I made several trips out to the shooting range this week. As usual, I did a lot of 9mm semi-automatic pistol shooting. But, today I decided to have a go at one of my pistols that hasn't been used for quite a while. It is the Ruger Old Army. This is a cap and ball revolver which utilizes black powder. It resembles the Remington Model 1858 which was a Civil War pistol. Loading black powder guns can be tedious, but the boom and cloud of smoke is always worth the effort.

This being a six-shooter, you can load all six cylinders and then shoot them off in sequence. My loading process involves removing the cylinder to charge with powder and a felt wad. Then it goes back on the pistol so you can use the rammer to seat the balls in the cylinder. Last step is to install percussion caps, and off you go. I am not the world's best shot, but I have a lot of fun at it. Today's photo is of the best group I shot. All was done at 12 yards.