Question reference Ruger Single Action Revolvers

[Hrfunk]

I'm throwing this out to those of you who are really familiar with these revolvers. I just picked up my flat-top Bisley .44 Special. If you remember my post from a couple of weeks ago, you know this is the second one to be sent to me by Lipsey's. I refused to accept the first one because the action had what I believed was a defect. Specifically, when I cocked the hammer, the action had a distinct "catch" about half way to the full-cock position. When I pulled the hammer back, it initially moved smoothly until it reached that point, then it hit a stopping point. Considerably more effort was then needed to pull the hammer past that point and ultimately cock the action. A couple of times, while I was working with it in the shop, the action actually locked, and I could not pull it past the catching point. When that happened, I had to return the hammer to its rested position to unlock the action. Then I had to begin the cocking process again.

As I said, I refused to accept that first revolver. The second one arrived two days ago. When working with it, I again noticed that "catch" in the action. The second one, however, did not lock up while I was inspecting it so I brought it home. Since then, I've cocked the revolver several hundred times believeing the "catch" might just be a rough spot that would disappear as the parts wear in. To this point, I don't think it's improved at all. More concerning is the fact that on one occasion, I experienced the action lock-up with this second revolver.

So here is my question. Is this normal for Ruger single action revolvers? If so, does it go away in time, or do they stay like this? I owned a Super Blackhawk about 25 years ago, and I don't remember the action feeling like this.

Thanks in advance,
Howard

[Outpost75]

Me thinks Ruger QC suffered after Ed Harris left the company and Dave Tilden retired...

An old gun that works is worth more than a new one that doesn't.

My 1980s and 1990s Rugers have no such hiccups.

[lefty o]

no it is not normal. sadly , rugers QC has slipped pretty badly over the last decade.

[Hrfunk]

no it is not normal. sadly , rugers QC has slipped pretty badly over the last decade.
When I record my video review, this is something I’m going to hit kind of hard. Who knows, maybe someone from Ruger will see it and take note.

Howard

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I own 2 Ruger single actions and have no issues like that but there 20 years old or so

[higgins]

I have two newer Blackhawks (one a Lipseys gun) that have no such "catch" in cocking.

[DougGuy]

Sounds like the transfer bar may be coming up and hitting the bottom of the firing pin as you cock the gun. Is the base pin fully pushed into the frame?

[Walks]

The last Ruger SA I bought was a New Vaquero, when they 1st came out. Hated the cheap thin plastic grips. Had the internal lock. Got a slab of walnut, made a pair of proper size new grips using an OM Blkhk grips as a guide.

Action was ROUGH. Took it apart, smoothed everything.

Cylinder is too short to chamber my Heavier .45Colt load with the RCBS #452-270-SAA.
Haven't bought a Ruger since.

But to finally answer your question. It sounds like the hammer or transfer bar were not machined correctly.
To check if it's the Transfer bar, hold the EMPTY gun muzzle up. Cock the hammer. If it doesn't catch, If it repeatedly cocks smooth without catching, the Transfer Bar needs it's top inner edge polished to relieve that sharp edge.

It's a pretty easy fix. Just go online to the Ruger Website, they have a Great you-tube video on dis-assembly & re-assembly.
All you really need is to "break" that sharp edge, no more.

If that doesn't work, try to find a Good Cowboy Gunsmith close to you.

Good Luck

[txbirdman]

Yeah it sounds like the transfer bar’s hitting the bottom of the firing pin. The previous2 posters gave good advise to diagnose. I had a friend who had a SBH that did the same thing. I had an extra cylinder pin laying around and when I installed it the problem was solved.

[Tripplebeards]

My dad bought a brand new gp100 a few years ago that made grinding noises and locked up as soon as he got it home. I was retuned to the LGS where he bought it and was given full trade in value of what he paid for it towards a new model vaquero.

[Bazoo]

It could be a stuck base pin plunger not pushing against the transfer bar.

More likely in my opinion is a binding hammer plunger. I've had at least two stick and they will cause both hitches in the hammer and complete lockup of the gun if it sticks completely. It could just be debris in the hole. The solution is disassembly and cleaning and possibly polishing of the hole. I was able to polish mine by rolling a piece of thousand grit paper up and putting it in my dremel.

[Hrfunk]

I'm sure the revolver is fixable, and it will function as it is. It annoys me, however, to purchase a new firearm only to have to work on it right out of the box. I've been running into this type of thing more and more over the past couple of years. It doesn't seem to matter which manufacturer is involved. In the last 24 months or so, I've had new firearms from Pietta, Metro Arms, Remington, and now Ruger that have had issues right from the get-go. Along the way, I've had similar problems with optics from Leupold, Leatherwood, and Aimpoint. To their credit, the manufacturers I've contacted regarding these issues have stood behind their products and repaired or replaced the defective items. Even so, this seems to be a poor commentary on the current state of firearm/optic manufacturing.

Howard

[JSH]

Buddy had some major issues with a Blackhawk this year. Three times back to them. He got it back last week. It got fixed and all of his list of issues were fixed. The gent at Ruger he spoke with did most of the work. Sounds like that plant has some real issues with employees. By the time they get them trained they have located another better paying job and move on. Then the process starts all over.
Trying to keep products moving and quality up, done by to few individuals let’s things out that shouldn’t. The old saying can’t be in two places at once sounds more like three or four.

[Loudenboomer]

I had a similar problem with a .480 SBH I sent it back and it returned with a very good fit and tune. The problem is not exclusive to Ruger. Had to send an expensive little 1911 Springfield EMP back as well. It also returned in excellent function. It seems firearms manufactures are assembling guns as fast as possible by semi skilled laborers. Most are guns OK and most of the public wont notice if their not. When a few of us disagree with the quality the gun needs to be returned and fit buy a expert. Seems their business plan is to save money by only having to hand fit a few guns.

[Hrfunk]

I had a similar problem with a .480 SBH I sent it back and it returned with a very good fit and tune. The problem is not exclusive to Ruger. Had to send an expensive little 1911 Springfield EMP back as well. It also returned in excellent function. It seems firearms manufactures are assembling guns as fast as possible by semi skilled laborers. Most are guns OK and most of the public wont notice if their not. When a few of us disagree with the quality the gun needs to be returned and fit buy a expert. Seems their business plan is to save money by only having to hand fit a few guns.

You may be on to something there.

Howard

[onelight]

My experience with Rugers has been hit or miss on perfect fit and function. But Rugers service has always been excellent at fixing the problems to my satisfaction.
On new pistols I fire a few hundred rounds before doing any mods so if the gun has issues i can return it for repair like it came from the box .
I like Rugers and have quite a few and will buy more , but sure would be nice if they would spend a little more time on the final inspection .

[contender1]

JSH & Loudenboomer are pointing to the "why" SOME of the guns at ALL major makers have issues.
The consumer market wants guns as inexpensive as possible. Add in the demand for thousands & thousands of them,., combined with the companies having to answer to stockholders,, a percentage of guns do have "issues."
Add in the fact that MANY assembly line workers at all the big makers are hourly employees,, often not serious gun folks,, much less actual gunsmith types,, you will see a difference in the QC of a gun built under Bill Ruger vs. now.
BUT,,, under Bill,,, you'd hear about a new gun,, and MAYBE see one for sale in 6 months to 2 years later. Production was MUCH slower. And people complained a LOT about that issue. Now,, with Ruger turning out as many as 2 million guns annually,, even 1% of that is 20,000 guns. Return rate is about 4% AVERAGE overall for Ruger. (I got that directly from speaking with a Ruger employee who knew the numbers.) So,, figure about 80,000 out of 2,000,000 guns get returned. Some models,, moreso than others. The American Rifle series enjoys a VERY low return rate.
So, an hourly employee,, working towards production numbers,, can easily ship out a gun needing a minor fix. When it's assembled,, test fired (done in a special machine right on the end of the assy line,) and it functions,, it gets boxed & shipped.
At each station on the assy line,, it gets checked for function,, NOT smoothness & hand fitted etc. It either works or not. If at any time,, it fails to work, that gun is pulled and re-worked.

So,, that's part of the why.

As for the fix,, I agree with Bazoo,, I'd look closely at the hammer plunger & it's hole etc. Of course,, an action clean up is always a plus to smoothness.

I just got one of the new .45 Colt Bisley Hunters. Out of the box,, very tight & a little rough. A few dozen times of dry firing it,, and it loosened a little. I pin gauged the chambers,, and it needed uniforming. I did this,, and then yesterday,, after mounting a UltraDot I went to zero it & check for accuracy. Shooting up some PCed bullets sized to .452,,, (I haven't had time to slug it yet,, and wanted to dispense of these loads,) my first cylinder shot a nice,, almost one hole group,,, about 2" at 25 yds. I adjusted the dot,, and moved it to 100 yds. There it printed a 7" group,, and I know it can do better. Especially once I slug it & get my eyes to working better using that dot at 100 yds.
Perfect out of the box? Nope.
But if I wanted perfection,, I'd look at Freedom Arms. (Which,,, BTW,, I'm also shooting a scoped one at 100 yds. Prepping for an elk hunt. and it shoots the SAME ammo,, just for giggles,, yesterday,, producing a 5" group. With the right ammo,, the FA shoots a 3" group,, IF,, and I stress IF the shooter does his part.) Of course a FA costs almost 4 times as much as the Ruger. And to show that nobody is totally perfect,, my FA had to make a trip back to them for a new firing pin that had broken. That was a bit over $100 to fix.

So,, take that new Ruger apart,, POLISH surfaces that can smooth things up a bit,, (don't mess with the hammer/sear angles,) and look closely at the hammer plunger & hole. Polish the transfer bar etc as noted too. NONE of the polishing if done right will hurt the gun at all. My newest 45 will get that treatment soon.

[Tripplebeards]

Buddy had some major issues with a Blackhawk this year. Three times back to them. He got it back last week. It got fixed and all of his list of issues were fixed. The gent at Ruger he spoke with did most of the work. Sounds like that plant has some real issues with employees. By the time they get them trained they have located another better paying job and move on. Then the process starts all over.
Trying to keep products moving and quality up, done by to few individuals let’s things out that shouldn’t. The old saying can’t be in two places at once sounds more like three or four.


My Ruger American 450BM is back in forth the 4th time as we speak. Everything has been replaced on it accept the bolt, action, and stock. The action and bolt needs to be replaced according to Ruger customer service this time. I asked for a replacement rifle this time... and a different model I’ve lost all faith in the American line.

The new model vaquero that was exchanged for the defective GP100 had some finishing issues so I sent it into Ruger to get polished. It was never sanded smooth around the front blade and look like a sandy desert of bumpy and pitted. It came back twice with buffer swirls Marks all over the gun along with the original issue still looking horrible. One grip actually hung over an eighth of an inch and I asked him to adjust it they sent me a different grips each time and they’re still not lined up. I gave up and polished it myself which I should’ve done to begin with. Maybe I just expect too much from firearms manufacturer, to have something like brand new, work flawlessly, and nice. I think sometimes the firearms and ammo by too many retail customers before they get purchased as well. I bought a Ruger 77/44 synthetic stocked rifle years ago and the stock had been scuffed,scratched, dropped and looked as if it was handled by 1000 people before I bought it. The stainless finish had some scuffs on it as well. I didn’t care at the time because I received $100 bucks off of it and also this was at the time that Ruger said they weren’t manufacturing them anymore(sales gimmick lie on Rugers part) so at the time I was just happy to get one.

[GL49]

I've only had one Ruger that was a little "sticky", just like in the first post. About 1/2 hour later, after cleaning, a little polish, cycle it for 10 minutes while watching "Monte Walsh", it's smoother than I need and shoots better than I can see. I was watching the transfer bar when mine was a little "sticky", I can't say I pinned it down to that, but it may have been. I've got the revolver in front of me now, all signs of stickiness are gone so I can't diagnose anything now, it's a Bisley in 454 Casull. All nine of my Rugers probably won't shoot as good as my FA 83, although my best group at 75 yards I've ever shot was with my Ruger SRH. But I was younger then, and so were my eyes, they all shoot about the same now. Well, I shoot them all the same.
Close enough for "minute of Bear" at 30 yards. I can tell you, that's a thrill.
If you really want quality, go have John Linebaugh rework a Ruger, I got one from Pepe Ray here on the forum. A FA will make you smile... a Linebaugh will make you drool all over yourself and pee in your pants.

[Hrfunk]

That's a great movie to watch while working with a single action revolver! I think mine MIGHT be starting to loosen up just a bit. In watching it closely while cocking the action, it appears to hit the "catching point" at the same instant the transfer bar reaches the bottom of the firing pin. So, that may just be the culprit. I haven't had a chance to do any cleaning or polishing yet. Plus, I want to keep it pretty much "as is" for my video review so I can give an accurate account of how the revolver comes from the box.

Now, here's another question. Do any of you know of a good Ruger revolversmith in Ohio? There are a few things I'd eventually like to do to this revolver.

Howard

[DougGuy]

Hrfunk, I have a medium framed Vaquero, same action and internals as yours, if I cock the hammer back just far enough to see the transfer bar, it is pushed back off the frame, and as the hammer is cocked, it stays back away from the frame and never makes contact with the firing pin as it comes to full cock. At any point I can reach in there and push forward on the transfer bar and feel a spring pushing back against it, keeping it to the rear.

This spring is located in the cylinder base pin, if you pull your pin out you can see a small plunger pin sticking out the end of the base pin about 1/8" or so. You can push against it, this is the spring that keeps the transfer bar from hitting the firing pin. Check yours out. If your base pin is not all the way in, this could happen. If you don't have a plunger pin protruding from the cylinder base pin, or it isn't protruding enough, this could cause the transfer bar to hit the firing pin which will make the gun want to lock up.

[onelight]

I have had several rugers that the base pin would jump the catch under recoil , feeling that bump of the transfer bar into the firing pin is the first sign I notice when shooting.
Hang in there they are wonderful guns when you get any issues if you have them sorted out .

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm not a SA guy, don't hate them - just more of a DA revolver guy. However, I've had a similar issue with a transfer bar hanging up on a Ruger DA revolver. The DA guns don't have the spring loaded base pin pushing on the transfer bar like the SA guns but a transfer bar that has some burrs on it will also "catch" on occasion.
I had a new GP-100 that had a very rough transfer bar that would hang up during the DA pull. You could push through it and it likely would have eventually smoothed out with use. I pulled the transfer bar out, polished the surfaces that contacted the frame and never had another problem. As much as I like Rugers, they tend to be a little corse inside as they come from the factory.