Ruger OM Blackhawk

[sliphammer]

Has anyone had trouble ordering OM parts from Ruger if you haven't had your gun converted to the new safety system? I tried to order a cylinder latch, spring, and a trigger plunger with spring. They said sorry, we cannot sell OM parts for a gun that hasn't been converted. Brownell's, & Gun Parts Corp., sells OM parts but Ruger sure try's to make it hard on those of us who like the OM's they way they are. Sliphammer

[Nueces]

sliphammer, I believe that has been Ruger policy for quite some time. Sux, don't it? Thanks be to the Brownell and Numrich folks, as you've found.

And, welcome to this board. If you haven't strolled the archives, please do so to see what this place is like, try some searches, and then ask what you want to know and tell what you do know. I'll bet that there are few topics in the boolit world not covered somewhere herein. Come sit by the fire and see.

Mark

[leftiye]

Give Brownell's a call. They have Ruger parts in their catalogue. I saw that as I was looking For S&W sight parts.

[felix]

I had the firing pin break in my 1968 version of a 22LR-22mag. Had the thing since new, and it never did shoot that accurately. They said they would fix that on the phone as they converted it, and would send the old parts back. Sure enough, three months later the trigger pull was 10 times worse, but the thing shot very close to the same as with my model 41 smith on target. I bet I haven't shot 500 rounds in it since it was fixed 20 years ago. Just don't like the trigger anymore, but because it is so accurate I am going to leave it alone. ... felix

[mtngunr]

Ruger was one of the first gun companies to be successfully sued, and they were hit hard and often over the Old Model style lockwork being a defective and unsafe design.....the same way a Piper Cub was ruled unsafe and defective by virtue of it being a taildragger with limited forward visibility, and a huge award given to the guy who ran his Cub into a van......the difference being Piper immediately dropped the Cub, while we still have Rugers............if Ruger were to repair or sustain a gun which has been found numerous times to be a defective and unsafe design, they would be wide open.........if you want to blame anyone, blame the folk who shoot themselves with a gun made virtually unchanged since 1861 and the greedy lawyers who go for huge awards, along with the juries who give out those huge awards in hopes that they too may one day strike it rich without working for it........oh, and the firing pins are the same from OM to NM.....meanwhile, parts kits for OM's continue to escalate in cost, and need to be found/purchased pronto, as they will only get pricier on a gun out of print since '73.....

[44man]

The old Ruger was much stronger then the old Colts that would break a trigger in a split second. A reason most old cowboys and gun slingers carried replacement parts. Turning the six shooter into a five shooter never found it's way into the movies though, they had 40 shots before reloading.
Anyone that hurt themselves with the old gun should have been buried head down next to the lawyer that sued.
Isn't it funny that none of the auto manufacturers get sued when a car crashes from stupidity?
Maybe we should band together to get lawyers outlawed and put the same effort into it that anti gun nuts do for our guns. It must be hell to own a fine company and have to wait for a phone call from some nut lawyer.

[44man]

Felix, there is an easy fix to the bad trigger on your Ruger. You never want to remove any metal because the trigger can fall into the half cock notch. The solution is to add metal. I have had great luck soft soldering a piece of brass onto the hammer to keep the trigger out towards the edge of the sear. Just solder a piece on with a big copper iron (No torch!) and file it until you get the pull you want. You will not hurt a thing and it can be removed easily in case you sell the gun.
Make sure you tin each piece first. Not any harder then fixing copper pipe.
I have even gotten the solder to stick to the new stainless models but they are easier to grind and stone. I have always wanted to try drilling and tapping the hammer for a set screw but am afraid the metal is too hard.

[Phil]

How in the name of all thats holy could you NOT see a VAN from either seat of a Cub? Move on folks, nothing to see but extreme stupidity. Wonder what the idiot was doing besides looking outside the airplane? Through Cubs, Champs, Luscombes, 150's, 206's, 210's, 402's, 404's, I never managed to hit ANYTHING with an airplane. Maybe just blind luck eh?

Cheers all,

Phil

[13Echo]

Phil,

As I understand the story the pilot picked up his Cub from the mechanic without paying and taxied out to takeoff. The mechanic drove his van onto the runway to stop him but he proceded, apparently despite seeing the van, and struck the van. He succesfully sued Piper because his 50 year old Cub didn't have the latest seatbelts and shoulder harness which would have reduced the injury he received in the crash. The theory was Piper should have recalled all Cubs and retrofitted them, I suppose at Piper's expense. He won despite the absurdity of holding Piper continuously responsible and the fact that the crash was not an accident but an act of pure stupidity.

Jerry Liles

[Phil]

What we need here is a completely new judicial system. What you say just confirms my thinking that ours isn't just broken and dysfunctional, its criminal in its application.

Cheers,

Phil

[sliphammer]

Thanks for the info fellas. You know how it is when you think your done with some form of your hobby and you decide to get rid of the stuff? Well, 20 years ago, after I sold off a bunch of OM's, kept one 4 digit 44 Blackhawk, and one 4 digit Super, I was left with about 3 lbs. of Ruger old model parts. Super Blackhawk hammers, Blackhawk hammers, triggers, firing pins, 5 complets sets of screws, and an extra frame. I took the stuff down to the local gun show and peddled it. I'm kinda sorry about it now but you know how it is when the woman keeps telling you to stop being a packrat. I was smart enough to keep one set of parts though. The stuff on ebay keeps getting more expensive.
Sliphammer

[mtngunr]

Phil,

As I understand the story the pilot picked up his Cub from the mechanic without paying and taxied out to takeoff. The mechanic drove his van onto the runway to stop him but he proceded, apparently despite seeing the van, and struck the van. He succesfully sued Piper because his 50 year old Cub didn't have the latest seatbelts and shoulder harness which would have reduced the injury he received in the crash. The theory was Piper should have recalled all Cubs and retrofitted them, I suppose at Piper's expense. He won despite the absurdity of holding Piper continuously responsible and the fact that the crash was not an accident but an act of pure stupidity.

Jerry Liles

Also involved was the fact the pilot used the Piper for aerial photography, had installed a steel plate mount to the forward seat back, and slammed his head into the mount, suffering brain injury....Piper was judged liable due to limited visibility over the nose, that being the main point the jury awarded for the plaintiff.....and yes, a van was involved trying to stop him from taking off.......these are recollections of the original news item which would have been circa late-'80's I believe.....never have read anything about it since.......

[leftiye]

I see O.M. Blackhawk parts on FeeBay from time to time.

[georgeld]

SO, it was the pilot that sued?? Not the idiot in the van?

Had a lock up on my OM several times. The last time I sent the OM parts along with the gun and asked them to replace the original parts as I believed it was the conversion causing the problems.

Damned if they didn't keep the OM parts and returned the gun put back together. Note from repair said they replaced the latch assbly on the cyl pin and new pin.

It's worked fine since, but, damn it, why'd they keep the OM parts instead of returning them? They also changed triggers from a fairly wide one to a very narrow one. Keep thinking some day I'll thicken that nasty thing up some.

I do prefer Blackhawks to any other wheel gun. Much more so than my K 38.

[Ricochet]

I let Ruger install the "fix" in my Old Model Super Blackhawk and have no problem with it. Although I think I got a narrower trigger back, too.

But long before they came out with the modification, I'd figured out the safe way to carry it with six in the chamber. Same way as with cap & balls with safety pins or notches between the nipples. The cylinder has a groove between the recessed case heads. Half cock it, turn the cylinder to index midway between chambers, and ease the hammer down. The hammer rests on the firing pin, causing it to protrude into that groove, and the case rims won't allow the cylinder to turn. Just like the old cap & ball safety notches. Perfectly safe from firing with a blow on the hammer. Won't work with the transfer bar installed, of course, but then it's not needed. Dunno if that trick works on SAAs, I've only tried it with my SBH. If there's either a groove between recessed case heads or exposed case heads with a space between them and a protruding firing pin with the hammer down, it ought to work.

[mtngunr]

Ruger is supposed to return original parts, but this wouldn't be the first time I've heard of them getting lost.......for all I know, they've changed the policy on parts return, but that seems a suit in itself to me.....if you return an Old Model for retrofit of safety parts (and these parts are much more Coltish, having a split-fingered bolt), simply return the gun MINUS the original lockwork parts to avoid losing them somewhere......as for safe carry with six rounds, firstly, the groove in cylinder rear faces didn't last long, and there are plentious Old Models that don't have a groove, and secondly, the hammer only has to be inadvertantly eased back just a smidge and a live round will be under the firing pin.....the hammer getting pulled back is more common than you think, especially on guns with lightened mainsprings......I personally know of four folk who have been either trail riding or brush busting and later looked down to find a fully cocked single action on their hip.......my Colt SAA would often get pushed back to the first notch just with normal carry when the hammer nudged a seat-back........the mainspring had been lightened in all incidences, but I bet it even happens with no modification if the circumstances are right/wrong......

[Ricochet]

Of course, inadvertently pulling back the hammer can rotate a round under the hammer if you start with an empty chamber there, too.

[mtngunr]

Of course, inadvertently pulling back the hammer can rotate a round under the hammer if you start with an empty chamber there, too.

Yes sir, but you have to pull it back a BUNCH more......I have no faith whatsoever in intermediate hammer positions or safety notches, as every gun I've ever owned which featured such was found at some point to have a live round or cap under the hammer, and this includes NAA minguns.....

[jar-wv]

I bought a 357 flattop that had the re-work done. worst excuse for workmanship I've ever seen. Never saw a trigger so gritty and creepy. Luckily all the parts came with it to convert it back to OM design. Trigger is very nice now that the old parts are back in. I also have seen the trick of leaving the firing pin halfway in between the chambers, but don't trust it. I'm fine carrying it with 5.

jar

[357maximum]

I have heard where people have sent in a 357maximum srm blackhawk, and the whole gun was lost. and ruger issued a check/and or gift certificate in it's absence.

they were recalled and they simply dissapear...moral of the story...do not send your max to ruger

Never had first hand knowledge of this, and I won't either...wink