Lee REAL Boolits + Ruger Old Army

[siamese4570]

Anybody know if the 45 caliber, 200 grain REAL boolits are the right diameter
(0.457) to work in a Ruger Old Army C&B Revolver?

Siamese4570

[Old Ironsights]

Yes. And they shoot exceptionally well.

[mooman76]

I loaded them and shot out of my 45 ACP just for giggles and it didn't shoot that bad!

[44man]

I have even shot a lot of different .45 Colt boolits from mine with real good accuracy. The lighter boolits, of course. I have the Lee boolit made for the Ruger and it shoots good too.
I still use the round ball on deer though because I get 41 gr's of Swiss FFFG behind them. Deadly on deer! :drinks:

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I've shot wild hog with 28gn FFFG and a 240gn wadcutter:Fire:

[Old Ironsights]

Best Loads for the Ruger Old Army

By C.E. Harris

Round balls are still the best choice for general use in either light or heavy loads. They are easy to cast, accurate, and effective for small game. A round ball at higher velocity is a better killer and more accurate than the conicals. I see no good reason to use the conical bullets at all in cap & ball revolvers. There are other, better options, if you want a heavier bullet than a ball.

The Lee 200-gr. REAL is the best choice for a wadcutter bullet in most .44 cap & ball revolvers. Its tapered dimensions are adaptable to a variety of chamber diameters and it is easy to load. A charge of 20-25 grs. bulk measure of FFFg or Pyrodex P, using a .38 Special or .357 case for a measure approximates the ballistics of .45 ACP wadcutter ammunition. In the Ruger Old Army or Colt Walker replicas, 30-35 grs. bulk measure of black powder or Pyrodex, using a .44 Special or .44 Magnum case for a measure fills the chambers, leaving enough room to seat the bullet properly over a wad. This load produces 2 to 2-1/2" groups at 25 yards, about 900 f.p.s. and 360 ft.-lbs. of energy.

The 250-gr. REAL bullet can be used with good effect in the Ruger Old Army and Colt Walker replicas. It is both highly accurate and authoritative when the chambers are filled to capacity with 30 grs. bulk measure (a .44 Special case full) of black powder or Pyrodex and no wad. This load produces 880-980 f.p.s., depending upon the powder type and granulation, groups of 2" at 25 yards and generates energies from 430-530 ft/lbs! You don't need an over-powder wad with the 250 REAL in the Old Army when loading more than 25 grs. bulk measure (a .357 Magnum case full).

A wadcutter bullet can be sized and pre-lubricated like a conventional bullet, eliminating the need to apply grease over the ball. The bullet diameter should be 0.0015" larger than the largest chamber. This makes loading easy, while ensuring a positive seal for safety and a tight fit so that the bullets don't creep forward in recoil with heavy loads. I lubricate REAL bullets for my Old Army in a .454" sizer, and fill the grooves with a soft home-made lube made from 50-50 paraffin and Vaseline, with either 4 oz. of heavy white mineral oil or RCBS Case Lube II added per pound. This is easier to use and stiffer than Crisco, doesn't melt in hot weather, and keeps the gun clean.

With Hodgdon Pyrodex it is essential that the charge be compressed to eliminate all airspace, otherwise hangfires or misfires will occur. With charges less than 20 grains bulk measure in the replicas or 25 grains in the Old Army, a full stroke of the rammer is inadequate to cmpress the charge unless a wad or other filler is used. It is necessary to place a felt wad over the powder charge, seat it to the maximum depth of the rammer and pour Farina or Cream of Wheat, (dispensed from a catsup bottle) to fill the chambers, then spin the cylinder to strike the filler off level before seating the ball. If using enlongated bullets fill the chambers to within 1/4" of the top. Seat the ball normally, with a firm stroke in which you should feel the charge compress before the end of the rammer stroke.

With black powder, failure to compress the powder results in lower velocities, greater velocity variation and vertical stringing. When using over 20 grains bulk measure in the 1860 Colt or 1858 Remingtons, or 25 grs. in the Ruger Old Army, an Ox-Yoke wad by itself over the powder is adequate. With lighter charges, use Farina or Cream of Wheat also. A wad isn't necessary with heavier charges, but accuracy is better, velocities are higher, the bore leads less and the gun is far easier to clean afterwards.

The loads in the table used backstop scrap from .38 wadcutter and .22 rimfire bullets, 8 BHN, containing 1.5% antimony and 0.3% tin. The results speak for themselves. Pure lead IS NOT ESSENTIAL! Traditional wisdom states that the sprue of a round ball must be placed up and centered for uniformity. If your mould produces a distinct shoulder around the cut-off, this is true. This precaution is unnecessary with balls cast in Lee moulds, which are round any way you want to measure them. I never pay any attention to the sprue. They shoot fine, so another myth bites the dust!

When the rear sight is bottomed out, on my Old Army, Ruger's recommended load of 20 grs. of FFFg, strikes high in the ten-ring of the 25-yard Timed and Rapid-Fire pistol target. A heavier load of 35 grs. of FFFg hits at 12:00 in the nine ring. Heavier bullets strike at the upper edge of the paper. The Ruger's front sight needs to be 0.080" higher to permit greater flexibility in loads.

The Ruger Old Army is the finest cap & ball revolver ever produced. Properly managed, it can be either a precision target arm or a powerful hunting gun. The Ruger is far superior to anything else out there. Mine is more accurate than any modern cartridge revolver I've owned, except for "tricked out" custom target guns. I know a half dozen other Old Army owners who feel the same way, and know mine is not a fluke. I attribute this to the Ruger's cylinder throats being smooth, round and ideally dimensioned, .452", compared to a barrel groove diameter of .451". In addition, the gun is perfectly timed, and the forcing cone smooth and concentric. A well turned out percussion revolver gives better bullet-to-bore alignment than a cartridge gun, because the bullet is an exact fit to the chambers. In a cartridge gun the bullet and cartridge must be somewhat smaller than the chambers to enter freely, and there is always some misalignment and deformation.

When shooting black powder, bore condition is critical to maintain accuracy. A load which groups 2" when fired from a clean bore will double its group size within 30 rounds, if the bore is not cleaned. Competitors using black powder, as opposed to Pyrodex, brush the bore and chambers each time they reload, to maintain a consistent bore condition. Cleaning during a shooting session is unnecessary when using Pyrodex.

Black powder varies in quality and strength, even between different lots of the same brand and granulation, so your results are not repeatable over time. The Goex FFFg black powder used in the table is of 1993 production and the stronger of two batches I tested. Another lot of the same brand and granulation, old, gave over 100 f.p.s. lower velocity with the same charges. This is typical experience with black powder. I prefer Pyrodex because it gives better ballistic uniformity, less fouling, improved accuracy and permits higher velocities while maintaining accuracy.

"Best Loads" For the Ruger Old Army Average of Five, 6-Shot Groups at 25 yards, sandbag rests, Ox Yoke wads over powder, and Lee Case Lube over ball unless otherwise stated.

BULLET POWDER CASE VEL@10' Avg. ES (ins.)
WEIGHT/TYPE DIPPER (f.p.s.)

.457 RB 20 FFFg .32-20 801, 43 Sd 1.84
Ruger's Recommended Load, no wad, Farina fill

.457 RB, 16.5 P .32-20 911, 22 Sd 1.91
Farina fill (20 grs. bulk measure)

.457 RB, 20 RS 44 Spl. 883, 30 Sd 1.80
No fill (30 grs. bulk measure)

.457 RB 30 FFFg .44 Spl. 971, 15 Sd 2.00
wad, no fill

.457 RB 35 FFFg .44 Mag. 1010, 9 Sd 2.13

.457 RB 30 RS .30-30 1201, 27 Sd 2.53
no wad, no fill (41 grs. bulk measure)

200 REAL 25 FFFg .357 Mag. 864, 7 Sd 2.01

200 REAL 20 RS .44 Spl. 836, 29 Sd 1.91
No fill (30 grs. bulk measure)

200 REAL 30 FFFg .44 Spl. 882, 16 Sd 2.13

200 REAL 25 RS .44 Mag. 914, 41 Sd 1.82
No fill (35 grs. bulk measure)

200 REAL 35 FFFg .44 Mag. 1017, 15 Sd 1.89
no wad, no fill (35 grs. bulk measure)

250 REAL 30 FFFg .44 Spl. 882, 12 Sd 1.60
No wad, no fill

250 REAL 25 RS 44 Mag. 913, 32 Sd 2.03
No wad, no fill (35 grs. bulk measure)

250 REAL 24 P 44 Spl. 982, 28 Sd 1.94
No wad, no fill (30 grs.)