Ruger Old Army

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Gunruner

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May 3, 2008
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Hurricane, West Virginia
Took my ROA to the range for the first time today. Very impressed! I've been shooting .44 Colt Army and Remington .44 copies for years. The Colt copies seem to shoot many more shots before cleaning........but the ROA seems like it could go on forever. I shot 4 cylinders full and it didn't seem to be binding at all and I thought something amiss. Nope, you can go to the range with a can of BP, 100 RB and a tin of caps and not clean. The accuracy was just so-so with light charges of FFF GOEX. I didn't use any filler and only went as low as 34gr as rammer went to full stop with no wad. The best and most accurate groups were with 38 gr of 3F. That left enough room to seat ball at mouth with a wonder wad. The 25 yard groups were 2-3" clusters "at point of aim. I didn't have a rest and shot from resting my wrists on wooden block. I would imagine 1" groups with a nice pistol rest. Trigger is super and breaks like glass. Had to tell you that this is going to be my camp gun. I was surprised at the recoil. It felt like a stiff .38 special +P load from a snub gun feels. FUN GUN!!!
Now to those that do not dismantle their ROA completely. I don't see how you do not get rust if you shoot anywhere close to as much as I do. I had BP residue in every nook and cranny. Even the frame screws had powder on them,inside. If you flush, spray dry with air and WD-40 you still have ALOT of powder inside. I took my gun down to all the parts and it took alot of scrubbing to get it clean.
This gun may not be period or a copy of anything in history but it won me over real fast. Just being able to load cylinder after cylinder and not having to clean was a pleasure. I use genuine BP as it's cheap and I have alot of it but in other revolvers you can get a few as 2 cylinders shot before binding occurs. Just my $.02 on my ROA.................Mike
 
Gunruner - glad you discovered the joy of the Ruger Old Army. I've never regretted buying mine when I was a teenager many decades ago.

A word of caution about using compressed air.

Condensation does build up in the tank. Be sure your first blasts are not on your gun. You don't want to spray water into your gun, do you?

Second, don't use WD-40 on your firearms. It deposits a film and given time, built up film can affect your gun (we learned this at Remington Armorer's School. Remington had been sued once by someone whose gun had been hosed down with WD-40 for ten years without servicing to remove that film. The gun went off, hitting the bubba into the foot).
 
The Ruger is a quality gun. Most of the Italian classics are not worth the effort. The "Shooter's Model" of the Remington 1858 is a pretty good gun. Best groups are with about 20 grains 3F Goex with filler and .454/.457 ball. Too bad it is not Historically correct for the CW.

Little trick learned in the N-SSA to prevent fouling going into the insides. Fill the inner works with white lithium grease. Make sure you also fill the openings around the tirgger and hammer areas. The exterior grease taps the fouling and keeps it out of the inside. Since started doing this, only clean the insides about every 3-4 months, depending on how often I shoot it. In the eight years I have been doing this, no rust, pitting or any evidence of wear. (Interior parts have been hardened.) Coat the Cylinder pin and rammers and cleaning is easier.
 
I likes it !!

Thanks... gots me a tub of white lithium schmooie... I'll put it to good use inside my BP wheel guns !! :cool:
 
Well, "they" say the ROA is the BEST and most accurate black powder revolver out of the box ever made...at least it would appear that 99.99% would say so. The third most powerful BP revolver behind the Walker and Dragoon models but an excellent choice for hunting especially with adjustable sights. You have one fine revolver there. I wouldn't let the detractors of the ROA who point out that it isn't historically accurate get to you. Neither is my SUV versus a Model-T Ford; nuff said. Besides, a large percentage of "their" Colt and Remington replicas are not historically correct either. The manufactures have taken liberties here and there to make the replicas more marketable. As they say, close is good with horse shoes and hand grenades. ;) We can all probably agree that BP is just plain FUN!
 
Where's "manyirons?" He worked for a gunsmith who did BP stuff. He talked about boring out the ROA's cylinders to give it much more capacity for guys interested in hunting with it. I thought about getting it done, but didn't have the money at the time, was right after losing my job, was set up on my IRAs, but didn't have a lot extra. I'm a little better off, now, but hell, I have cartridge handguns for hunting. The ROA is just plain accurate fun for me, has been for 30 years now.

My original one was a stainless model, cleaned it in the dish washer. I never took it apart, just washed it and lubed it and it never gave me a problem. It got stolen and I was heartbroken. I bought this blued one while checking out the gun shops and pawn shops for my old one, to see if the creep sold it somewhere. I know the moron didn't know what he was steeling. It and a couple of .22s were the only guns in my closet that he got, rest were hidden elsewhere.

Anyway, I go to this one gun shop and there lies a blued ROA with a price tag that says "97.50". I asked the proprietor if that was correct. He says, "Yeah, I just want out of the BP stuff, trying to get rid of it." I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough. LOL

I've never taken this one apart, either. After reading this thread, I went to pull the grip frame off, but one of the screws, one on the back right side of the grip frame, seems to be a bit tight and my gunsmithing screw driver (Lyman) has a ratchet ball that is messed up. I need to find somthing that will break that screw loose, but my impact driver has blades that are too big. Hmmmmmm. I have always washed it out with soapy water and blew the water out and used oil on it down cocked hammer and the cylinder hand and latch. Hope it ain't a pile of rust in there, but I really don't think it could have gotten too bad considering how well it works.
 
Aside from direct human on human crime breaking and entering into someone's residence and stealing their property has to be one of the most vile crimes IMHO. Now stealing your firearms is downright right up there with kicking your dog on their way out. :fire:

Was wondering how the blued steel version of the ROA holds up in the dishwasher? Hopefully no rust in the lockworks. Do you blast out the lockworks with Break-Free LP or something when it comes out of the dishwasher or just compressed air? I blast the inside of mine with WD-40 through any and all crevices I can find.
 
Well, I haven't dish washered the blued one, didn't have the cojones to try it. LOL Might as well, though, as I hand wash everything with hot soapy water. I don't see why it couldn't be done, just need to get it out of there post haste I guess. I mean, I don't dunk the gun, but I scrub the barrel out with soapy water and then turn the muzzle under the faucet to flush it out, water gets on the rest of the gun and surely some into the works.

Yeah, I blow out the works with my air hose in the shop, literally SOAK WD40 down in the works, and lately, I follow that with corrosion X which is a fantastic lube, really hangs with the metal, doesn't evaporate. I use corrosion X on my shotguns which see use in the salt marsh and bay hunting for waterfowl, really great stuff.

I check the WD coming out of the works for any sign of a stain and if it's clear, I assume it's clean in there. I know danged well it's lubricated if nothing else, LOL! It's been about 15 years with this gun and I haven't had one problem with it, action is as slick as ever. That danged stuck screw does bother me. I might have to see a gunsmith with that.

BTW, after that break in, about 4 years later, it happened again! This time, they got my daughter's two .410s (one an inheritance from an aunt, and an H&R 20 gauge I'd just gotten her. I went down and bought her another H&R. It happened both times when my wife and I were working. I worked rotating shifts, but that's pretty common around here, lots of plant workers. If I ever caught that SOB in the act, well, they'd have to sweep up the parts that are left and I'd have a lot of blood to get off the floor.:mad: I'm retired now and don't have regular hours and my wife is home most of the time, retired, too. It'd be neigh on impossible for a crook to get a fix on when we're not home. Add to that, when I do go somewhere on my own, it's usually on a motorcycle which is locked in the shop when not in use. He's goin' to have to come in here without knowing if he wants something now and God help him if I'm at home.
 
SAWEET!In my opinion the Ruger is the very best BP handgun ever built.I don't currently own one,but I've had three.Two blued Adjustable sighted ones,and a fixed sight blued.Might be time to get another.
 
thanks for the compliments. if you can resize it to fit your screen, have at it. I have a hard enough time just getting them on here let alone the right size. :D
 
The stuck screw. I put a tiny dab of anti-sieze on all the threads whan I re-assemble my BP revolvers. That includes the threads of the nipples. Don't you just love a sport where you can say "nipples":D. I can't get you screw out for you but if you use the anti-sieze in the future they will come out easy. I don't recommend WD-40 for any gun as it isn't a lube it is a drying agent. Use it on a bicycle chain and it will rust within a week and be ruined in a month. Remington spray lube is 100% better and just a tad more$.
I will continue to dismantle my ROA as I have the time and I like knowing the inner workings are pristine.
Next it is off to Cabelas to get a holster so I can carry my new toy.
Thanks again all, for your comments!...........Mike
 
Kanook - that brass frame really brings out the blue job, doesn't it? Now I wish I had one too.
 
I have replied several times on this forum on the ROA topic and I cannot say enough about their good qualities.
The ROA is BY FAR the most accurate handgun in my arsenal both Repro and modern.
 
Was wondering how the blued steel version of the ROA holds up in the dishwasher? Hopefully no rust in the lockworks. Do you blast out the lockworks with Break-Free LP or something when it comes out of the dishwasher or just compressed air? I blast the inside of mine with WD-40 through any and all crevices I can find.
Click to expand...

I use the dishwasher method when I have more than two or three guns to clean. After the wash and dry I spray them down with Ballistol, WD40 well work as well, then blow the excess off with compressed air. I have not had any rust issues using this method.
 
to get my first Old Army brass frame I traded an m14 receiver back in 01 or 02 not sure. and i've never looked back. It always gets the looks at the range and it's the only one I really shoot. I've been thinking about getting the cylinder bored for some more powder in it. the deer do drop with it now, I just want some more oomph for pigs. thanks again :D
 
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