rodwha
58 Cal.
I’ve often read of people loading the .45 cal REALs. These are meant for rifles.
Ruger Old Army
- Thread starter appalichian hunter
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I’ve often read of people loading the .45 cal REALs. These are meant for rifles.
rodwha
58 Cal.
Grizzlies are a whole nuther ball game. I wouldn’t be interested whatsoever in dealing with those. Bear spray in one hand and something big in the other if I had no choice, with the spray deployed first!
I don't know. They were on it when I bought it.
Anything that will fit a Blackhawk will fit on those ya know.
It is a Lee mold. I bought it to shoot them in my 45 cal T/C rifle, so of course I had to try them out in the pistol. It's awesome.
I just looked at my stack of molds to double check I'm telling it right and I've got TWO of those REAL bullet molds. One is 260 grains and the other is 200 grains. Now it's coming back a little and I believe I shot both of those from the ROA and they were equally accurate so I'm pretty sure I settled on using the 200 grain most of the time in the ROA so it would hold more powder. It's still more mass than a round ball with a lot better contact with the barrel than a ball. You can just grease 'em up in the house like I would for the Thompson and carry a little box of 'em for reloads. Might even fill up a quick load cylinder with just bullets and keep your hands a lot less greasy for a reload.
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Rat
50 Cal.
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The REAL is a short bullet, compared to others, so it would indeed take up less powder space. Never heard of using them in a revolver before...that's cool that Jack has tried it. Since it has lube grooves, I'd leave out the wad for more powder. With a black bear or cougar, I've always figured that getting a couple of shots into them will at least take some of the fight out of them, maybe break off the mauling sooner. I personally don't believe it will make them "more mad". I also carry a Ka-bar knife with me, strapped to my right leg below the knee. Yeah, it looks overly dramatic, but I've found that it's actually a very comfortable and accessable place to carry a big knife, and takes some of the load off my pistol belt, or "Batman" belt as I call it, with pistol, canteen, pouches, etc. It gives me one last resort if the caps jam the gun, or the pistol fire is ineffective, or if the animal is on me before I can even draw the pistol, or whatever. I hunt in grizz country, but don't carry my unmentionable #10 .44 anymore...I trust in my .62, but would not hunt in those woods without any kind of pistol, and a big knife.
Looking at the data on that Lee REAL bullet, it says it is .467 diameter.
As the chamber size on a Ruger Old Army is .451, that's a LOT of lead that needs to be sheered off of the bullet when it's loaded.
About the only way to load those bullets in a ROA in my opinion is to do it with the cylinder out of the gun.
Is there enough frame clearance to even allow trying to load those bullets with the cylinder still in the frame? If there is, that might explain why I've read of damaged loading levers.
Speaking of damaged ROA parts, some of the parts specific to the Old Army haven't been available for years. One of our British members found a place that could make a barrel pin (I think it was) but it would have cost an arm and a leg.
As the chamber size on a Ruger Old Army is .451, that's a LOT of lead that needs to be sheered off of the bullet when it's loaded.
About the only way to load those bullets in a ROA in my opinion is to do it with the cylinder out of the gun.
Is there enough frame clearance to even allow trying to load those bullets with the cylinder still in the frame? If there is, that might explain why I've read of damaged loading levers.
Speaking of damaged ROA parts, some of the parts specific to the Old Army haven't been available for years. One of our British members found a place that could make a barrel pin (I think it was) but it would have cost an arm and a leg.
The REAL bullets I've cast are all pure lead to start with and the top ring is the biggest OD. The lower rings touch the side of the cylinder going in but hardly scrap off much. Just like putting them in the rifle, the lower rings are more for good alignment and the top ring scrapes off more/ seals more than the lower ones. It has been a while but I don't recall it taking any more effort to seat than the round balls of proper size.
When you start adding wheel weights is the only time I've ever had it take an excess amount of effort to load.
I've also got an Italian equivalent of the ROA and that bore and cylinder is a thousandth or 2 smaller. I don't recall specifics but I've had the excess strain on loading to occur there more than on the ROA. I use the same balls, bullets what ever in either, no special effort to suit one over the other but the Italian gun is more for balls than the REAL bullets.
I got out a bottle of those 200 grain REAL bullets I cast years ago and measured them just now. The TOP ring is .465" and the lower rings are .455". I checked half a dozen of them just to make sure.
No doubt, they are definitely INTENDED for the rifle.
If I intended to hunt with that ROA though, there is also not a doubt in my mind those are what I'd use and carry for reloads. I pour those by the gallon jug full and all I have left is about half a pop bottle so that gives ya an idea how much I've shot them out of my ROA.
No doubt, they are definitely INTENDED for the rifle.
If I intended to hunt with that ROA though, there is also not a doubt in my mind those are what I'd use and carry for reloads. I pour those by the gallon jug full and all I have left is about half a pop bottle so that gives ya an idea how much I've shot them out of my ROA.
rodwha
58 Cal.
I prefer a nice wide meplat on my hunting bullets. Mine are .375” (83%) currently but I’m contemplating a modified bullet with a bit more weight, among other things.
Lee made a conical bullet mould specifically for the old Army. It was roundnose and weighed about 220 grains. Ruger, in days of old, rated the ROA safe with 4fg powder and I have chrono'd several shots with a cylinder full under a .457 pure lead cast round ball. Right at 1000 fps. Right now, I'm playing with a cylinder made for 45 Colt and staying with sensible loads.
There's a lot of crap out there on the internet about Bill Ruger shooting cylinderfulls of Bullseye in the ROA but I don't believe it. I have seen a couple of Super Blackhawks blown up with 22 grains of BE. If I was going to rely on my ROA for defense I think I'd stick to the 45 Colt cylinder and standard 255 grain factory loads. But since this is muzzle loading I guess the 220 grain Lee and a full load of 3fg would have to suffice.
There's a lot of crap out there on the internet about Bill Ruger shooting cylinderfulls of Bullseye in the ROA but I don't believe it. I have seen a couple of Super Blackhawks blown up with 22 grains of BE. If I was going to rely on my ROA for defense I think I'd stick to the 45 Colt cylinder and standard 255 grain factory loads. But since this is muzzle loading I guess the 220 grain Lee and a full load of 3fg would have to suffice.
rodwha
58 Cal.
It’s actually not BS. Though I don’t have or know the title of the book, the page was uploaded.
"It’s actually not BS. Though I don’t have or know the title of the book, the page was uploaded"
Actually it is BS until is proven to be factual, as in book title and page.
Uploading and downloading from the www. does not make it real and factual, lots of BS on the internet.
rodwha
58 Cal.
While true in many cases that doesn’t make it so, especially just because you said so. It came from a credible book, though unfortunately I don’t recall the exact details, and without those I just can’t say. It seemed as though it was the guy who helped develop the gun. Regardless it was someone who worked closely with Bill.
rodwha
58 Cal.
As it’s been some time since that was posted, and on which forum I don’t know, I’ve begun a thread asking as it being a modern thing wouldn’t sit well here.
I still think it funny that you insist that’s it BS until it’s proven to you. I get that you don’t just accept it, but to flatly state hats it’s BS is preposterous as well. You certainly don’t go living through life with such a cynical attitude, right? There’s so many truths you aren’t enlightened about, yet they are still just a true as true can be.
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Well, that's good to know. As all our Blackhawks were made into manhole covers about twenty years ago I guess I'll have to wait until my next trip over the Great Water.
rodwha
58 Cal.
While I have yet to see what it was I was shown I did get 3 different books written by different authors that all tell the same thing.
Black Powder Revolvers - Reproductions & Replicas by Dennis Adler
Single Action Sixguns by John Taffin
Ruger & His Guns by RL Wilson who quotes Harry Sefried whom was hired as an engineer for Ruger back in 1959 and personally worked on this gun among many others as he and Bill shared a love for the old BP guns. Bill is said to have designed his Bearcat from a Remington pocket model.
It sounds as though this last book may contain the page that was copied as a screen shot. Hopefully these men’s reputations will be enough, but I suppose you could always read them for yourself.
I’ll keep looking though.
Black Powder Revolvers - Reproductions & Replicas by Dennis Adler
Single Action Sixguns by John Taffin
Ruger & His Guns by RL Wilson who quotes Harry Sefried whom was hired as an engineer for Ruger back in 1959 and personally worked on this gun among many others as he and Bill shared a love for the old BP guns. Bill is said to have designed his Bearcat from a Remington pocket model.
It sounds as though this last book may contain the page that was copied as a screen shot. Hopefully these men’s reputations will be enough, but I suppose you could always read them for yourself.
I’ll keep looking though.
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Can't you just order a set of grips for a Blackhawk? They are BOTH listed as equally appropriate. Most grips come with a list of guns they will fit.
Rat
50 Cal.
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Anyhow....if one was going to shoot #10 unmentionable cartridges in the gun, then might as well go full on #10 firearm. I applaud the OP for sticking with cap-n-ball. And we are not talking grizz, but black bear. Very different bears. I don't even carry a #10 in grizz country anymore. Even if the REAL's are hard to load, but Jack sez they aren't, you only need one cylinder full. Chances of getting attacked by a black bear twice during one hunting trip, after a rifle fails to do the job are pretty slim. Just bring balls for reloads. Kind of like my chances of getting killed in a traffic accident are WAY WAY WAY WAY higher than being attacked by a grizz, in grizz territory. I think a slug loaded in a ROA, with a stout charge, is gonna cut the mustard just fine. If those revolvers are safe to load with ffffg, all the better.
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Huh, never heard that one before and lived in AK almost 50 years. Sounds more like an Eskimo that ran out of rifle bullets and used the .22 as a last resort.
I killed a large black bear boar a year ago with a .44 slug that went clear through but don't think any of my cap-n-ball guns could have given it enough velocity to do the same. A four hundred pound bear is a lot of dense meat and bone to push a slug through and probably would require at least 1000 fps at the muzzle.
I killed a large black bear boar a year ago with a .44 slug that went clear through but don't think any of my cap-n-ball guns could have given it enough velocity to do the same. A four hundred pound bear is a lot of dense meat and bone to push a slug through and probably would require at least 1000 fps at the muzzle.
