Ruger Old Army ..Do they tend to shoot High

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Balls shoot the smallest groups, but the lee 220 bullets made specifically for the ROA shoot the most accurate (of bullets), but high. I've also tried the lee reals and they are a bit less accurate.
Agree!! The 220-456 ROA is an excellent bullet. Also can be loaded upside down for a mean wadcutter. It’s extremely accurate when seated straight both ways. The REALs were no so accurate and when loaded hot tended to move forward under recoil, binding the cylinder, a REAL PITA!
 
I have one that shoots a couple of inches high with rear sight set to mid-point. The other shoots 5-6" high with the rear sight bottomed out. A friend made me a new front sight extension out of brass and I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but he left a lot of metal on top for me to file down. Once it's sighted in I will attache it with red loctite - it's a snug fit over the existing sight.View attachment 369056View attachment 369057

From the comment of Loctite it sounds like its a beveled slide in sight. I thought the ROA were soldered on?
 
I have one that shoots a couple of inches high with rear sight set to mid-point. The other shoots 5-6" high with the rear sight bottomed out. A friend made me a new front sight extension out of brass and I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but he left a lot of metal on top for me to file down. Once it's sighted in I will attache it with red loctite - it's a snug fit over the existing sight.View attachment 369056View attachment 369057
It looks good too.
 
From the comment of Loctite it sounds like its a beveled slide in sight. I thought the ROA were soldered on?
Smokerr, the blue models have soldered on and more difficult to adjust, the stainless models have pin ons! Easier to replace with a Blackhawk ramp and filed down to adjust. That ones is a “condom” style, pretty ingenious!
 
From the comment of Loctite it sounds like its a beveled slide in sight. I thought the ROA were soldered on?
The new sight slips over the existing front sight, which is soldered onto the barrel. My friend uses a CNC mill to build the sight and it fits perfectly. I did give him my ROA to use to test fit and take measurements and he said once I sight it in he can make me another sight that is exactly the right height for my ROA. He is very clever!
 
It is important to hold a firm grip and resist the rocking upward
travel of the muzzle on ignition. Lighter loads and round balls are the old ROA standbys. With good caps they are very accurate and reliable--- good for any legal purpose. These are classic revolvers and every muzzle-loader fan should have at
least one.
 
There is a rule of thumb with revolvers that as projectile weight increases the point of impact gets higher. This is due to longer dwell time in the barrel and increased recoil. Hamilton Bowen the great revolver smith addresses this in his book Custom Revolver. John Taffin does also. With revolvers that are not BP it is common to change to a higher front sight when shooting heavy for caliber bullets. The same physics should apply to the beloved ROA. I have owned 3. All would shoot to point of aim with minor sight adjustment with round balls. I never had occasion to shoot longer projectiles. The ROA was apparently set up to shoot RBs.
 
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