Black powder old army. What's the appeal?

[Wyandot Jim]

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.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH yes that is true. BUT if you want the sound of Bang every time you pull the trigger BUY a Ruger. Once you figure out how to do your part it will go bang every time. It is very frustrating when they go CLICK and you don't know why. I have probably shot a 1000 times with no misfires. I'm not the fastest but I beat faster shooters in SASS because they wanted to shoot Italian Colts.

 

[diyj98]

All Italian guns aren't created equal, some are excellent quality and probably just as reliable as the Ruger. But I'm not talking an expensive Italian gun, I'm talking about a used $125 or less just to try black powder revolvers out. But the agree about the Ruger. Mine was well made.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

All Italian guns aren't created equal, some are excellent quality and probably just as reliable as the Ruger. But I'm not talking an expensive Italian gun, I'm talking about a used $125 or less just to try black powder revolvers out. But the agree about the Ruger. Mine was well made.

I agree that would be OK. I have a couple of good Italian Colts made for Colt that are not shot in SASS. In competition the Colts will allow a spent cap to often fall between the cylinder and the frame which will cause a jam. Most all of the Italian guns have soft internal parts that will break and wear sooner or later. A good gun smith can temper the parts which helps.

 

[arcee]

I love going to the range and spending three or four hours just shooting the "holy black". Mine is extremely accurate and is very easy to shoot. I have a Colt Dragoon 3rd Model, but it is considered too valuable to shoot (but I have shot it to confirm form fit and function), A fully loaded dragoon is a fire breather but the original sights need so practice.

The Ruger Old Army lets me get my black powder fix with no pangs of conscience. It is made to be shot.

v/r r

 

[crstrode]

Please explain rather than just making a statement.

Myth: Firing black powder cartridges with an air space between the
over-powder wad and the bullet can result in a "ringed" chamber.
While buying and selling BPCRs for many years, I purchased three rifles
over the Internet in which, during initial inspection, the chambers were
found to be "ringed". Each had a circular or ring-shaped deformation
to the inside wall of the chamber, not a lead or fouling ring. In each
the ring was located where the base of the bullet was positioned in the
chambered cartridge, not in front of the case mouth. These were
clear cut examples of what can happen when using improperly loaded
smokeless ammo with an air space between the powder/wad and the
bullet base. Until recently I believed that, if not loaded properly,
chamber rings could result when using either smokeless or black
powder. But after additional research and checking my records, it's
clear that two of the rifles were fired extensively with reduced
smokeless loads, not black powder as I had originally assumed. I don't
know what type of filler material, if any, was used and I have no idea
the type of powder or loads used in the third rifle.

In the book, The Modern Schuetzen Rifle – Second Edition (Copyright
1999) by Charles E. Dell and Wayne Schwartz, Charles Dell devoted a
chapter to his chamber ringing experiments. Using smokeless powder,
he was successful in repeatedly ringing chambers with reduced powder
loads with gaps between the over-powder wad and bullet base. By
holding and firing the rifle vertically to create the gap, he was also
able to produce chamber rings with reduced smokeless powder loads
without using an over-powder wad. In a later chapter on black powder
cartridge shooting Charlie discusses his failed attempts to ring a
chamber with reduced black powder loads using the same experimental
techniques. He wrote, "To date I cannot find any tendency at all
indicating a ringing force strong enough to damage a barrel when using
fixed ammunition loaded with FFg black powder when a gap exists
between the bullet base and over powder wad." By the way, ringing is
a cumulative effect and many shots are normally required before a ring
becomes apparent. The ring may go unnoticed until case extraction
becomes a problem.

It's a well know and accepted practice to ensure that black powder
cartridges are sufficiently filled with powder to eliminate air gaps
between the powder column, wad and bullet base. This is certainly
the safest approach, but based on Charles Dell's research it's not a
critical consideration when using black powder. Especially since he
also points out that, "Certainly our forefathers, if breech seating their
bullets, could not have followed this rule". To this day, some black
powder shooters that breech seat bullets routinely leave a gap
between the over powder wad and bullet base and do not have
chamber ringing problems. I'm also aware that some breech seaters
use the same technique with smokeless powder, but based on Charlie
Dell's findings they're risking damaging the chamber, especially if the
rifle is old with a "softer" barrel.

 

[bobski]

its for people that like to tinker.

it falls in the same category as those that like to bake and wait for dough to rise.

i personally, just like to eat the cake.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

crstrode,
Thanks, I think I will continue the way I have been doing it for many years. But it is good to know that if I don't seat the bullet it's not a problem.

Bobski,
Sometimes your post really get difficult to sort out. Well sometimes impossible.

 

[Big John]

Get a stainless Old Army and any other reproduction gun side-by-side and compare them. I've always found the fit, finish, and design preferable. Plus the stainless steel version virtually eliminates the worst part of blackpowder shooting, rust. Not entirely, but is sure helps.
Now, that based on my personal bias. I'm not trying to be historical. And I like good adjustable sights.