Ruger Single Six transfer bar

M

Mike38

New member
I have a ~25 year old Ruger Single Six .22LR that I inherited from my Father. I get it out a couple times a year just to shoot 50 rounds or so, then clean it good and put it away for another 6 months. I'm thinking of shooting it this weekend, so I got it out to wipe off any excess oil, bore and outside. Looking at the transfer bar, if my terminology is correct (the thing the hammer hits then it hits the firing pin) and I noticed about 2/3 of the way down, what looks like a crack. Either a crack or the plating has chipped away a little bit. The handgun works fine. Could this be a crack? Is cracking a problem with these? I doubt the gun has much more than 500 rounds shot through it. Thanks in advance for the advice.
 
It is not a real common problem but those bars have cracked. Unlike a Colt or S&W hammer block, the Ruger transfer bar is struck every time the gun is fired or dry fired. If the transfer bar is cracked, not only could the gun be unsafe but the bar could break off and damage the gun. It's time for a gunsmith check or a return to the factory.

Jim
 
Are you sure it isn't an artifact from the casting process? (Flashing, mold misalignment, warpage, inclusion, etc.)

All of my Ruger transfer bars have casting marks that could be interpreted as cracks, under the right lighting.
 
Ruger will inspect and fix if require free of charge. I believe they even send you a prepaid shipping box. FREE, my favorite 4 letter word.

My favorite Ruger story is how I once returned a revolver for a transfer bar safety upgrade. FREE. This gun had the barrel cut back (butcher job) and mickey mouse fr sights the back strap was damaged and the blue all worn off. And no ejector or shroud. I got a gun back with a new barrel, new back strap, ejector all complete and re-blued. It looked like new!! FREE. I would never expect this again. But it did happen? I think anyone else would have refused to even work on that gun.

I am sure they will send you the part if you want to do it yourself. That is FREE too. You dont even pay the postage.
 
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Shouldn't be any plating on that TB.
If it's a recreational gun (more for range than field), I'd suggest you just shoot it as is.

If it does break at the range, it won't damage the gun, it'll just tie it up & you can get it to a gunsmith at that point.

Two other alternatives would be to ask a local gunsmith to take a close look to determine if it is a crack & go from there, or just order a new replacement TB & stick it in yourself if you're that concerned about it.

R&Ring the bar on an SS is fairly simple if you're at all mechanically inclined & have the right set of screwdrivers. Even I can do it. :)

You can find numerous Internet videos on the process, and the bar should ideally not need any fitting.

Even if it binds slightly, a fine file or whetstone can fit it easily.

A gunsmith would probably, at an average shop flat rate of $50 an hour, charge you somewhere close to that, plus parts, if you go that route.
Denis
 
To determine if there's an actual crack, just take the part to your dentist and ask him to take an xray. :)
(You probably think I'm joking).
 
I think maybe I'll have a smith look at it under magnification and find out. I have a magnifying glass, but still can't tell for sure. I hate to let my ham-fists work on it because the gun is as perfect as the day it was new. If cracked, I may just send it to Ruger.
 
I don't know current policies, but Ruger (and others) usually completely rebuild any gun sent in for repair, sometimes at no cost if there was no abuse. The reason is a matter of liability, since they could he held liable for a defect in ANY gun released by their factory, even if obviously well used; that means that any out-of-spec or after-market parts are replaced, and the gun restored to factory spec. A lot of users have been unhappy about that policy, but the company has to protect itself first..

Jim
 
I shot 100 rounds threw this Ruger this morning without an issue. Under closer examination using a magnifying glass, I can see that the upper 2/3 of the transfer bar is machined flat (vertical grinding marks). the lower 1/3 is not machined. What I'm thinking is a crack, is nothing more than a difference in surface appearance. The transition from a machined surface to non machined surface simply looks like a crack. While I'll keep a close eye on it, my worries are much less. Thanks for the replies.
 
It's a cast part & Ruger only machines what they think needs to be machined.
Just shoot it till something breaks. :)

Still waiting for something on my 40-year-old SS to break.
Denis
 
Yup.

Transfer bars are Investment Castings. No machining done to them at all, they are used exactly as they come out of the mold. Cheaper to produce that way. Anything that looks like machining marks will be artifacts left over from machining the molds for the lost wax positives used in the Investment Casting process.

Here is a photo of the Transfer Bar in an 'original model' Vaquero. That is not a crack on the right, it is just an artifact left over from the Investment Casting process. Notice the surface of this Transfer Bar is 'pebbly' in appearance. That would be from the lost wax part that melted away when the Transfer Bar was formed.

Vaquero%20Transfer%20Bar_zpslmcwgk6u.jpg
 
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The appearance & contours of Ruger's TBs has varied greatly over the years.
The one DJ shows is quite crudely cast.

I have TBs in Rugers going back to '76 & the oldest ones look much more "finished".

We call this Progress. :)
Denis
 
Indeed. They're quite variable.

The transfer bar in my 2009 Blackhawk was clearly machined after casting. (Or at least run across a grinder.)
The transfer bar in my SP101 appears to be as-cast.
And the rest of the Rugers fall somewhere in between.
 
My transfer bar looks very similar to the one pictured by "Driftwood" above. But mine is definitely machined on the upper two thirds of the part. Crudely machined, like I could do a better job on my old bench grinder.
 
Transfer Bar breakage can, and does happen...It is usually due to what is called Transfer Bar 'Pinch'...

There is even a test to enable the owner to predict if the bar is indeed being pinched...

http://www.cylindersmith.com/Transferbar.html

This is not the only cause of broken transfer bars, but is the most common...
Click to expand...

Does the hammer move forward as the trigger moves forward, pulling the transfer bar back down away from the firing pin? If the hammer moved forward then it's pinching the transfer bar.
Click to expand...

Interesting, interesting.

I wonder if something like that contributed to the multiple transfer bars breaking I experienced with my Charter Undercover.
 
I bought a 77 Ruger Convertible new in 77. Shot lots of mostly 22 though it as Magnums were always more expensiive, and in recent years hard to find. I have shot it more recently since I found a 66 Colt convertible and am comparing. Nothing has broke on the Ruger over the years but agree parts of them are not finished to a fine degree. Of course they would cost more if Ruger did that.

 
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