room between the trigger gaurd and the grip.

My dad had a fixed sight stainless ROA that mom sold for $250 when he passed in late 2018. Family friend assured her I wouldn’t want it... grrrr lol. The Piettas are nice, but the ROA just speaks to me. I use to work at Freedom Arms building .454 Casull SA revolvers, of which I still own one. I had given it to dad in 1989, and mom returned it when he passed. The ROA was his answer to my not being able to afford the .45C cylinder for the Casull even with my employee discount. His philosophy was the ROA offered the correct bore dim’s for .45C conversion and worked better with squeezed down .457 balls than Pietta’s larger bore.
Edit;
BTW I have a Pietta ‘58 for sale on Gunbroker, also sold one a few days ago, the original plum colored kit version from the seventies. Have a few Pedersolis being dug out to list, and a few dozen smokeless firearms have been and will be sold. In a downsizing mode to help finance a few restorations. My user name is “cleefurd” Also listing several guns per week.

Ah, I see.
I like ROAs too, I wasn't aware of your dilemma.
Best wishes on your search.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

Here's a fixed sight ROA for sale. (Not Mine)
Likely wont last long -
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/868000348

Someone grab it

 

[Patocazador]

I've got 3 adj. sight ROAs and a Pietta. IMO there is no comparison. If I lost an ROA, I'd cry for a long time. If I lost the Pietta, I don't think I'd bother to replace it.

 

[D. Buck Stopshere]

I have five or six ROA's but all with adjustable sights, so I can't help you out. Here's a pair that are set up for NMLRA National Matches. The Ruger Old Army .44 "Dragoon" Model comes with the brass backstop & squared trigger guard & Super Blackhawk grip frame. I have had it since 1988, and used it at the national matches from 1989 till 1998.

On the right is a custom-made Ruger "Old Navy" .36 caliber done by the late Tom Ball, well-known NMLRA & N-SSA Pistolsmith. Stainless steel sleeves in the cylinder converted it from .450 to .357. The barrel is a 9 mm octagon barrel, and loads with 15 grains of Swiss 3FG, cream of wheat, and Hornady .360 RB. The PO used it to win the National Muzzleloading Pistol Championship in 1997. I doubt there are more than a dozen .36 cal Ruger revolvers out there, since total outlay would be around $ 1,500.00.

Both are fitted with Patridge front sights, Bo-Mar adjustable rear sights, & Herrett walnut grips.

Good luck on your quest. Since the fixed sight model is geared to CAS, publications relative to that activity will be your sources, other than Gunbroker.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

I just looked to see if that ROA was still available on Gunbroker and if I'm not mistaken, the seller just lowered the price.
It's not cheap, but if it's really NIB then someone is going to buy it.

 

[whughett]

Not disagreeing with any post but among my 20 or so black powder revolvers are three ROA’s two stainless one blued.
The ROA will out perform out shoot and outlast all of the others. The only exception maybe, maybe would be one of the R&Ss. Just my opinion, but I do shoot a lot and the ROA is the go to gun. Cap and ball or conversion.
The down side if a part does break, on either the Rugers or the R&S would be trying to fix it.
Is the added cost worth it can only be decided by the buyer.

Good luck OP in finding one.
All of mine are adjustable sights however.

 

[1KPerDay]

Dumb question but why won't Ruger build these again? There's obviously demand and the work can't be that much different from their standard fare these days.

 

[J-Bar]

Dumb question but why won't Ruger build these again? There's obviously demand and the work can't be that much different from their standard fare these days.

I’m guessing we are a niche they don’t want to scratch.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

Well that fixed sight ROA on Gunbroker is sold.
Someone got a nice Ruger.

 

[arcticap]

Well that fixed sight ROA on Gunbroker is sold.
Someone got a nice Ruger.

Unless the OP checked this thread without logging in, or checked Gunbroker on his own, then he totally missed it.
Zaibeam said that he was checking Gunbroker, I hope that he got lucky.

 

[whughett]

My blued Ruger came from Gunbroker 12 years or so back. Of my three it’s it’s the only one with a problem. The trigger pull on this one is light, measured in ounces light. I shoot it on occasion. It’s like shooting a piece with a set trigger. Someday I’ll address the issue.

 

[Catman42]

i had a ruger old army several years ago and put a howell conversion cylinder in it and it shot 45 long colt very very well. sold it to a shooter in penn who carried it as his main squeeze on bear hunt as a back up gun. loves it.. i sold it because im into gun that look 1800/s and not modern with modern sights. the gun was and is a good one, just not traditional.

 

[robhof]

I've got 2 ROA's both adjustable sight models, they're built like a tank and both have had many Lbs of powder and ball through them as well as many 45 Colts with their conversion cylinders.

 

[woodnbow]

Herrets? ^^^