So, I got my self a new Ruger Old Army ( Damn things keep multiplying like those Damn Colts I cant seem to pass by) and I am in the process of modifying this bad boy to fill a need for a POWERFUL side arm I can carry during the Muzzle Loading seasons where I am NOT ALLOWED to carry a centerfire/ smokeless pistol of any kind! So, the first step was to shoot it and see how she runs, second was to run a ladder test with all the different powders I can find/make, and all the .44 cal bullets I can find/mold to find where it runs best. Third step is to boost it HARD! Employing the services and expertise of our local legendary smith, We are looking to deepen the cylinder bores extra deep ( as measured, looks like we can gain about 7 or maybe 8 grains capacity) which puts this solidly into .44 mag/.45 Colt territory, which should be just enough me thinks! What's always impressed me with these Rugers is the brute strength built into them, and the accuracy is far better then any B.P. pistol I have ever run across, including the much vaunted Colt Dragoon ( Real One) and the potential of boosting one is too tempting to not do it! Pedersoli pistols of the 1858 Remington pattern can usually be deepened at least 8 grains, and it looks like the Ruger could go even deeper based on my crude measurements, BUT, I'm running hollow base conicals, so things get VERY interesting there! Will update once we deepen the cylinder and get to testing it out! Nothing fancy, YET!
I have a 1858 Remington New Army .44 cal. black powder pistol ( Italian reproduction ) that I got when I was Civil War reenacting that I prefer to almost all of the Colts.
If the plan is to hunt with the revolver I'd like to throw out an alternative that might make it a better game getter without altering the cylinder at all. You're using a hollow base conical mold. This is a basically round nosed bullet. Might expand some on impact, but will likely make a wound about the same diameter as the bullet. Now you take a $20 Lee aluminum mold and straighten up the sides a bit above the top grease groove and you have a bullet with a nice fat meplat that will have a more devastating impact on game. Bullet weight increases, so recoil will likely increase, as velocity decreases slightly. This is a dance that you'll have to test on the intended target, but I can tell you that I've eaten more deer whacked with big, flat, slow moving bullets than fast rounded or pointed ones. Kinda like getting hit with a telephone pole.
Actually, I'm using a .50 Cal front stuffer for the hunt, and the Ruger is intended for Anti Bear, so I need maximum penetration over all else, and that requires not only velocity but bullet mass! I'm using a custom mold based on the original Colt #13 270 gr Rifle bullet that I have hollowed out the base on deeper then the Colt mold normally would! I would use the Colt mold if it had more gas checks and didn't have the swedging taper, thus the custom mold with deeper base cutter screw, and if needed, hollow point cutter/reamer with Dumb Dumb tool for if/when that's needed!
Interesting project... I have had a Stainless Old Army for a few decades, and love the feel of the pistol... I will be interested in following the Project, and wonder if your PistolSmith would consider modifying my Cyl to your final Spec....
That's a bit tricky, but knowing how long the threads on the nipple are is a useful starting point for taking measurements. Saying that, I've no clue if nipple thread length is standard across all possible suppliers. (Gotta think you know that -- )
Dang, that's cool, and not to bad on the pricing all things considered! A .45 Colt conversion costs more! Thanks for the links, I was wanting to find extra cylinders anyway, old school reload right there!
Further Heads up, I got my State to actually do a review of it's regs for the Black Powder seasons, and they agreed, so I did a series of tests with their chief present and he agreed that the regs should be amended, but for now, he would issue me a "Letter of Variance" to allow the use of one of my Colt/Root Revolving rifles! COOL He told me unless there is a significant push by B.P. aficionados, he didn't think the state would make the changes across the board, but as long as I wanted, he would continue to issue a letter each season I applied for a tag!
Im wondering about those fluted cylinders, i dont think their going to be as strong as factory, or the other aftermarket non fluted ones!
Wonder no longer, the flutes do not reduce strength, they reduce weight. The thickness of the material between holes is all that's needed for strength.
Don't know where in Hades this place your referring too Sounds over-regulated? Here its called primitive weapons,There is a rule about caliber sizes like nothing less than .36 for deer....
Out here, we are limited to nothing Smaller then .50 caliber for Deer AND elk, which is total bullshit, but meant to keep the riff-raff from going out and blowing down anything they find with ZERO experience or skill! Those of us who know, know a .44 packs more then enough power to humanly harvest Elk, Moose, and Bears, so the idea of using a traditional and historical Black Powder Firearm is the fuel for this! Thankfully, Colorado is issuing me a "Variance" to this rule, so I can use my .44's!
Just remember.... All the original Mountain Men had nothing better than a .50 Cal muzzle-Stuffer and they routinely took Brown Bears with them...
50s and 45s were prevalent, but 54 was not uncommon. Hawken made all those and some in the 30 range. I suspect that there were not many in the 30 range that saw much service in beaver country. Once the prospective trappers left St. Louis and found what reality was about to deal them, they hit Sublette's trading post and got a stake for a mountain rifle from a factor.
The game warden knows when he gets a report of a guy with an AR15 in the woods during muzzle loader season that it's likely to be me. Looks and ergonomics of an M16, small pistol primer fired .50 caliber muzzle loader inside.
