Too thick transfer bar

Have a NM Vaquero in 45 Colt. Mis-fires and determine the firing pin does not extend far enough out of the frame to give a primer a solid strike. Noticed that the top of the transfer bar is thicker than on other NM's I have. Intend to remove and Dremel down a little thinner. Comments? Haven't had this issue with any other NM's.

The main spring,hammer,transfer bar,main frame and firing pin , all together are a SYSTEM. Tolerances of all these parts need to be within spec for the system to function properly.
I would call Ruger and let them take care of it. Unless you like to tinker.

That said, a too thick transfer bar may not let the trigger reset but will not cause light firing pin strikes. A too thin transfer bar would.

Check your transfer bar system this way.

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

Shavings or leavings in the firing pin channel may give light-strikes; a "too thick" transfer bar delivers more (all) enegy to the FP. If the bar is genuinely oversized, you will see a gap between the hammer and the frame with the trigger held back during a dry fire. The hammer would then visibly close with the frame as the trigger is released.

It does as Rob72 remarks, but the firing pin still barely indents the primer. Other issues?

Take a feeler gauge and measure headspace between an empty case and the recoil shield and report.

With an issue like this, I would let Ruger handle it. An ignition problem equals a possible safety problem in their eyes, and they will make it right.

A .015 feeler gauge would just fit between the recoil shield and a chambered resized case.

That .015" seems excessive to me. I will check the spec in my book today. Possibly your brass has too thin rims ?

My book only gives a minimum of .006" and minimum firing pin protrusion of .045".

I would call Ruger and talk to a tech about that one. It sounds like your gun may be a victim of tolerance stacking. Ruger will make it right.

Opps! Should be .0015, the thinnest blade on my feeler gauge.

Now, that does make a difference yes/no ??? That extra "0" tells me it should work fine. Another reason to contact Ruger service department !

YES DEFINATELY THIS IS ONE OF THOSE KEEP YOUR HAND OFF PROBLEMS THEY KNOW BETTER

Going to Ruger...

Well, mh, I'm sorry that your first thought was to use the dremel on your Vaquero. There is quite a bit more to the story than you might think and taking down some good notes and photos might be of use to you now and in the future. If this is a brand new gun, I would want to exchange it, not play with it.

There are a lot of different NM Vaqueros. Differences are subtle. First, you have to get a rough idea of what protrusion is sufficient and for that revolver. Protrusion is one thing if measured on a gun with a fixed firing pin. But this one has an inertial firing pin and you can't check it with a feeler gauge. All you can do is make sure the f.p. has sufficient room to move when pressed all the way in. Rear gauge or headspace - if it is actually .0015" on this is way too small and the gun will bind up in no time. The cylinder just won't rotate smoothly. Add that to the list of troubles.

If your headspace is nearly 0, the firing pin isn't receiving a hit from the hammer/transfer bar. And that is where NM Vaqueros are coming up different. compare the 2 transfer bars in this photo. They are both from NM Vaqueros. Good plan on their part.



And the old part doesn't work in the newer hammer.

Doesn't look too good - not much strike against the transfer bar. Why, well because they have to juggle all the other things they tweaked like the cylinder detent and the quasi-reversing pawl experiment.

Here is a new gun. Look at how far away the hammer sits while at rest (trigger is not pulled....

Not my idea of correct. I had to use 2 hands to cock it - also not correct.

Instead of dealing with the problems associated with all the tweaking and parts variability I would be sure you have a working model in your hands before taking it home.
Carry_Up

And another thing relating to the "tuning of the the transfer bar". I realize this concept has been posted and used by millions, but I don't agree that it has anything to do with battering the t.b. If the part is going to break, it will break so don't sweat it. You can't prevent every possible problem. If a gun needs this modification - hammer down closer to or touching the frame, then that gun has also been modified to use a light trigger spring which has inadequate strength to pull the t.b. down and reset the trigger after a shot. I don't have statistics but I will wager that most people who have one transfer bar break, will not have a second one break. I just don't think it has anything to do with the way the hammer falls.

CU