[one punch]

Could the Old Army be loaded up to make a deer hunter at short range? 20-30 yards?

 

[Old Grump]

You can stuff 45 gr of 777 in with a round ball but your accuracy suffers or at least it does in my gun, 40 grains of 777 behind a 130 gr round ball yields 1,100 fps. Doable but definitely an under 50 yard load. I loves my Ruger Old Army shooting BP but I see it as marginal for a deer gun unless you put in the 45 colt cylinder.

Just my dos centavos

 

[cayugad]

With a max load, and a roundball yes it could kill a deer at the distance you mentioned. You will not get a pass through, and you better hit vitals. I have a 1858 New Army that shoots 30 grains of powder. With a roundball at 25 yards it will shoot through an old dried up 2 inch spruce plank. That surprised me. So I think your Ruger would penetrate at those distances. Hit the heart, be a good tracker, and it should not run too far.

 

[Harnic]

Lee's 230 gr conical with 37 gr of 777 easily duplicates a 45 Long Colt. Lots of power to spare under 50 yards. My ROA loves that load, more accurate than a rb every shot.

 

[birdshot]

Harnic, which lee conical are you using?

 

[c.robertson]

My understanding is lee only make ONE conical bullet for the Ruger Old Army, with a weight of 200 grains. I have one and have cast 500 bullets with it. I run them through a .458 sizer die to lub them with "EMMERT's LUBE" They should shoot pretty good. Time will tell as soon as the weather warms up.

 

[scott0116]

The lee mold for the Ruger is 220 grains. The 200 grain mold is for the remington replicas and they are a smaller diameter. They also used to make the ruger mold in a hollow point version as well. I have used them all including the .36 caliber versions, but you have more energy with a round ball. I know Lee advertises the molds as having more energy than round balls, but there have been plenty of tests from Lyman, Fadala, bridges, and others that prove otherwise.

 

[Bushrod]

If you use a cylinder press to load the cylinder out of the gun your selection range of bullets really is endless.