According to Ruger, you can dry fire one with the transfer bar all you want.
NO, in my opinion and experience. I manage to break it by dry firing and had seen another NMBH with replaced transfer bar. From now on, dry firing with
snap caps ONLY. After spending hundreds of dollars on revolvers, you should get them, they are dirt cheap insurance.
FYI,
regarding transfer bars, I always have a spare ones, they are polished (I was able to get stainless only at that time), ready to be installed. By polishing them you prolong their fatigue life span and makes action smoother. BTW, when you receive them, make sure that they are for proper frame size. Ask me how I learned that lesson...
One interesting tip; according to a long time gunsmith (Iowegan, if I remembered correctly) the most trouble free revolver ever made is Ruger OMBH three screw.
Good call, I was careless. The piston wasn't all the way in. It cocks just fine now. Thx.
Any time I assembly my SA revolvers, I make sure that cylinder pin is all the way in and
PRESS cylinder latch, to make sure it snaps in its place. Never had loose pin flying forward and I was shooting occasionally 325 SWC at close to 1200 fps from my Bisley 45. Periodically check all screws, they do get loose. Use proper screwdrivers or bits. Make sure that they are proper size and of professional quality. Too many of those so called “gunsmith” ones are cheap crap. If you shoot any heavy recoiling large frame SA, put few droplets of heavy oil (STP is a good one) on both ends of cylinder. It will prevent battering between cylinder and frame during heavier recoil.
Good shooting.