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Ruger Old Army spares...

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Dear All - many of us here on this forum have one of these revolvers, thought by many to have been the epitome of non-replica BP revolvers since their introduction in the middle-1970's, and bought and acclaimed whereever fun shooting happens world-wide.

Even here in UK.

Since the cartridge-firing handgun ban here in mainland UK back in 1997, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of these great handguns have been bought and enjoyed by shooters still keen to take what they can get in terms of handgun shooting experience.

I bought mine back in 1986 - serial 145-52052, in case anybody wants to know.

It worked just fine until yesterday, when, at a guest day, another club member shooting it while I RO'd had occasion to remove the cylinder to clear a piece of cap, and mis-assembled it. On the subsequent attempt to reload, the base pin was not secured in the frame, and as a result, was not fully home when he tried to ram a tight-fitting ball.

It got bent.

Badly.

Last night I sent an email to Sturm, Ruger Inc, and also copied it to our UK importers - Viking Arms. Now I have to tell you that the people at Viking Arms are renowned for being both courteous and helpful, never more so than with their dealings with the general shooting public who buy their Ruger products from the dealerships that they supply. So it came as no surprise to find an email waiting for me this morning when I opened up shop.

What WAS a surprise was that the the email told me in no uncertain terms that there were NO stainless steel base pins to be had from Ruger.

Last year, Ruger sent me [via Viking Arms] two rear frame securing screws - the little ones that go either side of the hammer - advising me as they did that they were the only FOUR of these little screws in existence, and asked if I wanted them all. I got them all - and if anybody has a need for the other two, just call me. BTW, they are black, NOT stainless - there are NO stainless
ones in existence.

My points to this ramble are simple -

1. What happened to Sturm, Ruger's company promise to support out of production firearms for ten years after cessation?

2. How come that spares for what must be one of the most popular BP handguns EVER made are almost non-existant, or in some cases totally non-existant?

3. Critics noted that sales had fallen off over the last couple of years - well, hello critics - barring ham-fisted operators, these guns, built like the Brooklyn Bridge, just do not wear out [much], and how many of them do you want anyhow?

To Sturm, Ruger Inc. I send a large :blah:

tac - V. disappointed
 
wow- sorry to hear of your troubles ... I, too, have a ROA, and they are very solid. It seems that even Brownells, who has every part for every available anything which goes bang, carries a cylinder pin (but not in stainless), but it's out of stock.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/avs|Make~~Model_1=Ruger__Old Army/Products/Ruger/Old_Army/

You might be able to get someone to make one for you, but it will no doubt set you back about a zillion pounds.

Anyway, good luck.
 
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MSW said:
You might be able to get someone to make one for you, but it will no doubt set you back about a zillion pounds.

Anyway, good luck.

Thanks for the good luck wish. I might get a pal here with a CNC set-up to make some up in SS for me at less than a zillion pounds...any interest?

Best

tac
 
I've personally seen four of them straightened.
One was mine and bent about as bad as can be done.
Thousands of rounds since with no issues.
 
Just checked Gun Parts Corp. and they're out of stock on both blue and stainless as well. I'm guessing Ruger made far fewer of their BP guns than their cartridge-based ones and that BP gun parts have pretty well dried up by now. :idunno:
 
Bent mine slightly also. It didn't seem severe enough to hamper proper function so I shoot it with a slightly bent pin.

Don
 
Any good machine shop should be able to take the original and make a copy. I'm guessing it is the rammer part and not the lever, but either one should be very doable. Might cost you a bit, but the guns are very much worth it.

I have a pair, one I shoot that is a parts gun w/ a blued cylinder, and a NIB stainless that I'm saving. 8)
 
junkman_01 said:
I'm guessing it is the rammer part and not the lever

You'd be guessing wrong. It is the arbor (centerpin) that gets bent. :doh:

Yup, and it bends where it's weakest - natch. Also, the metal deforms at the point of the bend.....

Anyhow, just to give you all a copy of the note I received just now from Ruger - so you can beat your local dealer/rep over the head -

Dear Tac,

Thank you for your Online Support Request (Attached)

Unfortunately we no longer have spare parts for the Old Army Revolvers, you can check with Viking Arms to see if they have any parts left in their stock, see contact information below:

Viking Arms, Ltd.
Summerbridge, Harrogate
North Yorkshire HG3 4BW
ENGLAND
Tel. # 1423-780810
Fax # 1423-781500
Email: [email protected]
Web Site: www.vikingarms.com

Thank You.

Best Regards,

Christina Harbour
International Sales Specialist
Sturm, Ruger & Company Inc.
529 Sunapee Street - Export Department
Newport, NH 03773
Tel: 603-865-2451
Fax: 603-863-9371
Email: [email protected]


I've just contacted Belt Mountain, who make a new base pin for the ROA cartridge conversion cylinder with a knurled end rather than a rammer and lever get-up. We'll see what they have to say, if anything. My take is that there is a real market there for ROA spares of the kind that are not shared with the large-frame Blackhawk series.

tac
 
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the ROA is becoming harder and harder to get parts for

Someday the only way you will get parts for a ROA is to either machine them yourself or pay someone who knows what they are doing to make it for you.

There is a hustle here for someone with the skills. It will be a small clientel that only makes that guy pocket money. There are only so many ROA's out there and that number just gets smaller as the years go by.
 
Those arbors don't strike me as taking a PhD in astrophysics to duplicate. Back around 1980 Mr. Garret had an Italian Company work up a Sharps reproduction to his specs. There has got to be a company willing to run off a few hundred parts at a reasonable price.
 
There is person up north, somewhere, who will take a Ruger ROA and convert it from it's origin to 36 for line matches, turn key. Seems he could make the parts to repair broke parts for originals.

Anyone know who he is?

I have a spare ROA I want converted to 36.

If anyone could do the needed previous requests I would think M.D. or one other person in my files might can do the work. If interested let me know and I will check my files for a pistol smith.
 
Seems there was a note sometime back about the same problem and not being able to get parts.

I bought the C&B Cylinder Loader from Powder Inc. and that is all that I use to load my revolvers. It's fast and easy to use and does put a strain on the revolver when seating a ball in the cylinder.

With a shortage of spare parts, it might be the best way to go or the only way to go if parts are bent.
 
As I recall, tac had a problem with this part and made arrangements to have a local machine shop produce some replacement parts.

The shop only wanted to do the work if it would pay them a profit so tac offered our members the parts at his cost.
The cost was fairly high.

He couldn't get enough firm orders to satisfy the machine shop so this all fell by the wayside.
 
I recall reading back when Bill sr was still alive that as long as he was alive the old army would always be made. Well he kept his word as he always did or so I've always read about him. Now if he knew this he would truly roll over in his grave. Maybe one day someone with nearly the brains he had will take over the ruger company and bring it back to the great company it used to be. Those in charge now could'nt hold him a light :idunno: :td: :td:
 
I pulled mine last night and I bet I'd use up the better part of three hours turning, milling and fitting a new one to my revolver.
I doubt I will make one just for a spare as I haven't had any trouble at all with the one that came in the gun.
Actually they don't get bent up as long as they stay in the gun, it's when they get removed for one reason or another that they get buggered, from what I've seen. MD
 
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