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Ruger New Model Single Six Problem

17K views 34 replies 4 participants last post by  Josh 
#1 ·
So I have a Rugee New Model Single Six. It was made in 1976, I believe. It.s the hunter model, I guess, because it has about a 9.5" barrel. Anyways, on tothe good stuff.

I was out shooting it, and the loading gate wouldn't open. I was kind of stumped, so I took it apart to find out what was causing the problem. I messed around with the gate detent spring for a moment and it seemed to be working fine. So I put it back together and am now faced with a bigger problem. The loading gate works fine, most of the time, but now the hammer won't go back half the time. Without the cylinder in, it will cock about hakfway sometimes and stop, and sometimes it will go back all the way. When it does, it feels... different. Almostloose, but not really. Sorry, it's hard to describe.When the cylinder is in, the hammer will only go back about halfway. And the cylinder is kind of loose too, until it is locked in place.. I'm pretty sure I put everything back together right... But I don't know what could be wrong.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. This was my first gun, and my grandfather owned it. I'd like to fix it myself, if possible.Thanks in advance.
 
#3 ·
Upon even further inspection, I see that the base pin has a little spring that pushes the transfer bar back. I checked that and I couldn't see anything wrong with it, and now the transfer bar isn't hitting the firing pin anymore. It does seem to be slightly sideways, though. Maybe the problem is that the cylinder isn't turning.
 
#9 ·
Well, without seeing the pistol, the only thing I can think is you have the pawl plunger in wrong or in a bind, it is very easy to get the plunger spring in a bind when you put the grip frame back on, and if the plunger is not free it wont let the hand push up properly.
 
#13 ·
take the cylinder out and cock the hammer, you said earlier that it would cock with the cylinder removed, you can easily see the cylinder stop move with the cylinder out. If it does not move, then you have obviously reassemble your pistol wrong.
Did you take the grip frame loose and check the pawl plunger?
 
#16 ·
No I mean the pawl plunger, on the left side of the frame below the hammer, the plunger goes in first if I remember right , I have seen rugers reassembled with the spring completely smashed between the grip frame and the frame and they did not cock .
The cylinder latch plunger can cause problems if you did not get it square under the cylinder latch, if it is off to one side in other words.
 
#24 ·
Glad you found the problem, now you need to find out why. the hammer plunger only briefly engages the end of the cylinder latch, kind of in a camming action, so the hammer / cylinder latch, had to be held in place for a brief instant to apply pressure on the plunger in a way that it was not supposed to ,a short stroke of the hammer with the trigger pulled comes to mind, or a fanning action. Or if the internals of the pistol have become worn to the point of being unserviceable.
Good luck.
 
#22 ·
Sure wish I could help here...and lord knows I aint buttin in to be smart, and
nobody likes to do their own "basic" smithing like I do ....but...

If you think you do get somewhere with it finally, please check then recheck at
least visually the timing and cylinder lock and position before use best you
can and for a bit during firing...

Some of the stuff I see so far sure scares me as to you shavin some slug
tips outta that cylinder if a problem still surfaces...

Carry on and be safe

regards,

1shot1k
 
#30 ·
Now I'm just confused.. my part came in, and I installed it.. it snapped pretty quickly.. When I checked, I discovered it was between 3 and 4 millimeters longer than the original hammer plunger.. I got it from Numrich? Did they just send me the wrong part? I know I ordered the right model # and everything.. Just kind of confused..
 
#31 ·
It probably was not the wrong part. All Ruger single actions, single six through super blackhawk, use the same hammer plunger.

When you replace parts in firearms it is not like changing parts in your car. Most all of the time the part must be fitted, also, you should check the other parts associated with the one being replaced, in your case the cylinder latch, gate spring, cylinder latch plunger... all have to work right in order for the hammer plunger to work right.
 
#32 ·
Alrighty. So I'll look at all those parts again.. and the next hammer plunger I get I'll grind some of it off, I guess. To match the other one. The original hammer plunger was blued. The one I got was stainless. That doesn't tell you anything, does it?
 
#34 ·
I think all of the new plungers are stainless, if you get your new part, when you reassemble the hammer and trigger take notice to see that everything is in its place and moves freely. The cylinder latch, as far as I know, is moved by the gate latch spring being depressed when the gate is open, and when the hammer is cocked at the first click, the plunger is pushed against the back of the latch , forcing the end down for just an instant to release the cylinder, then the plunger spring pushes the plunger back down allowing the plunger to reset for the next go around as the hammer is fully cocked.
The cylinder latch plunger then pushes the cylinder latch up against the turning cylinder so it will snap into the notch of the cylinder , aligning it with the barrel. That is what causes that nice little line going around the cylinder where the bluing is rubbed off.
Again, without seeing your pistol it is hard to say what is the problem, the plunger has to work freely inside the hammer, and it should be a snug fit , in other words the plunger hole should not allow the plunger to move in any direction other than up and down. If it is wallowed out then you will have to replace the hammer, which is best left to a professional because of the sear engagement. the cylinder latch also has to be able to move freely, if it is binding in the trigger, or if the gate spring is putting undue force up on the latch, or if the latch plunger is bound up in its hole. All this would keep the latch from moving, which you stated earlier in your posts that it was not moving, sorry I missed that before.
When you reassemble , try everything for movement , it should move easily, and do not try to force anything into place.
 
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