Ignition problem with a Ruger Old Army

[simgre]

Special privileged information from the insider at Hodgons which they do not publish - wonder why?

Duplex loads - you're on your own there - I value my limbs too much

So Hodgons published information is not correct, you know better.

Cite some properly documented disasters with 777 - not "bloke down the pub said...".

Corrosive primers produce water soluble by products, Nitrocellulose does not. I use modern primers and nc powders and have never needed to use water to clean.

Hopgdons provide loading information for cap and ball firearms, and lots of people use it as such, including revolvers, but you claim it is not suitable? You know something that they do not? Wow, you must be a genius!

You're being a dick.

The crux of all of my posts has simply been, use only the published data from Hodgdons when using 777, simple as that. There is more than enough information out there which bears out exactly what I have said, which is what I have learned in correspondence when I first ventured into muzzle loading. You can take what you want from the anecdotal offered, but there's never been a "bloke down the pub".

[tim56]

Another one for Remington caps. Only one i use with all my b/p pistols. I tend to buy large (ish) amounts when they are available
then not have to bother for a couple of years. Tim

[WarrenC]

Another one for Remington caps. Only one i use with all my b/p pistols. I tend to buy large (ish) amounts when they are available
then not have to bother for a couple of years. Tim

Thumbs up 👍

[davefitz66]

Who knew that a request for information would take that left hand turn! Anyway, to get back to my original question, when people say "fettling the nipples" what do they exactly mean? I am fairly certain that the hammer is still working as it should and that the nipples are the correct Ruger originals (they have the original nut type configuration, rather than the Colt type key. As an aside, does anyone else consider the Ruger nipple key that came with the Old Army the worst thing they make? I know I do. Talk about rounding them off!) So I really need to know what to do with the nipples to get this working again. I have bought a yoga mat and will be stamping out my own wads soon as per Steve's suggestion. Do you use any type of lube on those wads Steve? I am going to be doing some intensive testing bullet vs ball as soon as I sort the reliability issue out.
I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Dave

[sclg]

Who knew that a request for information would take that left hand turn! Anyway, to get back to my original question, when people say "fettling the nipples" what do they exactly mean? I am fairly certain that the hammer is still working as it should and that the nipples are the correct Ruger originals (they have the original nut type configuration, rather than the Colt type key. As an aside, does anyone else consider the Ruger nipple key that came with the Old Army the worst thing they make? I know I do. Talk about rounding them off!) So I really need to know what to do with the nipples to get this working again. I have bought a yoga mat and will be stamping out my own wads soon as per Steve's suggestion. Do you use any type of lube on those wads Steve? I am going to be doing some intensive testing bullet vs ball as soon as I sort the reliability issue out.
I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Dave

Agree about the nipple key! I bought one of these...
http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?...roducts_id=179
... which has worked well for me on ROA, Le Page, Jim Greathead underhammer, Colt revolver, etc, etc.
No, I don't use lube on the wads.
You will find much useful advice about the ROA on the web. A lot of it is written be highly experienced shooters but some is written by idiots so always use your own common sense and look for a consensus of opinion. ... although I'll admit that is sometimes hard to find!
One thing I do recall from my reading a few years ago was a feeling that bullets were only better than ball at fairly high loads and that most who used them were hunting things other than paper targets! Never tried bullets myself.
Steve

[enfield2band]

Who knew that a request for information would take that left hand turn! Anyway, to get back to my original question, when people say "fettling the nipples" what do they exactly mean? I am fairly certain that the hammer is still working as it should and that the nipples are the correct Ruger originals (they have the original nut type configuration, rather than the Colt type key. As an aside, does anyone else consider the Ruger nipple key that came with the Old Army the worst thing they make? I know I do. Talk about rounding them off!) So I really need to know what to do with the nipples to get this working again. I have bought a yoga mat and will be stamping out my own wads soon as per Steve's suggestion. Do you use any type of lube on those wads Steve? I am going to be doing some intensive testing bullet vs ball as soon as I sort the reliability issue out.
I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Dave

Are you using a "yoga mat" to cut out your wads?

Why not just melt an inch of lead in a pan, tip it out when it has cooled, and use that. As it gets well used just melt it again.

When someone says fettle the nipples they generally mean make sure there are no burrs on them. Hone off any excessive wear if it is not detrimental to the ignition, make sure the threads are clean and make sure the flash hole is clear.

[davefitz66]

Hi again,
2 band, I am actually cutting the wads out of the yoga mat as they will better fill the space in the cylinder. As I say I will be doing some research on what works best for me when I resolve the issues. I was using the home cast bullets from the Lee mould, but I have gone back to using balls now, as the recoil using a bullet and the recommended 777 load was a tooth rattler. I also have two of the Uberti Cattleman revolvers, a 7 and a half inch and a 5 and a half inch one. They are good fun to shoot, but for accuracy I would always go to the Rogers and Spencer. But at Bisley this year the shooter next to me had a great result with his Ruger Old Army at the advancing target and I wondered why I wasn't making better use of A fine gun. Any and all advice greatly appreciated by the way.
Cheers
Dave.

[simgre]

A yoga mat?! A rubber and polyurethane yoga mat? Seriously.....?

[tacfoley]

Who knew that a request for information would take that left hand turn! Anyway, to get back to my original question, when people say "fettling the nipples" what do they exactly mean? I am fairly certain that the hammer is still working as it should and that the nipples are the correct Ruger originals (they have the original nut type configuration, rather than the Colt type key. As an aside, does anyone else consider the Ruger nipple key that came with the Old Army the worst thing they make? I know I do. Talk about rounding them off!) So I really need to know what to do with the nipples to get this working again. I have bought a yoga mat and will be stamping out my own wads soon as per Steve's suggestion. Do you use any type of lube on those wads Steve? I am going to be doing some intensive testing bullet vs ball as soon as I sort the reliability issue out.
I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Dave

Yup. Don't be busting that hammer - there are positively no more.

tac

[tacfoley]

'kay, Gentlemen - ONE set of nipples left and TWO wrenches - get'em while you can.

tac

[weebeestie]

Nipples for me please.

[panhard]

Reading thread and have had same problem with ROA. Did changing back to original nipples cure problem? Any info appreciated on how problem solved. Realise post was some months ago. Used this ROA several times but not successfully as very poor firing reliability. Last time nipples were removed and all checked / cleaned out, and it takes a while to get enthusiastic about trying it again.