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Old December 18, 2012, 03:39 AM   #26
arcticap
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Maybe the loading lever or other details resemble the R&S, but the shape and feel of the ROA's grip is totally different.
And the Blackhawk frame was already designed and doesn't seem to resemble the R&S frame either.
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Old December 18, 2012, 03:22 PM   #27
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If you gave me a pair I would take them. Would I buy a pair? No.
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Old December 20, 2012, 06:16 PM   #28
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The ROA is fairly tough, good looking and shoots well. It is not my favorite shooter. The '58 is more fun. But, the ROA is special to me. There are no new ones being made. Modern design meets old time function. Made here in the states by American workers. And hey, I like blued guns, but stainless sure is rugged and easy to care for, a bit more forgiving than blued steel. My ROA is the only SS gun I own. Certainly won't be the last.
And yes the loading lever is not the best.
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Old December 20, 2012, 09:16 PM   #29
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Just bought one and waiting for it to arrive. Hope the storm does not delay it too much. What is a good load for plinking/target shooting? I am not trying to test it's limits.
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Old December 20, 2012, 09:20 PM   #30
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When I shoot them in CAS, to conserve powder I use just enough to give a full stroke of the ram when seating the ball. Right off, I don't remember how much that is though, lol.
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Old December 22, 2012, 01:17 AM   #31
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jlb43

Quote:
What is a good load for plinking/target shooting? I am not trying to test it's limits.
You asked so here it is. Ruger ROA's are NOT like any other BP pistol. A completely different animal. They were designed for hunting and will shoot 50gr. of BP. They will BARK!

The cylinder is tapered. (Bigger at the end, smaller the further you ram the ball in). Ruger did this to ease the user in case a round won't fire. In that event, pull the nipple, dig the powder out with a toothpick and push the ball out with a dowel. (I use a golf Tee cut square across the pointed end). I also use the other end to seat the Wonder Wads and also to seat the caps after using a capper (DON'T use your thumbnail)! Works perfect.

They like .457 round balls. They do also like Lee designed conical's, however I've NEVER seen a competition won using the Lee's. (In many cases, they are not allowed). For hunting, they're excellent!

28 to 30 gr. of BP is sufficient up to 50yds. However for maximum accuracy, don't just put the powder in and ram the ball home. You are very likely to get "ball creep". Meaning, by the time you take a few shots, the balls in the UN-spent chambers will work their way out towards the barrel (from recoil) and you may not be able to advance the cylinder.

It is imperative to load with the 28gr. (whatever) amount of powder, wonder wad on top of that, then load the rest of the cylinder full of cornmeal. When you ram the balls in, this concoction will compress. Seat the ball just far enough so the cylinder will spin free and none of the balls hit the barrel on their way around.

I use real BP for numerous reasons. Goex is fine, Swiss is even better (3f), but their is compaction differences between the two. Swiss doesn't compact as much as Goex. With real BP, compaction is everything. If you use some other powder, ALWAYS follow the manufacturer's recommendations. For instance, T7 recommends little to no compaction at all. I've also been experimenting with 2f in this pistol. Honestly, there's a bit less peak pressure and seemingly a touch more consistency in throwing the ball to the target. Too early to say for sure, a bit more testing is required.

I did not come up with this formula. It is common knowledge among serious ROA shooters.

Give this a try, let me know how you do and good luck!

Birch
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Old December 22, 2012, 01:26 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jbar4Ranch
What is a good load for plinking/target shooting?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mykeal

Caps: CCI #11
Balls: 0.457"
Load: 30 gr fffg real black under a dry lubed felt wad

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost....&postcount=374
The Ruger Old Army Club thread on THR reveals a lot about how much folks like their ROA's and why.

The RUGER OLD ARMY Club

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...highlight=load

Last edited by arcticap; December 22, 2012 at 01:33 AM.
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Old December 22, 2012, 01:30 AM   #33
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Forgot to mention...

If/when you get "ball creep" in any gun, it creates post-compaction airspace between the powder and ball. This must be avoided at all cost! It can be downright dangerous!

B
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Old December 22, 2012, 06:22 AM   #34
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I have never had "ball creep", at least not in my ROA. I load 40-45 grs FFFG with Bore Butter or Crisco over the top of the ball. Once or twice, in my Walker, the ball was sucked back out when the rammer was removed - this was due to too much lube and too deep of a bevel in the tip of the rammer.
The bevel at the chamber mouths is called chamfer. Sam Colt devised it as a way to deflect the gasses from the firing chamber away from the adjacent ones.
You cannot test, or push, the limits of a ROA with black powder.
Like I said before, in my opinion (and several others that I've read) the ROA's design is very similiar to the Rogers & Spencer in it's feel, hammer cock, etc.
Great gun. Great shooter. Best built BP revolver ever made. But due to it's several small springs and parts, I don't think it would have been very popular back in the day.
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Old December 22, 2012, 12:18 PM   #35
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ROA load as per an expert on the matter

I am reading a book by Dennis Adler titled: " Black Powder Revolvers - Reproductions and Replicas " that he wrote in 2008.
On page 141 he has published recommended loads for a half a dozen specific gun variations, and he presents the ROA and A Walker .44 Colt as contemporary of each other. His "conservative" load for both handguns with an intention to reduce wear and tear & provide the most consistant accuracy is:
40 gr. of Goex FFFg -and- using the same spout for measuring the Goex by weight will allow the proper measure of Pyrodex by volume of 40 gr. , either propellent to be followed by a lubricated wad and a .455" or larger round ball.
His maximum for these guns is listed as 60 gr. Goex FFFg and 40 gr. of Pyrodex.

The aforementioned is just reported as written in the book as described.
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Old December 22, 2012, 02:00 PM   #36
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That's just plain nuts.

60 grains in an ROA? With a wad an .457 ball?

I don't think so.
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Old December 22, 2012, 02:30 PM   #37
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I'd say a .44 Dragoon is much closer to a ROA than a Walker as far as powder capacity, weight, etc.
Yeah, 60 grs in a ROA is not possible.
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Old December 22, 2012, 03:34 PM   #38
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I believe that Ruger intended to create the rings inside the ROA's chambers for the purpose of preventing ball creep. AFAIK the chambers of other C&B revolvers don't have such pronounced rings left on their walls.


Last edited by arcticap; December 22, 2012 at 03:39 PM.
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Old December 22, 2012, 04:31 PM   #39
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Quote:
His "conservative" load for both handguns with an intention to reduce wear and tear & provide the most consistant accuracy is:
40 gr. of Goex FFFg -and- using the same spout for measuring the Goex by weight will allow the proper measure of Pyrodex by volume of 40 gr. , either propellent to be followed by a lubricated wad and a .455" or larger round ball.
His maximum for these guns is listed as 60 gr. Goex FFFg and 40 gr. of Pyrodex.
So 40 grains of Pyrodex is both the conservative load and the maximum load???
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Old December 22, 2012, 06:58 PM   #40
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My 1851 Pietta has rings inside the cylinders. Several of my Piettas do, in fact.
But I never knew why. I just thought it was machining marks.


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Old December 22, 2012, 09:25 PM   #41
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So why did production stop?

If there is still a market why did Ruger stop making them?
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Old December 23, 2012, 04:29 AM   #42
arcticap
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roshi
If there is still a market why did Ruger stop making them?
Even though Bill Ruger said he would never stop making them, after he died the decision was made.
They had been produced for such a long time that the world wide market may have become saturated enough to have reduced demand significantly. Especially due to their higher price verses the Italian guns.
And the cowboy shooters use the reproductions and not models with adjustable sights.
In the end, it was probably a business decision based on the fact that Ruger could make much more profit manufacturing newer models having the potential for rapid sales growth, and not a model like the Old Army that so many people already had sitting in their closet and which could be released for sale on the used gun market.
At the time of the decision, used ROA's probably only cost about 50% - 60% of the price of a new one. Whereas now many of the used ROA's cost nearly as much as a brand new one use to.

Last edited by arcticap; December 23, 2012 at 04:56 AM.
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