Shot the Ruger Old Army this afternoon

[bigbore442001]

For the past few weeks, I have been partnered with another person on a graduate project. It is somewhat demanding and it seems that the professor would not be happy with the last supper. So being a tad stressed out over that and other issues, I decided to head to the pistol range and let off some steam.

I contemplated taking one of the "other" guns( TC Contender or Ruger SRH) but something told me," Take the Ruger Old Army"

Maybe this sounds silly to some, but the slower pace of shooting the ROA was relaxing. I didn't flinch or feel the need to fill the air with flying lead. Just a slow and methodical pace of shoot and reload. I will confess that I had one misfire. I held the gun at the target and waited thirty seconds. I continued to fire and then re-capped the offending chamber. It shot right off.

I drove home and then proceeded to clean the gun. I took it all apart except for the screws that hold the "guts" in the frame, so to speak. I dumped the frame, cylinder and the parts of the loading ram into a hot sink of soapy water. I digress for a moment. I didn't use Ivory soap as some state you should. I squirted some Method dish detergent with lavender in it. So my Ruger when cleaned smells like Provence. :rotf:

In the meantime, I turned my electric oven on and lined a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Then I placed all the metal parts on the sheet after the oven attained a temperature of 170 F. That is as low as it goes. I then placed the tray in the oven and let it sit there for 20 minutes.

After that point, I took some TC Bore Butter with the pine scent in it. I liberally globbed it all over the frame, down the barrel, in the innards, all over and in the cylinder and all over the nipples.

I then assembled the gun and put it away for the night.

All in all it was a relaxing evening. I sort of wish that there was a quicker method of cleaning cap and ball revolvers but I guess we do not live in a perfect world.

 

[Rebel]

Sounds like a great way to spend a stressful day. Not much you can do about the slow cleaning, but remember the slow pace while shooting and consider the cleaning part of the same relaxing project.

 

[Slake]

cleanin 'em is part of the fun...part of the peace to your mind...

 

[mykeal]

Yup. Use lavender scented dish detergent too. Or pine scent when she lets me get away with it. Got some green apple once - that was the best.

Bore Butter is the best.

Add some Gorilla Grease for the screw threads and you'll have a real fine smelling workbench.

Oh, and just for grins, because for some reason I can't clean any gun without it, I open a jar of Hoppe's No. 9 and just set it on the bench.

After a day of burning real black powder, it's the perfect finish.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I really enjoy shooting my ROA and '58 Rem 'buffalo' model. I always remove the grips when cleaning at home. I have an outside 'chore'table I use as dissasmbly platform and a couple of old aluminum pots I heat water & winsdheild washer fluid in, it really cleans the residue. I use a small brush to slosh the fluid over the gun, let it set awhile, repeat and clean up then rinse with hot water then into the toaster oven for 10 min, then WD-40 all over. wipe down then store or reload. It's a little work but if you shoot over a box of ammo with the centerfire you have a cleaning chore ahead of you also, and they don't make that satisfying cloud of smoke! :haha:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

That sure is one clean smellin gun! I too sometimes find myself at the range with BP firearms after a hectic experience. Nothing quite like the smell of Black lingering in the air . It's very relaxing just to get your mind off of the :bull: of the day and do something to lower your blood pressure :thumbsup: . Kinda makes me want to throw my Walker in the trunk and head for the great outdoors instead of going to work today. Continued relaxation to you Sir and smoke'm well! :winking:

 

[leatherjunkie]

I just got a ruger old army a month ago.
I have been using it for cowboy shooting competition. all i have to load it with is 3f goex and .454 bullets. yes i know i need to use .457 but all i got is .454 till my new mold gets here from lyman.
I shot 40 rounds out of it last sunday at my cowboy match. I sprayed it down at the range with 10% balistal 90% water mixture. let the gun soak till i got home. took the grips off at home and wiped everything down. then just oiled the guts real well with 100% balistal spray. wiped off the excess and put in safe. took me about 15 mins to clean it.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

You don't use a bore mop for the cylinder/barrel bore? I do, and old toothbrush around the nipples.

 

[leatherjunkie]

I use a bore snake for the barrel.
I then use a wool dauber(for applying dye to leather, can get them at[url] tandyleather.com[/url])for the cylinder. the wool dauber is the right size for the cylinder.
by the time i get home the balistal/water mix has loosened up all of the crud and will just wipe off with a cleaning patch. as for the nipple area i will remove them and use the air compressor to blow em out clean. i will also blow out each of the chambers of the cylinder from the nipple end.
this cleans out the nipple area and the threads.
I will also use a pipe cleaner to clean out the cylinder pin hole then put a glob of bore butter on this hole(enough to completely cover the hole) then just insert cylinder pin and rotate the cylinder to lube that area.
everywhere else gets the ballistal spray and wipe down.

all in all it only takes me 15 mins to clean this gun when i get home from the range.

 

[bigbore442001]

I appreciate all the advice here. I plan to get some Ballistoil when I run into it. I wish there was someone locally who would carry it.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I've seen those 'die daubers', never thought to use 'em as cylinder cleaners, good idea. Have you used or planning to use your ROA for hunting? I shot a 300 lb. wild hog with mine using a Lee mould conical, blew right through - a chest shot quartering away. hog ran off (missed the heart) but left blood after it ran about 50 yds and easy to track anyway. It ran about 200 yds before piling up.

 

[bigbore442001]

I would not mind trying to take some sort of game with my Ruger Old Army in the future. Here in New England, we are limited to what we can hunt with a handgun( at least in southern New England, unlike northern New England) .

I bet shooting some feral hogs with the right load at the right situation would be a lot of fun.

 

[J.S. Colt]

Using commercially available Black Powder cleaning solvents rather than hot soapy water will cut down cleaning time considerably. I use soaked patches down the barrel along with a nylon bottle brush for hard to reach places (a la Clint in "GB&Ugly"). Cleaning time is half hour to 45 minutes with no need for a hot oven, toaster oven, or anything else too hot to touch (though I'll admit it prolly doesn't smell as "purdy" afterwards). You can take your cleaning supplies with you in your possibles bag and have sparkley clean guns wherever you are, even without water handy.
Hot, soapy water has never touched my guns, and they still look good as new after a cleaning session.

 

[leatherjunkie]

In this state, Oregon, you are not legally able to hunt with a cap n ball revolver because it is not considered a traditional muzzleloader.
Oregon considers muzzleloading hunting season a primitive hunt and does not allow anything other than a single shot firearm. You can't even use the inline muzzleloaders here in oregon. you also cannot use anything other than basic sights.

 

[bigbore442001]

Could you hunt small game, predators and varmints with a ROA in the Beaver State?

 

[leatherjunkie]

On that note, I don't know.
I only hunt deer and elk.
I also carry a scattergun in case i see a quail or grouse.
I dont hunt the small stuff. but i do carry a handgun with me in case i have to dispatch a not so friendly animal. The ruger old army will be with me in my holster when i hunt muzzleloader season. I just wont shoot the deer with it.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

In NC a hunter can use BP guns during regular gun season as long as bore size and barrel length meet requirements.

 

[Rebel]

Yes you can hunt other game and you may be able to use them during the general season on deer and bear, but i am not certain of that.

 

[juano2001]

Take the grips off and put it in the dish washer. Comes out spotless...if you use jet-dry.

 

[bigbore442001]

I have two dishwashers. My right arm and my left arm. :haha:

I too have heard of using one of those things. if I had one , I'd probably go for it.