Ruger Old Army

[sandbergski]

My buddy just ran across a Ruger old army in stainless 45 cal. can anybody help with how many grains what size ball and wad size. Also any info on procedure when loading.

 

[Zonie]

The Ruger OA uses a .457 diameter lead roundball.
Any real black powder except 4F is recommended and any of the synthetic black powders will work as well.
Powder loads can be anywhere from 20 to 35 grains.
Just make sure the ball is rammed all the way down the chamber so it rests on the powder.

#11 percussion caps will work.

Some shooters add a fiber wad between the powder and the ball but IMO this isn't needed for just shooting. Some think this increases accuracy and helps to prevent "chain firing". (That's when more than one chamber fires).

Loading is the same as with any cap & ball revolver.

If the gun hasn't been fired in a long time it's a good idea to cap the nipples of the unloaded cylinder and then fire each cap.
This will blow any obstruction out of the small nipple hole.

Place the hammer at half cock so the cylinder rotates freely.

Pour a measured amount of powder into a chamber.
Place the ball into the chambers mouth. (It won't go all the way in).
Rotate the cylinder so the ball is under the loading lever ram.
Use the ram to force the ball into the chamber and down on top of the powder.

Repeat until the cylinder is loaded. (Some only load 5 chambers if the gun is not going to be fired immediately. They place the hammer on the empty chamber for safety while carrying the gun.)

If the gun is going to be shot immediately I see nothing wrong with loading all 6 chambers.

Once the chambers are loaded, many (including me) like to wipe some grease over the ball and chambers mouth. This can serve as a lubricant to lessen the chances of leading the barrels bore.

Once your ready, place a percussion cap on the nipple of each loaded chamber.
These must be a tight fit on the nipple because if one falls off when the gun is fired it opens up a path for the flames from the firing chamber to find its way into the uncapped chamber and fire it. This is the cause of most (if not all) chain firing.

Once the gun is loaded it's ready to shoot.
Treat it like it was a modern gun.

Some folks think black powder is weak so these guns are weak too. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Just because your frends gun is stainless doesn't mean it does not need to be cleaned.

The cylinder and barrel must be cleaned with water, dried and oiled. The powder fouling that lands on the outside of the frame needs to be cleaned off too.

Have fun.

 

[Poor Private]

Wow Zonie,
All the instructions at the same time, I am impressed. People should now download it and print it. Toss it in thier gun box or reference.

 

[don hepler]

Yeh, I think "Zonie" pretty well nailed it. I have 3 stainless ROA's and I use #10 Remington caps on two of them, the other one has never been fired. I also use a nut driver for a nipple wrench, I don't remember the exact size, except it is English size. I always remove the nipples and clean and put anti-seize on the threads. That's about all I can add.

 

[George T.]

As usual this is the place to come for accurate information. Geo. T.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

plumber's teflon pipe dope is a good anti-seize for the nipples. has done well for me anyways.

 

[rodwha]

You can use up to about 45 grains of 3F powder with a round ball.
I had trouble with Rem and CCI #11 caps. Rem #10's fit quite well.
I'm also using a nuts river (Craftsman), which is a 3/16.

 

[aeatwood]

I would recommend a thorough cleaning and degreasing first, before you shoot it. Nothing like congealed oil and fouling to make a witch's brew of tar to clean out.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Are BP substitutes less prone to chain fire than real BP?

 

[Don]

Because substitutes ignite at a higher temp I suppose that it is possible that they are less prone to chain fires. However, I have no scientific evidence to back that up.

Don

 

[sandbergski]

Thank you for all the info Zonie, I did print it for future reference. Thanks Again.......

 

[swathdiver]

1860s Hazard Pistol Powder is the equivalent of today's 4F. It's for use with conicals, 1/10th of bullet weight. So if you're going to shoot Kaido Ojamma's 255 grain bullet, you'd use 25-26 grains of Swiss 4F. Velocities are well over 1000 fps with that load and is a great hog and deer killing load.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

factory nipples are #10 size.
least the s/s nipples on mine are.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Zonie nailed it with pretty comprehensive details that can be applied to numerous C&B revolvers.

For the old grease/crisco gooped over a seated ball debate, consider this: Unless your chamber is bored out of round & you're using an undersized ball, balls fit so tightly that a ring of lead shaves off during seating - water, fire or negative vibes ain't gonna pass thru to set off that adjoining chamber.

Now look at the OTHER end. A day doesn't go by that someone complains about caps falling off, needing smaller & tighter fitting caps, or even that "pinching the cap to make it fit" advice. Flashover from firing cap to loose cap has been suggested as a more likely source of the problem.

Over powder wads are more than just a flashover feelgood. They take up airspace to provide better seating of bullet over powder - especially when using lighter & more accurate powder loads. A greased wad also scrubs out the bore some & doesn't blow out excess goop to trap & hold powder residue.

Be sure to use stiff grease or bullet lube for wads, since they are compressed somewhat between bullet & powder. That compression can squeeze out oil from a wad & oiled powder doesn't burn. Olive oil added to a tallow/beeswax blend may make for a softer ball lube, but is best to use as a patch lube for your flintlock.

I currently use a square of TP with a dab of stiff grease folded up in the middle. The paper holds the grease in place & away from contact with powder, & upon firing provides a little lube for the next round fired. I can go over 100 rounds thru my ROA without any significant fouling build up.

Too much grease/crisco means more & quicker fouling build up.

 

[AZbpBurner]

I would recommend a thorough cleaning and degreasing first, before you shoot it. Nothing like congealed oil and fouling to make a witch's brew of tar to clean out.

I'll second that!

Avoid anyone who tells you they've never found it necessary to remove nipples & clean the threads.

I bought a 35 year old Stainless ROA - touted as "Never Fired". It was pretty clean but had some residual powder under the grips, AND I'm convinced that the original owner had Loctited in the nipples - there was enough powder residue binding them up, that I was afraid I'd round off the flats trying to remove them. They did eventually come out & I replaced them with a set of Ampco nipples that use a traditional nipple wrench.

As others recommend, grease, anti-seize, or even ball lube are all appropriate & effective to use on nipple threads prior to reinstalling them.