Questions on loading Ruger Old Army

[fnbrowning]

I a neophyte cap-n-ball shooter with a Ruger Old Army.

I’ve talked to some gentlemen at a gun show and the shop where I bought my Wonder Wads, and the general consensus was that a good accuracy load, using a pure lead .457” diameter ball, is 30 grains
of H777 FFFg.

Now Ruger suggests that sufficient filler (like corn meal) be used to seat the ball approximately 1/16” below the chamber mouth. When I loaded 30 grains using a BP measure, a Wonder Wad, and a Hornady ball, the ball seats approximately 1/8 below the chamber mouth. (.133 to be exact.)

Question 1: Is it crucial that the ball be near 1/16 like Ruger suggests? Should I use 2 wads instead or does the extra 1/16+ jump the ball makes in the chamber have any real significance?

Question 2: When loaded with the Wonder Wads, can the pistol stay loaded all day or over night, or will the wonder wad have a deleterious effect on the powder in contact with it?

Thank you for your help!

[Chris]

fnbrowning:

#1.  As long as you have tightly compressed the ball, wad and powder, to ensure there is no space between them, you're fine.  One wad is plenty.

#2.  No.  The wad lubricate won't saturate the powder.

...Chris  

[R.M.]

Personally I think 30gr 777 is a bit much to start with. 777 is hotter than black, some say as much as
30%. For just fun plinking, start with 15 grains and work your way up to what's working best for you.
You'll find with C&B you can throw all kinds of variables in and still get good accurate loads. Don't get
hung up on the ball being 1/16 below. My pet load for paper punching is 15 gr 777, about 15 gr cream
of wheat, a soft .457 ball and a little bore butter over the ball. This leaves a large gap below the cylinder
mouth, but it shoots like nobodies business.
Play around with various loads and have fun. The ROA is one hell of a gun.

R.M.

[fnbrowning]

Personally I think 30gr 777 is a bit much to start with. . . My pet load for paper punching is 15 gr 777, about 15 gr cream
of wheat, a soft .457 ball and a little bore butter over the ball. This leaves a large gap below the cylinder mouth, but it shoots like nobodies business.
R.M.

Thanks for the advice R.M.

Now this creates another question:

What do ya'll do about the reduced loads = filler / powder loading sequence? I mean, it seems like now you'd have to run through the powder loading sequence twice with two separate 15gr charges.

What is done to cut down on the time consuming extra step x 6 cylinders?

Thanks!

[fnbrowning]

The Ruger Old Army is as accurate and fun to shoot as everyone says!

I have a new concern though. I am using a Hornady lead .457” diameter ball, Wonder Wad, and a bit less than 30 grains of H777 FFFg with a Dynamit Nobel - German made. No. 1075 (#11) cap.

The caps are turning into shredded copper, and I believe that twice they were the cause of the cylinder jamming. I also had a couple of bits of cap it seems, fly back and hit me in the face. Yes, I wear shooting glasses!

It doesn’t seem right that the caps should get ripped up that bad.
Any comments?

[filmokentucky]

Try raising the barrel up as you cock between shots. This will allow cap debris to rotate out from between the frame and cylinder and will prevent
jamming.  You definitely should not be getting cap debris spit back into your face. I'm not sure what the cause would be as I've never had it happen.

[Flint]

30 gr of 777 os a VERY healthy load, my experience it feels like a 44 Special...  That kind of pressure will shred caps with the backpressure.  You might switch to Treso nipples for a smaller flash hole to reduce backpressure.  The load for 777 is probably more reasonable at about 20 grains.  As long as the rammer os long enough to put the ball onto the powder/wad column without airspace, it will be safe.  Hogdon says not to use fillers with 777.   30 gr of 777 in a 45 Colt cartridge felt like a light magnum.

[fnbrowning]

30 gr of 777 os a VERY healthy load, my experience it feels like a 44 Special... .  Hogdon says not to use fillers with 777.  

Thanks for the information Flint.

I do want to point out that I visited the Hogdon site earlier, and this was the data they have published:
http://www.hodgdon.com/data/tripleseven/capball-3f.php#top

45 Cal. Ruger Old Army
457 Hdy. RB Ox-Yoke w/Wad 30grains 845fps
AND
45 Cal. Ruger Old Army
457 Hdy. RB Ox-Yoke w/Wad 35grains  987fps

I will grant you that the load is fast. We chronographed an average of 888fps.

I'm still looking for a way to cut down on the time consuming extra step of  running the loading sequence twice x 6 cylinders for filler and then powder in a loading sequence for reduced charges.

I appreciate all the help!  :grin:

[Chris]

fnbrowning:

Try a #10 cap.  Remington #10 caps work the best on my ROA...they fit snugly, go off every time and rarely come apart.

I've been shooting my ROA over 15yrs. with 35g of 3f, a wonder wad and a .457 ball...capped with a Rem #10.  Pieces of cap will fly from time to time, even in a closed-frame ROA, but that's going to happen when you shoot any BP handgun.  Even the best.  

If you find another brand of cap that works for you...great.  What's important is that you use a tight-fitting cap, that won't fall off during recoil on a loaded cylinder.

...Chris

[Flint]

Yes, Hogdon recommends 30 grains, and 35 is the max (capacity wise as well), but it is a hot load, about 15% hotter than fffg GOEX.black powder.  It is safe in a Ruger, but note how they back off for the Remington.  After shooting 30 gr in the Ruger, I realized I would be hesitant to load the Uberti Remington with that same charge, and Hogdon apparently agrees.

35 grains of 777 would be a good hunting load for the Ruger, but not a comfortable plinking load.  But the Ruger can take it.  It is a flinch maker load.

[Fiveshooter]

I have been loading my Ruger Old Armies with 36 gr. (By Volume) of Triple 7 and this leaves just enough room for the round ball and a wonder wad. This load has proven accurate in all my Old Armies and is in no way form or fashion an overcharge. David Clements offers a service of boring the stock Old Army cylinder deeper to hold substancial more powder. He claims that you can gain about 100 FPS with a round ball over a stock cylinder and do it safely. You simply cant get enough Triple 7 in the Ruger Old Army to harm the gun. Of course if you like to shoot lighter loads with a filer thats your buisness but the gun WILL take a full charge of Triple 7 with no ill effects. BTW I expect the caps to fragment. It normally causes no ill effects.

Billy

[Good time Charlie]

You can leave the gun loaded if you have not fired it. If you have fired it you must clean it! the fowling will draw moisture out of the air and ruin your gun.
                         Old Charlie

[Savorino]

I am presently looking at ROA's so I'm glad I found this post as I was hoping to shoot H777 in it.

1) Do any of you recommend the stainless, or is the blue just fine with normal common sense cleaning after shooting?

2) Can the loaded cylinders be unloaded other than shooting them out?

3) All of you seam to use roundball, are conical available? or should I stay away from conical?

Thanks
Sav

[bubba15301]

i have used 40grains of 777 with no problems with a roundball

[Flint]

The cylinders can only be unloaded, unfired, by using a screw type ball extractor, and that is a real chore.  Easier to shoot them out, or just leave it loaded but uncapped.  Better that last option in a stainless if it had been previously fired.

A stainless is much easier to clean and relatively rust-free.  Clean it up in a Dishwasher...... (remove the wood and hose it out with Windex and Ballistol.)

Roundballs are more accurate and easier to use.