Ruger Old Army ..Do they tend to shoot High

[smokedout]

Ruger Old Army ..Do they tend to shoot High like the Pietta's in 1858 Models with Balls or Conicals
I would really prefer to shoot conicals accurately and would like guidance on weights and molds to acomplish this
Thanks for any and all responses

 

[rp77469]

I don't think I ever adjusted the sights on mine in 40+ years. Might have, but don't remember it. I shoot only round ball, conicals not as accurate IME.

 

[ZUG]

I have two ROA - one older blue model and one newer S.S. model and they both shoot where they are aimed.

 

[smokedout]

thanks guys i do appreciate the answers

 

[rodwha]

Ruger Old Army ..Do they tend to shoot High like the Pietta's in 1858 Models with Balls or Conicals
I would really prefer to shoot conicals accurately and would like guidance on weights and molds to acomplish this
Thanks for any and all responses

Mine shoots to POA with balls and high with various bullets. You can contact Ruger and they’ll send you the .45 Colt front sight blade. I’ve had mine a long time and have yet to swap it out. I really need to as I created a very heavy bullet for it and would like it to be easier to aim.

 

[extreme_fudd]

With 35g by volume of 3F 777 my old army shoots dead on with the rear sight bottomed out. With most bullets it shoots high with 3F 777 (beyond the capability of the blued gun front sight). This is the only bullet that it can shoot within the capability of the stock blued gun front sight. https://robsbullets.com/heeled-bullet-for-44cal-percussion-revolvers-170gr-456/ With this said, they aren't as bad as the clones. I don't understand these other people experiences. I assume they are using light loads. I have two old armies, and have shot several others. They shoot high with bullets.

 

[rodwha]

With 35g by volume of 3F 777 my old army shoots dead on with the rear sight bottomed out. With most bullets it shoots high with 3F 777 (beyond the capability of the blued gun front sight). This is the only bullet that it can shoot within the capability of the stock blued gun front sight. https://robsbullets.com/heeled-bullet-for-44cal-percussion-revolvers-170gr-456/ With this said, they aren't as bad as the clones. I don't understand these other people experiences. I assume they are using light loads. I have two old armies, and have shot several others. They shoot high with bullets.

Those look precisely like the one I designed with Accurate Molds. Interesting.

https://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-170C

 

[extreme_fudd]

Those look precisely like the one I designed with Accurate Molds. Interesting.

https://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-170C

They're a great design. I assume they must be good for hunting, they cut paper targets as well as a target wadcutter

 

[rodwha]

They're a great design. I assume they must be good for hunting, they cut paper targets as well as a target wadcutter

I’m not so sure they’d do so well hunting as they don’t have a lot of mass, but more importantly they’re shorter than they are long and so may not track straight. The 195 grn version I made would be better as it’s the length of a ball at .460”, and these may or may not begin to tumble at 50 yds. Not that I’d be shooting that far though.

I had been working on finding the more accurate loads for both of my revolvers and found the excess chamber space to be rather similar so I intend to create what I feel is the ideal hunting bullet. When working with 3F Olde Eynsford my NMAs 30 grn charge weighed ~32.5 grns, and my ROAs 35 grn charge weighs ~37.5 grns, and my rough math showed me a bullet that’ll weigh 230-240 grns or so. In essence my 5.5” NMA will perform about on par with a standard 230 ACP ball ammo, and my 7.5” ROA will perform on par with +P.

 

[rodwha]

They're a great design. I assume they must be good for hunting, they cut paper targets as well as a target wadcutter

Years back on one of these BP forums a guy was looking at a cast Lee 160 grn bullet and heeled it I guess. Anyhow he was figuring it to be about the length of a ball and so wouldn’t take up powder room. I liked that idea but I like a wider meplat and my version ended up weighing so much more than I began work on the 170 grn version. It could potentially be a hot rod if one wanted maximum power. I only created them because I was told that my Pietta NMA likely had the slower 1:30” twist and wouldn’t shoot conicals/bullets well at all so I made these. Turns out it has a 1:16” twist.

I don’t care so much about the power as accuracy is more important as long as you have a humane enough load, which to my thinking is the .44 Spl with ~300 ft/lbs.

 

[extreme_fudd]

I’m not so sure they’d do so well hunting as they don’t have a lot of mass, but more importantly they’re shorter than they are long and so may not track straight. The 195 grn version I made would be better as it’s the length of a ball at .460”, and these may or may not begin to tumble at 50 yds. Not that I’d be shooting that far though.

I had been working on finding the more accurate loads for both of my revolvers and found the excess chamber space to be rather similar so I intend to create what I feel is the ideal hunting bullet. When working with 3F Olde Eynsford my NMAs 30 grn charge weighed ~32.5 grns, and my ROAs 35 grn charge weighs ~37.5 grns, and my rough math showed me a bullet that’ll weigh 230-240 grns or so. In essence my 5.5” NMA will perform about on par with a standard 230 ACP ball ammo, and my 7.5” ROA will perform on par with +P.

I need to get the 195 grain mold. I swear I've shot the 170's at fifty yards and didn't see tumbling. I do a lot of 50 yard bullseye shooting with my old armies.

 

[rodwha]

I need to get the 195 grain mold. I swear I've shot the 170's at fifty yards and didn't see tumbling. I do a lot of 50 yard bullseye shooting with my old armies.

I don’t know that they would, but a member here felt they might. He also shoots some sort of matches at 50 yds with pistols as well.

I’ve been contemplating trying a max charge with both the 170 and 195 grn bullets just to see. I’ve only gotten close to max with a ball.

Were I to order either of those molds I’d modify the base to be slightly longer, and there’s no need for them to drop at .456” even for my Ruger, which is why I sized them that way. My Pietta has been reamed to .449” and chamfered. I would size them to .002” from chamber diameter.

 

[rodwha]

I need to get the 195 grain mold. I swear I've shot the 170's at fifty yards and didn't see tumbling. I do a lot of 50 yard bullseye shooting with my old armies.

And so you have me curious about the loads you’ve tried, what’s worked and what didn’t.