ruger old army

[George]

I'm sorry, 1911nutjob, I can't provide you with any ballistic info on that load. I used it only for general plinking and casual target shooting, and even that was almost 25 years ago. That gun was stolen way back then, I have no recent experience with them.

I used to do a fair amount of pistol shooting, and found the ROA to be as accurate as any pistol I ever shot, but with reduced loads. I do remember being able to hit a 12" gong at 100 yards with the FFFFg load, 4 times out of 10, shooting offhand. I shot the heavy load a lot because I enjoy shooting heavily loaded handguns, so I know it was safe in my gun, as Ruger certified it to be.

Spence

 

[1911nutjob]

Well, she arrived today boys. Uglier than a fat friend's sister finish wise, but the mechanicals are sound with a good bore and nice looking chambers, very isolated surface only rust in three tiny places. I can't complain given the price, and I'm sure it'll clean up nicely. My trained eye tells me this thing was in storage somewhere cold and damp for some twenty years or so given the hard caked-on dust in the nipple channels and hammer slot. I have some .457 200 grain pre-lubed conicals and .457 roundball sourced locally, so I'll be off to the range with pyro "p" and goex 3f to work up some loads shortly with the adjustable sights. I must say that this pistol is much more massive having handled it in person than I expected. One final question for those with ROA experience-over powder wad or lube over chambers?

 

[GreyWhiskers]

I'm thinking 200 lbs. or less for better meat.

I'm thinking more like 80lbs or less for good meat. :wink: GW

 

[BrownBear]

I must say that this pistol is much more massive having handled it in person than I expected. One final question for those with ROA experience-over powder wad or lube over chambers?

They're a handful, aren't they. And great shooters from my limited experience using a buddy's.

His routine may have some answers for you about lube. He sezz the wads are more convenient and less messy, but that at the higher vels possible with the ROA he gets leading with the wads and no lube over the chambers.

I haven't a clue what lube he's using on the bullets too, and maybe that's the source of his leading with wads. In any case, I thought I'd pass along the high velocity issue since you're looking to snort up the loads.

I never really questioned his experience because of my own experience with swaged lead bullets in modern revolvers. With the factory lube on those things, I could count on leading to start at around 750 fps. Can't imagine what it would be like at 1k. I ended up sloshing all mine with LEE Liquid Alox, which resolved the leading at "standard" velocities, but I was never brave enough to push them to 1k and risk leading even then.

 

[1911nutjob]

I'm thinking 200 lbs. or less for better meat.

I'm thinking more like 80lbs or less for good meat. :wink: GW

Point taken. :hatsoff:

 

[1911nutjob]

I must say that this pistol is much more massive having handled it in person than I expected. One final question for those with ROA experience-over powder wad or lube over chambers?

They're a handful, aren't they. And great shooters from my limited experience using a buddy's.

His routine may have some answers for you about lube. He sezz the wads are more convenient and less messy, but that at the higher vels possible with the ROA he gets leading with the wads and no lube over the chambers.

I haven't a clue what lube he's using on the bullets too, and maybe that's the source of his leading with wads. In any case, I thought I'd pass along the high velocity issue since you're looking to snort up the loads.

I never really questioned his experience because of my own experience with swaged lead bullets in modern revolvers. With the factory lube on those things, I could count on leading to start at around 750 fps. Can't imagine what it would be like at 1k. I ended up sloshing all mine with LEE Liquid Alox, which resolved the leading at "standard" velocities, but I was never brave enough to push them to 1k and risk leading even then.

Leading had crossed my mind. Lately I've been home brewing cap and ball lube by filling an empty soup can with a brick of canning paraffin and crisco, and melting it down. Works pretty well-none of the straight crisco mess, and still soft enough to dispense with a syringe or squeezable bottle. No leading to speak of yet, but we'll see with the ROA. I usually blow out lead from a cartridge gun by saving a fmj as the last round, but that's not really an option with the ROA is it? :grin: The gun cleaned up nicely with a plastic brush from my cleaning box and some clp; the rust was the soft powdery stuff. Since this isn't really a collectible, I'm wonderin' if I should purty her up with a charcoal refinish.

 

[Classicballistx]

Some guys out there have been claiming .41 mag performance with 777... if I can do it with percussion ...

No, .41/.44 magnum performance is not there for the Ruger Old Army. What is there is .45 Colt Keith performance. The caveats are equilibrium of bullet length/propellant height in the chamber and small enough nipple flash hole to contain pressure.

777 is the propellant to work with.The bullet weights that have served us best are 195-215gr. Shape is important. The Lee REAL is a good start. A really concave base and SWC nose with little shoulder have worked well for us. We swage in pure lead, no lube grooves, patch paper in the concave, no wad. 1200 fps/210gr is a reliable, very accurate killer and TRESO/R-10 is the rest of the formula. Deer, no problem.

This load will break down a hog at the shoulder at 25 yards. It will also group inside an inch at 50 yards.

The ROA doesn't take a second seat to anything. Good placement at judicious range will kill anything a less well ordered shot with more punch would do. Besides, Bell used a 6.5 MS for elephant. Keith was as clear about that as could be. But .41/.44mag, the ROA will not be.

Regards,

Wisent
Classicballistx

 

[aeatwood]

I have a couple of ROA's, one stainless NIB, and one circa 1978 stainless I bought used, that has a blued cylinder. It is the most accurate revolver I own. It likes 45 gr. of Goex 2F, greased felt wad, and a .457" RB.

I have been meaning to cast up some of the 250-260 gr. #454424 Keith SWC's in pure lead and size them to fit the Ruger and see how they shoot. 30-35 gr. of powder should give PLENTY of penetration for ranges under 50 yards.

 

[Rifleman1776]

When I had mine (wish I had not sold ) I preferred wax lubed wads under the ball. Only reason was easier and less messy loading and could be done in field. No notable difference in performance. Leading was never a problem either way. I never killed anything with mine but know several people who harvest deer with theirs and reported excellent performance. (within reasonable pistol ranges)