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Thread: Ruger Service Six just needed cleaning

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Ruger Service Six just needed cleaning

    I recently purchased a Ruger Service Six for cheap because it had not been properly taken care of.
    Apparently, it had developed a patina of rust which whoever owned it had used steel wool to remove. It isn't a pretty gun by any stretch of the imagination.
    When I took it to the range, it seemed sluggish and stiff. Occasionally, it would just not want to rotate the cylinder. Not locked up, but very sluggish to the point I had to assist the cylinder with hand pressure. Trigger was fairly light but sluggish as well. Putting a few drops of oil in various spots didn't help much.
    Today I took it apart and cleaned it.
    This was the dirtiest and most fouled revolver I have ever seen. All the internal parts looked like they had been coated with molasses. Old oil, powder fouling, light rust, and just general neglect had left the moving parts just barely moving.
    Fortunately, these revolvers are easy to take apart. I soaked the trigger group and cylinder from this one in Hoppes for about 10 minutes then blew it out with Gun Scrubber. It still needed some work with a brush to get the really hard to remove stuff off. I cleaned out the frame with Hoppes and Gun Scrubber while I was soaking the other parts.
    After lightly oiling the assorted parts, I reassembled the gun.
    Man what a difference that made. The action is now smooth and easily worked both double and single action. The lockup on the cylinder is tighter now also.

    I don't understand why people will not take care of a good firearm. It isn't difficult. With a little care, a revolver like this will last a lifetime.
    Unfortunately, it still is not a pretty gun, but now it works like a new one.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    The ejector rod on security six and speed/service six like to loosen up and cause problems too. Its a left handed thread. I finally had to blue loctite one, all my others once tightened, stayed that way. I've noticed lately that there are 2 types of shooters. Those that keep their guns surgically clean and those that never clean them. Todd/3leg

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    Taz, it's entirely possible that revolver had never been disassembled and cleaned !

    Those are excellent guns and very strong. The actions are far better than some urban legend and internet lore will lead you to believe.

    If you are mechanically inclined, the action can be detail stripped and a few key parts carefully polished to really make those guns smooth.
    Shimming the trigger, hammer dog & the hammer can also help. The people at Triggershims.com. are great to deal with if you go that route.

    https://www.triggershims.com/ruger_double_action.html


    I don't like to shim the hammers on GP-100's, SP101's or DA Six's because it makes re-installing the hammer a bit of a pain but that's just my pet peeve. Shimming the trigger and the hammer dog (DA sear) are one time jobs.

    A few things that can be done to smooth up those actions at no cost. Never pull the trigger when the trigger group is out of the frame unless you want to go hunting for some very small springs and plungers ! However, if you know what you are doing, those actions can be really cleaned up well. They respond very well to careful polishing, shims and proper lubrication.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Glad to hear that another ruger got its due justice. I have a security six and just enjoy the heck out of it. Ruger has PDF files on their website detaili g disassembly and cleaning for all of their firearms. Not hard to do at all. A little maintenance goes a long way. Good for you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 3leggedturtle View Post
    The ejector rod on security six and speed/service six like to loosen up and cause problems too. Its a left handed thread. I finally had to blue loctite one, all my others once tightened, stayed that way. I've noticed lately that there are 2 types of shooters. Those that keep their guns surgically clean and those that never clean them. Todd/3leg
    True, the ejector rod assembly on a DA Six (Security/Service/Speed - Six) is close to the same design as a S&W DA. The ejector rod screws into the ejector via left hand threads. There are some differences between the designs of the Ruger and S&W but if you are familiar with the S&W setup the Ruger will not be too foreign to you. There's a small washer trapped between the ejector rod and the ejector on the Ruger that the spring acts on, so pay attention when you take one apart.

    I've had pretty good luck with the ejector rods on my Ruger DA Six's but if you do have an issue, blue Loc-tite is a good solution.

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    P&P--I remembered your warning about not pulling the trigger when disassembled from my other thread and was careful not to do so. Thanks for the warning.
    It may be possible that this one has been polished at some time in the past. That, or just shot a lot. It is exceptionally smooth since I cleaned it. Much smoother than my current crop of S&W revolvers and I thought they were nice.
    The single action trigger pull is lighter than my Target Masterpiece. The double action pull is better than any revolver I have handled with the exception of a race revolver I handled once.
    It fires CCI primers without a hitch in either DA or SA mode.
    The barrel is spotless inside as is the cylinder. Apparently, all the rust was on the outside.
    So far, the ejector rod has shown no inclination to come loose.
    It shoots to point of aim with 158 grain cast and 3.5 of Bullseye. Light load wadcutters are a little low.
    I got it for under $300. It will serve as a bedside gun or a vehicle gun quite well. Or even a carry gun since it has a 4 inch barrel.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    Good save , fun to feel the difference before and after on that kind of project.

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    Quote Originally Posted by tazman View Post
    P&P--I remembered your warning about not pulling the trigger when disassembled from my other thread and was careful not to do so. Thanks for the warning.
    It may be possible that this one has been polished at some time in the past. That, or just shot a lot. It is exceptionally smooth since I cleaned it. Much smoother than my current crop of S&W revolvers and I thought they were nice.
    The single action trigger pull is lighter than my Target Masterpiece. The double action pull is better than any revolver I have handled with the exception of a race revolver I handled once.
    It fires CCI primers without a hitch in either DA or SA mode.
    The barrel is spotless inside as is the cylinder. Apparently, all the rust was on the outside.
    So far, the ejector rod has shown no inclination to come loose.
    It shoots to point of aim with 158 grain cast and 3.5 of Bullseye. Light load wadcutters are a little low.
    I got it for under $300. It will serve as a bedside gun or a vehicle gun quite well. Or even a carry gun since it has a 4 inch barrel.
    WOW !

    You did VERY WELL !

    I recall you getting a 6" Security-Six that was a 150 prefix gun. This is a 4" Service-Six? You got another Ruger DA Six?
    Last edited by Petrol & Powder; 05-18-2019 at 02:21 PM.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Petrol & Powder View Post
    WOW !

    You did VERY WELL !

    I recall you getting a 6" Security-Six that was a 150 prefix gun. This is a 4" Service-Six? You got another Ruger DA Six?
    Yes, it is another DA six. I liked the first one so when this one turned up it was natural.
    I found it at a gun shop(he also has a pawn shop associated with the store) that usually handles single action revolvers and lever guns for cowboy style shooting or plastic semi-auto and AR style stuff. Nothing in between usually. He did have a couple of S&W revolver in the case which was unusual for him. May have taken them in on pawn or bought them outright.
    He didn't want to take the time to clean it and may not have know how easy it is. It didn't really fit his store theme. As I said, it is not a pretty gun so he may not have been able to sell it easily.
    It has the scroll label for 200th year on the side. That was almost removed when the previous owner cleaned the rust off it.
    When he saw me looking at it, he dropped the price from $375 to $300. I got him to knock another $25 off.

  10. #10
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    I've said it before and I'll stand by it - The Ruger DA Six series revolvers were some of the best DA revolvers ever made!

    A bicentennial (1976) Ruger Service-Six is a pretty cool gun regardless of the finish. That might be a good candidate for a re-blue or some other finish. Or you could just clean it up and keep it like it is.

  11. #11
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    By the way, not all of the 1976 production got the Bicentennial roll mark but most of them did. The serial number range for the 1976 production was 151-76180 to 152-61012.

  12. #12
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    The Security and Service Six are perfect size revolvers. Even a worn one here will fetch $400. You did great( again).

  13. #13
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    I tighten my DA revolver ejector rods by chucking the ejector rod in a padded vise, stick 2 .357Maximum rounds into opposite sides of the cylinder and give them a hard twist. They Never loosen up. Or 445 or 460 cases.

    Loosen the ejector rod the same way.

    I have pads for my vise that are 1/2" plywood with a triple thickness of rubber innertube epoxied to one side.
    There are small bent nails set into the top of each side. I just turn them around to keep the pads from falling off, depending which side I'm using.
    I HATE auto-correct

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  14. #14
    Boolit Master 35 Whelen's Avatar
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    Does it look as bad as this one?



    Shoots good though!



    35W
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    There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand.

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  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Maybe a little worse than yours.
    I doubt I can shoot it as well as you did that one. In fact I know I can't.
    I know, it's a personal problem for me.

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    I took it to the range again today. No issues with function at all. Due to the smoothness of the double action pull on this revolver, I can now shoot double action and feel confident with the accuracy of the gun. I shoot this one better than any other of my revolvers in double action mode.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    You know...when it really comes down to it....it's all in how it shoots...not how it looks. I'm glad you saved a good Ruger....nice find.

    redhawk

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  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by redhawk0 View Post
    You know...when it really comes down to it....it's all in how it shoots...not how it looks. I'm glad you saved a good Ruger....nice find.

    redhawk
    You are entirely correct.

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Petrol & Powder View Post
    I've said it before and I'll stand by it - The Ruger DA Six series revolvers were the best DA revolvers ever made!
    Fixed it for you.
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

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    I caught what you did there

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check