Ruger revolver triggers
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George S.
Member
When I bought my 6" barreled SS GP100, I spent the first three nights with it in front of the TV dry-firing in DA mode. Thought my finger was going to fall off on the third day, but it did make a big difference in the feel. Much smoother now especially after the three days and then giving everything a good cleaning. I had left the lubricant from the factory in the action so that any grit would remain trapped.
I still have the factory springs in it and I'm not sure at this point if I want to go to a lighter spring as it feels great now.
I still have the factory springs in it and I'm not sure at this point if I want to go to a lighter spring as it feels great now.
Sharpdogs, are you talking DA? The two different types of mainsprings make the DA's different. Leaf mainspring with S&W and coil with Ruger. With proper gunsmithing you can take S&W's into a DA realm where the Ruger's just can't go. I carry a Ruger Service Six CCW because of it's size and durability.
sendtoscott
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"The reason both Ruger and S&W use heavier springs then some people like is because they want to be certain that when the trigger is pulled the cartridge will fire"
I got bit by that - I had 2 of 6 cylinders that wouldn't reliably fire .357s on my GP100 after the springs were replaced with lighter ones - Ruger also seems to put in heavy springs to compensate for having more generous manufacturing tolerances.
I got bit by that - I had 2 of 6 cylinders that wouldn't reliably fire .357s on my GP100 after the springs were replaced with lighter ones - Ruger also seems to put in heavy springs to compensate for having more generous manufacturing tolerances.
I've had a similar experience with sp101's. Dryfire and do some practice with the gun. I replaced the trigger return spring (be careful dissassembling the trigger group),and the mainspring with one's from Wilson combat. Very good results,I now use the gun DAO. It's very smooth.
TWBryan
TWBryan
I considered putting lighter springs in my stainless GP-100, but decided instead to just dry fire the heck out of it with snap caps. It will never be as light a DA as a souped up S&W, but it sure is getting better and better all the time. I don't shoot in competition and I don't carry this Ruger, but it does sit by the bedside loaded as the primary defense pistol. I choose reliability over light trigger.
Bear Gulch
Member
I always like the security six. I sold mine with the 2 3/4 inch barrel back 15 years ago. I have kicked myself ever since.
RoyG- I went to a good sized gun show for our area yesterday, and kept inquiring "Do you have snap caps for a .38/.357" I found none, but was very shocked at the number of dealers that did not even know what I was talking about.
Thanks to everyone for the assistance!
Thanks to everyone for the assistance!
iluvG.R.I.T.S
Member
Bean,if your worried about damage to the firing pin by dry firing ,iv'e heard some people just use spent casings.
I'm sure someone must have mentioned by now that when Ruger introduced the transfer bar safety at the Shot Show they had a revolver on display being dry fired by a mechanical arm. IT was dry fired the entire time of the show to no detriment to the firearm.
munk
munk
Master Blaster
Member
One of the things I changed on my SP 101 to improve the feel of the trigger pull has not been mentioned here, it has nothing to do with the springs. The trigger on my sp101 was uncomfortable to fire because it was too wide and had sharp edges. Triggers on my smiths are narrower and have a more rounded shape to the edges. So I took a file to the trigger on my sp101 and narrowed it by about 1/16" and rounded the edges. It made a great deal of difference to the feel. On my 44 mag. redhawk I used the wolf reduced power mainspring, the lightest gave me FTFire on a couple of cylinders, so I used the middle one 14 lbs IIRC. that lightened the pull DA and made considerable difference on the SA pull. The redhawk design doesn't really have a return spring like a smith does, the mainspring powers everything which is why they are much harder to tune.
Still, the pull is never going to be as good, especially SA as on my smiths, not even close. the sa pull on a smith is like a good rifle you apply pressure and it breaks, no take up, no creep, a surprise break. On a Ruger there is take up and creep in the SA pull though alot of firing does smooth it up some.
Still, the pull is never going to be as good, especially SA as on my smiths, not even close. the sa pull on a smith is like a good rifle you apply pressure and it breaks, no take up, no creep, a surprise break. On a Ruger there is take up and creep in the SA pull though alot of firing does smooth it up some.
jaybar
Member
Smoothing out the trigger on a Sp-101,GP-100,SRH
When doing an action job on a Ruger , the most critical area to polish is the inside of the tube in the rear of the trigger guard that houses the trigger return spring and the trigger plunger. The trigger guard latch is the other end of the assembly. Ruger uses this trigger return setup on the GP-100, SP-101 and Super Redhawk. The Security-Six, Speed Six, and Standard Redhawk have different trigger return mechanisms. When you take the assembly apart to replace the trigger spring, inspect the inside of this tube. Every one I’ve seen has all sorts of radial machining marks inside that appear to be from a dull drill and a too fast feed. Pulling the trigger results in the trigger plunger and the coils in the spring being dragged over these marks, the feel of which we describe as a “gritty trigger pullâ€. Make yourself a little flap-wheel sander for your Dremel. Use 400grit wet/dry sand paper and polish full length of the inside of the tube. You can make a one-time use sander using 1/8†wooden dowel , splitting the end and gluing a small strip of 400 grit (about1/4†x 1†in the slot. I made a more durable tool by taking an aluminum slotted patch tip from a .22 cleaning kit, turning the thread end to 1/8†and filing the edges thin enough to accommodate two wraps of sand paper. After you polish the inside of the tube, polish the sides of the trigger plunger and break over the rim edges of the plunger so there are no sharp edges to catch in the remaining machining marks as the plunger travels toward the back of the gun. The felt difference in the action between a polished and non-polished spring tube is significant.
BTW you should employ the same technique when doing an action job on a S&W. Using the flap-wheel sander to polish the inside of the rebound block . The inside of the rebound block in a S&W is not nearly as bad as the spring area in the Rugers, but some polishing is in order.
When doing an action job on a Ruger , the most critical area to polish is the inside of the tube in the rear of the trigger guard that houses the trigger return spring and the trigger plunger. The trigger guard latch is the other end of the assembly. Ruger uses this trigger return setup on the GP-100, SP-101 and Super Redhawk. The Security-Six, Speed Six, and Standard Redhawk have different trigger return mechanisms. When you take the assembly apart to replace the trigger spring, inspect the inside of this tube. Every one I’ve seen has all sorts of radial machining marks inside that appear to be from a dull drill and a too fast feed. Pulling the trigger results in the trigger plunger and the coils in the spring being dragged over these marks, the feel of which we describe as a “gritty trigger pullâ€. Make yourself a little flap-wheel sander for your Dremel. Use 400grit wet/dry sand paper and polish full length of the inside of the tube. You can make a one-time use sander using 1/8†wooden dowel , splitting the end and gluing a small strip of 400 grit (about1/4†x 1†in the slot. I made a more durable tool by taking an aluminum slotted patch tip from a .22 cleaning kit, turning the thread end to 1/8†and filing the edges thin enough to accommodate two wraps of sand paper. After you polish the inside of the tube, polish the sides of the trigger plunger and break over the rim edges of the plunger so there are no sharp edges to catch in the remaining machining marks as the plunger travels toward the back of the gun. The felt difference in the action between a polished and non-polished spring tube is significant.
BTW you should employ the same technique when doing an action job on a S&W. Using the flap-wheel sander to polish the inside of the rebound block . The inside of the rebound block in a S&W is not nearly as bad as the spring area in the Rugers, but some polishing is in order.
Love SPs and GPs. A good gunsmith will polish and replace springs and insure reliability and you'll never regret having the work done.
Clark Custom are quality folk!!
Do the Gunsmith ,whoever you choose, a favor and fire a couple of Boxes of magnums double action through both of your Rugers. This will set the action and show where and what parts need the most attention.
Ruger over the years has weaned me away from S&W and their 357s. I think the Ruger is the better modern weapon. And their actions are different but can be just as smooth. They ARE more accurate and durable.
Good luck and enjoy your sturdy and functional weapons from Bill and the boys.
Clark Custom are quality folk!!
Do the Gunsmith ,whoever you choose, a favor and fire a couple of Boxes of magnums double action through both of your Rugers. This will set the action and show where and what parts need the most attention.
Ruger over the years has weaned me away from S&W and their 357s. I think the Ruger is the better modern weapon. And their actions are different but can be just as smooth. They ARE more accurate and durable.
Good luck and enjoy your sturdy and functional weapons from Bill and the boys.
P. Plainsman
Member
There are good gunsmithing options for Ruger DAs, as noted. In at least some cases you can get the practical effect of an action job for free, by extensively dryfiring and shooting the gun. I don't know if my GP100's trigger action is typical, but it has improved hugely after a year of heavy use. I love it now. Dead smooth, fairly light DA with a surprise break. Light, very crisp SA. I showed it to my gunsmith and he said it felt like the gun had been worked on. Not bad for $0.00.
I'm currently interested to see if use will likewise lighten the pull of my .32 SP101. When I got the gun the trigger was rough and heavy. Now, after about a month, it's smooth and heavy. If it doesn't start to lighten in another month, I'll begin cautiously experimenting with the Wolff lightened hammer springs.
I must say that even in current form my SP101 has a better trigger than my mother's recent vintage S&W 642. Stout pull on that little gun.
Anyway, conventional wisdom is that SP101 actions are the roughest among the Ruger DAs. At the other end of the size spectrum, I've handled two Super Redhawks, both featuring excellent triggers.
I'm currently interested to see if use will likewise lighten the pull of my .32 SP101. When I got the gun the trigger was rough and heavy. Now, after about a month, it's smooth and heavy. If it doesn't start to lighten in another month, I'll begin cautiously experimenting with the Wolff lightened hammer springs.
I must say that even in current form my SP101 has a better trigger than my mother's recent vintage S&W 642. Stout pull on that little gun.
Anyway, conventional wisdom is that SP101 actions are the roughest among the Ruger DAs. At the other end of the size spectrum, I've handled two Super Redhawks, both featuring excellent triggers.
Last edited:
Texian Pistolero
member
Unless you just got a whole lot of bread, I wouldn't waste any money on a custom job. I also prefer original springs.
A lot of smoothing comes with dryfiring. OR
Get yourself some fine sand paper, jewelers cloth, dodads to improvise polishing tools.
Disassembly gun.
Polish hole in hammer,
thinggie that goes through hole.
mainstring strut and part that strut slides through, bearing end of strut.
Hammer sear (careful here, don't damage heat treatment.)
pawl rod, etc
Basically, any part of metal that bears on another while trigger pulled.
This is not rocket science, you can do while watching Hoss on Bonanza.
Lightly lube all bearing surfaces.
Basically, this is what a gunsmith will do.
Also, triggers can be made too light, and unreliable if you start messing with springs.
Heard only good about Wolff.
HOW DID I MISS JAYBAR'S POST?
A lot of smoothing comes with dryfiring. OR
Get yourself some fine sand paper, jewelers cloth, dodads to improvise polishing tools.
Disassembly gun.
Polish hole in hammer,
thinggie that goes through hole.
mainstring strut and part that strut slides through, bearing end of strut.
Hammer sear (careful here, don't damage heat treatment.)
pawl rod, etc
Basically, any part of metal that bears on another while trigger pulled.
This is not rocket science, you can do while watching Hoss on Bonanza.
Lightly lube all bearing surfaces.
Basically, this is what a gunsmith will do.
Also, triggers can be made too light, and unreliable if you start messing with springs.
Heard only good about Wolff.
HOW DID I MISS JAYBAR'S POST?
Tacoma
Member
Dry fireing helps but the spring kit is the best $9 you could spend. Just did mine. 4.5# Sa and 11.5# DA and it's much smoother. The SP 101 is a VERY easy gun to work on.
http://www.smith-wessonforum.com/cgi-bin/sandwcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=18;t=002530
http://www.smith-wessonforum.com/cgi-bin/sandwcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=18;t=002530
P. Plainsman
Member
Indeed -- as long as you make sure the little takedown pin (aka retention pin) is in place before you mess with the spring assembly.
I stupidly missed that passage in the manual
, while trying to install a Hogue monogrip (and contemplating dropping in the Wolff springs), and I ended up having to enlist help before I could get the gun back together.It's a well engineered design. All that's needed is a higher degree of basic reading comprehension than I seem able to muster on some evenings.
If every factory spring was exactly the same percentage over the strength required to reliably fire everytime than I'd agree to never mess with them. But plenty of the newer revolvers out there have big heavy springs designed around the lowest common denominator....in other words one that will fire every time in the worst build action that ever leaves the factory combined with the customer with the worst maintenance habits using the crappiest primers available.
In very many cases,a well tuned action in a modern revolver using proven ammo can be perfectly reliable with less than factory springs.
In very many cases,a well tuned action in a modern revolver using proven ammo can be perfectly reliable with less than factory springs.
logical:
You're right up to a point. The manufacturer want to be sure that they're product will fire, particularly in an emergency. They also know that over time springs may take a set. Primers and cylinder end-shake are unpredictable. How well a handgun will be cleaned lubricated and otherwise maintained are other unknowns. Some time back there was a news story posted on this forum (I believe) telling of an elderly gentleman who had to unexpectedly use an old (and unaltered) Smith & Wesson that had been laying around and generally neglected since the 1950's. But in that minute of truth the revolver did what it was supposed to. Of course the experimenters will experiment with the springs, no matter what is said. Any many EXPERIENCED pistolsmiths can make substantial improvements in an action without altering the spring tension(s). However most gun owners don't know all the tricks, even if they think they do, and when it comes to springs they don't really know exactly where going "too far" is. On more then one occasion I have found that a heavy pull was caused by something else, and had nothing to do with the springs.
Usually there is no reason to not experiment with toys, but the same can't or shouldn't be said about weapons.
You're right up to a point. The manufacturer want to be sure that they're product will fire, particularly in an emergency. They also know that over time springs may take a set. Primers and cylinder end-shake are unpredictable. How well a handgun will be cleaned lubricated and otherwise maintained are other unknowns. Some time back there was a news story posted on this forum (I believe) telling of an elderly gentleman who had to unexpectedly use an old (and unaltered) Smith & Wesson that had been laying around and generally neglected since the 1950's. But in that minute of truth the revolver did what it was supposed to. Of course the experimenters will experiment with the springs, no matter what is said. Any many EXPERIENCED pistolsmiths can make substantial improvements in an action without altering the spring tension(s). However most gun owners don't know all the tricks, even if they think they do, and when it comes to springs they don't really know exactly where going "too far" is. On more then one occasion I have found that a heavy pull was caused by something else, and had nothing to do with the springs.
Usually there is no reason to not experiment with toys, but the same can't or shouldn't be said about weapons.
DHart
Member
I've got 3 GP-100's (two 3"ers and a 4"er) and one SP-101 3". The GP's are going to have a much nicer trigger no matter what you do because of some design differences between the guns.
There will always be a noteworthy difference in the "feel" of a S&W action vs. a Ruger action, but the GP action can be very, very, very nice indeed! Equally as nice as a S&W, just different.
All I did to mine was replace the main and trigger return springs with one grade lighter springs and there was a huge improvement in the feel. Then add some use of the gun and the feel is wonderful. I have had no failures to ignite primers, even CCI's. Beyond that, the polishing suggested here is all for the better if done carefully.
There will always be a noteworthy difference in the "feel" of a S&W action vs. a Ruger action, but the GP action can be very, very, very nice indeed! Equally as nice as a S&W, just different.
All I did to mine was replace the main and trigger return springs with one grade lighter springs and there was a huge improvement in the feel. Then add some use of the gun and the feel is wonderful. I have had no failures to ignite primers, even CCI's. Beyond that, the polishing suggested here is all for the better if done carefully.
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