Black powder old army. What's the appeal?

[daveg.inkc]

Black Powder Blackhawk. Keep it rust free and it will last generations. Anti-seize is your friend.

 

[kevin masten]

And be certain that you seat the ball firmly against the powder charge in each chamber. Black powder is an explosive, not a propellant, although that is what the charge does..,propel the ball towards its target. To not dear the ball firmly can cause problems.

 

[kevin masten]

And remember...the ball must be firmly seated against the powder charge. Black powder is an explosive, not a controlled propellant even though it does propel the ball towards its target. Not seating the ball firmly can result in interesting events.

Regards

 

[Bluefin178]

An old army does not have as much appeal to me as a real gun does.

Boy, a lot of guys got killed in the Civil War with those "Not Real Guns"!

 

[dobegrant.45]

They are great guns to shoot, a lot of fun.

 

[Hvymax]

I would definitely go stainless. They're like an 1858 on steroids.

 

[GunnyGene]

Even tho this is an old thread it deserves a little Johnny Cash.

 

[Thumbcocker]

100 yards. .457 round ball. Wonder what a "real" gun would do.

 

[Bluefin178]

The smell of the black powder smoke is like Napalm in the morning!

 

[G2]

When I pull out the Ruger Old Armies, it’s all I bring to the shoot for the day.

It’s a slow methodical process, time slows down, the smell of Black Powder is always noted & appreciated.

Whom ever is along for the shooting, starts out with lots of questions, but by the end of the day the experience, education, time spent is VERY appreciated,

The most “self invite” day is ROA day. It is the most requested, shared and talked about shooting day with Family & Friends.

 

[harley08]

It is a real gun. What a silly comment.

So I guess back in the 1800's they had no 'real guns' (revolvers)?

 

[G2]

I aquired a frame & barrel, bought it for the barrel thinking it would come with a chopped frame (Crime Room Disposal) it showed up not chopped and in ~90%+ condition and a first year (1972) SN#140-0202X at that.

The hunt has been on to put it back together.…
Got a good deal on a Ruger Brass Frame that was wonky, after some careful massaging, fit & re-finished some grips and installed some OM Black Bird BRASS Medallions, cast by myself. Have acquired Cylinder, BP, Loading Lever, Rear Sight, Wide Smooth Trigger, getting close to complete.
It won’t be original but will continue to be enjoyed.

 

[daveag.]

He may not be aware that is 40gr by volume, not by weight. That's something that can get new BP shooters in a lot of trouble.

Simply fill chamber with BP. 49-45 grains. Add a wonder wad and seat ball.

 

[Ride1949]

Nice gun G2.

 

[moparclan]

Great and fun to shoot revolver and lots of smoke, several varieties out there if you can find them. Easy to clean, I take the grips off and put the whole revolver in a sink of hot soapy water then blow dry with air. Never had one rust. Finally found some German made FFFg black powder, only problem I had to order 5#'s to get it!
And like mentioned before you can buy a .45 Colt cylinder for them.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

The best of both worlds IMHO. The Short Cowboy case allows to load a smaller charge of BP and smokeless, 45 Colt case allows full charge of BP and a Colt charge of smokeless. You do not give up the cap and ball shooting.
These C&B are not real guns per the ATF. They are referred to Curio Weapons The best ATF could do for us. Yea I know what they are when the center fire cylinder is installed
Both these OA are nickel plated with quite a few mods.

I highly recommend one of these if you plan on shooting a lot. No way would I shoot mine in SASS without one.
It just makes life a lot simpler.

 

[crstrode]

And be certain that you seat the ball firmly against the powder charge in each chamber. Black powder is an explosive, not a propellant, although that is what the charge does..,propel the ball towards its target. To not dear the ball firmly can cause problems.

Not true. This is one of the longest lasting bits of mythical BS that just won't die.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Not true. This is one of the longest lasting bits of mythical BS that just won't die.

Please explain rather than just making a statement.

 

[diyj98]

I had one, but the novelty wore off and I sold it. You could always pick up a cheaper used Italian blackpower version and see it the bug hits you before investing in a much higher priced new Ruger.

 

[RugerForMe]

They are a BLAST to shoot. Ive seen them loaded to over 1000 fps with a round ball. I would carry my Dads all over the farm when I was a teenager.