Ruger Old Army Hunting Load Chrono'd
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- Loaded up with 43 grains of Hogdons 777 FFFG and a .457 round ball, topped off with some Bore Butter to prevent a chain fire.
This is my go to hunting load and have had excellent results on deer.
Some day I plan on doing some load developments with FFFFG.
Guestimating that the projectile weight is 141 grains and with a 5 shot average muzzle velocity of 1065 feet per second, our average muzzle energy is a whopping 355 foot pounds.
I tried CCI magnum #11 percussion caps, seated with the hammer. Loaded with 30g cylindrical pyrodex and Missouri Bullets 45 cal 200g semi wadd cutters that are ‘boat tailed’. The boat tail bullets are easier to seat.
I know that this is two years ago, but I have one of these pistols and the best way to load it dependably is to change the nipples to Slixshot nipples, use no. 11 caps. But before loading I pop two caps on each nipple then I use hot soapy water to clean the barrel, cylinders and the nipples then dry with a clean cloth. I also use compressed air to make sure the cylinder and nipples are 100% dry. Then I load. It's important to make sure that the percussion caps are seated all the way down on the nipples. Then I lube the cylinder with bees wax mixed with lambs tallow. More bees wax than tallow.
32 grains of 777 gives me 1180 fps in my Colt 3rd gen with 143gr .454 round balls. I keep mine loaded for EDC and shoot it once every 30- 45 days and never see any velocity drop or failure to fire thus far. I hear that 777 doesn't like compression but I'm unsure of what the threshold is or the definition of "compression". I don't crank down on the loading lever but seat them firmly. Take care.
I averaged your velocity to approximately 1,067 FPS & factored in a 144 grain round ball weight & calculated that you are producing about about 365 foot pounds of energy with that load. I have the exact Ruger Old Army you do & now I do t have to chrony mine because I use 40 grains with mine which is close enough to your 43 for me 😏
I doubt it's condensation. It's probably oily residue getting into the powder. I have an 1858 Remington New Model Army that I kept in my car loaded for over a year, along with 2 spare cylinders, loaded the same. The loads were 200 grain Lee conicals on top of 35 grains of fffg Triple Seven. My velocities were averaging around 1260 fps. All 18 rounds went bang with authority, and had plenty of recoil. The caps were Remington #10. People say "Triple Seven doesn't like to be compressed". I guess that depends on whether a person wants to B.S. around, or load the gun for a man. I don't think the powder has any feelings about it one way or another, but the wive's tale about compression shows that a rumor will get around the world twice before the truth can get its pants on. My usual velocities using the same change of fresh powder are around 1150 fps, which is still plenty hot. I'm guessing there was a slight chemical change in the powder due to the heat that made it slightly more volatile. I don't put grease on my chambers, especially with conicals, and I've never had a chain fire with that gun and that loading. When I'm talking about compression, I'm not talking a hydraulic press, but what a person with a decent arm can accomplish with a loading stand without getting too carried away. The difference in velocities is almost unbelievable. Any modern replica from Pedersoli, Uberti, or Pietta should be able to handle it without issue. That ROA was proofed with full chambers of Bullseye, so you're not going to hurt it with any loading with blackpowder or substitute. People used to duplex them with smokeless back in the day, before people began to read stories about someone blowing up a cheap replica with a chamber full of smokeless. That ROA will deliver .44 magnum performance for someone willing to push the envelope. I'm not going to recommend it, but I've seen it done successfully.
I recommend kaido conical for hunting. With the 220 gr semi wadcutter I'm getting 1100fps or 600 ft-lbs
What powder are you using and how many grains? I plan on playing with my loadings sometime in the future but right now other projects are sucking my time.
@@ballistic_hillbilly 38gr Triple 7 fffg
Awesome, yes indeed my Kaido 36 caliber 145 grain and 44/45 caliber 220/240/255 Kaido Ojamaa-VKJV Universal Bullets are effective for Hunting and Wilderness Defense purposes!