SRH 454 Casull light primer strike problem....

[codefour]

Two years ago, I purchased a Ruger SRH 454 Casull with a 7.5 inch barrel. I bought the SRH strictly as a hunting handgun.

When I first shot the weapon, it functioned flawless. Approximately six months ago, I was starting to get the occasional light primer strike. The primer would have a indent on it but not ignite the charge of H110. I was using CCI small rifle magnum primers. A few weeks ago, I was going on a hog hunt and wanted to take the SRH. I took it to the range to zero it. The SRH was mis-firing on every third round. Then it seemed to increase to every other round and go back to every third. I tried factory Winchester ammo (I had a box on hand). The same problem with the factory ammo.

I have read it is sometimes necessary to shave the top, front hammer stop to increase the striking force and distance on the firing pin? Will reducing the hammer stop put too much pressure on the transfer bar? I also heard too much striking force on the transfer bar can crack it? Is there any truth to this?

I also heard Brownells makes a longer firing pin negating the need to shave the hammer. Can anyone make a recommendation? I did a search on this forum and read that Ruger will not fix it.

RCmodel are you out there..?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any help

 

[allaroundhunter]

First off, are you sure that you are seating the primers the way on your reloads? Do you try to refire the rounds that got light strikes, and if so, do they fire the second time?

 

[codefour]

allaroundhunter,

Thanks for the response. Yes, the primers are seated all the way down. About .003-.004" under. They are seated. I load my 454 Casull rounds on a single stage one at a time. I am pretty anul and meticulous on my reloads. I treat my 454 and 460 loads like I do my precision rifle.

I tried the factory ammo from Winchester.. I got the same results.

 

[1911Tuner]

A friend of mine who lives in Raleigh...met him through another gun forum...started having light strike misfires with a .45 caliber New Model Blackhawk. On one of his visits, he brought it along so I could look at it and try to diagnose his problem.

I found it in about 10 seconds when I cocked it and lowered the hammer...held the trigger...and peeked at the firing pin. The amount of protrusion was visibly less than in any of my Blackhawks.

Closer inspection revealed that the tip was flat. Since he'd bought the gun used, I couldn't make a call on whether somebody had filed it or if it had been flattened from recoil forces. Given his habit of using "Ruger Only" data, and because I couldn't think of a reason for filing a firing pin tip...I suspected the latter.

Because your .454 generates a healthy punch backward on the recoil shield...and because the gun was once reliable...it confirms my suspicions.

Check your firing pin to see if the tip is flat. I'm willing to bet that it is. If it is, filing on the top hammer to frame stop won't cure it.

If it's not, find another Ruger and compare the amount of protrusion.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

As said above, since your revolver was once reliable try to find the reason why it is no longer. DO NOT modify anything on your revolver to try and fix the problem, just fix the problem.

 

[1911Tuner]

DO NOT modify anything on your revolver to try and fix the problem, just fix the problem.

+1 but replacing the firing pin in a Ruger revolver isn't a task for an amateur or hobby smith. I know of a couple pros who won't attempt it. It really should go back to Ruger.

I love me some Ruger single-actions...but the major drawback is that there's no quick and easy way to replace the firing pin.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Ruger will most likely repair the revolver for free. This won't be the case if they see you've been filing on things.

 

[feets]

I have that problem on my 454 SRH too. In fact, it was misfiring yesterday with 45 Colt rounds. it wouldn't fire them on a second hit either. I stuffed those twice hit loads in my Redhawk and they lit just fine.

As stated above, measure the firing pin protrusion. Make sure it's on the high side of .040" to keep Ruger happy. If that's good, take minor cuts on the top of the hammer until the protrusion returns. I'm talking thousandths of an inch at a time.

Most importantly, do NOT use a lighter hammer spring in the gun. It will become completely unreliable.
It's a good idea to polish the SIDES of the trigger to reduce drag against the frame. If you have a thin enough stone, clean the sides of the frame where the hammer rubs. Reducing that friction will go a long way towards keeping the SRH reliable.

 

[98Redline]

I don't think that firing pin protrusion has ever been an issue in the Super Redhawk design. I know that a number of the standard Redhawks have suffered that issue over the years, enough that Bowen actually makes a custom longer firing pin, but I have never heard about it from a SRH (44, 454, or 480).

1) Check that your firing pin is free to move. Often times carbon build up gets inside the firing pin hole and can gum up the works. This is also a good time to check the hole to ensure that it has not been peened partially closed. Either of these things can take significant energy out of the hammer strike and cause light hits.

2) Change the mainspring. It is a relatively cheap part and could easily cause light strikes. Replace with a factory weight spring. While it is not a likely part to actually fail, I have had defective springs in the past.

3) Strip the gun down, clean and lightly lube all of the moving parts and places that indicate wear. Some sand or dirt between the frame and hammer can cause extra friction and waste much of the mainspring energy.

 

[mbartel500]

In my experience, the CCI primers are very hard. I had several misfires in my SRH .454 also. When I switched to Winchester primers, the problem went away. Federal primers are also softer than the CCI primers.

 

[codefour]

Sorry for the delayed response...

First off, let me thank all that replied to my problem. You have to the love the inmates of THR.. Thanks again. I have been away from a computer all weekend.

I checked the firing pin on the SRH and compared it to my Redhawk and Super BH. The firing pin looks to be of the exact same shape, i.e., not flattened at all. All three look nice and rounded of the same shape. The SRH firing pin is well oiled and moves freely.

I checked the firing pin itself on the SRH. I dry-fired all three and held the trigger after the hammer fell to compare. The SBH and RH protrude the same amount. The SRH, is clearly protruding less than the other two.

I cocked the hammer on the SRH. I used a small pencil eraser to press the transfer bar to engage the firing pin. The protrusion of the fring pin with the pencil method was exactly the same as the RH and SBH when dry-fired and the trigger held. It appears the SRH has either a short firing pin or the hammer stop is too large/tall preventing the transfer bar from full engaging the firing pin.

So, the 64 dollar question is; do I send it back to Ruger or send it to a good gunsmith.? I did some research on this topic. I have found articles that state my above findings regarding the shortend firing pin. Many gunsmiths recomend filing the hammer stop anywhere from .005-.020 checking along the eay to find that optimium reduction in height to reduce the gap between the hammer and transfer bar to engage the firing pin more thoroughly. I read a few articles on other forums stating Ruger did not fix this problem after multiple trips to the factory warrant center.

Any suggestions? I apologize for the long and delayed post.

Maybe I should try some Federal primers.? But I load with CCI religously. I have never had a problem with them in ANY of my revolvers. Including both my RH's, SBH, 460 S&W, 686, GP-100, 627, and the list goes on....

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you....

PS: I ordered a Wolfe spring kit and isntalled it. The problem persisted. I re-installed the factory springs and it made zero difference..

 

[feets]

Take a few thousandths off the hammer stop and call it a day.