Ruger Old army grip frame Questions

That pictures shows the grips, the grips interchange. The grip frames between Old Models and New Models DO NOT INTERCHANGE. So a New Model XR3-RED grip frame WILL NOT FIT AN OLD ARMY. So no, "ANY" XR3-RED grip frame will not work, it must be an Old Model grip frame. New Model grip frames are setup for their long wire trigger return spring. Old Models and Old Armies have a coil spring and plunger right behind the trigger. Completely different, not interchangeable.

A New Model grip frame will not work on an Old Army without significant gunsmith modification. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MORE CLEAR I CAN BE AND YES, I AM YELLING!!!!!!
 
Thank you Mykeal, I din't know the differance in XR3-RED and XR3. I thought they meant the same. And thanks for the Diagram... now know I need an XR3 grip frame for a proper fit to them Pearl Grips on both Revs... maybe they'll just keep wood grips and sell the Pearl/Jay Scott grips (XR3).
 
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I just picked up three original XR3 grip frames for prices ranging from $25 for a modified beater to $100 for a really nice one. They can get up to $150 for one in mint condition. Bearing in mind of course that they're all made of aluminum.
 
It was my understanding the 'New Blackhawk' grip frame was marked XRN-3RED, rather than XR3-RED, to remark the difference in trigger return spring design, and while it is dimensionally identical to the XR3-RED it is not thus identified. That was the basis for my statement; apologies if I had that wrong.

And apologies for discussing the design details of a smokeless powder revolver in a black powder forum.

(...intentionally refraining from yelling)
 
It's really not a good idea to go strictly by the frame stampings. For example, the stainless grip frame for the New Model guns, in the XR-RED pattern like the one that came off my short barrelled Super, is marked KXR3. Even though they are not the XR3 pattern. The stainless Old Army grip frames are marked the same way but the two are not interchangeable. It's better to know what you're looking at, rather than rely on the stampings, there is little logic behind them.


And apologies for discussing the design details of a smokeless powder revolver in a black powder forum.
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This is also the cowboy action forum and we discuss smokeless guns and loads all the time. :rolleyes:
 
I'm not sure what to think.

Blued Ruger Old Army grip frames are marked XR3-RED. Blued Ruger Old Model Blackhawk grip frames are also marked XR3-RED, and they are interchangeable, correct?
Blued Ruger New Model Blackhawk grip frames are marked XRN-3RED, and they are not interchangeable with XR3-RED marked frames.

I made the statement that any grip frame marked XR3-RED would fit a Ruger Old Army, and I was told that was in error because the XR3-RED frame 'spanned both Old and New Blackhawk production' and New Blackhawk frames would not fit the Old Army because of different trigger spring configurations. But the New Blackhawk frame isn't marked XR3-RED, it's marked XRN-3RED.

So my original statement is correct; any XR3-RED will fit a Ruger Old Army.

I understand the issue regarding stainless New Blackhawk and stainless Old Army grip frames both being marked KXR3 and not being interchangeable, but that doesn't make the XR3-RED statement incorrect.
 
That's the same link I posted in #18. It says what I've been saying.

In reading the previous posts in this thread perhaps what CraigC is trying to say is that you can't trust the part numbers marked on the Ruger grip frames; that some New Blackhawk grip frames, which are supposed to be marked XRN-3RED are mismarked as XR3-RED. I've not heard that before, so I'm surprised. Just trying to get my head around this.
 
Beyond the original XR3 and XR3-RED, you can't trust Ruger's grip frame stampings. After that point, there is very little logic to their numbering and the new XR3's are not even marked. Thus, we tend to disregard them and don't refer to the New Model XR3-RED as the XRN-3RED. So in effect, we're both right. And no, I fully understood the Ruger grip frame debacle long before Bill Hamm wrote his article.
 
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