When is a Revolver Trigger pull too light?

[mesinge2]

I have a 44 Magnum Ruger Redhawk and the DA trigger was always very light, but lately it seems lighter and lighter every time I shoot it. And the SA trigger is terrifying, I am afraid to shoot SA.

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When is the trigger pull too light?

Also, besides the pull being too light could the ever lightening trigger cause the weapon not to fire eventually?

What I mean is what are the negatives of such a light trigger?

Can it lead to the gun not working?

 

[Gunfighter123]

Take the grips off and tighten EVERY screw you can find --- Colt and S&Ws that I've owned all have had at least one screw start to loosen after a few hundred/thousand rounds --- the "crane" screw came loose on a S&W and caused the whole cyld. to bind so tight that my gunsmith had to wack it with a rubber mallet for ten minutes !!!!

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

When it fires under it's own weight or when it doesn't fire at all.

 

[mesinge2]

It has never not fired but I am worried that it won't fire.


I don't see a screw under the grip at all, am I missing it?

 

[GRIZ22]

Take the grips off and tighten EVERY screw you can find

The only screw on a Redhawk is the grip screw.

 

[GRIZ22]

Did you buy this gun new or used?

Has it been subjected to some shadetree gunsmithing? This I suspect if the SA is terrifying.

If you have access to a trigger pull gauge check it DA and SA and call Ruger Customer Service with the numbers.

My Redhawk is 25 years old and is unmodified except for Pachmyrs.

I think the best course of action would be to send it to Ruger have them check it out and bring it up to spec

 

[mesinge2]

I bougth it new.

It only scares me in SA, The DA pull while light is perfect.

I can very reliably stop the cylinder right before the round fires using the DA pull, but the SA pull is so light that I can barely touch the trigger and it fires. Because of this I only fire it DA.

Which I don't mind, I was more concerned that it may eventually not fire at all


I am going to buy a trigger pull gauge from dillon's site now.

 

[David E]

UNLOAD the gun. DOUBLE CHECK to make sure the gun is unloaded.

Now, pointing in a safe direction and keeping your finger well clear of the trigger, cock the hammer.

PUSH FORWARD ON THE HAMMER. If it falls, it needs professional gunsmith attention. If it holds, it's ok.

If it falls, it's possible the hammer/sear relationship is merely dirty. Clean it and try it again.

 

[mesinge2]

UNLOAD the gun. DOUBLE CHECK to make sure the gun is unloaded.

Now, pointing in a safe direction and keeping your finger well clear of the trigger, cock the hammer.

PUSH FORWARD ON THE HAMMER. If it falls, it needs professional gunsmith attention. If it holds, it's ok.

If it falls, it's possible the hammer/sear relationship is merely dirty. Clean it and try it again.

I tried that just now the hammer doesn't budge and I was pushing pretty hard.

 

[BCRider]

Your mainspring may be softening and collapsing so the trigger pull is getting soft on you. The first and most noticable effect of the mainspring giving up its verve for life is a reduced trigger pull effort. A new one would restore this.

It's actually amazing how light the spring can be and still fire the primers. But the key is to not get too close to the edge or you risk the odd time when it won't fire. And if you NEED it to fire that's hardly a good thing.

After much success with Wolff spring kits in my own wheelguns may I suggest getting your replacement from them?

 

[JDGray]

My GP-100 broke in nicely after a few hundred rounds, ended up with a 2.5# SA trigger. As long as you don't get light primer hits, your GTG.

 

[Gunfighter123]

The only screw on a Redhawk is the grip screw.

OOPS !!!! I've never owned a Ruger double action --- have got S&Ws and Colt double actions --------- There are screws hidden by the grips on those !!!!

 

[Drail]

Buy new factory weight springs and put in it. You can even buy HEAVIER than factory weight springs from Wolff. I think someone has been clipping springs, especially since it doesn't seem to push off when you lean on the hammer. Most trigger pull gauges will not go high enough to measure a DA revolver pull weight unless the gun has been radically modified for competition which may be what you have there. Springin a revolver that light can indeed lead to misfires unless you are using Federal primers only.

 

[Jim K]

If the SA pull is too light, pulling the trigger will require so little pressure that the trigger will jump forward and interfere with the hammer fall, causing a misfire. Often even good trigger pulls will seem too light until one becomes used to them. For example, the normal S&W revolver SA pull runs just under 3 pounds, and many people describe it as a "hair trigger."

But if the pull really is too light, you need to have the gun checked by a gunsmith or by someone knowledgeable, and the problem corrected. An accidental discharge is not something you want; you or someone else could be injured or killed.

Jim

 

[tango2echo]

Should be 2.5-3lbs in SA and 6-8lbs DA. If it is much lighter than 2.0-2.5lbs I would send it back to Ruger.

t2e

 

[mesinge2]

The gauge should be here in two days.

I'll report back whenit arrives with the pull weights.

 

[bluetopper]

I've never heard of a Redhawk having a light S/A trigger. You just may have a keeper! Rejoice.

 

[RugRev]

Bowen and Clements when they do an "action job" on the Redhawk the double action usually comes out in the 10-11 pound range and single action 3.5-4.25 pounds from what I can gather from their websites and elsewhere. This is about as low as one can go normally and get reliable ignition on other than Federal primers. Due to the single spring the single action cannot be as light as on conventional revolvers (e.g 2.5 pounds) and get reliable ignition in double action. After having several Redhawks tuned my experience parallels the trigger pull results of Bowen, Clements et al. As one commentor mentioned above if you have a really light SA pull you have a rare one. One thing I will note is that a Redhawk due to weight will seem to have a lighter trigger pull than a lighter gun with the same pull weights.

 

[jglcolosprgs]

You know, if you are afraid of the pistol call Ruger and have them fix it to where you want it. It's your gun, set it up the way you want to.

If you are paranoid about shooting it you won't be at your best; target wise or safety wise.