Ruger Old Army, too.

S

slimshot

New member
I'd really like to get one of these and try some C&B shooting. I'd also like to get a R&D conversion cylinder for it and be able to shoot .45 Colt cartridges, too. What are the dimensional realities of this? The latest ROA's are listed as .45 caliber, but the older one's I've seen for sale are listed as .44. Are the barrel bores different? Will the R&D cylinder work in either one? What's different when shooting it as a C&B as Ruger intended? When and how did Ruger change the ROA? :confused:

I know that somebody out there has all the answers....
 
Don't have all the answers, just some of them. Conversion cylinders only good in steel fram revos, not brass. I assume the Ruger is steel, so a-ok. Loads in converteds are light cowboy action loads or black powder, if you load your own. BP makes lots of smoke for that "Wyatt Earp" look. .44 and .45 are not the same or interchangeable. Use one or the other. And have fun!:p
 
Old Army is investment casted steel. They're over-engineered for idjits like myself who overload the cylinder with powder. Tough guns, they'll last a lifetime plus. As made, they are .45 caliber and take a .457 round ball.
 
if you look in alot of gun magazines, they have 1860 armys that are alleged ".44" but really a .454 diam, and so they make .45 colt cylinders, atleast i think thats 1860 armys...
 
always pretty much been that way. A guy I know has an original .44 Remington New Model army and the cylinder throats measure .452. Still, the old paper cartridge boxes were marked 44/100 Inch.
 
Thanks

Yeah, pretty confusing for a new guy, but I see now how it goes. Ruger finally started calling it .45 caliber in the 1990's. Up until that point they used the old way of designating C&B revolvers by the bore land size of .443" instead of the groove diameter of .451". Historically correct for selling their "replica", but confusing in this day and age. Thanks for the replies....Slim.
 
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I load my Ruger 45 with 30 grains of powder, capped off with a greased felt circle and then topped off with a .457 round ball.
I have also loaded it with 40 grains of powder and have toyed with using it for very close range deer hunting.
One of these days I will get a .45 comversion kit since i find the idea most interesting.
 
Some observations on the ROA:

The bore is .456 on mine. With an R&D cylinder it'll shoot standard Winnie Whitebox 45LC just fine. Admonishments to use only "cowboy action" loads are more relevant to the open top and replica revolvers. The ROA is much stronger, and the folks at R&D rate all its cylinders at the standard SAAMI proof pressures for 45LC, about 21,000 psi. Any ammo that stays 14,000 psi or less is safe to use. 40 gr FFFG in a 45LC case behind a 250 grain lead bullet will really open yer eyes! And it should be safe as home in the ROA.

I wouldn't try "Ruger" 45LC loads in the ROA/R&D, but normal factory level reloads are really quite stiff and effective.
 
Can standard velocity smokless powder .45 shells be used in the ROA conversion cylinder?
Click to expand...

Hi,

I have a SS OA with a R&D conversion cylinder: I shoot those regularly:

EXPRESS PISTOL & REVOLVER CENTERFIRE CARTRIDGES
45 Long Colt LDRN • Grain - 250
Mfr. # R45C · 91600


I will soon try:

EXPRESS PISTOL & REVOLVER CENTERFIRE CARTRIDGES
45 Long Colt LDSWC • Grain - 225
Mfr. # R45C1 · 91605


Hope that will help

Etienne Brûlé................................the first "coureur des bois"
 
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