Ruger Redhawk don't shoot no more?

[DonMountain]

I have a stainless Ruger Redhawk with a 7 1/2" barrel that I bought new maybe 30 years ago. Bought it and a Leupold 4x scope to use for deer hunting. And that's about all I have used it for over all of these years, along with some minor target shooting when preparing for our pistol deer season. I had it out a few days ago and shot up some low pressure target ammunition I had loaded many years ago, and some more recently. (All 310 grain cast projectiles over 12 grains of W-571) In one cylinder full I fired 2 shots, and then the hammer came back real easy and the gun would not fire anymore. Like the hammer spring had broken. I can work it manually by pushing the trigger forward and pulling back the hammer like to fire it, and the hammer comes back real easy, but when pulling the trigger nothing happens. So, what is wrong with it and is it fixable? I have not tried to dismantle it yet, and I think I have the book for it somewhere?

[BLAHUT]

IMO, You will need to take it apart and see what let go ??? Contact Ruger and see what they will want to fix ???

[THM81346]

I haven't had to contact Ruger in some time, but the number I have for service on pistols is 520 778 6550.

[DougGuy]

This WAS the number for handguns: Customer Service - Newport, NH. 411 Sunapee Street, Newport, NH 03773. Telephone: 336-949-5200. But they have several customer service centers I am sure they will direct you to the right department.

Call them and tell them you were shooting the gun and suddenly the hammer went limp and it won't shoot. They will likely send the brown truck to your door with a label in hand.

[LeonardC]

If you get brave...and want to DIY, I see Midway has some springs for the RedHawk.

I "needed" to send a RSRH cylinder to DougGuy (it's in the mail on its way back) and Youtube was my friend for seeing how to take it apart. I also needed a $12.50 screwdriver bit along with $12.95 shipping from Brownells. I hope it goes together as easy as it came apart!

Long ago I had to send in a BH to Ruger for rebarrel and refinishing $$$. They didn't care for my DIY gunsmithing and replaced all the aftermarket springs and parts that I'd worked on...all back to factory stock. But the gun looks better than when it was new AND who ever put it together spent some time doing it right because it really feels and shoots GREAT!

[6string]

The entire lockwork pulls out in one piece with the triggerguard.
It should be pretty easy to evaluate.
On the other hand, reassembly can be a bit quirky like the Mk. II .22 cal. pistol.

[Winger Ed.]

There's only a few moving parts in there. It shouldn't be any big deal to replace one or two.

Edit:

The heads on gun screws are usually cut different than common hardware store ones.
I'd encourage getting some gun smith style screw drivers (or snap in bits) that fit the screws correctly
to keep from dinging up the top edges of the screws on the Ruger.

[Snakeoil]

Never saw a revolver that was too complicated to work on. Dive in. You'll learn something in the process. Does sound like the mainspring broke. Never been inside a Redhawk so not sure if another part can fail and defeat the mainspring action. Do a search on the web for an exploded diagram and that will tell you a lot and also let you know what to expect inside. Numrich may have one on their website.

UPDATE: Was curious. Here's a diagram for you. https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/ruger/revolvers-ruger/redhawk

I see small pins that look like they are part of the mainspring mechanism. One may have come out of place. Coil springs are not known to break. So my guess is something in that assembly has come loose or failed. Looking at the diagram, I suspect that if you just take the grips off you'll find the problem. Be careful when you do. One of those pins may be loose and fall out when you remove the grips. I always put a clean white towel on the bench and work on that. Things don't roll off the bench, bounce into never-never land and you can find the small parts on that white towel. Good luck.

[racepres]

IMO..If Ruger will do what is required to Make it Right...Send it...I have plenty of "clunkers" that Need Attention

[Winger Ed.]

I always put a clean white towel on the bench and work on that. Things don't roll off the bench, bounce into never-never land and you can find the small parts on that white towel. Good luck.

I do that too.
However; I did have a small piece of a Rem700 bolt jump out, and I think it is still in orbit around the moon.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

SNIP>>>

So, what is wrong with it and is it fixable? I have not tried to dismantle it yet, and I think I have the book for it somewhere?
There is nothing like a good youtube video to help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hen4iApKtMg

[racepres]

I do that too.
However; I did have a small piece of a Rem700 bolt jump out, and I think it is still in orbit around the moon.

LOL The world will someday marvel at the Multitude of small parts that have escaped detection (Forget about recovery), in such a small space as my gun room!!!

[megasupermagnum]

It is certainly repairable. I'm guessing it isn't a broken main spring, but it is possible. There is a good chance you can see what is wrong by just taking the grips off. I would look for either the spring or linkage binding, or a pin that fell out. I would actually lean more towards binding than anything, especially if it hasn't been apart in 30 years. Both rust and goop from years of oil can do that. I wouldn't send it to Ruger unless you find a major part broken.

[megasupermagnum]

There's only a few moving parts in there. It shouldn't be any big deal to replace one or two.

Edit:

The heads on gun screws are usually cut different than common hardware store ones.
I'd encourage getting some gun smith style screw drivers (or snap in bits) that fit the screws correctly
to keep from dinging up the top edges of the screws on the Ruger.

In my experience the Redhawk is one of the harder revolvers to work on, but it isn't that bad. The trigger group has a lot of similarity to the more modern super Redhawk, GP100, and SP101, but the linkage is goofy, and it it can be a pain to get it back together. There are a ton of moving parts inside, lot of them that can fly out if you don't know what you are doing.

As for screwdrivers, no need to buy them. Just take a cheap one you don't care about, and put it to the grinder. Grind it until it fits. The only real key is that most screwdrivers come tapered both front and sides. You need to grind them so both surfaces are flat. I do have a decent gunsmiths screwdriver set, but I still grind plenty of screwdrivers for different things. My favorite screwdriver for small sight screws is one I ground. My favorite one for getting jets out of Kehin carbs is one I ground. I'm just saying you can buy them if you want, but that screwdriver you have floating in the junk drawer can be just as good for a job like this.

Also along with that, you really don't need any special screwdrivers for the Redhawk. The only one I can think of is the one for the grip screw, and a normal screwdriver works fine for that. You will need a small pin such as a paper clip for the mainspring rod to hold the spring compressed. The trigger assembly is held in with a spring loaded plunger which can be pulled out with your fingers. Everything in the trigger assembly is just slipped on there or held with pins, which again can be pushed out with something like a paper clip. That's where you have to know what you are doing. Both the hand/ cylinder pawl, and the cylinder stop have a little spring and detent that come flying out if you don't know they are there. I learned the hard way.

[Winger Ed.]

LOL The world will someday marvel at the Multitude of small parts that have escaped detection (Forget about recovery), in such a small space as my gun room!!!

Oh that's small potatoes.

I heard there was a big cover up awhile back at NASA.
Remember the Space Shuttle that landed with a big giant gouge in the windshield?
They wouldn't admit it was a just a trigger return spring out of a S&W revolver.

[45workhorse]

Oh that's small potatoes.

I heard there was a big cover up awhile back at NASA.
Remember the Space Shuttle that landed with a big giant gouge in the windshield?
They wouldn't admit it was a just a trigger return spring out of a S&W revolver.

Careful they may send you the repair bill!:kidding:

[Scrounge]

I have a stainless Ruger Redhawk with a 7 1/2" barrel that I bought new maybe 30 years ago. Bought it and a Leupold 4x scope to use for deer hunting. And that's about all I have used it for over all of these years, along with some minor target shooting when preparing for our pistol deer season. I had it out a few days ago and shot up some low pressure target ammunition I had loaded many years ago, and some more recently. (All 310 grain cast projectiles over 12 grains of W-571) In one cylinder full I fired 2 shots, and then the hammer came back real easy and the gun would not fire anymore. Like the hammer spring had broken. I can work it manually by pushing the trigger forward and pulling back the hammer like to fire it, and the hammer comes back real easy, but when pulling the trigger nothing happens. So, what is wrong with it and is it fixable? I have not tried to dismantle it yet, and I think I have the book for it somewhere?

NO, NO, NO! You need to immediately mail it to me, and forget you ever had it!

Or I suppose you could download this: https://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/_manuals/redhawk.pdf and then disassemble the pistol and compare the parts in your pistol to the parts in the drawings. Then you'll have an idea of what you need to do to fix it. ;)

Bill

[Kosh75287]

On one of Ruger's Security Six model revolvers, I would (have) trust(ed) myself to remove and replace a broken hammer spring. The Redhawk's trigger assembly is sufficiently different that I would likely have to think more carefully on the matter.
One advantage to sending it to Ruger for the work, in addition to letting THEM deal with the complexity, is that they have learned over time what other problems to look for in the Redhawk, and check/head those off, while they have it apart.

[DonMountain]

It is certainly repairable. I'm guessing it isn't a broken main spring, but it is possible. There is a good chance you can see what is wrong by just taking the grips off. I would look for either the spring or linkage binding, or a pin that fell out. I would actually lean more towards binding than anything, especially if it hasn't been apart in 30 years. Both rust and goop from years of oil can do that. I wouldn't send it to Ruger unless you find a major part broken.

I finally got the time to look at all the suggested videos and instruction manual for the gun, and with everyone's suggestions took off the Hogue grips I have mounted on the gun. Fiddling around with the hammer and trigger while watching the movement of parts in the gun, it became obvious that part #22, Hammer Link was no longer hooked to the top of the Mainspring Lever. As per the videos, I removed the hammer along with the hammer link, and the mainspring along with the mainspring lever, and took a hard look at the hammer link for damage. It appears to be undamaged and hardly worn anywhere, so I cleaned up the interior of the gun, lubricated the pivot pins and parts that rub together, and put it all back together. I had a little trouble actually hooking the hammer link back onto the mainspring lever because of close clearance there. But once all back together it operates just like it did before the failure. And I can't imagine how this hammer link could have gotten unhooked from the mainspring lever with this much spring tension on it (original spring). And I thank all of you for your suggestions and help getting this Deer Gun back operating again. And now to load some more of those 320 grain cast lead projectiles over 17.0 grains of H-110 and go shooting again. We have been bothered by armadillos here in Missouri and I need a powerful load capable of piercing that super hard shell of theirs.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Nice work!

[FergusonTO35]

Glad to hear it. You may want to replace the mainspring as I'm pretty sure it controls several different functions in these guns. I've taken my Service Six apart a few times and didn't find it any more difficult than my Smiths.

[DonMountain]

So, now that I have found this design defect in the Ruger Redhawk with the hammer link merely hooked over a roll pin on the spring attachment, leading to total failure of the firing system at the worst possible time, what would be a better similar replacement for this design? I can't believe Ruger engineering staff didn't link the two together with a hole in the hammer link and another roll pin linking the two together? So, what would be a more suitable double action revolver with 7-1/2" barrel all in stainless with included scope mounts that I might replace this pistol with? I don't see this Ruger as suitable for deer hunting any more. Only plinking with low power loads when I bring other more serious firearms to the range with me.

[fenderman57]

Super redhawk

[megasupermagnum]

So, now that I have found this design defect in the Ruger Redhawk with the hammer link merely hooked over a roll pin on the spring attachment, leading to total failure of the firing system at the worst possible time, what would be a better similar replacement for this design? I can't believe Ruger engineering staff didn't link the two together with a hole in the hammer link and another roll pin linking the two together? So, what would be a more suitable double action revolver with 7-1/2" barrel all in stainless with included scope mounts that I might replace this pistol with? I don't see this Ruger as suitable for deer hunting any more. Only plinking with low power loads when I bring other more serious firearms to the range with me.

The super Redhawk, despite the similar name, is completely different inside. It is nearly identical to the GP100. That failure will not happen with a super Redhawk.

That said, more than likely the cause of your failure was just gunk and grime over the decades caused your spring or action to jam, yet your hammer continued to fall. Now that you have cleaned and lubed it, it is probably not going to do it again for 30 more years. Or just clean it every couple of years and it will never happen. While the super Redhawk will not have this problem, it can have it's own problems such as a trigger that doesn't return, or a horrible trigger pull if you don't clean it for 30 years.

[LeonardC]

I understand when you've lost confidence in your firearm to perform. Sad deal...as the gun has served you well for a long time.

In any case, I've got a Ruger Super RedHawk in .480 Ruger. I like BIG holes and lots of weight. You might too if you're shooting 310 grain .44s. Barrel length is 7.5" and it is set up for scope mounting. Different insides than the RedHawk. I just got my cylinder back from DougGuy; the insides look much better now! He had to hone the throats and ream the chambers to 6degree 30min. angle. My trigger is, I think, the worst of any gun I own. Not too heavy, but it is very gritty. I'll be tinkering with the trigger as I have time. Now that I've taken the gun apart to get to the cylinder I'm braver about getting into it again.

[megasupermagnum]

I understand when you've lost confidence in your firearm to perform. Sad deal...as the gun has served you well for a long time.

In any case, I've got a Ruger Super RedHawk in .480 Ruger. I like BIG holes and lots of weight. You might too if you're shooting 310 grain .44s. Barrel length is 7.5" and it is set up for scope mounting. Different insides than the RedHawk. I just got my cylinder back from DougGuy; the insides look much better now! He had to hone the throats and ream the chambers to 6degree 30min. angle. My trigger is, I think, the worst of any gun I own. Not too heavy, but it is very gritty. I'll be tinkering with the trigger as I have time. Now that I've taken the gun apart to get to the cylinder I'm braver about getting into it again.

Are you talking about single action, or double action trigger? The two biggest problems I've seen with double action pull on the super Redhawk and GP100 are problems in the trigger return, and binding with the hammer and trigger, although binding probably isn't the right word. With the trigger return, the best thing to do is take the plunger and spring out, then run that size drill bit in there with your fingers. There is almost always some kind of shavings, or burr or something in there that causes all kinds of issues. After that is cleaned up inside, verify the plunger can slip right through there with no resistance at all. If that checks out, lightly oil, and I recommend putting them back together with the lightest trigger return spring Wolff sells. As for the "binding" it can be from a few areas. The trigger itself is usually pretty good. They sell shims for them, but I feel they don't offer anything. The hammer dog shims can definitely be worthwhile, but that usually isn't the source of a gritty pull itself. It is worth cleaning up the hammer dog and matching surface on the trigger with a stone. Lastly is the hammer, they almost always rub somewhat on the frame. Definitely use shims here, this can be a big source of gritty or heavy pulls. A lighter hammer spring can lighten the double action pull, but it does not have a huge effect on the single action pull.

As for the single action trigger pull, that's really just a function of the fit between the hammer sear and trigger. The quick trick is to pull back the hammer, hold the hammer forward with mild force, and pull the trigger at the same time. Repeat a number of times. Sometimes this will knock a burr or smooth a bad spot off to improve things. Often it doesn't do a whole lot. If that doesn't fix it, then the only real solution is to manually adjust the fit of the parts. this is advanced level stuff. The safe answer is to gently run a stone on both surfaces to smooth them, not removing any edges, or changing any angles. If you really want to get into it, it is possible to *slightly* shorten the sear which reduces trigger creep. Obviously you have to do this very carefully to do it safely. You can also *slightly* alter the angle of the nose of the trigger, I would not mess with the hammer, only make sure that shelf is smooth. I would only do this if your smooth and crisp trigger pull is still very heavy. If it is already 3 or 4 pounds, you are already about as good as it gets.

These tips apply to the GP100, Redhawk, and super Redhawk, except of course the Redhawk does not have a trigger return spring or plunger.

[DonMountain]

Wow! These recommendations sure eliminate another Ruger gun from any consideration for hunting deer! I don't want to spend all that money to purchase a new Super Redhawk and receive such a poor example of machining and fitting to a point that it doesn't function well. And not being a gun mechanic I don't have the necessary skills to refit the gun myself to bring it to an acceptable level of performance. I have a World War Two vintage Smith and Wesson double action revolver that is smooth as glass and always fires any 45 ACP ammo I feed it. I want a deer hunting gun that works as smooth as that old S & W.

[contender1]

I don't think it's a design flaw or anything like that. The Redhawk has been around for decades & trusted by many, many handgun hunters. I'm not saying all of them are perfect,, or that the Super Redhawk is superior,, just that with ANY mechanical object,, there can be the occasional fail or hiccup. No matter who made them or how they are built. (Even a Freedom Arms can have an issue.)

And the internal design of the Ruger,, when compared to a S&W is like comparing apples to pears. Totally two different action designs. It's well known that a S&W will often be "slicker or smoother" than a Ruger,, but that a Ruger will be stronger in the long run.

Deer season is now months away. Take that Redhawk out,, shoot it,, a LOT & see if the problem happens again. You can learn to trust it again.

[megasupermagnum]

Wow! These recommendations sure eliminate another Ruger gun from any consideration for hunting deer! I don't want to spend all that money to purchase a new Super Redhawk and receive such a poor example of machining and fitting to a point that it doesn't function well. And not being a gun mechanic I don't have the necessary skills to refit the gun myself to bring it to an acceptable level of performance. I have a World War Two vintage Smith and Wesson double action revolver that is smooth as glass and always fires any 45 ACP ammo I feed it. I want a deer hunting gun that works as smooth as that old S & W.

That post #26 was for LeonardC, not for you. You have the advantage of not having bought a lemon. You seem to have taken my post in that all Ruger's need that to work, and that is not the case at all. You don't need to be a mechanic to see major issues. The great thing about Ruger is they are tolerant of a lot of mistakes in manufacturing that S&W's are not. The worst thing you will find in a Ruger is a thread choke in the barrel where the barrel threads into the frame. If you really want to be certain you don't have this, bring a couple of pin gauges with you to the store. Chances are good most guns don't have this issue, some do. All you need is a pin gauge just under bore diameter, say .419. If it slips easily in the muzzle, and it falls freely all the way through the barrel, you have no choke. As for trigger problems, that's easy, just dry fire them. You will know within a couple of pulls if there is anything wrong. Most new Redhawks and super Redhawks have decent double action pulls, and acceptable 4-5ish lb pound single action pulls. If it passes those two tests, there's almost nothing that will cause issues. I've never heard of any issues with cylinder endshake, they never skip like S&W's, even with super hotrod loads. The only thing that can make them fail is neglect or abuse.


If you want a S&W model 29, I could make a list for that as well. The good thing about a S&W N frame trigger is that there are so many gunsmiths out there that worked on them, that you can easily find someone who will do it for you. They work in a similar manner to the Ruger's, but they are built way different. You definitely need well fitting screwdrivers to work on a S&W. It takes a special tool to change the trigger return springs on them (it is possible, although difficult to do without the tool). If you have a gunsmith work on your trigger, make sure that you have them replace your cylinder stop spring with an extra power one from Wolff. These guns work ok with moderate 240 grain bullet loads, but if you are shooting H110 full power 250+ grain bullet loads, the model 29 cylinder stop does not handle that level of recoil well. Some people's are ok, many don't. The worst part about that problem is you never know if it is going to happen or not. You can go 2 full cylinders, and then the next all of a sudden it skipped one under recoil. The extra power spring for the cylinder stop definitely helps. They will handle most 44 mag ammo then. I currently have a 41 magnum version, and it will still do it with 280 and 295 grain bullets, but under that is fine. The other problem that can develop over time is cylinder end shake. N frames are very sensitive about this, and even .004" endshake you can start to see issues. Basically an N frame is a fine gun if you are ok sticking with normal 44 magnum 265 gr and under loads, nothing hot-rodded.

As for buying a S&W, you can do the same tests as Ruger, but another one I would advise if buying a new one is to run a patch on a cleaning rod down the barrel. Some of those ECM rifled barrels can be absolute junk. If I had done that on the last new one I bought, I would have saved myself a lot of headache. It had a large void in it, accuracy was non existent. S&W did nothing, said it was fine. If you are buying used I would always advise bringing feeler gauges to check barrel to cylinder gap and cylinder endshake, no matter the brand.

[LeonardC]

I did not mean to imply that my Ruger or Rugers in general are lemons. I think MINE needed and still needs some work to be the best it can be for me.

megasupermagnum: thank you for the suggestions. I shoot 99.99% single action. I will "lightly" try to get the trigger pull smoothed out. Gun must be safe. Gun must be reliable. The rest is just icing on the cupcake. If I can improve it safely I will.

[murf205]

The super Redhawk, despite the similar name, is completely different inside. It is nearly identical to the GP100. That failure will not happen with a super Redhawk.

That said, more than likely the cause of your failure was just gunk and grime over the decades caused your spring or action to jam, yet your hammer continued to fall. Now that you have cleaned and lubed it, it is probably not going to do it again for 30 more years. Or just clean it every couple of years and it will never happen. While the super Redhawk will not have this problem, it can have it's own problems such as a trigger that doesn't return, or a horrible trigger pull if you don't clean it for 30 years.

+2 for the Super Redhawk. Ruger got it right when they made this gun. It is a tank, inside and out. I've got one that has digested a zillion full throttle rounds, and I mean FULL throttle, and it is still tight as a fish's butt! I've had 2 RedHawks and without a doubt a tougher gun. Negasupermagnum is right, it wont happen with this one.

[FergusonTO35]

Super Blackhawk all the way, you can still find them new pretty easily for under a grand. If you find a worn but functional one at a pawn shop offer them a few benjamins and see if they bite. I think Taurus makes a .44 that is intended for hunting so that would also be an option. I have had nothing but good experiences with all my late model Taurus guns.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Wow! These recommendations sure eliminate another Ruger gun from any consideration for hunting deer! I don't want to spend all that money to purchase a new Super Redhawk and receive such a poor example of machining and fitting to a point that it doesn't function well. And not being a gun mechanic I don't have the necessary skills to refit the gun myself to bring it to an acceptable level of performance. I have a World War Two vintage Smith and Wesson double action revolver that is smooth as glass and always fires any 45 ACP ammo I feed it. I want a deer hunting gun that works as smooth as that old S & W.

Don,
before you replace your Redhawk, do some searching and reading for other peoples experiences. I bet the condition you experienced is a rare one for sure. I don't think this condition is a design flaw, I think there is a cause, as to why your gun's hammer link unhooked from the roll pin. If this were a design flaw, we'd be reading about this situation happening on a regular basis...and Ruger would have fixed it.

[HumptyDumpty]

One failure after 30 years of steady use does not indicate a poor design to me. I have numerous revolvers from 10-130 years of age, along with a wide variety of rifles and autoloading pistols spanning an even greater length of time. They are all machines, and will fail under the right conditions; revolvers are by no means immune, and I have had to repair several. If it happens again, you may need to replace something, but it may have been a complete fluke. Of course it's all up to your judgment, but I personally wouldn't give-up on the gun over this.

[Snakeoil]

I would give Ruger a call. Tell them what you found and if that indicates that the action needs factory attention. There might be a fix that they use and do not talk about because it is not common to all of the Redhawks produced. When I had Rugers, I found them to be very responsive to customers. Only Ruger I have left is a Vaquero. I bought it when they were first in the magazines. Called Ruger to see if they offered a steel ejector rod housing and was told that I did not have a Vaquero. I assured the person on the phone that I did. She said they have not been released for sale yet. I again repeated that I had one in my hands. She asked for the SN and I gave it to her. She said that gun was not supposed to be sold. It was a display model. I told her it was mine now. Probably collectible today.

[Scrounge]

I finally got the time to look at all the suggested videos and instruction manual for the gun, and with everyone's suggestions took off the Hogue grips I have mounted on the gun. Fiddling around with the hammer and trigger while watching the movement of parts in the gun, it became obvious that part #22, Hammer Link was no longer hooked to the top of the Mainspring Lever. As per the videos, I removed the hammer along with the hammer link, and the mainspring along with the mainspring lever, and took a hard look at the hammer link for damage. It appears to be undamaged and hardly worn anywhere, so I cleaned up the interior of the gun, lubricated the pivot pins and parts that rub together, and put it all back together. I had a little trouble actually hooking the hammer link back onto the mainspring lever because of close clearance there. But once all back together it operates just like it did before the failure. And I can't imagine how this hammer link could have gotten unhooked from the mainspring lever with this much spring tension on it (original spring). And I thank all of you for your suggestions and help getting this Deer Gun back operating again. And now to load some more of those 320 grain cast lead projectiles over 17.0 grains of H-110 and go shooting again. We have been bothered by armadillos here in Missouri and I need a powerful load capable of piercing that super hard shell of theirs.

Dang it! I thought I was gonna get a nice pistol out of this! ;)

Bet you're happy that you didn't send it to me, aren't you? :bigsmyl2:

Way to go!

[Rapier]

I would suggest you send the Red Hawk to Ruger to have it examined, they should never stop functioning, because they just fall apart, at any time. The Red Hawk is one tough gun.

[rintinglen]

As to how the Hammer hook came off the mainspring lever, my best guess is that dried grease, dirt, metal shaving(s) or some combination thereof, caused the main spring to bind in the forward position, when the hammer was next cocked, the spring did not drive the Lever rearward and allowed the hammer hook to drop down, coming off the Mainspring Lever pin.

To prevent a recurrence, disassemble the gun and thoroughly clean it, then lube with a good quality gun oil and plan on doing it again every three or four years or every 5,000 rounds, whichever comes first.

I have had sterling service from two Redhawks over the years. My first one in particular was shot extensively--to the tune of thousands of rounds with no problems whatsoever. I regretfully sold it when times and family necessitated it, but as soon as I could afford to do so, I bought the one I have now. I consider them to be the best combination of portability and strength between the Model 29/629's (too weak), The Super Redhawk (too heavy), and the regular Redhawk. The only thing I can find fault is the trigger is not going to be as light as is possible with either the N-frame or gp-100 action Supers. I'd consider buying a 5 1/2 inch 44, if I could find one reasonably priced.

[DocSavage]

I've replaced many of the hooks on my Redhawks and honestly that's the weak point of the design.
10 min repair once you get the part.

[DonMountain]

I've replaced many of the hooks on my Redhawks and honestly that's the weak point of the design.
10 min repair once you get the part.

So, this is a weak point of a Redhawk and happens often. When you replace the hook on your Redhawks, do you use a newer design that eliminates this problem? Like instead of a hook on the end of this link maybe a link with a hole in it so the role pin can slide through and be captured there by the grips? And where do you get these "new design" links?

[megasupermagnum]

No, it isn't a weak point. I have no doubts it is possible to break, but it's almost unheard of. If DocSavage really has broken multiple hooks he has broken a few mirrors, and crossed paths with a lot of black cats. The problem with a link as you suggest is that there is no good way to capture said pin without it being a major issue to install. There is no new design links. Ruger has been using the same hammer links since 1979, since there is nothing wrong with them. Hopefully Outpost can give some more experienced and accredited thoughts on the matter.

There isn't really anything I can think of reliability wise that effects the Redhawk that doesn't also effect any other revolver. The phrase "revolvers handle neglect well, but not abuse. Semi-auto's handle abuse well, but not neglect" is as true as they come. The failure you had is very rare, and is certainly a case of pushing neglect too far. Parts breakages simply aren't a problem in Redhawks. About the only thing I can think of that sometimes effects Redhawks is their firing pin protrusion is a little short, some can have issues using certain primers. Surely you would have noticed that issue in the last 30 years if yours had that issue. It's not really an issue with firing pin protrusion either, it's more an issue with not making good contact with the transfer bar. It can be fixed fairly easily, but again yours does not have that problem.

Speaking of transfer bars, I forgot to mention that in my post to LeonardC if you shorten the sear to reduce creep in any Ruger, you also run the risk of not raising your transfer bar enough. The fix for that is to slightly grind down the stop on the nose of your hammer about .020" which can be done with a simple homemade jig and a belt or disc grinder. Or just don't do that, and live with a little trigger creep. I like my triggers really crisp, and I've not had this issue yet, but it can happen.

[LeonardC]

Thank you!

Edit: Grinding, etc., is more than I plan on attempting. A bit of polishing and trying different springs as well as looking for burrs and rough spots is about my limit for now.

[DocSavage]

So, this is a weak point of a Redhawk and happens often. When you replace the hook on your Redhawks, do you use a newer design that eliminates this problem? Like instead of a hook on the end of this link maybe a link with a hole in it so the role pin can slide through and be captured there by the grips? And where do you get these "new design" links?

I should've made myself a bit clearer I replaced the part with the correct factory part. I have a 357 6 shot I've had since the early 80s the other 2 a 44 mag and 45 Colt since the 90s. I call the part a hook because that's what it looks like nomenclature is not always my strong suit.

[DocSavage]

I just looked at my original post "replaced many" was perhaps a poor choice of words of the 3 Redhawks that I own I replaced 4 hammer pivots 2 from fatigue 2 my fault. 4 parts over 40 years not too shabby. BTW my failures were the hook on the pivot broke off.

[DonMountain]

So, how are these new Smith and Wesson 460 Magnums in their X-Frame revolvers in comparison to these Non-Functional Ruger Red Hawk guns?

[murf205]

That's a good question. I have not heard of anybody having any inherent problems but then most people who have one probably don't shoot them enough to test their long term endurance.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The early X-Frame S&W guns had a cylinder stop spring that was too weak for the heavy recoil, S&W fixed that on subsequent guns. Other than that, I haven't heard of any other design flaws.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?198707-S-amp-W-500-load-assistance&p=2207005&viewfull=1#post2207005