[Pat Cannon]

Hi,

I just put a set of lighter springs in my Ruger SP101 and I want to make sure ignition is still reliable. What are ways to test the hammer strike force?

My plan is to basically just blow a couple hundred rounds through it. Are there brands of .38 and .357 ammo that are known for harder primers? I have some CCI Blazer aluminum which, I seem to recall reading, has hard primers.

Any input appreciated!

Pat

[Navy joe]

CCI ought to do the trick. If you reload just prime some cases with different primers then fire away.

[Old Fuff]

I presume that you use your Ruger as a personal weapon.

If so, keep in mind that it's always possible for any manufacturer to put out a production lot of ammunition that has hard battery cups, and this is particularly true in high-pressure .357 Magnum cartridges. Also some energy is lost when the hammer hits the transfer bar, and the bar in turn hits the firing pin. Last but not least, over time coil springs can take a set.

The springs that came in the gun are heavier for a reason. :uhoh:

[Pat Cannon]

Well I shot about a hundred rounds of Blazer without a problem, so I was starting to think, "Oh, Old Fuff is just an old worry-wart", but last Thursday I had two rounds fail to fire. One was Winchester white box .38 Special; it fired the second time around. The other was CCI Blazer aluminum case. That one wouldn't fire even after several hits. It had a pretty deep firing pin dent, in fact to my eye they all did.

Anyway I took out the 10 lb. hammer spring and put in the other one that came with the Wilson kit, which is 12 lb. We'll see how that works out. Trigger pull actually doesn't seem obviously harder. Thanks for the advice!

[Old Fuff]

"Oh, Old Fuff is just an old worry-wart",

Oh he is, he is.... You just bet he is... :uhoh: :uhoh: :uhoh:

He worries about folks that get into a serious situation and find their revolver isn't going BANG! because someone on the Internet said they could get a so-much-better trigger pull by polishing this or that and then installing brand "W" reduced power springs. Sure it works sometimes, but then again... :(

Are the factory springs too heavy? It depends on how you look at it, but they are designed by professional engineers to insure that no matter what the circumstances the gun will work when it needs to.

Mr. Murphy, of Murphy's Law fame, just loves people that tamper with their personal life insurance. ;) Big-boy toys are another matter.

[Doug b]

Or you find yourself in a situation were you have to resort to deadly force and pull your lightened .357.As you cock the hammer your assailant sees your serious and turns to run but in the stress of the situation you accidentally touch that lightened trigger off and shoot a bad guy in the back.Explain that to an over zealous D.A. Add me to the worry wart list.