Deer Hunting with a Ruger Old Army

[TarponStalker]

I’ve never hunted with a handgun before, but I am considering trying it this year. I think my Ruger old army would be a fun place to start as I rarely hunt with modern weapons.
The only loads I’ve ever fired from it were 25 grains of 3FG with a .457 round ball. I know I will probably need a more substantial load to deer hunt with.
For those of you that have already gone this route, what do you suggest I do for a proper load? I always hunt from a tree stand and will be limiting my shots to about 10 to 12 yards. This is where I feel comfortable shooting off hand. Since I will have a rest in my stand, I may stretch it out a few more yards but where I hunt it’s not too difficult to get close range shots.
I’m thinking I may need to start shooting conical bullets for this.
Any thoughts and ideas?

 

[64Springer]

That cylinder only holds so much powder.

And filling it up won't cause any damage.

Work up loads from 30 to the point where there's no more room for powder under the ball and see which load produced the best accuracy. Do this in five grain increments.

And there's more room for powder under a ball than there is under a conical due to the conical being longer.


PS: Try different Real and Substitutes to see what your pistol likes best.

 

[Bad Karma]

Start with either Triple Seven in 3f or Swiss in 3 or 4f granulations. There are several bullets that will work but the Lee 220 made for the old army is a good starter. lube them in a .456 die and apply enough pressure to flatten the nose. I’ve also milled the end of an Old Army loading plunger flat so I can load on the gun.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I’m thinking I may need to start shooting conical bullets for this.
Any thoughts and ideas?

Check with county and state DNR about handgun hunting of deer. Probably OK down in Florida, but for example in Maryland you'd have to be able to load 40 grains of powder into the cylinder to use a BP handgun, and need a 6" barrel. Plus some areas up here don't allow handgun hunting of deer.

LD

 

[Bad Karma]

I’ve never hunted with a handgun before, but I am considering trying it this year. I think my Ruger old army would be a fun place to start as I rarely hunt with modern weapons.
The only loads I’ve ever fired from it were 25 grains of 3FG with a .457 round ball. I know I will probably need a more substantial load to deer hunt with.
For those of you that have already gone this route, what do you suggest I do for a proper load? I always hunt from a tree stand and will be limiting my shots to about 10 to 12 yards. This is where I feel comfortable shooting off hand. Since I will have a rest in my stand, I may stretch it out a few more yards but where I hunt it’s not too difficult to get close range shots.
I’m thinking I may need to start shooting conical bullets for this.
Any thoughts and ideas?

Btw. At those ranges a .457 round ball at over 1000 fps is nothing to sneeze at. You’re shooting small Florida deer which seldom top 150#, correct? If so, I would be happy using the most accurate full power load I could find. If that’s a ball over 35 grains of 3f Triple Seven I’d be warming up the grill for tenderloins!

 

[Pete453]

What Bad Karma stated above is pretty good info.
I'm a confirmed handgun hunter and prefer flat pointed conicals for the extra smack and bigger wounds, but at close range a ball works well. Check ACCURATE MOLDS for conicals. Bad Karma has posted pics from their catalog, they have some gems.
This deer was shot at 75-80 paces with a 220gr flat point and 35grs Goex 3f. One and done, went straight down.
I say go for it and luck to you, it's a great feeling bringing home meat with black powder revolvers.

 

[azmntman]

Most accurate load, RB or bullet wont matter a bit. At that range it is not hard to drop one.

 

[Campbell]

It will do the job fine. Get close and know where your balls hit.

 

[TarponStalker]

Thanks for everyone’s input. I’ll start working on a couple of different loads to see which is the most accurate for me.
I actually hunt in Georgia, so the deer there are a bit bigger than the ones here in Florida. The area I hunt is also loaded with hogs so that will be another target for me.

 

[Ballshooter]

Check your hunting regs my state says a black powder pistol legal for hunting has to hold 45 grains of powder.

 

[Rifleman1776]

'bullet' advice not good, IMHO. Using a soft round ball you can load heavier charges and get more velocity. That round ball will murder Bambi just fine.

 

[Pete453]

'bullet' advice not good, IMHO

Why not? They work great. A round ball works, yes, but even going a little faster they're still way behind a bullet in performance. There's only so much room in the cylinder, it amounts to about 5 grains difference. With Goex in my 58 Remington that's 100fps faster, but the bullet hammers targets. With the 185 gr bullets pictured, I lined up 12 milk jugs. The bullet punched through 8 and split the 9th, and all were pouring water.
Same test with roundball, it was found in the 7th jug, I reshot 4 of them cause they weren't leaking, at all. You be the judge.

 

[Ballshooter]

I took one doe with my Ruger using a roundball it didn't go anywhere. Shot was 40 yards. Those bullets should work very well.

 

[aeatwood]

My ROA will cut one ragged hole groups at 25 yds with a .457" ball, 1/8" greased felt wad, and a full charge of 2F. Or at least it did when I still had eyes. I would not hesitate to shoot a medium/small deer with that load at 20-30 yards assuming an un-spooked animal. IIRC it was a scootch over 40 gr by volume. I worked backward from all the 2F I could fit in the cylinder and let the ball center in the chamber mouth with no interference.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Why not? They work great. A round ball works, yes, but even going a little faster they're still way behind a bullet in performance. There's only so much room in the cylinder, it amounts to about 5 grains difference. With Goex in my 58 Remington that's 100fps faster, but the bullet hammers targets. With the 185 gr bullets pictured, I lined up 12 milk jugs. The bullet punched through 8 and split the 9th, and all were pouring water.
Same test with roundball, it was found in the 7th jug, I reshot 4 of them cause they weren't leaking, at all. You be the judge.

In this game each has his own preference. When I had my ROA I did some (very non-scientific) tests to compare rb vs. bullet. The soft rb tore the daylights out of the targets while the bullet just punched a nice clean hole. Gimme the rb anytime.

 

[Pete453]

Or at least it did when I still had eyes

Ain't that the rotten truth!

 

[JRL1164]

In this game each has his own preference. When I had my ROA I did some (very non-scientific) tests to compare rb vs. bullet. The soft rb tore the daylights out of the targets while the bullet just punched a nice clean hole. Gimme the rb anytime.

Your right, everyone has a preference. I've used both out of a Hawkin and both were effective. To your point though the PRB has been proven time and time again...

 

[Pete453]

In this game each has his own preference. Gimme the rb anytime.

A man's got to know his limitations. As long as you make it work for you, and aren't leaving a trail of wounded game, that's all that really matters.

 

[roundballman]

Several years ago I was reading historical accounts of the Texas rangers fighting the Comanches. One old ranger was asked if they used round balls or conical in their percussion revolvers. He replied that they used both but he preferred round balls because they made bigger wounds. Wish I could remember the source but cannot.