Ruger Super Blackhawk Question

[cwtebay]

I have a Ruger SBH in 44 mag that has been a joy for 20 years. I carry it aroun 75 days a year hunting and horseback. I have shot roughly 3000 rounds through it (everything from 44 Russian to the OH MY loads) and never had an issue.
Today I pulled it out to use it and could not get the hammer to elicit a cylinder rotation. Pulled the cylinder - no debris or issues that I identified. Cleaned it tonight and it was mildly dirty (around 50 rounds since I last cleaned it up). Degreased, compressed air, greased cylinder and oiled the hand. It is still not cycling every time. 10 pulls of the hammer rotated the cylinder 8 times. Lightly putting pressure on the trigger and manually advancing the cylinder will allow the hammer to release into full cock. Doesn't matter if the cylinder is in or not, when the hammer will not go into full cock the cylinder will free wheel. I haven't pulled the trigger group out, and would likely go to a smith for that. Plan on putting it in my ultrasonic cleaner in the morning to rule out debris.
Any thoughts from anyone?

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[Texas by God]

Point it up and try it. Then point it down and try it. That will let you know if the hand is the problem.
Just guessing here.
A Blackhawk malfunctioning causes a “What the?” moment for sure- because it don’t happen often…


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[45workhorse]

YouTube is your friend!
You can find how disassemble it. Not hard
Heck, Ruger may even take care of it for free!
Will be watching!

[cwtebay]

Point it up and try it. Then point it down and try it. That will let you know if the hand is the problem.
Just guessing here.
A Blackhawk malfunctioning causes a “What the?” moment for sure- because it don’t happen often…


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkExcellent question - yes I did and yes it does. In both positions it behaves the same. I am wondering if the transfer bar is catching under the firing pin? Flushed the pin and bar and waiting for them to dry.
(I was taught the up/down trick when I was buying "broken" 1877 Colts - awesome tip!!!!)

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[35 Rem]

If it has a transfer bar that could be preventing the hammer from going to the full cock position if the transfer bar is butting into the bottom of the firing pin. Mine was doing that with heavy loads and the root cause was that the cylinder pin was jumping forward. The pin has a small spring that sticks out the rear end to push the transfer bar backward and away from the frame so that it(transfer bar) doesn't hit the bottom of the firing pin as is rises upward when the hammer is cocked. I have since installed a heavier Wolf base pin retainer spring but haven't fired any full power loads to test it. The other potential part that may have failed on your gun is the spring that pushes the Hand forward, so it engages the cylinder notches. Seems unlikely but something is causing the problem, and you have to systematically go through the gun until you find it. I'm mostly familiar with the Colt design as I've had mine apart quite a few times to do cleaning so I'm not exactly sure how Ruger does the cylinder freewheeling feature and makes it dependent on loading gate position. That mechanism could have something to do with it in a way that I'm unaware of. Never have a closed mind when trouble shooting, right?

[shooting on a shoestring]

If the base pin spring/plunger IS pushing the transfer bar sufficiently rearward as 35 REM mentions above, pull the grips and see if there is something interfering with the the hammer strut sliding down inside the main spring and retainer. It could be the retainer has shifted and is catching the hammer strut. Occasionally I’ve seen a leg of the trigger return spring interfere with the main spring. That can also be seen with the grips off.

If you can run a screwdriver and know enough to use a screwdriver tip that fits the screws, take that gun apart. There’s nothing elusive or secretive in a Super Blackhawk. They’re quite simple inside. But if you’re not up to that, call Ruger or drop it by a gun smith. This will turn out to be a simple fix and there’s a lot more good years of service in your gun.

[contender1]

Lots of good tips above.
It's a New Model, so it has a transfer bar.

As noted above,, taking a Ruger apart,, (using proper screwdrivers,) isn't too hard. The loading gate spring is the biggest PIA for some.
The only other thing not already mentioned above, that I can see that might cause binding would be the hammer plunger. It's a little pin/plunger mounted in the hammer. It has a spring inside the hole in the hammer. That pin/plunger has to be able to move freely. Often,, it can bind with just a small amount of debris or even rust. Once the hammer is removed,, the plunger can be checked by pushing it into the hammer a little. If it moves freely,, it's no problem. If it sticks,, or doesn't move freely,, then you can tap out the cross pin, remove the plunger & spring, clean the hole, and parts. Re-assemble.

Just another possible idea.

[Thumbcocker]

+1 on hammer plunger. Had one break once with similar symptoms. Simple fix. Worth having a couple in a pill bottle in the parts drawer.

[cwtebay]

Update - let the old gal sit in the ultrasonic cleaner for a spell and lubed her up. She is back to good!!! The debris in the fluid was embarrassing! I appreciate all of your help!!

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[shooting on a shoestring]

Yep I figured it’d be an easy fix.
There’s just not room for much to go wrong in a Super Blackhawk.
I would recommend you give the old gal a bubble bath a bit more often than 20 years….just sayin’.

[cwtebay]

Yep I figured it’d be an easy fix.
There’s just not room for much to go wrong in a Super Blackhawk.
I would recommend you give the old gal a bubble bath a bit more often than 20 years….just sayin’.Hahaha!!!! I definitely should. She's treated me well!! My father in laws first elk, my first horseback chase elk, and sooooooo many other memories! She deserves a soak from time to time!

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[contender1]

Good to hear!

But I'd still look into lubing the hammer plunger/spring assy. That's only done when the hammer is out of the gun!

[cwtebay]

Good to hear!

But I'd still look into lubing the hammer plunger/spring assy. That's only done when the hammer is out of the gun!I'll bet you're not wrong. I need to get that done, I'll tackle it this week. Appreciate the advice.

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[cwtebay]

Good to hear!

But I'd still look into lubing the hammer plunger/spring assy. That's only done when the hammer is out of the gun!Sorry - my inbox isn't working. I see you tried to message me.

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[contender1]

Clear out your inbox of older messages. That'll clear things up.

Basically I sent a bit more of a detailed explanation of how to do the internal works of this.

[rintinglen]

An old time gunsmith I used to know repeatedly told me that his best money maker was fixing dirty guns by simply cleaning them. He said a third of the guns that he repaired were simply jammed up with dirt and gunk.

[cwtebay]

Clear out your inbox of older messages. That'll clear things up.

Basically I sent a bit more of a detailed explanation of how to do the internal works of this.I appreciate it, my inbox is empty - I was told to delete sent messages but can't even figure out where those would be!

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[M-Tecs]

I appreciate it, my inbox is empty - I was told to delete sent messages but can't even figure out where those would be!

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321259

[cwtebay]

321259Thank you, I don't think I have that same feature?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231221/fba196d103667a5a91ccc414d5da3e09.jpg

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[cwtebay]

Clear out your inbox of older messages. That'll clear things up.

Basically I sent a bit more of a detailed explanation of how to do the internal works of this.Would you please send me the information at cwtebay@gmail.com



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[cwtebay]

Unfortunately, I had a terminal failure with the SBH when I needed her the most. Same issue, 40 rounds later. Had to finish with my EDC. Bad day.

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[cwtebay]

Unfortunately, I had a terminal failure with the SBH when I needed her the most. Same issue, 40 rounds later. Had to finish with my EDC. Bad day.

I must say though - she ran glass smooth at the range. Fired one 300gr cast and it locked up after.
Completely different than the range time.
I did not replace any parts or do anything other than insane cleaning.

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[contender1]

I'll try & get time to re-send my message. I'll have to see if it was saved here,, or if I have to re-type it. Work is calling so it may be a day or 3.

[contender1]

I just did a search & my original PM was gone. I just typed a long new PM and it would not go due to your inbox being full or whatever.
Clean out your inbox of old stuff.