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Ruger Old Army

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45D said:
Ha ha sir, you are hilarious!!! I DON'T "defy" physics sir, you just don't understand it!! I've been doing the "impossible" ( according to you) for over a couple of years!!!! You can believe whatever you want but the PROOF is in the testing, not sitting behind a keyboard spouting what you THINK should be!!! You still have no clue apparently! Smokerr obviously understands it better than you (thanks Smokerr!!)!!! I've stated many times that my TOP STRAP Pietta made SAA (same dimensions as the Colt SAA) copy can't handle the ammo that I regularly shoot in my Dragoons and '60 Armys !!! WHY THE HECK IS THAT ?!!!!!! IT'S A TOP STRAP FRAME M. DE LAND? YOUR PHYSICS IS LACKING!!!
It's rather "telling" when some will tell you you can't do what you've been doing . . .

Mike
Click to expand...
Well then you shouldn't have any qualms about running 45 Colt loads in the Dragoon to 30 K psi levels which is maximum safe for the cartridge and prove your contention ! Do it remotely for your safety though !
My Ruger Bisley in 45 Colt uses this level of pressure regularly.
 
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Smokerr said:
Or the fact that the adjustable sight has POI too high and you can't get enough wind-age out of it (and the setup for travel is iffy).
Click to expand...

When the ROA came over here, there was a little note in the packaging that acknowledged that 'some shooters may find that the pistol shoots high at the usual pistol ranges - 25 yards - for this reason, Sturm, Ruger Inc will supply an extra-high replacement foresight - easily installed.'

I bought my ROA on March 2nd, 1986, and shot it the next day. The day after that, I sent off the request for the higher foresight to the importers, then Viking Arms.

It is now November 22nd, 2024, and I'm still waiting.....
 
TFoley said:
When the ROA came over here, there was a little note in the packaging that acknowledged that 'some shooters may find that the pistol shoots high at the usual pistol ranges - 25 yards - for this reason, Sturm, Ruger Inc will supply an extra-high replacement foresight - easily installed.'

I bought my ROA on March 2nd, 1986, and shot it the next day. The day after that, I sent off the request for the higher foresight to the importers, then Viking Arms.

It is now November 22nd, 2024, and I'm still waiting.....
Click to expand...
Mine shoots just fine with a ball, but shoots high with my bullets so I contacted Ruger and in short order a .45 Colt front sight arrived with some paperwork. This was a little over a decade ago.
 
The design of the Ruger Old Army began with a clean sheet of paper. Bill Ruger's requirements were simply a percussion revolver that would be a really good shooter, and as close to indestructible as could be made, with all the usual features. It utilized Ruger Blackhawk components as much as possible - grips, backstrap, etc. It is called .44 caliber but is technically a .457 because they used .45 caliber revolver barrels.

All the talk of it being inspired by the Remington or Whitney is speculation. It was designed as a percussion Super Blackhawk/Blackhawk utilizing investment casting technology.
 
TFoley said:
When the ROA came over here, there was a little note in the packaging that acknowledged that 'some shooters may find that the pistol shoots high at the usual pistol ranges - 25 yards - for this reason, Sturm, Ruger Inc will supply an extra-high replacement foresight - easily installed.'

I bought my ROA on March 2nd, 1986, and shot it the next day. The day after that, I sent off the request for the higher foresight to the importers, then Viking Arms.

It is now November 22nd, 2024, and I'm still waiting.....
Click to expand...
I had to add a taller front blade to a Ruger I have when I adopted heavy bullets for my favorite load and they mailed me one free as I remember it. That sure beat having to mill one out from bar stock.
I really am leery of shipping guns personally but many folks do it regularly with little problem.
 
TFoley said:
I guess that by Ruger standards that was a 'same-day shipping', right?
Click to expand...
I guess I wouldn’t know, it’s the single time I’ve had to use them. My father has several Ruger’s but I’ve never heard him mention having to use their services either. Is it really that bad?
 
OldMaineWoodsman said:
The design of the Ruger Old Army began with a clean sheet of paper. Bill Ruger's requirements were simply a percussion revolver that would be a really good shooter, and as close to indestructible as could be made, with all the usual features. It utilized Ruger Blackhawk components as much as possible - grips, backstrap, etc. It is called .44 caliber but is technically a .457 because they used .45 caliber revolver barrels.

All the talk of it being inspired by the Remington or Whitney is speculation. It was designed as a percussion Super Blackhawk/Blackhawk utilizing investment casting technology.
Click to expand...
I don’t know, but I’ve read there’s a book written by one of the men who designed it and it seems there was some inspiration from an old design.
 
The design of the Ruger Old Army began with a clean sheet of paper.
Click to expand...

Clean sheet of paper? Only as long as it was via the Blackhawk. Nothing wrong with what he did, in fact I admire what he did. But clean sheet of paper it was not and he picked the worst rammer system. Its so annoying, 3 fiddly pieces, almost ruins the fun of shooting it.

I do have to say that the sights are amazing. Better than my Model 57 for clarity by a good 50%. Its actually better than the 47 Walker though I love that long sight radius., The Walker was fixed with a higher front sight and squaring up the rear notch.
 
M. De Land said:
Well then you shouldn't have any qualms about running 45 Colt loads in the Dragoon to 30 K psi levels which is maximum safe for the cartridge and prove your contention ! Do it remotely for your safety though !
My Ruger Bisley in 45 Colt uses this level of pressure regularly.
Click to expand...

You can't do that with a Colt SAA
- or an Uberti Cattleman
- definitely not a Pietta SAA copy
- or a Standard Manufacturing SAA copy
- or any of the Remington copies by any manufacturer
- or a Ruger New Vaquero
and they all have "Top Straps" . . .
and my Dragoons will best all of them and my '60's are equals with the top listed . . . contention proven.

My ROA's will best your Ruger Bisley 😎

Your suggestion of a higher tier2 loading is (again) rather reckless and apparently you don't understand how load development is done. Only "Darwin candidates" start at the top . . . so I'll just keep testing the time honored "safe" way thanks.

Mike
 
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OldMaineWoodsman said:
It is called .44 caliber but is technically a .457 because they used .45 caliber revolver barrels.
Click to expand...

"Technically", all reproduction ".44's" are ".45's" because the "bore" is .44" but the rifling grooves increase it to .452" which is how modern measurements are taken and why .45C /45acp are compatible for use in them.
The ROA cylinder chambers are .452" as is the barrel. The .457" "suggested" ball / bullet is to allow for much more cylindrical bearing surface ( formed at loading) to take advantage of the 1:16" rifling twist.

Mike
 
45D said:
You can't do that with a Colt SAA
- or an Uberti Cattleman
- definitely not a Pietta SAA copy
- or a Standard Manufacturing SAA copy
- or any of the Remington copies by any manufacturer
- or a Ruger New Vaquero
and they all have "Top Straps" . . .
and my Dragoons will best all of them and my '60's are equals with the top listed . . . contention proven.

My ROA's will best your Ruger Bisley 😎

Your suggestion of a higher tier2 loading is (again) rather reckless and apparently you don't understand how load development is done. Only "Darwin candidates" start at the top . . . so I'll just keep testing the time honored "safe" way thanks.

Mike
Click to expand...
Your right it would be reckless in your hand but not fired remotely to test your contention. The Dragoon has far more steel mass in the frame and barrel than does the Ruger Bisley and yet the closed design can handle hte pressure easily.
The difference is alloy and design just as in all the other examples uou listed.
There is no question that closed frame guns have more material in the top strap and lower frame to resist the thrust pressure compared to open frame design using only two sides of the arbor wedge slot to keep the barrel f rom going down range.
 

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