Acquired gun. Not sure what to do with it.
- Thread starter Kewrock
- Start date
Rifleman1776
New member
All comments about it being capped and 'hot' are good advice. They can be removed but should be by someone with a bit of knowledge about such things. If we were close I would be happy to de-cap, unload and clean up for him at no cost. He does need to find someone who will do this for him.
As for the notches, I have had some of the earliest Old Armies and they all had the notches. I don't recall any talk, ever, of 'notchless' models. But, realistically, him not having any gun savvy, he wouldn't know what to do with the notches.
As for the notches, I have had some of the earliest Old Armies and they all had the notches. I don't recall any talk, ever, of 'notchless' models. But, realistically, him not having any gun savvy, he wouldn't know what to do with the notches.
Kewrock
Don't know how comfortable you might be with this idea but why don't you let the folks in this forum, as "general" location of where you live so they can PM you and get some assist from them. Your Old Army is definitely and early model and after all the smoke clears, might be worth some bucks. I'm just not comfortable having you handle it and who knows why "Old Men" do what they do.
God luck, hang in there and;
Be Safe !!!!
Don't know how comfortable you might be with this idea but why don't you let the folks in this forum, as "general" location of where you live so they can PM you and get some assist from them. Your Old Army is definitely and early model and after all the smoke clears, might be worth some bucks. I'm just not comfortable having you handle it and who knows why "Old Men" do what they do.
God luck, hang in there and;
Be Safe !!!!
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simonkenton
New member
Fascinating thread, great pics.
If you are any where near Asheville NC I would be glad to unload [fire] the gun for you , and clean it.
But I have a feeling you are near Manhatten.
If you are any where near Asheville NC I would be glad to unload [fire] the gun for you , and clean it.
But I have a feeling you are near Manhatten.
noelf2 said:
My first inclination would be to do the same thing. However, after giving it a little more thought I think that plan of action should be avoided. Some 80 year old geezer with no knowledge of firearms and apparently no business having one where he did is the alleged owner/loader of that firearm. In the end we don't have any idea who really loaded it nor if they really knew what they were doing. From the pictures it appears that someone did in fact know how to load and seal the firearm against moisture (looks like the caps could have grease over them). However, we really don't know what kind of powder is behind the balls. We assume it is black powder but that could be a dangerous assumption. Some 80 year old geezer may have loaded that sucker with smokeless powder. Most of us understand the likely outcome of firing that ROA with smokeless powder could be devastating for the person pulling the trigger. My vote is to unload it the hard way. That is, remove the caps, remove the cylinder, remove the nipples, pour the powder out, use a thin copper rod to push the balls out of the cylinders. JMHO.
I'm with clembert on this one, while it may have been loaded correctly and fire fine, the chance of whoever loaded it being.. shall we say..unknowledgeable, makes the risk not worth it. I don't want to really fire some strangers handloads, let alone what some stranger did to a BP gun.
But I'm happy to offer assistance if you happen to be in the St. Louis area.
If you are truly not wanting to deal with it at all, I'm sure the police would be willing to come get it, although they won't likely give you money for it, and it would be a shame to see what is potentially a really nice firearm destroyed.
But I'm happy to offer assistance if you happen to be in the St. Louis area.
If you are truly not wanting to deal with it at all, I'm sure the police would be willing to come get it, although they won't likely give you money for it, and it would be a shame to see what is potentially a really nice firearm destroyed.
I doubt it would fire, even with fresh caps.
You could point it into a backstop and use a CO2 Load Discharger, or take it to a gun shop and let them unload it. The inside of the cylinder will probably be corroded; it will need some cleaning.
How about calling up the old girlfriend? It might have more sentimental value than it did at the time.
CO2 Load Discharger: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...MainCatcat20712-cat20720-cat603824&id=0006480
Edit: I doubt all the chambers will fire, but it will fire if you play with it! This six-shooter is fully loaded. If you try to decap or unload it, be sure wear safety glasses & hearing protection. I would do it in the basement, pointed towards a pile of newspapers or old blankets.
You could point it into a backstop and use a CO2 Load Discharger, or take it to a gun shop and let them unload it. The inside of the cylinder will probably be corroded; it will need some cleaning.
How about calling up the old girlfriend? It might have more sentimental value than it did at the time.
CO2 Load Discharger: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...MainCatcat20712-cat20720-cat603824&id=0006480
Edit: I doubt all the chambers will fire, but it will fire if you play with it! This six-shooter is fully loaded. If you try to decap or unload it, be sure wear safety glasses & hearing protection. I would do it in the basement, pointed towards a pile of newspapers or old blankets.
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Young.Gun.612
New member
Where are you not allowed to own powder or anything like that? Doesn't sound like America to me.
I certainly wouldnt recommend shooting it into a stump, the gun is old and hasnt been fired in a long time, god knows what corrosion couldnt be in the barrel, it could blow up in his face. Take it to a gun smith, or call the police and tell them what you have and how you got it and let them take care of it.
simonkenton
New member
Kewrock [Original Poster] has pulled a disappearing act, deleting all words and pics.
I bet a dollar he is in New York, where it is illegal to have a loaded cap and ball pistol.
I bet the poor old Ruger is now sleeping with the fishes in the Hudson River.
I bet a dollar he is in New York, where it is illegal to have a loaded cap and ball pistol.
I bet the poor old Ruger is now sleeping with the fishes in the Hudson River.
The only positive thing that I can get out of this, is that there were many honest folks willing to assist him with this problem. On the negative side, he still has the problem and it may not go well for an old classic. I'm sure he is trying to do the best he can. He has shown demonstrated responsibility and I wish him well.
Be Safe !!!
Be Safe !!!
Hey guys. The piece is unloaded, partially dismantled and soaking in SafetyKleen. It's not in the river or melted down by the police. When all the varnish is gone, I'll see what kind of oxidation is on it.
Once I got all the gunk off the priming caps I saw that someone at some point had been pulling the trigger letting the hammer strike. all the priming caps were dented and smashed against the nipples. I guess they were lucky!
I took every possible precaution with this. Soaked the chambers in SafetyKleen till the primers fell right off, sealed the muzzle side of the chambers with plumbers putty, secured chamber in bench vice facing down and away into a pile of damp rags, slathered grease on all the nipples before applying wrench, eye/ear protection, long sleaves and pants, and heavy work gloves. You guys might think I went overboard, but I really have no exposure to this except reading websites and youtube. Being a landscaping equipment mechanic I've seen guys get messed up doing mundane things.
One chamber at a time I removed the nipple and forced the powder out with a toothpick and Wd-40 then compressed air. Then removed all the balls with a hammer and pin.
I think I'm going to look into firing this. My friend who is into modern rifles goes to a range that offers supervision for noobs. They also sell provisions so I won't actually have to possess anything but the gun, which is legal as long as I don't have the ammo at home.
Thanks for the concern and assisstance.
Once I got all the gunk off the priming caps I saw that someone at some point had been pulling the trigger letting the hammer strike. all the priming caps were dented and smashed against the nipples. I guess they were lucky!
I took every possible precaution with this. Soaked the chambers in SafetyKleen till the primers fell right off, sealed the muzzle side of the chambers with plumbers putty, secured chamber in bench vice facing down and away into a pile of damp rags, slathered grease on all the nipples before applying wrench, eye/ear protection, long sleaves and pants, and heavy work gloves. You guys might think I went overboard, but I really have no exposure to this except reading websites and youtube. Being a landscaping equipment mechanic I've seen guys get messed up doing mundane things.
One chamber at a time I removed the nipple and forced the powder out with a toothpick and Wd-40 then compressed air. Then removed all the balls with a hammer and pin.
I think I'm going to look into firing this. My friend who is into modern rifles goes to a range that offers supervision for noobs. They also sell provisions so I won't actually have to possess anything but the gun, which is legal as long as I don't have the ammo at home.
Thanks for the concern and assisstance.
Kewrock
Well now; Ya gotta know I'm happy to hear of your success. Might add that for a novice, you did quite well and can find no fault in what you did. Now that you have gotten close and personal with your vintage Old Army, You just have to load it, shoot and get more satisfaction. Fantastic that your plan came together. Keep up your good work. ....
Be Safe !!!
Well now; Ya gotta know I'm happy to hear of your success. Might add that for a novice, you did quite well and can find no fault in what you did. Now that you have gotten close and personal with your vintage Old Army, You just have to load it, shoot and get more satisfaction. Fantastic that your plan came together. Keep up your good work. ....
Be Safe !!!
Kewrock,
You da man...good job!
I'm not quite understanding your statement about the smashed caps on the nipples. It sounds like someone at some point attempted to fire the weapon but was unsuccessful. It could be that the nipples were plugged up with dirt/oil or the caps just failed. Technically, on a ROA, the precision of the design allows one to dry fire (without caps installed) without damaging the nipples (unlike many Italian replicas). The hammer will fall short of hitting the nipple surface. However, with a cap installed on the nipple the hammer will hit the cap thus setting off the pressure sensitive mixture within the cap.
You da man...good job!
I'm not quite understanding your statement about the smashed caps on the nipples. It sounds like someone at some point attempted to fire the weapon but was unsuccessful. It could be that the nipples were plugged up with dirt/oil or the caps just failed. Technically, on a ROA, the precision of the design allows one to dry fire (without caps installed) without damaging the nipples (unlike many Italian replicas). The hammer will fall short of hitting the nipple surface. However, with a cap installed on the nipple the hammer will hit the cap thus setting off the pressure sensitive mixture within the cap.
Kew
BTW,
I checked on grips for the pistol and there are some nice ones available on eBay (okay, y'all can start throwin the tomatoes) for about 84 bucks. You might could get them cheaper but I don't think you will match the antler grips that are on the pistol now for that price.
I have had some success making grips from good quality walnut.
BTW,
I checked on grips for the pistol and there are some nice ones available on eBay (okay, y'all can start throwin the tomatoes) for about 84 bucks. You might could get them cheaper but I don't think you will match the antler grips that are on the pistol now for that price.
I have had some success making grips from good quality walnut.
Smashed caps on the nipples meaning all the copper caps were dented showing signs of being struck.
So far I don't see any signs of oxidation. The cylinders look ok. They're not shiny and polished, but they're not bumpy or rough either . When I dry off the safetykleen what should I use to preserve it? I have Rustoleum bare metal preserver for my tools, but that's kind of oily and messy.
Anybody know how olds this is? someone said ruger websight had SN tracker, but I couldn't find it. Someone else said it was an early model. Is that good? I woul think I would want a later model after it's been refined by the company. S/N is 140-220XX. (are guns like watches, you never list the whole serial?)
So far I don't see any signs of oxidation. The cylinders look ok. They're not shiny and polished, but they're not bumpy or rough either . When I dry off the safetykleen what should I use to preserve it? I have Rustoleum bare metal preserver for my tools, but that's kind of oily and messy.
Anybody know how olds this is? someone said ruger websight had SN tracker, but I couldn't find it. Someone else said it was an early model. Is that good? I woul think I would want a later model after it's been refined by the company. S/N is 140-220XX. (are guns like watches, you never list the whole serial?)