Ruger Old Army

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

ldasr

Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2006
Messages
24
Location
SW,Florida
I could not get this gun to pattern so I returned it to Ruger. They changed the front sight, installed new nipples, Hammer, Trigger and Bullet Rammer. At the range useing 43Gr of Pyrodex P, a Wonder Wad and a .457 Speer Ball, it still won't pattern. It throws high and to the right. The best I can get at 25 yards is a 5 inch pattern. The folks at Ruger tell me it patterned 1 inch @ 15 yards useing 30 Gr.Pyrodex P a Wad & .457 Ball. Any Ideas???
 
The loading sounds fine. The only thing I can think off is that the gun may be too dirty. Keep in mind that accuracy is lost or progressively gets worse after a few cylinders of shooting. I find that my accuracy is pretty good for about 3 cylindrers and then the groups start to widen. Once in a while I will have a "flyer" from a dalayed ignition. Black powder is not like cartridge shooting, many factors can influence accuracy. It is probably not the amount of powder or the ball however. I don't use wads but it should not make a difference.
Just keep playing and vary one thing at a time.
Good luck!
 
Thank for the reply, I will be going back to the range Wednsday. Do you know if the is a Bullet Coefficient for the .457 Ball??
 
Years ago (12 or 13) I shot several bullseye matches with mine. I never ran more than 20 gr. P for fine target work ever. 43gr sounds way high to me. As I recall, the best groups were around 15 gr. The BC might go .150?(but who cares?). I've always thought the round ball was fairly "brick-like", but predictable. Maybe try backing it down towards what the factory ran, at least just for verification. Are you resting the pistol? I'll bet the factory did. Don't give up on one of the finest cap-n-ball rigs ever made just yet.
Josh
 
Hi Idasr...

Am going out in about 15 minutes to shoot my ROA with the exact load the Ruger Folks used in yours. Will photograph the target and post it. Have no idea what that load will do in my gun. Will be shooting outside (temp about 15 degrees), two-handed from sitting on a backwards chair at 15 yards.
Ok, here is the target. The shot low/right was a flinch. Other four shots are in a group that measures 2.5" vertically and 1 and 5/8" horizontally. Was using a 6 0'clock hold on the black circle and obviously I need to adjust the windage just a little.
ROAtarget.gif

HTH !!
 
Last edited:
1. A BIG load it not necessarily an accurate load.
2. I pull my barrel through after every cylinder using 'Windex' and I also wipe over the frame. I load with a bench loader so the cylinder is always loaded out of the gun. Much more consistent pressures.
Works for me although I am currently talking about my Remington 1858 NMA
 
Hi Idasr...


Ok - here is another group after moving the sight a shade. This was shot the same as the last and is five shots (the hole closest the "9" on the left is actually a double hole).

ROATarget25shots.gif


The group measure 2 7/8" wide by 2 5/8" high.

The previous target were was shot with the 6th - 10th shots since cleaninig and this one was with the 11th - 15th. Mine is a stainless steel model.

If I ever get challenged to a gunfight I hope they let me bring my kitchen chair !!!

HTH :)
 
Concur 47 gr too much powder

I shot mine this weekend 30 gr fffg (the real stuff, cuz it smells gude)
Groups fine. I suspect the larger powder charge does unusual things with group size. My groups were well withing my accuracy standards of 4" at 25 yards. I would like them to shoot a little lower, as the rear sight is bottomed out and they still shoot a tad high.

What I need to work on is a sight stretcher. Once I get my counter rotating, hole shrinking drill bit fixed, I work on a front sight stretcher.
I'll be rich I tell ya...
 
Shoot at higher targets

Heheheheh,
At the Log Cabin shop this weekend; I was looking for taller sights for a remmie.

Was told, the civil war soldier was taught to aim at the belt buckle of the enemy. It was designed to shoot a foot high. Which is about where one of my remmie pistols groups. I have one of those real estate type corregated plastic sign that I use to staple targets on. (Work great and they are littering yards all over town) (vote for Democrat xxx printed on some)
Just kidding,

Put two targets on this thing one on top the other. Shooting a 6:00 hold on the bottom target, I put a nice tight group in or near the black of the top target. So in effect I have figured out how to shoot higher targets.

Enough screw'n round. I gotta go do my bullseye league thing. Indoors and warm, but no sulfur smell. Well not as much, depends on what I had fer dinner the night before.....
 
43 gr is too much

43 gr is too much for a mediium size frame 45 cal c&B revolver like the ROA; that is undoubtedly the cause of the inconsistent results. It will shoot much better with loads below about 32 gr. 43 gr is only usable in a large frame gun like a Dragoon or Walker (or a Paterson or Whitneyville) in my opinion. I get good groups from my Dragoons with 45 gr; above that they get real wild, and my hand hurts.
 
It has been a long time since I shot any Pyrodex. When I did it was my standard load for my ROAs and that is 30gr.
I shoot a lot of subs and the current one is Goex Pinnacle, made by APP for Goex. A 30 gr load is plenty accurate at 25 yards and less. Of course there is a BUT, and that is that the 30gr load, the 457 pure lead ball, the wad forced me to file the sights to get there. The ROA sights, and mine are fixed ones are too danged high. I always figured that was for 40gr loads. I don't know. They are too high. My windage was a tad off on all 4 ROAs I have. I made the adjustment by widening the rear slot to one side or another to make the adjustment. If they were off more I would have had to turn the barrel.
That is the fun of C&Bs, the tuning and experimenting with each one for the best results. Keep at it and try different loadings and powders too if you can.
ROAs are stout, the chambers are deep, but best of all is the Ruger bushing. That pin bushing keeps them running and the pin clean. The cylinders don't bind like in my other C&Bs near as easy.
 
Last edited:
Target loads

Evry gun is a rule onto itself. I've heard pretty consistent stories about the ROA doing its best target work with lite loads. On the other hand my Rogers & Spencer puts 'em all over the map with lite loads and tightens up with a medium load.
 
What DuncaninFrance says. Heavy loads aren't necessarily the most accurate loads. Suggest you try to replicate what Ruger did to get accuracy. 30 grains.
 
Back Off!

When I am at the black powder section of the gun range and learning a lot of new words from the fellow a few lanes over, my first suggestion is for him to lower his powder charge by at least 25% to see if things improve.

I cannot squeeze more than about 35gr Pyrodex P + Wonder Wad + .457 round ball into my ROA and still have the cylinder turn. You may be driving that ball so fast that it is stripping out on the rifling. Have you checked for leading in your barrel?

You might also try putting a dab of lube on top of the chambers in addition to the wad. I find that helps a lot in hot dry weather.

The first thing to do is come back to about 30gr and see what happens.
 
5" at 25 Yards ???

Even with a load that heavy the ROA should do better than 5" at 25 yards.
I do agree that the heaviest loadings are not generally the most accurate. I suggest you try lighter loads and try the gun from a bench rest so you are testing the gun/load and not the shooter. If it is the gun it is a lemon and not the norm for a Ruger Old Army.:eek:
 
Sundance44s

Back off on the powder and start with 20 grs and work up a load that shoots straight .I think you`ll be pleasently supprised at the results .
 
Firearms Confessional

I confess that when I was younger (20), I bought my Old Army via Gil Hebard. I loaded it to the top with black powder and could barely squeeze a .457 ball down the cylinder and followed by globs of shortening. Who needed this stuff called filler anyway?:rolleyes: The purpose wasn't to hit a target. Who cared?:p As the range was crowded and there was a bunch o' us shooting (or at least wanted to shoot), when the first lane opened, I naturally went first. The shattering of percussion caps, the belching clouds of sulphourous white smoke, the flying grease all worked together to drive other people away from me. Then my buddies could have a lane and shoot with too. The Old Army was put away for more modern guns. It wasn't about accuracy back then like it is today. It was about having a place for me & my buddies to shoot. So ends my selfish story of the day. :D
 
Sundance44s

Nice going Gary ...when i was younger shooting smokepoles at a public range ...after my first shoot i would see folks talking to the range officer , then he would come to me and quietly tell me to move to the end of the range ..where there was no cover , and no people eaither ...
If that were to happen to me now ...you do know what i would tell them don`t ya ...lol ..:neener:
 
LOLOLOLOLOL!!

Being a person who doesn't care to waste time on confrontation I solved the problem by using the money saved from range fees to buy a 12-acre backyard and installing my "range" 20 steps from my back door.

Muzzleloaders Welcome. :D
 
Open invitation

Okay everyone over to Shawnee's place. Free range, I get first dibbs on put'n first hole in his burn'n barrel.

Public ranges are nice at times but just prior to deer gun season, they are full of people with new guns and they are hunters rather than shooters.

I much prefer a shooter that likes to hunt, than a hunter that likes to shoot.
 
Sundance44s

Funny i just put 10 holes in a burn barrel last weekend ... it breathes real good now ..
 
Sundance44s

Shawnee i got the same back stop on my place ...and there`s 1/2 mile of thick woods behind mine . Been thinking about haveing a dumptruck load of sand dumped on top of the wood stack too ..the soft sand would keep down any ricko shays ...:D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

W
  • Locked
My Weekend Shoot'n ...
Replies
4
Views
855
Wwalstrom
W
Crawdad1
  • Locked
1860 Army vs ROA vs Remington
Replies
11
Views
1K
rodwha
R
M
  • Locked
Old army wads/vs no wads
Replies
2
Views
886
mec
M
T
  • Locked
A felt wad sizing question please.
Replies
9
Views
1K
Gatofeo
Gatofeo
T
  • Locked
ROA accuracy question?
Replies
19
Views
939
RON in PA
R
Back
Top