Best Looking factory SA! The Ruger Vaquero- now how do I lighten that hammer!

[Jim Watson]

Be sure everything works on your Ruger before changing parts. If you have to send it in for a warranty claim, they will send it back fixed, but returned to stock condition. A guy here had a pair of very dressed up Vaqueros, I don't know why he had to send them to the company but they came back rock stock mechanically. At least they didn't polish out the bead blasted top strap and top of the barrel he had done to stop glint off the stainless.

 

[Pat Riot]

Brownell makes one and I got coupons!

I’ll eventually get another Vaquero, so I should probably get the tool!

Brownells has ticked me off so often these past 3 or 4 years I will buy anywhere else before buying from them. They ruined a good website and a good business.
I tried to search for that clamp and got results for 396 items. None on the first page were the clamp.

Did Bass Pro take them over too?

 

[Pat Riot]

Be sure everything works on your Ruger before changing parts. If you have to send it in for a warranty claim, they will send it back fixed, but returned to stock condition. A guy here had a pair of very dressed up Vaqueros, I don't know why he had to send them to the company but they came back rock stock mechanically. At least they didn't polish out the bead blasted top strap and top of the barrel he had done to stop glint off the stainless.

Did they return his parts? They took out my Wolff springs and installed factory springs, but they did return the Wolff springs.

 

[Mark_Mark]

The long known "trigger trick" that should be called the "hammer trick" works. It is also free and easily redoable. Out of several SA Ruger's I have only had one that needed it. It made the trigger pull too light in the others that I tried it on. The one that it helped also was the only one that needed some inside parts polishing. Perhaps I have just been lucky with my Ruger guns over the years.

Brownells has ticked me off so often these past 3 or 4 years I will buy anywhere else before buying from them. They ruined a good website and a good business.
I tried to search for that clamp and got results for 396 items. None on the first page were the clamp.

Did Bass Pro take them over too?

their website is very confusing, their search engine is not optimized . But what they do good is take phone calls!

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

This us the official Ruger video about taking one of their single action revolvers apart. Nothing fancy, this is the best video about how to take one apart. It is best to use the tools he mentions. As he says, very important to pay attention to which screw came out of which hole. When reassembling, do not try to put the wrong screw back in the wrong hole. Also, as he says, notice which side the detent is on hammer pivot pin. If you put it back in wrong, one of the grip frame screws will not go in all the way. Trust me on this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfOXBa8K8Ow

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

And here is the official Ruger reassembly video. Personal note: once the gate spring is in place, DO NOT COCK THE HAMMER. That is an excellent way to knock the gate spring out of position. Do not cock the hammer until assembly is completed. Trust me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbFwlGTJy_4

 

[Mark_Mark]

Ruger is way more complicated then a Colt SAA

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Ruger is way more complicated then a Colt SAA

Taking an old Three Screw Ruger apart and getting it back together again was almost as simple as a Colt. The only real difference is there were more parts in the Ruger than in a Colt because the coil springs each had a plunger. The plunger pushed against the surface of the part in question. Here is an old 44 Magnum Three Screw Flat Top taken completely apart. Really no more difficult than a Colt to take apart and put back together again.

When Ruger went to the New Models (the models with transfer bars) in the 1970s, the design was completely different. That is what makes them so fussy to take apart and put back together again.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Taking an old Three Screw Ruger apart and getting it back together again was almost as simple as a Colt. The only real difference is there were more parts in the Ruger than in a Colt because the coil springs each had a plunger. The plunger pushed against the surface of the part in question. Here is an old 44 Magnum Three Screw Flat Top taken completely apart. Really no more difficult than a Colt to take apart and put back together again.

When Ruger went to the New Models (the models with transfer bars) in the 1970s, the design was completely different. That is what makes them so fussy to take apart and put back together again

Hope I can put this thing back together! there is 3 different size trigger guard screw?!?!?! they put some engineering into this

 

[doubleh]

Hope I can put this thing back together! there is 3 different size trigger guard screw?!?!?! they put some engineering into this

All you have to do is remember which hole which screw came out of.

 

[Mark_Mark]

All you have to do is remember which hole which screw came out of.

wish me LUCKY!!! I got this, I hope

 

[Pat Riot]

@Mark_Mark
Every time I disassemble something; gun, carburetor, vacuum cleaner, etc. I draw a little template of the screw pattern and I poke holes where the screws are placed. This way when I reassemble I know where to reinsert the screw on the gun or whatever.


I know I have better photos of this somewhere, but this was the first one that popped up and iPhone photo search can be a pain with over 40,000 photos stored. I gotta do some house cleaning in my photo file.

 

[Mark_Mark]

@Mark_Mark
Every time I disassemble something; gun, carburetor, vacuum cleaner, etc. I draw a little template of the screw pattern and I poke holes where the screws are placed. This way when I reassemble I know where to reinsert the screw on the gun or whatever.
View attachment 1257390

I know I have better photos of this somewhere, but this was the first one that popped up and iPhone photo search can be a pain with over 40,000 photos stored. I gotta do some house cleaning in my photo file.

that is about the most genius thing I seen!

 

[Mark_Mark]

@Mark_Mark
Every time I disassemble something; gun, carburetor, vacuum cleaner, etc. I draw a little template of the screw pattern and I poke holes where the screws are placed. This way when I reassemble I know where to reinsert the screw on the gun or whatever.
View attachment 1257390

I know I have better photos of this somewhere, but this was the first one that popped up and iPhone photo search can be a pain with over 40,000 photos stored. I gotta do some house cleaning in my photo file.

BTW, I’m not in a rush, going to get all the springs + tools 1st. then get working, but for now, greasing + taking 1 leg of the trigger spring really help!

 

[CraigC]

I would rather take a Colt or Ruger Old Model apart and put it back together again ten times than have to reassemble a New Model. Three hands is not an exaggeration.

 

[Pat Riot]

I would rather take a Colt or Ruger Old Model apart and put it back together again ten times than have to reassemble a New Model. Three hands is not an exaggeration.

You just have to hold your tongue and mouth just right…

After doing it numerous times it does get easier…or the things just wore me down to where I don’t get too upset at them.

 

[Pat Riot]

that is about the most genius thing I seen!

Thank you.
One thing I highly recommend is once you have your screws in the cardboard set it aside out of the way so you don’t set something on it and pop your screws out defeating the purpose of the card.

Guess how I know?

 

[westernrover]

I'm late to this thread, but this is my experience with a New Vaquero:

I tried the Wolff spring kit pack.

• Lighter mainsprings greatly reduce the hammer pull weight but reduced primer ignition reliability. I returned the factory mainspring spring into the gun.
• The Wolff lighter return spring does lighten the hammer pull weight enough to notice and it does not seem to affect reliability of ignition.

I suppose the effect of the lighter Wolff return spring could be achieved by clipping the factory spring. Since I had the Wolff already, I preferred it to an irreversible change to the factory spring.

As for lubricating revolvers, they don't need much and generous lubrication of non-contact surfaces will only cause contaminants to stick to the parts. My practice is to use less than a drop of oil on the bearing surface of rotating parts. To get less than a drop, I am using a needle oiler. Then, I will use a fine amount of grease on the sear surface(s).

Lubrication works by having a film of lubricant between moving parts. Grease creates a film that withstands higher pressure between the moving parts. The sear has some spring pressure on it and the pressure is somewhat high not because the spring is very strong but because the pressure is distributed over a very small sear surface area. Oil is sufficient for most other bearing surfaces. Consider whether some bearing surfaces really need an oil film. The base pin is a bearing surface the cylinder rotates on, but does it really need a lubricant film? It has almost no pressure on it when it is rotating and it rotates very slowly. I wouldn't lubricate it.

 

[45 Dragoon]

I'm late to this thread, but this is my experience with a New Vaquero:

I tried the Wolff spring kit pack.

• Lighter mainsprings greatly reduce the hammer pull weight but reduced primer ignition reliability. I returned the factory mainspring spring into the gun.
• The Wolff lighter return spring does lighten the hammer pull weight enough to notice and it does not seem to affect reliability of ignition.

As for lubricating revolvers, they don't need much and generous lubrication of non-contact surfaces will only cause contaminants to stick to the parts. My practice is to use less than a drop of oil on the bearing surface of rotating parts. To get less than a drop, I am using a needle oiler. Then, I will use a fine amount of grease on the sear surface(s).

Lubrication works by having a film of lubricant between moving parts. Grease creates a film that withstands higher pressure between the moving parts. The sear has some spring pressure on it and the pressure is somewhat high not because the spring is very strong but because the pressure is distributed over a very small sear surface area. Oil is sufficient for most other bearing surfaces. Consider whether some bearing surfaces really need an oil film. The base pin is a bearing surface the cylinder rotates on, but does it really need a lubricant film? It has almost no pressure on it when it is rotating and it rotates very slowly. I wouldn't lubricate it.

Ok, so what you're saying is the lesser amount of lube you can possibly use will get "what you don't want" as close to the parts / surface that you want to keep it from . . .
I think the DISPERSION of contaminants away from said parts/surfaces is better than your idea of CONCENTRATING contaminants AT the site with minimal lube is better. Case in point is black powder revolvers. They are by far the dirtiest yet a frame packed with grease is the best protection for the action parts. As the action is cycled, the grease migrates throughout the cavity allowing moving parts to be free to operate as intended (as well as continually lubed). It allows a "Cowboy shooter's" cap gun to go a year without cleaning!! I pack all my revolvers (all smokeless cartridge revolvers) with grease (Mobil1) with absolutely no thought of cleaning / lubing the action ever! They are pristine inside!

Mike

 

[Mark_Mark]

Ok, so what you're saying is the lesser amount of lube you can possibly use will get "what you don't want" as close to the parts / surface that you want to keep it from . . .
I think the DISPERSION of contaminants away from said parts/surfaces is better than your idea of CONCENTRATING contaminants AT the site with minimal lube is better. Case in point is black powder revolvers. They are by far the dirtiest yet a frame packed with grease is the best protection for the action parts. As the action is cycled, the grease migrates throughout the cavity allowing moving parts to be free to operate as intended (as well as continually lubed). It allows a "Cowboy shooter's" cap gun to go a year without cleaning!! I pack all my revolvers (all smokeless cartridge revolvers) with grease (Mobil1) with absolutely no thought of cleaning / lubing the action ever! They are pristine inside!

Mike

I’m a fan of both oil & grease! From my fishing reel days!

 

[westernrover]

Why didn't Ruger think of that?

 

[45 Dragoon]

Why didn't Ruger think of that?

Have no idea!!
Ya can't think of everything . . . there would be nothing for the rest of us to do !

 

[Pat Riot]

I packed a Ruger Vaquero with Mobil 1 grease. That lasted one Cowboy match on a hot day, 103 degrees. I had grease splatter all over me. Never again!

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Hope I can put this thing back together! there is 3 different size trigger guard screw?!?!?! they put some engineering into this

Study this photo.

This is a Blackhawk, but the mechanism is the same as a Vaquero. Notice the five grip frame screws. I have positioned them where they go into the grip frame. The smallest goes in front of the the trigger guard, the long and short ones go behind the trigger guard. Notice one is longer than the other. The end of the longer one fits up into the groove (detent) around the hammer pivot pin. The last two come in from behind.

By the way, the cardboard template is an excellent idea. Years ago I made up a little wooden one similar to that for the side plate screws to a S&W revolver. I made it out of wood so it would last. I still have it somewhere.

 

[Pat Riot]

By the way, the cardboard template is an excellent idea. Years ago I made up a little wooden one similar to that for the side plate screws to a S&W revolver. I made it out of wood so it would last. I still have it somewhere.

I like that idea. Thank you.