How reasonable are current Old Army prices?

[RedFeather]

Saw one in stainless LNIB, for $600. I'd like to have one but I think I'd need two patches just to stop the nose bleed, as that is about what a nice smokeless wheel gun fetches hereabouts. Are they really worth the premium?

 

[FishDFly]

"Saw one in stainless LNIB, for $600. I'd like to have one but I think I'd need two patches just to stop the nose bleed, as that is about what a nice smokeless wheel gun fetches hereabouts. Are they really worth the premium?"

I know a person who has experience, he bought a LNIB, when getting home he found out it was fired.

Depends on how much a person wants one.

As you know they are no longer made.

There are no parts available to repair them and you have to go to after market suppliers for nipples.

That price would be pushing my upper limit personally.

Last one I picked up here was $300 and I made a road trip to inspect the pistol and pulled the nipples to make sure they could be removed.

I would think $400 is fair, $450 tops.

 

[bubba.50]

when people are askin' 5, 6, 7 hundred dollars for a gun that should go for around 300 or 350 i would say they are not reasonable at all. you could buy two or three N-I-B remy's for that price.

 

[cynthialee]

I'd pay a premium for one of those guns, but that is excessive.

No more than 350-450 would be my limit. The gun is an orphan, no parts available. It is a nice pistol, but it isn't $600 nice even if it was unfired.

If I wanted to spend money like that...I'd get a Colt and a Remington, both in .44 and have fun shooting as I know for a fact I can get parts on them.
With a ROA...I'd probably fire it once clean it up and then let it sit in the safe. I'd be afraid of breaking the thing and needing to pay a smith good money to manufacture a part. I have replace a part with old stock money, not machine tool a part to replace the part money.

 

[M. De Land]

But than again like most Rugers ,if handled correctly, will shoot a life time or two of occasional shooting with no repairs needed.

 

[bluecow]

would love to have a roa. should have got one 20 years ago. yet when i can buy a ruger sbh in 357/44/45 and not mess with balls, caps, powder, for less $ thats the way i go. jmo black powder handguns are toys. ( ya ya i know you can use em to.....) I love em but they are not for serious work.

 

[MSW]

I'm in with the consensus here: that's way too much to pay for a C&B revolver. (having said that, I will admit to buying a used one for a good bit less a long time ago, and I have no interest in selling it) if that kind of money appeared in my budget (OK - you can stop laughing right now) I'd look to an 1860 Army and spend the rest on powder and shot.

just sayin'

 

[cynthialee]

would love to have a roa. should have got one 20 years ago. yet when i can buy a ruger sbh in 357/44/45 and not mess with balls, caps, powder, for less $ thats the way i go. jmo black powder handguns are toys. ( ya ya i know you can use em to.....) I love em but they are not for serious work.

??

well these 'toys' (BP guns) enabled the European powers to colonize and capture the world before the first suppository gun was made available to the masses

I can't stand to see this sentiment that they are useless 'toys' being propagated. It is the very thing that causes people like an old friend of mine to be so sure that these guns are not powerful beyond 50 yards he was demanding I shoot at him with an 1851 while he stood out at 50+ yards. An invitation I promptly dismissed.

A gun is a gun, regardless if it was made 300 years ago or today. A bullet will kill you or a friend/loved one if you do not treat the gun with respect. I don't care if it is going 800 ft/sec or 2500+ ft/sec, a bullet hole in a vital is lethal.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I'm not in the market for a ROA, but I do watch in case a bargain would show up. I've not seen blued versions for much below $400 and stainless seems to be above that figure depending on condition etc.

LNIB, is not new and can mean different things to folks.

 

[Nativearizonan]

It's worth whatever you are willing to pay. You can't compare a Ruger to an Italian replica Remington. They are not the same thing at all. The replica allows you to do realistic re-inacting, whereas the Ruger is a well engineered modern take on a cap and ball rifle. It's the better gun, if that's what you want, but nobody carried one in the 1800s. It's apples and oranges, and totally unrealistic to call them equivalent in any way, shape, or fashion. There are Ruger collectors that want to own every single action Ruger ever made, and you have to compete with these people if you want to buy a like new Ruger.

 

[Rifleman1776]

when people are askin' 5, 6, 7 hundred dollars for a gun that should go for around 300 or 350 i would say they are not reasonable at all. you could buy two or three N-I-B remy's for that price.

I sold my Bicentennial Edition with full flap holster and moulds a couple years ago for $400.00. Still crying. $600.00 seems to be the going price these days.

 

[RedFeather]

I gave it a fairly hard first look. Either the owner cleaned it religiously or it may be unshot. I know they are the T/C Hawkins of percussion revolvers when it comes to authenticity but Bill Ruger simply set out to build a BP gun based on his BlackHawk. I would only have it for what it is, basically, for me, a range paper-puncher. I shied away in the past (1970's) since they take an odd ball size. And owners have reported front sights rum a bit short on the 7.5". Sure a shame they got so pricey and are unsupported. Felt real solid and well made. That said, I picked up a BlackHawk convertible that was heavily customized for $450 in the same shop. Why I felt the price was overly optimistic. Maybe Ruger should have stuck with it?

 

[nkbj]

Ruger should have made a fifty. At least a fifty.

 

[MSW]

would love to have a roa. should have got one 20 years ago. yet when i can buy a ruger sbh in 357/44/45 and not mess with balls, caps, powder, for less $ thats the way i go. jmo black powder handguns are toys. ( ya ya i know you can use em to.....) I love em but they are not for serious work.

??

well these 'toys' (BP guns) enabled the European powers to colonize and capture the world before the first suppository gun was made available to the masses

I can't stand to see this sentiment that they are useless 'toys' being propagated. It is the very thing that causes people like an old friend of mine to be so sure that these guns are not powerful beyond 50 yards he was demanding I shoot at him with an 1851 while he stood out at 50+ yards. An invitation I promptly dismissed.

A gun is a gun, regardless if it was made 300 years ago or today. A bullet will kill you or a friend/loved one if you do not treat the gun with respect. I don't care if it is going 800 ft/sec or 2500+ ft/sec, a bullet hole in a vital is lethal.

what she said!

it takes an eight year old half a second to pot the beloved great aunt at two hundred yards with an unloaded musket fired off the hip.

 

[RedFeather]

If that ain't the truth. People don't take BP guns seriously, people get hurt. When I got discharged in 1973, I had an 1858 Remington. My county required handguns be registered, so I went to register the Remington. Was told no need, it is not considered a firearm. Really? Care to ask how many dead or maimed soldiers from the Civil War if it ain't a firearm? I still see this attitude over forty years later. Well, that is good in one way. We still fly under the radar.

Looked at that ROA today while in the shop. Pretty but just too expensive.

 

[Mr. Troll]

I paid $199 for my Pietta ROA on an internet one day sale at Cabelas...Very happy with it. As far as it being a toy, well the 2x4s I have destroyed with it might have a different opinion.

 

[john gill]

I paid $199 for my Pietta ROA on an internet one day sale at Cabelas...Very happy with it. As far as it being a toy, well the 2x4s I have destroyed with it might have a different opinion.

I assume you mean pietta rem 1858. Cabela's does have $200 sales on them at times. I recently bought one with target sights for 250.

 

[john gill]

If that ain't the truth. People don't take BP guns seriously, people get hurt. When I got discharged in 1973, I had an 1858 Remington. My county required handguns be registered, so I went to register the Remington. Was told no need, it is not considered a firearm. Really? Care to ask how many dead or maimed soldiers from the Civil War if it ain't a firearm? I still see this attitude over forty years later. Well, that is good in one way. We still fly under the radar.

My 1858 with the 5.5 inch barrel is deadlier than a 38 special +P. My 8 inch version equals a 45 auto.

 

[Mr. Troll]

You can load a steel frame .36 equal to a .380...and more fun to shoot! Here's a youtube video to open your eyes.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIPazOT5M3A

 

[rodwha]

I'm actually a bit surprised that he got a velocity reading that high using 2F Goex (unless maybe it was Olde Eynsford).

40 grns of 3F standard Goex didn't get close to 900 fps whereas 33 grns of Triple 7 (which gives similar velocities compared to Swiss and Olde E by volume) gave mid 1000 fps velocities with a ball. And that's with a reduced load, which isn't any more necessary than if you were to use Swiss or Olde E.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LP_dwo2nThA

It all depends on the powder used as many told me, when I first was interested and asked, that a .44 cal cap n ball pistol would only achieve .38 Spl ballistics and wasn't adequate. But those figures also depend on the projectile used as well.