680 Out the door.
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Very nice those were built to last thats for sure.
I've heard another more likely story of why the quit making them....conversion cylinders. The story is they didn't want the liability of someone skirting the law to have a fixed cartridge gun. Sadly believable.
I doubt it would have to have a safety feature if re-made today, none of the imports have to have that feature.
You did OK on the price, that might be the 1st year the stainless model came out, thus the "low" serial number. The blued ones came out in 1973.
Shoot the heck out of it, and learn to clean it properly, you will be set for a LONG time!
You did well. Check Gunbroker on this but I bet you could get 8 or 9 hundred for it at auction. Maybe more. I’d also advise shooting it for a while. As a cap gun. They are wonderful revolvers.
Old Army is an excellent choice. Very accurate. You can buy aftermarket nipples for it that guarantee ignition. Did yours come with the tools? Congrats.
i think they started making the ss with reverse black powder only roll engraved on the cylinder in the last of 1975, also no 1776 writing on the top of the barrel with the serial number of 1321 with no pretext.
Here in MO, a stainless one in good shape, will bring $1,200-1,500. If yours is NIB or like NIB, you can add at minimum another $200 to the price. Blued ones not so much, $500-700, but everyone wants the stainless.
Kirst is now making replacement, drop-in cylinders for ROA. Only in stainless at this time. I picked up 2 for $225 each. Now I can go to the range with 3 loaded cylinders.
And Ronnie G Wells is looking into a five shot .50 caliber cylinder for the old army frame…
Seems to me that my Accurate Arms #1 manual has reloading data in it for the Old Army, with 5744 as I recall. I know I have been told many times on the range that shooters were shooting smokeless in Old Army guns by the shooters themselves. Said they saved all that BP cleaning mess.
very nice. A friend let me borrow one years ago for a back up gun for deer hunting for black powder hunting in New Mexico when i was in the military. It was a really nice gun, i would have loved to buy it from him but he made it pretty clear that it was not for sale. He said he paid $500.00 for it new. Im thinking thats alot for a BP pistol. The quality is there and thats what you are paying for. Man that was i nice pistol. I only got to shoot it six times and that was to empty it. I would love to have one.
I've never seen the attraction of these guns. Others are obviously crazy about them.
Great cap and ball revolver! An 1863 Remington on steroids. My buddy has shot two deer with his using a conical bullet and 28 grs of 3F Enjoy your great gun show find.
The very first handgun I bought was a Ruger Old Army. Bought in March of 1974 at our local hardware store for around $100.00. Was 19 years old making $90.00 a week and made four payments that are noted on the box. Still have and cast a pile of balls for it a couple weeks ago. You got a good buy on yours.
If you live and deer hunt in woody, up and down terrain (Eastern Ky) you would see the real beauty of the ROA. Having to score BP matches and only having time for a pistol match adds to the joy. Winning an occasional muzzleloading rifle match with the ROA helps your self respect, too.
To the original poster: Start looking for percussion caps. Now!
Over here in England at the auctions the ROA blued version goes for around £200 or$260 ish and the stainless version in very good condition around $500 maybe $600 cased with all relevant loading accessories and that is a high price at auctuion.