Ruger Old Army pitting

richfr · October 21, 2011, 12:45 PM

I have a Ruger Old Army that has a fair amount of pitting on the frame and barrel (outside only) it was like this when I got it. I got them as a pair as the other one was perfect.
I thought it was made of stainless steel due to the colour and shine but have been informed it may just be a steel one that has been polished as stainless doesn’t corrode in this way.
The serial number is 145-267** which as far as I can tell means it’s a stainless one

Can anybody confirm stainless can have damage like this?

Hardcase · October 21, 2011, 01:47 PM

Absolutely. Pitting is the way that stainless steel "rusts". My materials science buddy in the next office says that it happens when the passivation is compromised in a small area, causing it to become an anode, while the rest of the metal is a cathode. Then you get galvanic corrosion right around that spot, causing a pit.

He went on and on about ionic migration, half-reactions and electromigration, but I stopped him pretty quick.

He also mentioned that that's why steel that's been blued or parkerized tends to get pits. The bluing or parkerization is a passivation layer and when it gets compromised, that particular spot corrodes just like your revolver did.

madcratebuilder · October 22, 2011, 09:01 AM

Stainless corrodes when abused, and black powder well just accelerate it. The benefit of stainless is this damage can often be cleaned up. Depending on how deep the pitting is you may be able to sand and polish this revolver to a near new looking condition.

My stainless ROA came cheap because of it's surface imperfections. Careful sanding of the pitted areas and then buffed on a 10" buffing wheel made a big difference in appearance.

arcticap · October 22, 2011, 09:33 AM

The stainless that the Ruger Old Army is made of doesn't seem to be very rust resistant.
Perhaps Ruger uses it more for its strength.

richfr · October 23, 2011, 06:19 AM

Thanks for the info

I think the pitting is a little deep in places to get out which is a shame.

robhof · October 23, 2011, 08:27 PM

I've got some pitting in the barrel a SS ROA that I recently picked up. The outside was fairly good, but it appears that a previous owner had a squib and waited a time before removing it. There's a ring of pitting about 1" in from the end of the bore, the good news is that it still shoots as well as my NIB original that I got years ago.

richfr · November 10, 2011, 02:15 PM

Well thanks madcratebuilder I decided to give it a go and ordered a bench grinder polishing kit. It is going to take some time to get it how I want it but I got most of the pitting out with a little sanding. Just need to wet and dry it then get to work polising

Here are some before pics

There are marks in difficult to get at places and a little on the warning on the top but I think I can get it back to a fair standard with more elbow grease.
I will put some pics up when I am done.
I think I will get a new front sight and a SS bolt kit for it too.
Anybody know of a good retailer that stocks these parts that might ship to France?

Thanks

Jim Watson · November 10, 2011, 02:26 PM

Was this revolver possibly shot with a substitute powder instead of real black powder? Some of those products contain chlorates and are more corrosive than black powder.

richfr · November 10, 2011, 02:36 PM

I have no idea what happened to it but the cylinder and barrel inside are good so it’s not that it was left dirty.
I got a pair of them from a guy that was giving up shooting he said he bought them like that.
The other one is almost perfect and will be 100% after a quick buff up. I plan on keeping the better one and selling this on to fund some casting equipment.

DeeDubya · November 10, 2011, 04:09 PM

My guess is it was left for some time in a leather holster. They might have cleaned it and then put it back in the holster.

I have a Ruger Old Army that I bought new when they were first available. It still looks new. When I'm finished shooting (usually Pyrodex) I remove the grips and drop the whole gun in a pan of warm soapy water and let is soak for at least an hour, scrub it clean, blow it off with an air hose, set the oven on 150 and bake it for 20 minutes or so. You wouldn't want to set the oven temp any higher as that could weaken some parts but it will drive any moisture out of the action. Lube it while it's still warm.

richfr · November 11, 2011, 02:22 PM

Here are some pics after some hard work sanding and polishing. Am very happy with the results

it’s not perfect but a huge improvement and you now have to look very close to see any marks.

mykeal · November 11, 2011, 07:51 PM

Well done. Thank you for your concern for your gun.

October 21, 2011, 12:45 PM	#1
richfr Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Location: France Posts: 79	Ruger Old Army pitting I have a Ruger Old Army that has a fair amount of pitting on the frame and barrel (outside only) it was like this when I got it. I got them as a pair as the other one was perfect. I thought it was made of stainless steel due to the colour and shine but have been informed it may just be a steel one that has been polished as stainless doesn’t corrode in this way. The serial number is 145-267** which as far as I can tell means it’s a stainless one Can anybody confirm stainless can have damage like this?

October 21, 2011, 01:47 PM	#2
Hardcase Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Location: Sunny Southern Idaho Posts: 1,909	Absolutely. Pitting is the way that stainless steel "rusts". My materials science buddy in the next office says that it happens when the passivation is compromised in a small area, causing it to become an anode, while the rest of the metal is a cathode. Then you get galvanic corrosion right around that spot, causing a pit. He went on and on about ionic migration, half-reactions and electromigration, but I stopped him pretty quick. He also mentioned that that's why steel that's been blued or parkerized tends to get pits. The bluing or parkerization is a passivation layer and when it gets compromised, that particular spot corrodes just like your revolver did. __________________ Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop - Gus McCrae

October 23, 2011, 08:27 PM	#6
robhof Senior Member Join Date: September 16, 2007 Posts: 712	robhof I've got some pitting in the barrel a SS ROA that I recently picked up. The outside was fairly good, but it appears that a previous owner had a squib and waited a time before removing it. There's a ring of pitting about 1" in from the end of the bore, the good news is that it still shoots as well as my NIB original that I got years ago.

November 10, 2011, 04:09 PM	#10
DeeDubya Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2011 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 114	My guess is it was left for some time in a leather holster. They might have cleaned it and then put it back in the holster. I have a Ruger Old Army that I bought new when they were first available. It still looks new. When I'm finished shooting (usually Pyrodex) I remove the grips and drop the whole gun in a pan of warm soapy water and let is soak for at least an hour, scrub it clean, blow it off with an air hose, set the oven on 150 and bake it for 20 minutes or so. You wouldn't want to set the oven temp any higher as that could weaken some parts but it will drive any moisture out of the action. Lube it while it's still warm. __________________ DW NRA Life Member

October 22, 2011, 09:01 AM	#3
madcratebuilder Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2007 Location: Northern Orygun Posts: 4,923	Stainless corrodes when abused, and black powder well just accelerate it. The benefit of stainless is this damage can often be cleaned up. Depending on how deep the pitting is you may be able to sand and polish this revolver to a near new looking condition. My stainless ROA came cheap because of it's surface imperfections. Careful sanding of the pitted areas and then buffed on a 10" buffing wheel made a big difference in appearance.

October 22, 2011, 09:33 AM	#4
arcticap Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2005 Location: Central Connecticut Posts: 3,166	The stainless that the Ruger Old Army is made of doesn't seem to be very rust resistant. Perhaps Ruger uses it more for its strength.

October 23, 2011, 06:19 AM	#5
richfr Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Location: France Posts: 79	Thanks for the info I think the pitting is a little deep in places to get out which is a shame.

November 10, 2011, 02:15 PM	#7
richfr Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Location: France Posts: 79	Well thanks madcratebuilder I decided to give it a go and ordered a bench grinder polishing kit. It is going to take some time to get it how I want it but I got most of the pitting out with a little sanding. Just need to wet and dry it then get to work polising Here are some before pics There are marks in difficult to get at places and a little on the warning on the top but I think I can get it back to a fair standard with more elbow grease. I will put some pics up when I am done. I think I will get a new front sight and a SS bolt kit for it too. Anybody know of a good retailer that stocks these parts that might ship to France? Thanks

November 10, 2011, 02:26 PM	#8
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,541	Was this revolver possibly shot with a substitute powder instead of real black powder? Some of those products contain chlorates and are more corrosive than black powder.

November 10, 2011, 02:36 PM	#9
richfr Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Location: France Posts: 79	I have no idea what happened to it but the cylinder and barrel inside are good so it’s not that it was left dirty. I got a pair of them from a guy that was giving up shooting he said he bought them like that. The other one is almost perfect and will be 100% after a quick buff up. I plan on keeping the better one and selling this on to fund some casting equipment.

November 11, 2011, 02:22 PM	#11
richfr Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Location: France Posts: 79	Here are some pics after some hard work sanding and polishing. Am very happy with the results it’s not perfect but a huge improvement and you now have to look very close to see any marks.

November 11, 2011, 07:51 PM	#12
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	Well done. Thank you for your concern for your gun.