Ruger Old Army advice request from a new ROA owner.

B

BML

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I have just purchased a ROA and have been surfing the Web looking for information and advice on the correct loading for target shooting at 25 yards.
In England we have extremely restrictive laws on firearms to the extent that an individual is not allowed to hold a pistol or revolver that uses cartridges. As a result those few people who were not put off by the introduction of that law moved into Black Powder shooting.
The information that I have extracted from the Web and the ROA handbook is contradictory but the one thing that appears to run through it all is that one should load the gun so that the ball is about one eighth from the top of the cylinder.
Loads have been suggested that go from 18 grains to fill the cylinder as far as you can so that a ball will sit on top of the Black Powder. The same contradictions appear to show regarding whether to use filler, a wad or nothing so I would like to ask the following questions:
Should one only use Black Powder (Gun Powder) or is it all right to use 777 or another propellant?
Should one use a filler and if so, what filler and how much?
Should one use a wad and if so what make of wad and would one use it with filler?
Does anyone know of a dedicated ROA forum?
 
Well you can use Black Powder, 777 or any of replica black powders. 20 grains of 777 in my ROA is a good load. I would always using a 460 felt wad over the powder so you do not get a chain fire. Personally I use a lubed felt wad from old hats soaked in bees wax and tallow about a 50/50 blend. As to a ROA site try Ruger collectors.

Mace
 
Should one only use Black Powder (Gun Powder) or is it all right to use 777 or another propellant?
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Substitute, or 'synthetic' black powders, including 777, are ok for use in an Old Army.
Should one use a filler and if so, what filler and how much?
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Maybe. The use of filler is to move the ball up in the chamber, closer to the chamber mouth. Many people believe that the closer the ball is to the chamber mouth, the more accurate the gun is. I can only say that, if true, the effect is small enough that it is not noticeable to me in offhand shooting at 25 yards. Try it both ways and see if it matters to you.
Should one use a wad and if so what make of wad and would one use it with filler?
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I use dry lubed felt wads mainly to keep fouling soft; the wad's purpose is to carry and distribute lubrication to help in that regard. Some folks believe wads help prevent chain fires; I personally think that a proper fitting ball is the best insurance against a chain fire and that the wad is secondary in that role. As for brand, Wonder Wads are expensive but do the job quite well. Making your own from Duro-Felt and any homemade lube recipe is less expensive and works as well. See above for my thoughts on filler; they apply regardless of the use of a wad.
Does anyone know of a dedicated ROA forum?
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There is a Ruger forum (www.rugerforum.org) but I've not come across one dedicated to the Old Army. The sister forum to this one (www.thehighroad.org) has a thread dedicated to the Old Army on it's black powder forum.
 
If you don't have one, Ruger will send you an owners manual free. Just write them.
Your question has been answered well by others.
My response is to use whatever load works best for you. With black powder, in that firearm, you cannot unsafely overload. Stick with pure soft lead for the projectiles.
If you do not use wads, do use an over-ball grease.
You have a very fine firearm there. Ruger has discontinued manufacture so you also have a very desirable item as well.
 
Surprised no one said it yet but...

....Welcome to the forum.

I think there is really no need to look for a ROA-only forum.

You will have no trouble finding the info you need right here, and noone gets offended if you ask a lot of questions.

I like maxim's recommendation to make your own wads. You need:

a) a punch of the proper size which is relatively easy to get at a good price.
b) a good source of felt which really should be 100% wool. Old hats (as maxim said) are an excellent idea. I get mine from thrift shops for about three bucks each. Since I started shooting wads (relatively recently) I have had to buy exactly two of them, because one hat goes a long way. (I still have most of the first hat, all of the second had and about two hundred wads I have not shot yet.
c) You own recipe for bore lube. Everyone has their own.

I have been shooting for many years, thousands of rounds, dozens of different revolvers including ROAs and never used wads until about 50 rounds ago. I have only ever had one chain fire and I am relatively certain it did not come from the front of the chamber. Good fitting bullets and lube over the bullets are the best practice, in my opinion.

Here are some questions from a colonist:

1. In the US, a thriftshop is a store that sells second hand stuff. What is that called in the UK?

2. In the US, Crisco is a vegetable oil based product which is used in place of cooking oil. It is a white pasty solid consistency. What is that called in the UK?

Tnx,

Doc
 
mykeal answered your questions perfectly. There are several techniques to load a cap and ball revolver, there is not one better than the other when you look at the end results.

The 18gr load would be a very light load. My ROA's seem to like loads in the 25-35gr area. I achieve best accuracy when using a loading tool so I can precisely control ball seating depth chamber to chamber. Real black powder likes a fairly good amount of compression and T7 likes to be lightly compressed in my experience.

Loading tool for controlling seating depth.

PICT0011Small-1.jpg
 
Many thanks for all the information. I was interested in the loading device and will look for one.

In the US, a thriftshop is a store that sells second hand stuff. What is that called in the UK?
We call them Charity shops and organisations such as Cancer Research, Heart Research make up the bulk of them. When a town starts to get a proliferation of them its a sign that its going downhill.

In the US, Crisco is a vegetable oil based product which is used in place of cooking oil. It is a white pasty solid consistency. What is that called in the UK?
The wife uses a stuff called Flora Light although I havent noticed that it makes her cooking any lighter.


Doc
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Doc
 
The exact loading may depend on whether someone is involved in competition or just a casual shooter. But I haven't read about other folks concerned about the ball being loaded 1/8" of inch away from the top of chamber.
The performance of the load for the intended purpose is more important than ideology and that includes the use of wads, grease, filler and type of powder.
As they say, the proof is in the pudding.

The individual in this video loads rapidly and only used some petroleum jelly on top of his balls. And the resulting performance is satisfactory enough for his needs.

Testing the Lodestar System at Surlingham near Norwich

http://www.youtube.com/user/lodestar60

Shooting Results at 25 Yards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt202ZHzh4s

As far as how folks should load, to each their own. They will never be able to compare different loading methods without experimenting on their own.
How can folks even be expected to evaluate loading methods and their gun's performance without using a machine rest to eliminate all of the human factors involved with aiming and firing anyway? :)
 
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Black Powder loads versus Triple 7

Hello!
I use my Ruger OA for contest shooting:
20 Grains BP, enough seminola or corn flour (better "Polenta"= corn flour which is a very fine, dusty powder, the Italians use it for cooking) as a filler to press the .457 ball just 1mm below the top.
This load is good enough for being competitive on 25 metres.
If you are allowed to use Triple 7 (we aren't allowed here in contests), use 18.5 grains of it and fill it again up with "Polenta".
For lubricating I use a soft kind of cooking or baking fat, called "Palmin", like we use it for cake, not really the same like margarine, which is a bit too soft. During hot summer temperatures better mix the fat with some bee wax so it doesn't run off right away.:)
 
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