Greetings all:

I am thinking about getting a Ruger Old Army cap 'n' ball pistol. The purpose of it would be for plinking and putting holes in paper. Not competition shooting.

The reviews I have read about it are generally positive. I have checked it out in one of the local shops and it feels pretty good. What I am wondering is, does anyone have any experience with this pistol? Do you like it? Would you recommend it? Any problems that you have had with it?

Thanks for your comments.

~Robert

I have had 3, they all shoot very well two I traded or sold the one I still have will shoot any load from 28 to 40 gr with a .457 ball and off a rest will put all 6 in a ragged hole the size of a quarter at 25 yds and the 35 to 38 gr of P will group about the size of a silver dollar at 50 yds[off a rest I dont shoot that well off hand any more].
Use the good RWS caps. I have found I like the results if I rub a bit of bore butter over the balls after they are loaded.
Any revolver has one down side it takes a bit of effort to clean them, Just to make it interesting there are some 45 long colt cylinders available in case you want it to do double duty. Lee

Great guns, as reliable and accurate as any Ruger Blackhawk. I've had one for about 15 years now. Mine is blue, and it would be nice to have one in SS.

I had one once and all I can't say anything other than to ditto what lemoyne and goatbrother posted. It's one of the fewguns I've had thatI wish I'd never sold, but at the time I thought I wanted something else even worse. And mine was stainless, too. [&o]

Really, it's the best there is.

A GREAT gun.

I have one: stainless with adjustable rear sight. ( a must...)

Etienne Brule

Guys, thanks for the comments. Since this will be my first bp pistol, your feedback is very reassuring.

I am hoping to get it withing the next couple of weeks. Will post a pic or two.

~Robert

They are great revolvers.Very well built and will take a licking.

I read a interview a while back that said you load them up with 4 gr of smokless but cannot remember the powder.

The Ruger Old Army is trully the Cadalac of BP revolvers.

Get yourself some App 3f to shoot in it fowls a lot less and clean up is easy. You will get more shots before you need to clean. Keep the cylinder pin greased so it does not seize also. I had one rust and freeze with good gun oil on it what a job to fix.

A BP revolver can be fun to shoot!
The Old Army is a great revolver!
I've owned one and it was very accurate & dependable.
However............ they can be a pain to clean, and if you don't clean them thoroughly they can have a variety of failures. [:@]When cleaning any BP revolver I use a small metal"blueing tank" (about 6" wide, 6" deep, and 18" long). I disassemble as far as possible, clean the cylinder and barrel, then put everything but the wooden grips in the tank with water (& soap if desired) andheat on my camp stove.When good & warmremove the parts, wipe them down, and replace them in the tank in fresh water. Bring to a boil - remove & dry the parts - then oil well. Maybe a bit over-kill, but I never had any rust problems!