Ruger Redhawk Common Problems

Interesting thread. I now recollect a discussion about 8yrs ago w/one of our local gunsmith re ruger light strikes and he had commented he gets quite a few that (he felt) manufacturing tolerances of the transfer bar and FP sometime added up to a deficit in reaching the primer. I recalled making a note of his comment in that he asserted the slight rounding of the transfer bar top edge, when combined w/a slight rounding of the FP head (?) and the transfer bar being min spec on its height. He said he built up the top edge of the transfer bar w/a small bead of weld and was good to go. In chkg out my own over the yrs I don't recall a single one that the transfer bar engage more than ½ of the FP head and most were less.

Thats not to say he was correct ~ just to mention that its definitely not new and perhaps light strikes are more common than thot and apparently afflicts some SA also.
 
People can post all day long on not having a problem with their Redhawk, but it doesn't help those who do at all. :)
Denis
 
Drag marks

Well, I took the gun apart today for the first time. I've broken down my SP101 severl times and some of it's the same and some of it is not the same. What I found was some drag marks on the side of the hammer near fram level. I also found some roughness in the spring channel/ recess at the back of the trigger guard. Ruger does a good job of engraving the last 3 numbers of the serial number by hand in there and then forgets to polish things out The actual channel was full of striations as well so I used a polishing point to at least smooth over the high points. This could have been intermittently robbing the sprint of the required speed. For good measure I polished the spring guide as well. I also polished the sides of the hammer to a bright shine and used a rubber bullet point to debur the frame channel where the hammer sticks up. The rub marks tell me there was a slight bur on one side. I also polished the transfer bar and the front and back of the rachet but not the top that mates to the cylinder. The inside of this ruger was rough. So was my SP101 which had burs which smoothed out really well with a little work. Unlike the other rugers where there is firm contact with the firng pin when the trigger is pulled and the hammer down , the redhawk hammer rebounds away from the primer before the trigger is released allowing the primer in essence to push back on the firing pin. I also polished the step at the top of the hammer, but I don't think that's the main problem due to the rough internal machining where the spring fits in the trigger guard and obvious drag marks on the sides of the hammer. I tried some other springs that I had from a 10/22 build which seem to match the overall dimensions of the factory spring, but I did not find them satisfactory to change out. I wasn't even seeing the firing pin pop out of the fram when I dry fired with softer springs so in went the factory one again. I'm looking forward to running a box of reloads through the gun to see how she performs. My guess is it will run 100% now but only testing will tell for shure.
 
OK, my redhawk sucks @$#%@#$%!#$%

I went shooting today and found that in single action I didn't have a single misfire with more than 30 rounds fired but in double action I had two misfires in less than 12 shots! My gun has something that's just not right and I think it may be the firing pin length or the length of the transfer bar. When the trigger is all the way back, the transfer bar only seems to come up half way over the firing pin. Because of this and the fact the transfer bar has a radius, the firing pin isn't getting the a full smack. Can you guys take a peek at your unloaded redhawk and see if the transfer bar comes completely over the firing pin when the trigger is pulled? Maybe I got a transfer bar for a smaller gun like the GP100 at the factory.
 
As noted above ". . . . . I don't recall a single one that the transfer bar engage more than ½ of the FP head and most were less. . . ." Thats based on my findings of transfer bars in SA, DA both big & small ~ ~
 
I just got done doing some reading online and I'm utterly disgusted! Ruger shortened the transfer bar to reduce the chans of accidental discharge. They reduced it so much that scores of people are having problems because of this with their redhawk revolvers. If I had know this problem existed, I would have bought a different brand of 44 mag. I have no complaints about the GP100 or SP101, but I would never buy another current production redhawk. Apparently the older original redhawk guns ahve a long transfer bar that completely covers the firing pin. Mine doesn't!
 
I for one was unaware of such a strong under current of light strikes until experiencing it myself. FWIW, my bro has a S&W X frame that has problem also. FP change/swap out is tuff for a homey DIY'er w/o cosmetic damage. In eliminating 0.004" ES on my SRHs my FPP are now @ 0.045" which is in 'the range' if I understand right.

I'm guessing the dimple in the hammer faces of these system is for safety reasons shud we attemp to bypass this feature.
 
I just checked my Redhawk and SBH. My RH's transfer bar goes up far enough to completely cover the FP. My RH is an older one. The RH has never ever given me a misfire and I shoot it mostly DA.

My NMSBH transfer bar comes up about 1/2 way on the FP. No misfires with this gun either. HTH's.
 
I just sent my new Ruger SRH in .44 magnum to the N.H. plant due to repeated jamming. Not sure what it is, but for a woods gun, can't continue like this. Three times out, three times jamming after 4-5 rounds. I brought it back home, oiled it and tried dry fire with dummy rounds and it looked like it worked well.

In any case, we will see what Ruger finds.
 
RC-- Did you file some meat off the hammer? That is what fixed my gun. Before I filed my hammer, the transfer bar would not push the firing pin far enough into the primer for a reliable strike. It didn't take much, just a few strokes. I also drilled a little out of the recess hole in the hammer for piece of mind (probably not necessary). You remind me of frustrations I went through 15 years ago..... I hope these pics help.

Like I said before, no more misfires after I filed the flat above the recess on the hammer.:)

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Skidder, thanks for the great pictures. Your transfer bar is longer than the one on my Redhawk. Mine ends about half way up the firing pin. I think I have two radiused surfaces transfering the energy from the hammer to the primer rather than the force being transferred in a straight line. I will contact ruger and see if they will just send me a transfer bar. After all, it's not a custom fit part like the hammer/sear
 
Keep us posted about your Redhawk. Let me know if Ruger makes it right. They already have one strike against them for my Redhawk. I figured out their email address and sent them this thread. I hope they don't treat your situation like they treated me 15 years ago.
 
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Thanks! One other thing about your redhawk that I just noticed is that your rear sight is pretty much near the center of it's adjustment range. Mine is way off to the right to get it to group near point of aim. My front sight is not machined centrally on the mounting so it is off a bit. I have to look at it again but I think the front is machined too far to the left making me have to crank the rear sight right to compensate for the defect. I have to figure out if they did this on purpose at the factory to get it to shoot within the adjustment range of the rear sight. I'm thinking about swapping the sights from my GP100 and Redhawk to see how that affects things on each revolver. I think I'm going to find I need a new front sight to get my rear sight to be more central when the gun is zeroed.
 
I think Ruger will take care of you. I've read good things about their CS department. Tell them everything about the gun, including the rear sight.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
 
Just found this thread, I have a Redhawk that has had misfires. With CCI primers in double action, I have 1-2 misfires per cylinder. Single action, have never had a problem. Other brands of primers, not a problem. I attribute this to the fact that the hammer falls approximately 50% further in single action which equals more momentum, and that CCI primers have a reputation as being harder.

With an UNLOADED revolver, watch the hammer in DA and take note of its position when it falls. Much shorter fall than when manually coked for single action.

My transfer bar covers most of the firing pin with trigger fully rearward, just a little bit of the FP peeking above the TB. I will have to study on removing a bit of metal from my hammer.
 
Nice to meet you roklok. It seems there are more of us than I originally thought. Below, I described a little test you can do on your Redhawk. I hope it helps.

Before I operated:
With an empty gun cycle it once keeping the trigger pulled, look through the rear cylinder gap to see how far the firing pin protrudes. Now with the gun cocked press the transfer bar with your finger and see if the firing pin comes out any further. My firing pin protruded twice as far with my finger pushing the transfer bar. I checked my sp101 and there was no difference in the two methods. That is what gave me the idea to file a little off the hammer. You can check your Redhawk the same way. I just got done checking my Security Six and there's a slight difference between the two methods, but not enough to cause misfires.

I would get help from Ruger or a gunsmith first, but if they make you pay too much, a flat file might be your answer.
 
bought mine in 87'. Used it mainly for following pigs into thick brush. I did not have too many DAmisfires - just two. As some might have noticed themseves sometimes pigs need more than one 300 grs LFP... Standing there in the winternight with lots of snow, the cylinder open trying to figure out which primer shows a light strike was not something I need again. As rockhart stated, its just the security six style push-me-pull-me mainspring.
I bought a Super Redhawk in 454 (almost unused as most :D) and had the barrel cut to 4". The SRH uses the two spring GP100 system. Solved both problems - the light strikes as well as boars running too far after connecting with 300 grainers.
 
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