New Ruger Old Army!

[barnabus]

Picked this Old Army up for $450 yday and i feel like I got a good deal. Its in great shape no rust and I cant tell that its been fired. It think it has slick shot nipples on it. I'm wanting to shoot conicals in it for hunting. I hear the Kaido(sp) bullets are good but what weight is good for SC deer hunting? Can those bullets be loaded with the cylinder in the frame or do they have to be used by a press? Also I'm looking for a set of Original wood grip that will fit id anyone has some laying around.
https://i.imgur.com/V5l5N2p.jpg

[charlie b]

I am jealous :)

Sent from my SM-P613 using Tapatalk

[Sasquatch-1]

Dandy pistol! I have never shot conicals in mine. Super accurate with round balls and would not be concerned using RB on deer. Original nipples have a hex head which uses a Ruger wrench believe replacements have the more standard traditional head. Half trempted to trade my wood grips for yours but do like the wood. Mine has brass frame and might look odd w white grips. You will love the gun.

If you are looking for grips similar to those check out Alto Mont: https://www.altamontco.com

[barnabus]

Dandy pistol! I have never shot conicals in mine. Super accurate with round balls and would not be concerned using RB on deer. Original nipples have a hex head which uses a Ruger wrench believe replacements have the more standard traditional head. Half trempted to trade my wood grips for yours but do like the wood. Mine has brass frame and might look odd w white grips. You will love the gun.

I tried to get the nipples out this morning but they wouldn't come out- soaking in Kroil now

[Electrod47]

That was a Super great deal!!!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

you stole that one.
I have a stainless one, the high polish version, the RB works great. I had the Lee 220gr mold and I tried the collar button too, I didn't have luck with either of them in comparison to the RB.

[Castaway]

Black Hawk grips are the same

[M-Tecs]

I love mine and you got a great deal.

[barnabus]

Black Hawk grips are the same
looking for those too

[crandall crank]

We've always had the best luck using the .457 round ball. Always loaded on the pistol and never on a stand. Also, a greased wool felt wad under the ball/over the powder was a lot cleaner than using Crisco or other lube over the ball. Have fun with it and shoot it! After market cylinders are available that allows one to shoot other 45 calibers, such as 45 Colt, 45 Scholfield, 45 ACP and a few others. While not fast and furious....it's still a hoot to shoot

[pworley1]

Very nice. Should be a good shooter.

[TD1886]

Let's clear some things up. First I've been shooting mine for over 40 years. Okay, The barrel on them are the same as Ruger put on their 45 Colt's, that is the bore and the groove are the same. They probably made them on the same machines. So you can shoot just about anything out of a 45 Colt and get decent accuracy. With that said the ROA is accuracy with both round balls and conicals. I prefer the 200 grain semi wadcutters meant for 45acp. I've have also shot 255 grain SWC's meant for the 45 Colt with good accuracy. I've used BP, Pyrodex, and Triple Seven. Nowadays I use the 777 because you can let it set a good while with no problems and it's easier then hell to clean the revolver. I'm not going to tell you the velocities I've gotten with the 777 and the 200 SWC's because y'all won't believe it. 777 is pretty potent powder. About the only thing I don't like about it is the bullet has to be pressed down on top of it hard. Same as with using it in muzzle loaders. I've made combustible paper cartridges too. One conical that shoots very well from them is the hollowbase one that Lyman once made specifically for the Remington Army's.

[Outpost75]

You got it for HALF of market value. Wonderful gun. Kroil will help in getting nipples loose. Once you get them out clean nipple threads in cylinder also with Kroil on pipe cleaner and coat threads with anti-sieze when re-installing them. With anti-sieze don't need to remove frequently, but do so at the end of hunting season and repeat the Kroil and anti-sieze annually.

Lee 200-grain R.E.A.L. is good hunting bullet.

[TD1886]

You got it for HALF of market value. Wonderful gun. Kroil will help in getting nipples loose. Once you get them out clean nipple threads in cylinder also with Kroil on pipe cleaner and coat threads with anti-sieze when re-installing them. With anti-sieze don't need to remove frequently, but do so at the end of hunting season and repeat the Kroil and anti-sieze annually.

Lee 200-grain R.E.A.L. is good hunting bullet.

What diameter is that LEE? Is it hard to seat?

[Winger Ed.]

You can usually look at the front end of the cylinder to see if and how much one has been fired.
If that one was ever fired, it sure wasn't much.

[Baja_Traveler]

Killer deal on that one.

I shoot Dick Dastardly Big Lube bullets in mine pan lubed with my BPCR lube. They work awesome.

http://www.biglube.com/BulletMolds.aspx?ItemID=09d6fdda-c105-4c87-b269-68ebfdaba982

[stubshaft]

Fantastic snag! I have two one SS and one Blued. You can NEVER go wrong with a ROA!

[Bazoo]

You got it for HALF of market value. Wonderful gun. Kroil will help in getting nipples loose. Once you get them out clean nipple threads in cylinder also with Kroil on pipe cleaner and coat threads with anti-sieze when re-installing them. With anti-sieze don't need to remove frequently, but do so at the end of hunting season and repeat the Kroil and anti-sieze annually.

Lee 200-grain R.E.A.L. is good hunting bullet.

Half is what I was thinking too!

Congratulations!

[winelover]

Nice acquisition at a very nice price. I like the polymer ivory grips on the blue ROA. Mine is stainless with a set of aftermarket Eagle stag grips.

313868

I use Lee's 220 conical for deer hunting.

313869

Be advised that the heavier bullets require a taller front sight. Not an issue changing front sights on a Stainless ROA with a pinned front. The blue ones aren't pinned, IIRC

[bedbugbilly]

Congrats! A great deal and a great revolver! I wish Ruger was still making these. Anytime I've ever run across one of these over the years, they have been way overpriced or way over abused. (i.e. - road hard and put away wet - I spotted one at a gun show quite a few yeas ago and the guy had it priced about $200 higher than what nice ones were currently going for - it was a blued model. Looked like it had been buried a couple of years - whoever had used it evidently didn't know that you have to clean 'em.)

Enjoy and have fun - you've got a "keeper" there!

[Wag]

Very purty!

--Wag--

[Castaway]

Good info:

https://geojohn.org/BlackPowder/bps1Mobile.html

[gunther]

If the nipples aren't peened, and will fire a cap, I wouldn't worry about them too much. Outpost 75 is right; Kroil will eventually get them loose. If you have large hands, the Pachmayr's that fit Ruger Blackhawks will help more than factory grips. 43 grains of 3f, a .457 round ball and Ford Molly EP grease have taken several eastern Ky deer for myself and several friends. Local Bambi's run 120-140 pounds in a good year. As far as you can hit a coffee can, every time, offhand, is your operating range. ROA's are a great brush gun , especially in hilly country. If you can find a shoulder holster, it will make moving around easier.
The only part I've seen fail is the cylinder latch spring. And that took 30 years of 4-5 pistol matches and hunting season yearly, without cleaning other than the barrel and cylinder. Take the gun apart every year or two and clean it carefully. This spring is the same as the one in a three screw Blackhawk.

[barnabus]

Nice acquisition at a very nice price. I like the polymer ivory grips on the blue ROA. Mine is stainless with a set of aftermarket Eagle stag grips.

313868

I use Lee's 220 conical for deer hunting.

313869

Be advised that the heavier bullets require a taller front sight. Not an issue changing front sights on a Stainless ROA with a pinned front. The blue ones aren't pinned, IIRC

whats involved in changing front sight on a blued one?

[uscra112]

you stole that one.
I have a stainless one, the high polish version, the RB works great. I had the Lee 220gr mold and I tried the collar button too, I didn't have luck with either of them in comparison to the RB.

Ditto and ditto. Bought a stainless one over 25 years ago, played with it for a while, but haven't had it out since before I retired in 2009. Round balls shot well, the Lee conical mold did not. Used nothing but Goex 2F black, never tried any of the substitutes,

I would not think the ROA would be a good deer gun with either bullet. RB too light, the Lee 220 too inconsistent for anything beyond brick-throwing distance.

[winelover]

whats involved in changing front sight on a blued one?

Gunsmithing! The sight isn't pinned and the ramp is soldered on. Which is above my pay grade.

Winelover

[John Taylor]

Many years back I had one with a brass grip frame, S/N 357. One time at a black powder silhouette shoot I got it out and was playing with it after all the close range targets had been shot at. I ran out of 3F powder and a friend offered me some 2F. I was quite adamant that pistols used 3F but he said if you want to keep shooting try it. There were 4 chickens at 50 yards and I knocked them all down. The turkey was still standing at 175 yards ( no one was shooting at it) and I joked saying watch me hit the turkey. I held a couple feet high and hit it but didn't knock it down ( surprised me more than anyone ells). There was one bear still standing at 200 yards so here I go again, holding about 3 feet hover his head. It went down. My eyesight was much better back then.
If you haven't tried 2F in your old army, give it a try.

By the way, I paid $115 for that pistol 46 years ago.

[Trinidad Bill]

That was a bargain for sure. I had to get mine out (blued) just to hold it! Enjoy!

[Outpost75]

The Lee R.E.A.L bullets have a small diameter base band and each driving band gets larger as you go up. They load easy without a separate loading stand if you stick with soft lead, either plumber's lead or 1 to 40 tin- lead.if you want a better fill out. Very effective hunting load.

[Don Purcell]

Bought mine in 1973 I believe. We loaded 40 grains 3f and lead roundball and plants them in 1 inch at 25 yards with regularity. Reminds me I need to get her out.

[Jackrabbit1957]

I have 2 of them, great pistols! You got a great deal on yours. Mine shoot very well with 200 grain semi wad cutters rolled between 2 cross cut files to knurl and expand them to fit the chambers. Minute of Jackrabbit at 70+ yards.