[DaTeacha]

Okay, I've been a good boy and tried to use the search function to find anything on taking a Redhawk apart and smoothing the trigger a little. I've been unsuccessful.

I have a Redhawk I got at a show. 7 1/2" barrel, Stainless, put a Leupold 2x scope and some Decelerator grips on it. I'm moving up from a 6" .357 Colt Trooper Mk. III to the .44 with the intention of using it for deer this year instead of my Model 12 shotgun.

I was running half a box of light handloads (22.6 gr. of 2400 behind the 180 gr. Hornady SXT hollowpoint) through it today, basically sighting it in and getting used to handgunning again after several years away from it.

It seemed to me that the single action trigger pull was not terribly consistent. As an old benchrest rifle shooter (Ruger 77 in 6mm Rem.), I was paying pretty close attention and it seemed that the gun would sometimes go off with noticeably less trigger pressure than at other times.

After cleaning it, I was looking at how to take it apart -- no sideplate, no screws! Very different from the Colt where I could remove the sideplate and see how everything worked before messing with stuff. Where do I find disassembly instructions, preferably illustrated?

I am presuming the hole in the pin through the coil spring is there to keep the spring compressed, and I think the little "trapdoor" on the side of the frame must be part of the solution, but I don't want to scratch it nor have pieces flying all over my gun room because I did something dumb.

Help! And Thanks!

[neophyte]

DaTeacha: Sir; yes you see the deal correctly.

Redhawks are different; try going to RugerForum.com or Ruger Forum.net

These folks are all about Rugers. Someone or a bunch will jump at the chance to assist.

Stay here; and use them as your Ruger reference

[LiveToShoot]

My blurry, early morning vision sent to my brain "Redneck Disassembly" instead of "Redhawk Disassembly", and I was looking forward to seeing how it was done...LOL

[DaTeacha]

LOL! I think the first tool you'd need would be a large hammer to render the item in question unconscious!

Neophyte -- thanks for the directions. This place is shaping up to be as friendly and helpful as tractorbynet.com is for tractors and related items.

[billy]

from
AMERICAN RIFLEMAN










Disassembly
First ensure that the revolver is unloaded. Turn out the grip screw (43) and remove the grips (42) from the frame (36). Cock the hammer (44), remove the disassembly pin (19) from its hole in the grip panel locator (41) and insert the pin about halfway into the hole visible in the end of the mainspring strut (55) (Fig. 1). Pull the trigger (69) with the thumb on the hammer spur; ease the hammer down gently and remove the hammer pivot assembly (50), using a brass or plastic punch if required. Point the muzzle down and lift the hammer upward out of the frame. Some manipulation of the hammer, trigger, mainspring lever (54) or hammer link hook (49) may be required to free the hook from the mainspring lever and allow the hammer to be lifted free.
NOTE: Redhawk revolvers with serial numbers below 500-09367 have the hammer link assembled to the hammer with the hook pointing downward. For these guns, the hammer link must first be disconnected from the mainspring lever using a punch or probe. Then, with the trigger pulled, the hammer pivot assembly and hammer can be removed.
Using a small punch, push out the lever pivot pin (51) and, using a slight twisting motion as the parts are drawn rearward, remove the mainspring lever from the frame with mainspring (52) and strut intact. Do not remove the disassembly pin, as it retains the compressed mainspring.
Pull the trigger guard latch (71) rearward using the mainspring lever as a tool, and simultaneously pull the trigger guard (70) and its attached parts down out of the frame (Fig. 2). Push the crane latch (6) inward, open the cylinder (13) and pull the cylinder and crane (5) forward off the frame. No further disassembly is recommended. Reassemble in the reverse order.
Reassembly Notes
When reattaching the trigger guard assembly to the frame, first hook the lip at the front of the guard into its recess in the frame, then swing the guard up into position while holding the
trigger guard latch rearward. Ensure that the pawl enters its frame recess and that the transfer bar is located to the rear of the firing pin. Test for proper assembly by pulling the trigger;
the cylinder shouldrotate and lock intoposition.
Be sure to properly position the front end of the mainspring strut on the trigger link (74) at the rear of the trigger (Fig. 3) when the mainspring lever, mainspring and strut are reinstalled on the frame.
Point the Redhawk’s muzzle up while re-inserting the hammer in order to position the hook on the hammer link so
that it engages the pin in the mainspring lever. Manipulation of the hammer link with a punch or probe may be required.


Click on the image below for an enlarged view.

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[DaTeacha]

Excellent! Thank you very much, kind sir! I'm a Benefactor member of NRA, but never went to the online resources before. I'm feeling pretty dumb for not having thought of it. Thanks again.

[billy]

glad to help.
it looks as easy as the sp-101
which is a piece of cake!

[billy]

i love guns that you dont need tools to take apart!

[DaTeacha]

I kind of prefer the Colt sideplate since it let me see just what does what when I worked the action with it off. Nonetheless, the job is done.

I should have measured the trigger pull before I started, but after getting the disassembly directions I just got into it. The disassembly pin is missing on my gun, so I made a replacement from a small steel finishing nail.

I used some 400 grit aluminum oxide paper wrapped around a saber saw blade and carefully polished the rough spots on the engaging surfaces. Reassembly was a little tricky in typical Ruger fashion, with recessed pins needing to be engaged by springs while invisible to the owner, but aside from needing to employ gravity as a helper now and then, it went fine.

As a crude trigger pull scale, I placed the gun on my bathroom scale, balancing it with my left hand. I cocked it, then slowly applied pressure to the trigger with the right index finger, watching the scale until the trigger broke. It's clean and consistent at just under 2 pounds SA. and just over 7 lb. DA. The SA pull is very clean with no noticable creep, while the DA pull seems to stack up a little irregularly, with the pressure change needed kind of peaking out as the cylinder rotates into position and just a little more needed to drop the hammer after that. Both pulls are clean and smooth feeling, with no gritty sensations at all.

Thank you, gentlemen for your assistance. Now I can get back to load development. I'm planning to use the 210 gr. Nosler hollow point, pushed about as fast as I can get it moving. I'm planning to work up my loads slowly, watching for flattened primers, sticky extraction, and so on.

I have Red Dot, 2400, Unique, H110, and Bullseye to work with. Anyone got a favorite among these? I have more Bullseye than the others so am biased toward using it, but my old loading manuals seem to indicate that I will get better velocity with Unique and 2400. I mostly used Red Dot in the .357 with good results, but 2400 beats that by about 350 fps for a 215 grain bullet in the old Speer manual (#8) I have. I might have to break down and buy a new loading manual.

[billy]

i am a unique guy.

(no comments from the peanut gallery!)

[SwedeSteve]

(peanuts snickering)

[billy]

Quote:       Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

(peanuts snickering)

im a bullseye man!
sound better?