Latest project Updated post 7

[steelslaver]

So, a couple years ago i found a second Ruger Old Army for low dollars. Had an idea to try. Liked my 45 colt revolving carbine so much, decided to make a cap and ball revolving carbine.

Had a chunk of Green Mountain 45 cal barrel so turned it to 3/4" and put 11/16 24 treads on frame end. 17 1/2" of barrel now. Have sight base off original barrel and deal that holds end of ram. Attach those and a couple deals to hold a forearm, then on to the butt stock.

Going to be a close match to this one in 45 colt made from a Brazilian

 

[BC38]

You always come up with (and post) the most interesting projects steelslaver...

 

[Jcon72]

Steelslaver, you make me wish I'd chosen to be a machinist rather than the one I have.

 

[toad67]

Agree, I always click on his threads just too see what he's up to. Kinda like the fat kid always clicking on the Betty Crocker threads.....

 

[steelslaver]

Torqued the barrel up, cleaned up front sight base and piece that keeps the ram arm up and milled spots on barrel for those. Need to go the hardware store and get some 10-24 coupler nuts to make the pieces to hold on forearm. Could make them but, not worth the trouble. Pictures when that stuff is all silver soldered in place. Also going to get a piece of 10-24 all thread and drill and tap the back of grip frame for that as part of stock attachment.

 

[steelslaver]

Got the barrel attachments added and put a all thread rof on grip frame for the stock. I milled a flat on back of grip frame drilled and tapped and used a 10-24 coupling nut to doubled nut it to the frame.

I milled a flat and silver soldered piece that holds ram arm in place.

I made 2 shallow 5/16 blind holes in bottom of barrel and turned a couple 10-12 coupler nuts to fit them and then silver soldered those in place to hold a forearm

Milled a flat and silver soldered on front sight blade and base

Time to go find some wood.

 

[steelslaver]

well I built a stock and forearm for it. It feels good holding forearm or standard 2 handed revolver grip. As Ruger does not put a serial number on grip frame I gained a lot of strength on the stock mounting by drilling and tapping it for a plate that also attaches to the bottom of the stock. Plus, it has 2 cross screws, one in the standard location and a second that actually passes though the grip frame. Those and the rod coming off the rear of the grip frame make for a rock solid attachment. rock solid attachment.

Still a bunch of sanding to do, eventually blue everything.

People always worry about having their arm forward of the gap, I have found this to be a non issue as your elbow ends up way below the gap with the bottom of the frame between elbow and gap. Do this, take a piece of whit paper and stick it say 4" under a the frame of a magnum revolver and fire it. Np powder blast hits under the frame.

BUT, you must where shooting glasses, The gap ends up closer (about 12") to your face and eyes with a stock as opposed to arms extended (appox24") and you will feel a little bit of the blast come back on your face. NOT MUCH, but why risk it.

Here is another interesting thing I have found . A stocked revolver needs considerably less front sight than one with out. With a revolver when you fire it the muzzle rises as the gun recoils. With a stock anchored to you shoulder you get way less muzzle rise because it is much hard for the gun to rotate. I had to wack a bunch off the original sight on the 45 colt carbine and I bet I have to do the same on this one.

 

[steelslaver]

After some more sanding, cold blue and complete assy. Now to find some percussion caps. I have a 220 gr round hose bullet mold for these.

Next summer I will set my blue tanks up and the frame and barrel a nice hot bath. But first I want to shot it and find out if I need to fiddle with anything. The cold blue shows me where the silver solder needs more clean up . Like the silver line beside the front sight ramp No doubt I will have to shave the front sight down to.

 

[steelslaver]

I could not find my bullet mold for these and that is what I plan on using in it. Got another from Lee and cast up a bunch of bullets and balls for it yesterday. Have caps and filled my powder flask. But, the weather has turned cold and will be in the minus range for a few days. Later this week.

Have to go be a judge at a FFA metal shop event this morning anyway.

 

[steelslaver]

So the weather was great today, No wind and up in the mid 40s,, Went to the range and found it was key exchange time. Got a new key, headed back, vet called and cat was ready to pick up. Finally made it to the range. No function problems at all. First couple shots at 25 yards left a clean target. I had figured it would shoot low as a stock gun does not have rapid muzzle rise like a revolver. Held at very top of 18" target and hit well below center. It shoots about 14" low at that range. But dead on side to side. I think I got it figured out how much front sight need to be removed. Considering a whole new base and blade. It groups well just low firing 39 gr of FFFFG dropped from my flask's tube and a 220gr bullet cast for these. Lee makes a mold with the rear band at .452 so it goes in the cylinder throat and the next band and front shoulder is .456 You have to seat the bullet hard with that much powder to have the nose below cylinder face so that is a max load. I believe it is going to group pretty decent for what it is once the sight issue is squared away. I will have to set up chrono to check but probably around 1400fps. A 100yd deer gun.

As an experiment to prove a point . I placed a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of white copier paper on the bench weighted down by 4 slugs, then set the gun in the rests. Right under the barrel cylinder gap centered at 10" above the paper with the narrow part of the paper in line with barrel, so 5 1/2" on each side from center and fired a round. There were a few burned powder flecks laying on the paper that blew right off. No scorching, holes nothing.

The bottom of the frame stops any blast going down where you arm and elbow is and they are farther away than the paper was.

 

[steelslaver]

Interesting discovery. All my reading had said the chambers on the Old Army cylinders were .456. Use .456 balls and bullets. Uh huh. So as I had to use quite a bit of force on my loading lever to seat the bullets I thought I would run them though my .457 sizer that I use on my 45-70. The all went right though. Light comes on and I take the cylinder and go to trying pin gauges in the cylinders, They are all a tight .453 , a .454 won't start in any of them. Go to sizer pile and find I have a .452 and 2- marked .454. On one of those my .454 pin sticks part way in. So sized all the bullets with it. Then I used a carbide chambering tool to just slightly break the edges of the chambers. Then I go in gun safe and drag out an earlier manufacture Ruger Old Army and guess what I could not even get the .453 pin in those. but could a .452 pin. As the new barrel on carbine is .452 .453-4 bullets should work well in it. I have another 220 45 mold I use for acps and size those .452 so those should work in the one that stock, but I am tempted to hit it with my 31/64" (.453125) reamer and make its chamber throats .453 also.my use a 255 gt mold in most of 45 colt loads.