Ruger Super Blackhawk Pawl

[41 mag fan]

Hello. I would like to thank everyone for the threads and responses on this forum. There is some interesting threads for a wannabe gunsmith whose learning. But heres a question I hope to get an answer to. I bought a Ruger Super 2 weeks ago from Gunbroker. Excellent used Super.Got it in, checked it out, cylinder had *, #8, #9 etched on it. No biggie, purpose for these unknown, gun was bought from a pawn shop on gunbroker, so they wouldn't know either. Guns for my teenager to shoot anyway.
Lock and timings was excellent. Loaded it up with some reloads. Cycled fine, unfired. Fired one shot off. Pulled back hammer, felt like a primer wasn't seated deep enough, very rough and hard to cycle. Took out the cylinder, looked ,all primers were fine. Fired off another round , same thing. Got looking and the pawl on the right side is wore down, rounded off. Cylinder looks fine where the pawl comes in contact, gate detent spring disengages ok, no heavy marks or gouges on cylinder. Only thing I didn't do, I remember while writing this thread is open the gate after firing, and see if cylinder spun freely and to check the primers that way. I just popped out the cylinder instead.
One other note, reloads were 18.5 grs. AA#9, 150gr. lead Keiths, new starline brass, seated to correct depth.
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TOGGLELOCK]

The Pawl on the Single Action Ruger is height sensitive. Not width sensitive like S&W and Ruger Double Action Revolvers. Look at another Pawl on a Ruger Single Action and compare.

 

[ocharry]

hi 41,,, i would check the cylinder gap,,,it may need to be a few thousandths bigger,,,

i have a redhawk that did that with lead bullets,,,about 3 rounds and it would lock up,,,,and i have a vaquero that did the same thing

i think the vaquero had a gap of around .004 and i made it .006 and the problem went away


as for the thing you are calling the paw,,,,i think you are referring to the cylinder bolt??? and they are made the way that you described,,,,the side that catches the notch in the cylinder is flat up to the top,,,and the when you cock the pistol and the bolt falls away the back side of the bolt is angled down to clear the cylinder,,,,it you look at the notch in the cylinder you will see that it is made kinda the same way

hope this helps

ocharry

 

[41 mag fan]

Thanks to both of you for the quick reply. Togglelock, it looks like the pawl on my newest super ( mfg. late 2007 to early 2008 ) vs. the super with the problem (mfg 1981) is slightly higher than my older supers. How could I go about measuring this height difference? And is there anything I can do to go about correcting it, if I find this is the problem. Any help I'd appreciate, there's not a gunsmith I know of around here to go to for help.