Ruger Old Army Revolver Instructions Manual

Percussion caps are designed to fire as
the result of a blow “percussion”.
A capped cylinder loaded with powder
and ball is, in effect, a small firearm.
Never clean, lubricate, disassemble, or
work on a revolver while it is loaded.
Never install, remove, or carry a loaded
and capped cylinder.
A loaded and capped cylinder can
discharge if dropped or struck. Read
instructions before disassembling gun.
NEVER CARRY A
CAPPED CYLINDER
11
PERCUSSION CAPS
A percussion cap is a small metal cup, the interior top...

12
TO LOAD AND FIRE
In the interests of both performance and safety, it is important that steps which
follow be performed in sequence and with attention to detail:
1. BEFORE LOADING: 
Check revolver to ensure that:
A. Nipples are uncapped.
B. Cylinder chambers are empty.
C. Chambers, bore and nipples are free of grease, oil or other obstruction.
2. CLEARING THE NIPPLES:
Without loading the chambers, place a percussion cap on each nipple. Point
the gun in a safe direction and fire all six caps. This is...

Always hold the gun well away
from yourself when loading or
firing. Never permit the barrel to
point in an unsafe direction.
Even though the revolver is
sometimes called a “muzzle-
loader”, it is never loaded
through the muzzle. Only load
through the front of the cylinder.
KEEP AWAY FROM MUZZLE
13
!WARNING–MUZZLE DIRECTION
.B. With one hand, hold the revolver by the grip with the barrel pointing
upwards.
C. Using a dipper or other single-charge measure, pour the desired amount
of powder into the front...

14
E. Grasp the rammer lever
and, with a firm even
stroke, seat the bullet firmly
on the powder charge. (See
Fig. 4) For maximum
accuracy, the powder
charge should be very
lightly compressed by the
bullet. Be sure that the
bullet is seated deeply
enough so that it does not
interfere with the barrel
and the cylinder can rotate
freely. Do not leave an
airspace between the
powder and the bullet.
Repeat this procedure until all chambers you wish to load are loaded with
powder and ball. Remember that the...

15
5. COCKING:
To fire the revolver, the hammer must first be manually cocked. When
cocking the hammer, have a firm hold on the grip with the shooting hand,
and DO NOT TOUCH THE TRIGGER WHILE COCKING THE HAMMER.
TOUCH THE TRIGGER ONLY WHEN YOU ARE READY TO FIRE.With the
fore portion of your thumb firmly on the hammer spur, draw the hammer
fully to the rear until it stops. Then permit the hammer to move forward (it
will only move slightly) until the trigger engages in the hammer at full cock....

16
6. FIRING:
The “Old Army” is now ready to fire. Once the hammer is cocked, a light
pressure on the trigger will cause the hammer to fall forward, striking a
percussion cap, and the revolver will fire.
7. After firing, the hammer will remain down. To fire subsequent shots, fully
release the trigger and repeat steps 5 and 6 above for each shot.
!WARNING–INDEXING
Hammer
in Notch or
on Empty
ChamberNever
Rest
Hammer
on Cap!
If the gun is to be fired immediately after loading,
ease the hammer forward into...

17
DRY-FIRING: Going through the actions of cocking, aiming, and pulling the
trigger of an unloaded
gun is known as “Dry Firing.” It can be useful to learn the
“feel” of your revolver. Be certain the revolver is unloaded and that the gun is
pointing in a safe direction even when practicing by dry-firing.The Ruger Old
Army can be dry-fired without damage to the firing components.
“FANNING”:NEVERfan the Ruger Old Army revolver. Fanning is an unsafe way
to fire a gun and it is abusive to the revolver...

18
a. With the thumb controlling the hammer as shown above (1), squeeze trigger
to permit hammer to ‘break free’ (2).
b. When hammer is free, IMMEDIATELY release trigger (3). Then lower hammer
slowly to its resting position completely into a notch betweeneach nipple (4).
Never
lower the hammer so that it rests on a percussion cap!
1
23
4
a. b.
4. Place your right thumb firmly on the hammer spur and, with your thumb
securely in control of the hammer, squeeze the trigger only enough to permit
the hammer to...

19
TO UNLOAD
(Keep revolver pointed in a safe direction)
It is much easier and safer to fire all chambers in any muzzle loading firearm
rather than attempt to unload it. However, if this is impossible, the revolver may
be unloaded in accordance with the following steps.
1. Be sure the revolver is pointing in a safe direction.
2. Carefully lower hammer into a notch in the cylinder and then pull the
hammer back one “click” to place hammer in half-cock loading notch. (See
Fig. 6) Keep fingers away from...

20
7. When all chambers
are empty of powder,
remove cylinder (See
Fig. 10 & “To Remove
Cylinder”, below).
8. Place some lubricating
oil into each chamber.
Now place a rod into the
rear of a chamber, taking
care not to damage the
nipple threads. Gently
tap the rear of the rod
until the ball comes out
the front of the cylinder.
(See Fig. 11) Repeat for
each chamber.
9. An alternative unloading method is to remove the percussion capsand
remove the cylinder as described below. Then, use the nipple wrench to...