Hello all, this is my first post albeit long winded,i currently have 5 rugers-2 MKIIIs,a.44 alaskan,a .480 srh and today i purchased a circa 1982 stainless 7.5" old army in .45. I think i have a problem with the old army and would appreciate any input. I am new to cap and ball guns so perhaps it's something i'm doing wrong but anyway my problem is that if i cock the gun and ride the hammer down the cylinder,trigger and hammer lock up and i have to remove the cylinder and reassemble the gun to make it functional again.The indexing pawl(?)-the piece that rotates the cylinder has alot of sideways play in it.I cannot get the hammer into the notch between nipples either,the gun appears to have been very well cared for but is this problem common to cap and ball rugers or am i doing something wrong? I traded a used XDm even for this pistol and hope i did o.k. on the trade.Thank you to all that reply
Ruger Old Army
- Thread starter smorin2
- Start date
SAJohn
Hunter
Welcome to our forum. When you are "riding the Hammer down" are you keeping the trigger pulled to the rear? If you let up on the trigger too soon the hammer will catch on the loading notch while the cylinder latch remains locked. This will make the revolver feel locked up but all you have to do is go back to full hammer cock then let the hammer down while maintaining the trigger pull.
To set the hammer between the nipples, go to full hammer down then ease the hammer back until the cylinder latch releases (this is still short of the hammer loading click. Rotate the cylinder by hand half an index and then let the hammer down. No trigger pull is required for this maneuver.
John
To set the hammer between the nipples, go to full hammer down then ease the hammer back until the cylinder latch releases (this is still short of the hammer loading click. Rotate the cylinder by hand half an index and then let the hammer down. No trigger pull is required for this maneuver.
John
Hi SAJohn,for some reason no matter how i manipulate the trigger/hammer it stays locked up tight,i'll have to be attentive to letting off the trigger, but thank you for responding and thanks for the advice on how to lower the hammer between nipples-worked great! I bought this revolver without box/wrench/paperwork but it was in such nice condition i thought it was worth it. I found this website recently and until today was content to just read,there is such a wealth of information here.Thank you again!
SAJohn
Hunter
If you go to this Ruger link you should get a PDF downloadable instruction manual for the Old Army:
https://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/_manuals/oldArmy.pdf
The last person who had your revolver completely apart may have done an incorrect assembly which is causing your problem. An example is to install the pawl spring and its plunder in backwards. This will cause a lockup because the pawl will not properly disengage.
https://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/_manuals/oldArmy.pdf
The last person who had your revolver completely apart may have done an incorrect assembly which is causing your problem. An example is to install the pawl spring and its plunder in backwards. This will cause a lockup because the pawl will not properly disengage.
Hello again,thank you for the link,i'm going to download it tonite and dis-assemble the revolver this weekend.I guess in additon to my other hobbies-shooting,reloading and casting i have another in blackpowder
I appreciate your taking the time to respond to my inquiries,thanks and have a pleasant evening.
I appreciate your taking the time to respond to my inquiries,thanks and have a pleasant evening.461
Single-Sixer
Once you get it working you'll have one of the finest black powder revolvers in the world. Truly love mine and feel lucky to own it.
Yeah,one of the guys at my local gun club has one,we like it when he brings it to our plate shoots as the smoke seems to keep the black flies away LOL. I need to purchase all the necessary gear but i should be shooting in a couple weeks,can't wait, glad i found one!
Welcome to the Forum.
Like others have said. YOU ALWAYS go from half cock to full cock then pull trigger and lower hammer. Yea Pull hammer back a little to put on safty notch I think. I only load 5 so hammer is always on an empty.
Jim
A couple of Nickle plated ones with Super Blackhawk hammers on them. I have shot these in CAS for the last 6 years. Done pretty good with them.
Like others have said. YOU ALWAYS go from half cock to full cock then pull trigger and lower hammer. Yea Pull hammer back a little to put on safty notch I think. I only load 5 so hammer is always on an empty.
Jim
A couple of Nickle plated ones with Super Blackhawk hammers on them. I have shot these in CAS for the last 6 years. Done pretty good with them.
MOUNTAIN WILLIAM
Blackhawk
Those Super Blackhawk hammer conversions look sweet.
MOUNTAIN WILLIAM said:
Thanks MW,
They really help my poor old short thumbs while shooting one handed
Jim
Alan Harton here in Houston. He took 2 new model hammers that I supplied and cut and welded the spurs to my ROA hammers.Onty said:Wyandot Jim said:MOUNTAIN WILLIAM said:
Thanks MW,
They really help my poor old short thumbs while shooting one handed
Jim
Who made this SBH style hammer for ROA? Thanks.
Total price was around $70 each hammer. $35 new hammer $35 labor.
Cheaper than a Super Blackhawk hammer to put on any Old Model Ruger
Jim
flatgate
Hawkeye
Onty said:
Joe's welding shop. Right down the street from where you live.......
I made up several Bisley hammers that way using a MIG welding machine, a Dremel cut off wheel and some elbow grease.
flatgate
edlmann
Blackhawk
Wyandot Jim said:A couple of Nickle plated ones . . .
Those are probably actually polished stainless - Ruger has only rarely used plating, usually for display items.
edlmann said:Wyandot Jim said:A couple of Nickle plated ones . . .
Those are probably actually polished stainless - Ruger has only rarely used plating, usually for display items.
Sorry They are Nickle. Not by Ruger :wink: Polished stainless never looked that good. :lol: :lol:
What they look like now
Those SBH hammer spurs are the perfect item for the ROAs. Too bad Ruger never did that originally. Presently I have 4 blue FS ROAs, a pair in 7.5 and a pair in 5.5. I would love to get a hammers like that for all of them.
Unfortunately financial fate keeps trying to pull them away from me. I hope I can keep mine forever but as time marches on it looks doubtful.
Unfortunately financial fate keeps trying to pull them away from me. I hope I can keep mine forever but as time marches on it looks doubtful.
NorEaster said:Those SBH hammer spurs are the perfect item for the ROAs. Too bad Ruger never did that originally. Presently I have 4 blue FS ROAs, a pair in 7.5 and a pair in 5.5. I would love to get a hammers like that for all of them.
Unfortunately financial fate keeps trying to pull them away from me. I hope I can keep mine forever but as time marches on it looks doubtful.
Well you have some REAL Keepers there with those FS 5 1/2" ones.
Try and hold on to them if you can. They were only made for a few years and not that many of them.
Hang in there
Jim
Hello again guys,i'm the one who started this post.I called Ruger and was told it shipped July 1981.The dealer i bought it from stated it was unfired but it had no box/papers. I took it apart yesterday(thanks you tube!) and it appears to be unfired,it still hangs up on the cylinder if i ride the hammer but other than that it functions fine.i was wondering do you guys think it's possible to clean up a gun enough to appear unfired? There is a barely visible cylinder ring but other than that it looks brand new.I just find it hard to believe it has been around 30 years and no one's loaded it.Would anyone know if walnut grips are correct for that model year?Thanks again.
OK Now what do you mean by riding the hammer? You either put it in the loading notch or the FULL cock notch. I just don't know what riding the hammer means.
Now if you took all of the parts out which is only 3-4 and they didn't have any grunge or show an indication of being shot. It probably wasn't. Any powder residue on the face of the cylinder or on the nipples. The rear of the Cly. takes as much of a beating as the front.
It is really hard to clean up an OA to indicate it wasn't fired. I keep good care of mine and I can't do it.
Some will ring the Cyl. some will not. Mine do
Jim
Now if you took all of the parts out which is only 3-4 and they didn't have any grunge or show an indication of being shot. It probably wasn't. Any powder residue on the face of the cylinder or on the nipples. The rear of the Cly. takes as much of a beating as the front.
It is really hard to clean up an OA to indicate it wasn't fired. I keep good care of mine and I can't do it.
Some will ring the Cyl. some will not. Mine do
Jim
Hi, thanks for responding,by "riding the hammer" i meant holding the hammer with my thumb and slowly lowering it to the firing pin after the trigger has been pulled and released.At the time i bought it(no papers) I was not sure that the Old Army could be safely dry fired.After reading your response i believe the dealer was correct in it being unfired-not for much longer though Does anyone know if walnut grips(Kxr3 frame) is correct for that time period? Thanks.
Does anyone know if walnut grips(Kxr3 frame) is correct for that time period? Thanks.
smorin2 said:Hi, thanks for responding,by "riding the hammer" i meant holding the hammer with my thumb and slowly lowering it to the firing pin after the trigger has been pulled and released.At the time i bought it(no papers) I was not sure that the Old Army could be safely dry fired.After reading your response i believe the dealer was correct in it being unfired-not for much longer though
OK I think I know what you mean. If you are pulling the hammer back slow and then letting it fall slow. This should not be a problem.
NOW THE ONLY WAY A ROA can be dry fired is if you take all the nipples out.
Yea there is supposed to be a slight gap between the hammer and the nipple.
Well don't bet your nipple on it. :wink: Once you peen/flatten/f$@@k up a nipple it is over. :roll: Ya get new ones.
Yea the Walnut grips are correct.
Anyway it is a great gun. Now just go load it with 454-457 balls 30 Gr.3f Powder Rem#10 caps and shoot the crap out of it :lol: :lol: :lol: If ya use anything else it will not be fun, trust me on that.
Jim
Hi Jim,thank you for the info on the grips and about possible dry firing damage on the nipples- i didn't know that. Does anyone know of a book they would recommend on getting started in black powder revolvers or maybe a good website? thanks
smorin2 said:
There are quite a few books out there with good info on cap and ball revolvers. Keep in mind that it's old technology, so many of the old books out there still have some good info.
Now- not a book, exactly, but...
If you do some searching on this forum, you should be able to find a LOT of very informative posts. Posts from "Wyandot Jim" and "mykeal" both jump to the front of my mind.
After you're done reading here, go over to Graybeard Outdoors forums, to the cap 'n ball revolver forum: http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php?board=98.0
"Gatofeo" has posted a "sticky" at the top of the c 'n b forum, called "Proper use of a cap and ball revolver." Direct link is here: http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,3932.0.html Most of that sticky is directed toward the Italian replicas, but there's still a lot of good info that can be used for ROAs.
As with anything, opinions and attention to detail vary from poster to poster. You might not like ALL the advice people give, and some guys are pretty rigid in their opinions/routines, but it's a GREAT way to get started.
For instance, I use Remington #11 caps on my ROAs. They seem to fit pretty much perfectly on my nipples. The manual (and many experts) recommend #10 caps, but I like the #11 better.
I had some unknown caps in a capper from the guy I bought my first ROA from. They were a size too small, and caused all kinds of frustration- like Wyandot Jim alluded to!
A cylinder full of #11 caps, and all was well in my world. Now- jump in and get your feet wet, but keep your powder dry!
Hello sir,thank you for the links! I have alot to learn and want to be knowledgable about the ROA before i take it to the range,unfortunately i don't know anyone else locally who shoots one, so i'm appreciative of the information you guys provide,again, thank you's to everyone who responded.
