The RUGER OLD ARMY Club

[AbitNutz]

My ex-son-in-law can only be described as a squirrel. Are we sure the ROA is not suitable?

 

[Powder Keg]

welcome Davepool tell us about that front sight on your old army it looks different from most I have seen

 

[davepool]

I'm not well informed on the history of the ROA. I bought the gun the way it is, only thing i did was a complete dis assembly, inspection and reassembled it.

I started my cap and ball adventure with an Uberti remington new army, got hooked and moved up to the ROA.

 

[Powder Keg]

Davepool the red insert is unusual it appeared that the base was longer than usual but after looking at the pics again comparing to mine I guess not . Its a snow day here in Md hope to be a transplant to your area in near future have relatives out there I just love it welcome again thanks

 

[ClemBert]

ROA Club Members:

01. ClemBert 02. Eights 03. kanook 04. [email protected] 05. mykeal
06. adaptandovercome 07. 461 08. junkman_01 09. lonewolf5347 10. rcflint
11. MCgunner 12.madcratebuilder 13. AbitNutz 14. eastbank 15. robert garner
16. philuk44 17. HUnter58 18. arcticap 19. BullRunBear 20. theotherwaldo
21. SC Slowhand 22. Prairie Dawg 23. wittzo 24. Tallbald 25. Smokin_Gun
26. OB One 27. jungle 28. plumbernater 29. daveinvegas 30. JanZ
31. George Mabry 32. Benmathes 33. Loosenock 34. higene 35. Rock Island
36. Erich 37. robhof 38. J-Bar 39. Nomad, 2nd 40. TAURUSBOB
41. martindl99 42. Vermonter 43. wasatch 44. fogg64 45. BConklin
46. Howdy Doody 47. bushrod2 48. rdstrain49 49. FirinFlatTop 50. rem1858
51. straight-shooter 52. edorfox 53. KevininPa 54. Ringo1234 55. pohill
56. The Don 57. jeepcoma 58. Dave Markowitz 59. Chazz 60. andrewstorm
61. Steel Wheels 62. Legionnaire 63. NineMilePete 64. 94RUGER 65. Acorn Mush
66. R.Ganister 67. Boom-stick 68. Buddy 69. Ghost Dog 70. BML
71. Cult of 1858 72. Jaymo 73. bigbore442001 74. Engineer Bill 75. azyogi
76. Dr. Leaky 77. Clermont 78. Indy4570 79. ozarkguy 80. Plastikosmd
81. mrdo1 82. bax504 83. Constrictor 84. BC Mosaic 85. clepidus
86. did 87. gunboat57 88. Malachi Leviticus Blue 89. Blue Hill 90. Power Keg
91. SUMIKITO 92. ChasMack 93. Larry Flett 94. RugerShawn 95. tdperry
96. Rettech 97. renoman 98. tk1971 99. Curator 100. Dan Carey
101. Old No7 102. Muddydogs 103. Oldnamvet 104. 6.5x55swedish 105. crazysccrmd
106. Jim, West PA 107. rodwha 108. Varmiter 109. Indian Outlaw 110. Patocazador
111. Fingers McGee 112. h0use 113. Huntingsaddles 114. GregP42 115. esims
116. Doak 117. BubbaGoose 118. FreddyKruger 119. Calvados 120. ruger357
121. wap41 122. DurangoKid 123. Yamavira 124. Onty 125. 4speed
126. legend 550 127. bri1462 128. regniflow 129. CageDodger 130. HPBroker
131. mattusmc45 132. 303 133. Jersey Joe 134. Psycho 135. Cast of One
136. sammass 137. jgray 138. bothenook 139. keyback 140. davepool
141. whitetailbob 142. eddie56

Welcome bothenook. keyback, davepool, whitetailbob, eddie56!

 

[davepool]

Snow day? what's that ( We actually had one of those in February, freak cold front that dropped 1-2'' in the east valley.) Happens about once every 15 years.

It was 85 yesterday, still pretty nice, but hell is just around the corner when we will hit 100+ and stay that way until October.

One thing you'll like about our high temps is the low humidity,15%and lower. I don't know how you guys back east handle those 80-90% humidities

 

[davepool]

Thanks for the Welcome Clembert,
Been a member at THR for awhile now, but since i'm new to BP shooting i've just discovered the ROA club.

It was recommended by Wisent at Classic Ballistix when i ordered a cylinder from them.

Has anyone here bought and used one of their cylinders in their ROA?

 

[SUMIKITO]

Hi there davepool, could you tell me like how much more your cylinder holds compared to an original.

 

[davepool]

I haven't gotten it yet, i just placed my order last week, still waiting for info on when it will ship.

I think there are other members here who have one, maybe they will sign in and let us both know

i am truly a newby when it comes to cap and ball revolvers, i have very little experience with them, i'm here to leech off of other more seasoned shooters knowledge

 

[SUMIKITO]

Davepools new cylinder...........

Davepool: Go ahead and ask whatever you want. Most of the guys here are very helpfull. Will do my best to give you the facts if it's about the ROA. Been shooting since age 7. Most everything there is that goes bang. Have also been lucky to have owned, and still do, a good number of quality ones. The rest had to go. Just held on to the good stuff. The Rugers, Colts, and Smiths continue to amaze me. Many of the older ones were really top quality. Held on to the real McCoys. They are a joy to have and get looked after real well. Hold on to that Old Army. Get another one if you can. But try to hold on to the one you have. You will suffer sellers remorse if you let it fly. It is the most fun pistol to have. Unlike other pistols, it never stops putting a smile on your face after touching it off. Even seasoned pro shooters who first try it out grin ear to ear when they first try it out. The range where I shoot is always crawling with LEOs, they too get a kick after trying it out. Kinda like kids firing off their first .22. The ROA has given me more friends at the range and in the field than all other pistols I have had over the years combined. The ladies too take to it nicely and love having to fire it. Nobody snubs a Ruger Old Army at the range............ Always wanted those cylinders you have ordered, thats why I asked. Should be a blast to shoot with a full load. They look very high quality of the ones I have seen here in my parts. Did you order the un-fluted or the fluted one. In stainless steel? They are said to be made out of steel used on jet-fighter landing gear. Have never actually seen a fluted one in the flesh. Have been told the fluted ones have tip-top machining on the flutes. Just like a Blackhawk. Next up for you to consider in my humble opinion is a Kirst Konverter in .45acp. In stressfull and uncertain times like nowadays, .45acp is more readily available most anywhere. I have both models, but the .45acp is so much fun at an indoor range, and cheap ammo too. Will shoot standard spec. rounds all day long. Have shot thousands of them in one of my 7 1/2" ROAs, without a hitch or sign of wear either to the cylinder or the ROA barrel or forcing cone. All done with standard factory 230gr.fmj by Federal, Winchester, Speer, and PMC. That my friend is a true fact. And don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Quality stuff those Kirst cylinders. [tip-of-the-hat] No connection to them here by the way, just wishing them and the products they make for the good ol'e ROA well. Let the guys here know how it turns out. Am sure it would be an interesting post. Best regards, as always.

 

[Patocazador]

welcome Davepool tell us about that front sight on your old army it looks different from most I have seen

I don't know the real answer to this question but I called the Ruger Parts number to get a higher front sight for my Old Army. They sent me one like the one in the picture. I think it's for a "Hunter" model Blackhawk. Anyway, it wouldn't work without a lot of modification so I just made a new front sight.

 

[AbitNutz]

I have one of the latest classicballistx cylinders. It holds about 7 grains more. It fits and locks up well. The barrel to cylinder gap is the same as the stock cylinder. The chamber diameter is exactly stock and bullets/balls fit very nicely. I did polish it up more to match my polished stainless 5-1/2".

I can recommend Treso or Slixshot nipples. I really like the slixshot.

 

[SUMIKITO]

AbitNutz's classicballistx cyl. & slixshot nipples......

AbitNutz: Gotta ask here about your classicballistx cylinder, is it the fluted one you have? Was wondering how good the fluting is. We all know how ugly and rough the flutes are on a R&D cylinder [fluted R&D only] That's why I ask. I have never actually seen a fluted classicballistx cylinder. The regular round ones seem to be of very high quality and have very well machined and smooth bores like the Kirst Konverters..............Also, SLIXSHOT nipples? Are they similar to the tresos, bloomquist, uncle mikes or Rugers own originals? How big are the flasholes compared to the other brands? What caps work and fit best? Any special wrench needed? Where are they to be found? Tell me more please, I have all the other ones but am ignorant about that brand. As always, all the best.

 

[AbitNutz]

I have an old one that's fluted and it's not as good as the latest ones. The flutes are great though. Here's a picture of the fluted cylinder and my Kirst. This was before it was polished.


The Slixshot are stainless and they have a restricted flashole but they also have two additional vent holes on the sides that seem to maybe keep the cap on better after ignition.

I try to use RWS 1075+ caps. They fit both the Treso and the Slixshot very nicely.

The Treso's and the Slixshot use the more usual two sided wrench. The standard Ruger wrench doesn't fit.

Here's a video of the Slixshot's that may help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hns_tEWBFD0


If you use the Ruger nipples on the Classicballistx cylinder, you can't use a nut driver. You need to use Ruger's wrench or find a really thin nut driver. There is less space in the Classicballistx nipple area and the nut drivers I have are too large in diameter to fit. Not a big deal.

 

[whitetailbob]

loading R&D conversion cylinder

i was wondering how to load BP into 45 LC brass to shoot out the OA powder GR ect have never tried it yet so i am a newbie to it I loaded a 200 gr cast with 6.5 gr of universal powder but it was pretty weak and doesent have much for pennitration. I would like a good load using swiss powder goex powder and pyrodex P also i know you need to compress the powder so do you still put a wad into the brass too im lost any help from you fella's would be appreciated
THANKS

 

[Zeke/PA]

I don't know why I haven't replied.
I once made some parts for a guy that was restoring an old tractor as a "government job" project in our facility.
The guy was WELL pleased and offered to pay me which was of course a NO-NO.
A month or so later the Dude presented me with an ROA, a gift from his now long gone wife.
Brand New In Box AND I love it!
By far, the most accurate handgun that I own, Squirrel Rifle shots routine.
Shot a very nice whitetail doe with it a few years back.

 

[J-Bar]

For black powder cartridges, the case itself is the powder measure. Fill the case to about 1/8 " of the brim. Seat the bullet. Enjoy.

 

[wklaus]

I would like to join, promise to behave.

Walter H. Klaus

 

[SUMIKITO]

Handloading a blackpowder cartridge.........

Like J-bar said, easy as 1-2-3. Loading a black powder cartridge is one of the most simple things you can do in handloading. Fill her up. Leave a little space before the brim for a bit of compression, ram and crimp accordingly, [thats your loaders job]. Make sure your cartridge ain't tooooo long and will fit your cylinder and you're set. Swiss, Goex, and Pyrodex-P all take well to compression, so stay with those three types[brands]. With 777 however, it does not take too well to compression, so stay with those three and life will be good. Good luck.

 

[whitetailbob]

thanks guys what about the wad do you still put a wad in under the bullet does it help lube the barrel or no. that does sound easy but i guess you cant really ajust the powder charge then unless you use a filler then huh

 

[jgray]

45 colt/777

Hi,

I've shot 45 colt cartridges loaded with 2F 777 (25 grains by volume, 15.5 grains by weight), large pistol primer, and a 200gr RNFP lead bullet. No wad, the 777 just touches the bottom of the bullet --no compression of the charge. Never shot cartridges out of the ROA, but this groups nicely out of my New Vaquero--fair amount of smoke!

Regards,

Jgray

 

[J-Bar]

Some put a lubricated wad between the powder and bullet, and adjust the powder volume accordingly. I don't. I apply a beeswax/Crisco lube to my home cast bullets for use in a black powder cartridge, and it is sufficient lubrication.

There are some brands of substitutes that can be used with smokeless lube on the bullets. I'm sure others will chime in about those, but my experience is with Schuetzen, Goex, and Pyrodex, all of which should be used with a traditional blackpowder lube.

Get a strong crimp on the case to encourage complete burning. Heavier bullets will increase pressure, expand the case, and reduce blowback around the case. This is more important in lever action rifles than in revolvers, but still...

 

[whitetailbob]

can i use the normal rcbs bullet lube from the rcbs lube a matic in the bullet grooves ir is it better to just use the wad

 

[robhof]

robhof

Don't use lubes for smokeless powders on bullets that are to be shot with b/p or b/p subs. they tend to form a tar like substance that is difficult to clean, especially with soap and water that is needed for the powder residue.

 

[SUMIKITO]

Loading blackpowder cartridges for the ROA.........

Whitetailbob: No need at all for a lubed wad. Lubed wads were made for loading balls and bullets in a cap and ball cylinder as a barrier to protect from a possible chainfire, to aid a tiny little bit in lubricating the bore, and as a semi-filler for a reduced load. Also adding more pads for a further reduced load to fill out un-used space etc. No real need for it at all if you fill and compress the charge accordingly as required by real blackpowder and it's close substitutes.[except triple 7]. If you really want to reduce your powder content for better accuracy, plinking loads, [wimpy cowboy loads] etc. and you have an airspace between your bullet and powder, than just put a pinch of cornmeal on top of the powder charge before seating the bullet. When ramming the bullet in, the cornmeal will compress itself AND the black powder in the case. Cornmeal compresses so much better than a felt wad which is springy and still has air in it when compressed. Like was said before, real black powder and its nearest true substitutes like compression. [exept,again triple7]. Regarding lubricated lead bullets, the best ones that don't leave a messy residue are the lead bullets that come with a lubricating groove around near the bullets base. Sometimes one groove, and sometimes two or more grooves. Those grooved lubricated bullets really help out in keeping your bore nice and clean, without the yucky mess. If you do decide to use triple 7, a small airspace should be left in the case as most folks do. Why, well pressures build up erratically with triple 7 when it is compressed, leading to a whole lot more power and oomph but not good accuracy. I use magnum primers to help ignite my triple 7 loads as it takes more fire to burn that powder evenly. I always stay with regular standard [FFFG pistol type] black powder, standard primers, skip the wad, use groove-lubricated bullets, plus a nice tight crimp, and all is perfect. It's all been tried and proven over the years, and always works very well. Oh, and don't forget to collect all your fired cases and dump them all in a pail of hot soapy water, [squirt some dish detergent into the water with a spoonfull of baking soda, as it really helps to neutralize those highly corrosive burnt blackpowder residue from quickly corroding your just fired brass.] Don't put it off for a day, as your brass will quickly corrode like you have never seen before if you don't! Save one piece of your dirty brass and come back to see it in a few days, and you will know what I mean. Whoa! Let us all know how it all turns out. I am sure you will be very pleased with the results. Like you say in your signature, Whitetailbob, "Anything worth doing is worth doing right" All the very best to you.