Ruger LCRx .22 WMR With Heavy SA Trigger Pull

[H. Faversham]

I have a 3-inch Ruger LCRx .22 Mag with an adjustable rear sight. The six pound Single Action trigger pull is very smooth but too heavy to use the sights effectively for offhand shooting, especially because the revolver weighs only 18 ounces. I didn't buy it to shoot out of a mechanical rest or to use as a belly gun; I bought it to use as a trail gun with good sights tuned to the particular ammo it likes best.

My target rimfires have as little as 2.5 lb. SA pull weights without any ignition problems, but they weigh more than the LCRx.

Question: To reduce the LCRx trigger pull weight is it advisable to clip a coil or two off of the mainspring? Polishing the internal Teflon-coated parts did very little or no good, and I would like to achieve about a three lb. SA pull.

I would appreciate your advice.

 

[BBBBill]

Rimfire guns tend to be very sensitive to spring strength. I have seen many misfire after springs were clipped. The springs ended up too short to maintain enough pressure on the hammer through the fall. Might be better to contact Wolff Gunsprings to see if they have something for that. They currently only list hammer springs for LCRx centerfire calibers, but may not have updated their website.

I only have experience with the more traditional revolvers like S&W J, K, L frames and the Ruger Six, GP, Redhawk guns so my advise is based on that experience. Before applying anything that I say, validate what I say against your LCRx.

On more traditional revolvers the hammer single action notch is very tiny and easily destroyed if not very careful. Better to focus on the single action sear nose. If it is too sharp it drops deeper into the hammer notch. The usual procedure is to dull the sear nose by increasing the angle (make it wider) on the tip a tiny bit at a time. Just do not go too far. You do not want a surface that will allow push off from full cock.

Now about that hammer notch that I told you to avoid - Does the hammer cam backwards as you pull the trigger in single action mode? On any guns that I have worked over that is one of the causes of heavy trigger pull along with rough engagement surfaces. Most times it is best to avoid messing with it unless you have the experience, some really good magnification, method of holding the work rigidly, and guiding a well shaped hard stone over the surfaces. I recut the hammer single action notch (and sometimes the sear nose) to give a more neutral engagement. A bit different from an automatic, but still similar in effect. If, after having done the other things first, you decide that you have to go there just be very careful. One slip and the hammer is toast.​

 

[H. Faversham]

Rimfire guns tend to be very sensitive to spring strength. I have seen many misfire after springs were clipped. The springs ended up too short to maintain enough pressure on the hammer through the fall. Might be better to contact Wolff Gunsprings to see if they have something for that. They currently only list hammer springs for LCRx centerfire calibers, but may not have updated their website.

I only have experience with the more traditional revolvers like S&W J, K, L frames and the Ruger Six, GP, Redhawk guns so my advise is based on that experience. Before applying anything that I say, validate what I say against your LCRx.

On more traditional revolvers the hammer single action notch is very tiny and easily destroyed if not very careful. Better to focus on the single action sear nose. If it is too sharp it drops deeper into the hammer notch. The usual procedure is to dull the sear nose by increasing the angle (make it wider) on the tip a tiny bit at a time. Just do not go too far. You do not want a surface that will allow push off from full cock.

Now about that hammer notch that I told you to avoid - Does the hammer cam backwards as you pull the trigger in single action mode? On any guns that I have worked over that is one of the causes of heavy trigger pull along with rough engagement surfaces. Most times it is best to avoid messing with it unless you have the experience, some really good magnification, method of holding the work rigidly, and guiding a well shaped hard stone over the surfaces. I recut the hammer single action notch (and sometimes the sear nose) to give a more neutral engagement. A bit different from an automatic, but still similar in effect. If, after having done the other things first, you decide that you have to go there just be very careful. One slip and the hammer is toast.​

Thank you, Bill. I think I'll take your initial advice and check with Wolff.

 

[RecoilRob]

The only spring that is totally safe to lighten is the trigger return which tend to be pretty stiff in many guns so that you can rapidly fire DA. If you only intend to fire SA...you probably could significantly lighten the trigger return which will in turn lighten the SA pull. I lighten them to where they 'just' return on their own on guns to be fired SA only whereas if DA operation is used the return spring needs to be pretty powerful so the trigger will reset aggressively. Lightening the main spring will very likely compromise the ignition reliability and doing anything besides a careful deburr/polish of the sear could create a dangerous condition.