Ruger Old Army Percussion Caps????????

[J.Solo]

My instruction manual says to use No. 10 (U.S.) or equivalent percussion caps.  As far as tightness and consistant ignition, is there any brand that works better than others? I also notice that CCI, No. 11 Magnum percussion caps for my Rem. 700 Inline ML rifle seem to fit the nipples in the pistol cylinder.  Could these also work in place of No. 10 caps in the pistol? Thanks - J.Solo

[Gatofeo]

Go with No. 10 caps.
I use both Remington and CCI No. 10 caps in my Colt 1851 Navy 2nd generation (circa 1981) and my Uberti Remington 1858.
I can't tell any difference between the CCI or Remington caps in ignition, but the Remingtons seem to fit better on the nipples of these two revolvers.
Nothing is gained by using Magnum No. 11 caps in a cap and ball revolver. I know, I've tried them myself.
Because cap and ball revolvers use so little powder, compared to a rifle, regular caps ignite the powder just fine. Magnum caps are a waste of money.
But see for yourself.
Fire the regular caps without loading the cylinder, and listen to their report.
Then fire the Magnum caps. You will notice a different report but it isn't any louder, as you think a Magnum might be.
The Magnum caps sound different --- perhaps they differ in the number of microseconds in which they burn --- but they don't offer any advantage.
But you'll usually pay more for them, to pay for that "Magnum" name.
If you use the larger No. 11 caps, the lives one will fall off easier during handling and recoil, by virtue of their being slightly larger.
Use No. 10 and pinch the cap into a slightly elliptical shape. This will help it cling to the nipple and prevent its falling off.
Also, loose caps on a cap and ball revolver can cause multiple discharges. The recoil of the revolver tosses off a cap on a live chamber. Then, the flame from the cap that your hammer hit flashes over to the uncovered nipple, causing a second chamber to discharge.
I've been shooting cap and ball revolver since about 1970.
I once believed, as the manuals preach, that not putting lubricant over the ball leads to multiple discharges.
Now, I no longer believe it. I just don't see how the flame can get past a properly sized ball, tight in the chamber.
Instead, I believe that multiple discharges are caused by the flame of one cap crossing over to other caps loosened or ejected by recoil. To me, this makes much more sense.
Anway, use No. 10 caps as the manufacturer recommends. Buy a tin each of Remington, CCI and RWS (if you can find them; I rarely see RWS caps anymore).
Try them on your Ruger. Either cap has plenty of power to ignite any black powder or Pyrodex charge you put in that revolver.
If you don't believe it, load the cylinder with caps (no powder or ball) and fire it in the dark sometime.
It's an education in just how much flame those little devils produce!

[J.Solo]

Gatofeo:
Thanks for the great information. I see you recommend Pyrodex. I was going to try H-777, tripple F powder for my first time out with the pistol. What are your thoughts of H-777 vs. Pyrodex? Thanks again - J.Solo

[Flint]

I use Remington #10 on the Ruger Old Army and they fit the best.  The sizes, as I see them, from smallest to largest are CCI #10, Rem #10, CCI #11, Rem #11.  CCI #11 are just a hair loose, Remingtons are definitely, and CCI #10's seem to be too tight.  Magnum caps were invented to light Pyrodex, which I have found does not burn as well in a muzzle loader, but is fine in a cartridge. (where it doesn't need magnum primers).  The new Remington caps (since they changed the packaging graphics) are a bit hotter than they were and are definitely more reliable.

I loaded my Ruger Old Armies with 30 gr. of 777 with a Wonder Wad over the powder,  it will hold 40, but not with a Wonder Wad.  They recoil about like a 44 Special, and hit the steel target like a cartridge gun as well.  Smokes a lot, dirty NOT.  After a full 6 stages of Cowboy match, the gun looked like it had been shooting W231, with a whitish coating.  The bore cleans instantly with MP7, and doesn't foul at all .  There is far more residue from the caps than the powder.

The 777 is hot enough I hesitate to use it in my Remingtons at full charge.  I am going to test it in 45Colt.  At the current price of 777, I won't use it that much, or at least not shoot C&B that much in matches.

[Gatofeo]

I don't recommend Pyrodex. I much prefer FFFG black powder for best accuracy.
I haven't tried 777 and at it's price I'm not likely to, either. It's about $20 a can in the Salt Lake City area.
Besides, I have 15 pounds of black powder, in one-pound cans. Don't need to buy powder for a while.
I calculate that 15 pounds of powder is good for 2,625 loads of 40 grs., which is the most I ever use.
I have Pyrodex but don't use it much. I'm trying to use it up. It's not as accurate as black powder in my experience.

[howdy doody]

I use Remington #10s on my old armies, I never have to hit them twice and they stay on well too. I shoot a reduced load of 30gr  3f with veg. fibre .030 wad and use CleanShot almost exclusively these days. Cowboy range accuracy is right on, plenty of smoke and clean up is a breeze. These are the new stainless 5 1/2 inch models. I use RWS 10.75 caps on my older 7 1/2 ones.

[Ken55]

(6/4/03)  J SOLO:  Don't use the #11 caps on your OLD ARMY, as they will fall off (after firing) and jam the gun up.  I learned this the hard way, I hadn't read the manual about using #10 and used to get really MADD    when it kept locking up, when much cheaper guns had worked fine. Read owners manual-Problem solved.  Good shooting....Ken

[howdy doody]

The #11 CCIs do have a purpose for me. I squeeze them a bit and use them to clear cylinders before loading for the day. CCIs are hotter.
You can't beat the #10 remingtons for fit and reliability for me anyway. #10 CCIs take a couple hits sometimes. One to seat it further and one to fire it. That is probably an awful lot of time on a clock.
I tried 30gr of 777 and it about spun me around. That is some hot stuff. I would have to download to use it. As it is I use a 30gr laod of CleanShot and no wads or fillers. To ram I had to make a small modification. If I get static about it, then I will have to use a fibre wad over the 30gr.

[Flint]

Off subject...Howdy, we met on this site, probably, to answer your question from the  other site.

Incidently, Piru's schedule is listed at holeinthewall.org.

[howdy doody]

Thanks Flint I have the site bookmarked.

I checked the results to see who was there in June and I see no one shooting BP or frontiersman. That is about how it is up here my way. I try and I try to get folks interested, but no one seems to take the class seriously, at least enough to go to the time and expense that it takes. I was hoping for CC to be different than what it turned out as. We tried it around here at one club right after last years Mulecamp and we shot it with one sixgun, a reload and BP only. That was classic. Now that it is an official class there are folks into it, but I kinda like the way we tried it best.
No matter, I am shooting frontiersman all this year. I have so far anyway.
I could shoot senior duelist with C&B, but I would rather have a fat class of 6-8 shooters myself. Whatta ya gonna do? I just like having a little fun and shootin' so that is my game and the extra it takes to shoot BP is not that big a thing for me. It is part of my fun. I'll let you know when I can shoot with you all. It'll be towards the end of year after 5 Dogs. Thanks for the invite pard. :-)

[Flint]

We have some shooters who shoot frontier cartridge or bp, and not always signed in for the class.  Depends on the whim, I guess.  I shoot percussion a few times a year.  Right now I'm playing with the Kirst Konverter in Uberti 51 and 61 Navy, using 38 Special with hollowbase wadcutters with Titegroup, Bullseye and 231 as smokeless.  Loaded a batch in Pyrodex, and froze the revolver in 2 shots!!  I need to relube the Remington bullets with SPG, if they'll hold enough.  The Hornady don't have grease grooves at all.  I might try cleanshot and 777 to see if the lube problem goes away.  I do like the look and feel of the open-top revolvers.  Will load some 44 Special with black and Bear Creek bullets lubed with SPG and try it in the Cimarron 1872 Open-top.  I has a cylinder extension/gas ring and oughta handle the fouling better.