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Ruger Old Army - first shots. New grips. Video added.


Warden Callaway

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The problem is, it's unfired!  (Turns out it was shot)

 

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I knew my favorite toy store had gotten it in. I took a safe queen down to trade. I didn't expect it to be unfired.  Paperwork but no box or wrench.  My thoughts was to get a used shooter.  Not really a Cowboy gun but something to play with in the winter months.  I'll have to think about if I'm going to shoot it or salt it away.

 

 

 

 

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You're probably right.  It's just a Ruger.  Nothing special about it. I'll have to cast up some balls.  

 

But my thing is rescuing derelict old guns and putting them back into shooting condition. 

 

Serial number dates it to 1977. 

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Shoot it ! 

I have owned and sold 20 or 30 of them over the years .

I used to buy them all the time used unfired and some times slightly used  with  or without boxes for 150 too 250 dollars .

I never knew why they did not hold any value for years .

Super great guns .

As  Pistol hunter you could not ask for a better BP Pistol .

So Saith The Rooster 

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Sometimes even Down -Under you can find a bargain, good shooting buddy of mine for $600  just picked up a 7 1/2 '' adjustable sight ROA with extra cylinder, bench ball loader, & powder flask..had no grips but I had a spare set so he is a happy chappy !  Early model that had been passed down & hardly used.

Normal prices here range from &1400-$3,000

I love my set & they aren't going no where.

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Well, this is comforting.  Cut the wire bundle tie holding the hammer and cocked the gun.  Black crud under the hammer.  Humm.  The take down screw was frozen.  Penetrating oil and a few raps a more power and it broke lose. 

 

69389826_RugerOldArmyblueshot.jpg.5da7f3cc251f4eb683eb962d155e1300.jpg

 

A little crud here and there. I've not located the 5/32 socket to remove the nipples. But put penetrating oil on them in the meanwhile. 

 

 

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6 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

It's just a Ruger.  Nothing special about it.


For shame.  The most accurate, strongest percussion revolver ever made deserves more respect than that.  Shoot it.  If you don’t like it sell it to someone who can appreciate it for the masterpiece it is.

 

:mellow:

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35 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:


For shame.  The most accurate, strongest percussion revolver ever made deserves more respect than that.  Shoot it.  If you don’t like it sell it to someone who can appreciate it for the masterpiece it is.

 

:mellow:

 

That's what I've been told.  I've yet to actually shoot one.  When I was young and in my prime, I had a Remington New Model Army (Lyman brand, I'm thinking) and shot it a lot. Traded it in on a deer rifle.  More lately I've picked up Pietta 51s and 60s. I've shot them a lot over the winter months. 

 

I'm still getting winter firewood stored up but I'll find some time to cast up some balls and see what this Old Army can do. 

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Well, I've got the new Old Army blown apart and strewn out on the operating table.  Looks like a Kentucky coal mine inside.  Nothing hot water and a brush won't clean up. 

 

Thunderstorms in the forecast all weekend so this will be a good project.   Maybe cast up some balls. 

 

1640167659_RugerOldArmyinside1Oct2021.jpg.80d6bd35664c45355ab23172cc7eb543.jpg

 

1162266852_RugerOldArmyinsideOct2021.jpg.1a49bf90f28fbaa35f5a91f03cbdf00f.jpg

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Clean inside and out now. 

 

First old 3 screw Ruger I have ever taken apart and put back together.  Getting the trigger return plunge, paw plunger and hammer spring assembly all in the right place in the grip frame and then the whole loosy goosy assembly alighted with the frame and then the screws in, took some time and holding my tongue just right.  I'll probably get faster with practice. 

 

I'm not exactly excited about the aluminum grip frame. But probably not bothered enough to find a replacement. 

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Yesterday I cast up a heaping handful of 457 balls with the Lee mold.  I would have kept casting but it got up near 80 and I figured I had enough to play with. Besides,  the weather was getting worse - up to 8 warnings and tornado watch or a while.

 

Today, it's much different.  Cool and wind 14mph from the north. But I loaded up and went out and shot it. 30 grains of Grafs FFFg, 1/8" lubed felt wad, and ball.  I found my centrifuge capsules hold 30 grains when full.

 

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Loading up revealed some differences from loading my Pietta 1851s or 1860.  It won't stand in my loading stand.  It doesn't nest in and it falls backwards out of it. Maybe the aluminum grip frame makes it top heavy?  The loading lever latch is made up of sharp edges and uncomfortable on a bare hand. It was a struggle to use the Ted Cash capper.  The openings around the nipples are not as open as with the 51/60.  

 

But the first 6 shots were mostly in the black - strung vertically.  Probably me. But a good first group well at POA. The caps fell off without a problem.  The recoil felt sharper than I expected. The big adjustable sights look like a billboard.

 

I loaded up another 6 but by then my target was destroyed by wind. So I just shot the plate.  I'll try shooting it more tomorrow afternoon.  The weather should be better. 

 

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Warden Callaway mentioned he had difficulty using a Tedd Cash snail capper on his Ruger Old Army.  He knew I use them to cap my ROAs so he asked me to reply in this thread.

 

Here is a screen shot of the capper as it comes from the factory, taken from the company website:

 

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Note how the floor plate protrudes a bit beyond the spring that holds a cap.

 

Here is a photo of one of my modified cappers:

 

IMG_3526.thumb.jpg.d2ff96ff8f9b9c7b8128673ad9956a35.jpg

 

I use a Dremel to grind back the floor plate until it is flush with the spring.  Removing that excess metal makes it easy to cap an ROA, and it will still work on Uberti and Pietta revolvers as well.  The floor plate still provides enough support to seat the cap on a nipple.  I also enlarge the opening a bit with the Dremel.  You can see mine is more of a circle than a slot.

 

I'm enjoying your thread, Warden!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for the info.   

 

So happens I have two snail cappers.  Awful grungy.  The one on the left is a true Ted Cash brand. Marked TDC mfg.   The one on the right is not marked. I picked it up in a dusty gun and pawn for $10. It had 9 caps in it and they all worked!

 

814106167_TedCashcapperOctober2021.jpg.4336b202cb1a9b00fd5e484c965bd170.jpg

 

The one on the right looks like your "before". The one on the left looks like your "after".  I was using out of the one or the right.  Maybe I'll try the one on the left.  

 

The two look the same but the other is unmarked. And the capture spring is on the outside.  The spring is on the inside on the Ted Cash. 

 

 

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The real Ted Cash capper worked just fine.   I loaded up and shot a cylinder load this morning. 

 

I used the "pinky under" the butt grip panel hold and it didn't bash my middle finger. But each shot I has to remember to regrip.  There is a lot of surplus wood in the middle section that could make them feel better. May make a new set this winter.

 

We're starting to get along better.  :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sawmill Mary and I took a scenic drive to see the fall colors.  So happened, two of our favorite toy stores were right on our route.  I did some some trading for some new grips for my ROA.  Both pair fit really well. The black plastic feels more like a Colt.

 

895650119_RugerblackgripsNov42021.jpg.1af956acaa198095cc0ca7364b2c05e8.jpg

 

1796139378_RugerpearlgripsNov2021.jpg.73022525727783aeaebec62fa11063d9.jpg

 

 

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  • Warden Callaway changed the title to Ruger Old Army - first shots. New grips
On 10/27/2021 at 11:28 AM, Warden Callaway said:

The real Ted Cash capper worked just fine.   I loaded up and shot a cylinder load this morning. 

 

I used the "pinky under" the butt grip panel hold and it didn't bash my middle finger. But each shot I has to remember to regrip.  There is a lot of surplus wood in the middle section that could make them feel better. May make a new set this winter.

 

We're starting to get along better.  :)

 

I have a set of Eagle Gunfighter grips on my ROA's. For me anyways the thinner grips are 100% better.

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I had an opportunity to shoot a short video showing of my new to me ROA and demonstrate the little 3d star capper.  

 

 

 

I didn't take the time to change from my work on the farm outfit and I didn't notice that I looked like an unmade bed until I watched the videos. 

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  • Warden Callaway changed the title to Ruger Old Army - first shots. New grips. Video added.
  • 3 months later...

As the world turns, the gunshop that I got the blue ROA got in a stainless.  We went down before Christmas and made a trade for it.

 

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I shot it Christmas afternoon. My intentions were to upload a video to YouTube that evening.   But I had some problems I wanted to work out first.  Well, about 6 weeks later,  I got back to the project.  It's still not shooting 100% reliable. But I'll try different caps, etc. 

 

 

 

 

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