Gp-100 , .22 caliber ...

Finally got my GP-.22. Very happy with it. The fit and finish is better than most. Its tighter than a bank vault , no wiggle at all. Its shooting pretty good , getting better with each cylinder I put through it. Now for the bad part ... trigger pull is very stiff. Hammer tension is very stiff. I have 3 other GP-100s , I've changed springs and done minor polish jobs to each. Made different guns out of them. Does anyone know what Ruger is putting in the GP-.22 as far as springs go ? I know my others had 14# hammer springs ... I've used both 10s and 12# springs with success on my center fire
100s. ( using CCI primers too ). Anyone change the springs in their GP-.22 yet ? Thanks

regards , brushunter

As you know,rimfires need heavy hammer springs to insure dependable ignition.
I rarly shoot mine double action so the hammer spring in mine is OEM. I have cleaned ans slicked the trigger group and replaced the trigger return spring with a Wolff 8# spring and installed trigger shims on trigger,hammer and hammer dog. That has smoothed and lightened the action a lot and made it much more enjoyable.
I have done the same to my SP101 8 shot .22.

Thanks for the feed back , Chuck. And yes , I am aware for the need of the heavy hammer spring. Just seems this is exceptionally heavy. Much heavier than my Single-Six ...though I realize its a entirely different action. And I , also , will smooth up the trigger group when I have some time. Wasn't really considering the shims ... think they made a significant difference ?? I've never shimmed my GPs , never figured it necessary. Maybe I should give it a try. Thanks again

regards , brushunter

The shims did make the gun feel better.they remove excess side play and prevent much drag caused by parts rubbing where they should'nt. They are inexpensive and don't permanently modify your gun. I have shimmed several of my Ruger DA revolvers. It seems that my RedHawks benifited the most from the shims.

I've installed reduced power hammer springs in every Ruger I own. Just how much reduction I discover by trial and error. For example, I tried the 9#er in my GP100 in 357 and had some light strikes. Went to the 10 and has been perfect since with a much better trigger. If you have some springs try the lightest and work up until you get consistant ignition, but if it is a gun that you may use to defend yourself go with the next higher weight spring or leave as is. Use will smooth it out a bit as well. I'd like to get me one of those GP 22's one of these days. Good to hear the fit and finish was GTG.

s4s4u , think I still have several springs from previous kits. I'll try them. Hope I have a 10#er , thinking that will work.

Another bit of trivia ... when I opened my new 100-.22 up for initial cleaning ( i always check for chips in the trigger group ) , I was pleasantly surprised. No chips , and it was actually lubed. Appeared like a white grease of some sort. It had been applied very sparingly to various points in the action. Example being , on the main spring spur , at the base of the hammer at the pivot point , a several other places that were obvious. I've taken all my GPs and SPs apart for "initial" inspection or cleaning , first time I've ever found lube. And can't remember ...wouldn't say all , but most had some chips that needed to be cleaned out. First impression is the new GP-100-.22 is being given a little extra care during manufacture ??? Don't know but mine is a jewel ! Thanks Ruger !

regards , brushunter

When playing with the springs one other thing I would check on the gun would be firing pin protrusion. Insure that it is adequate. Optimal is 0.055". I have a centerfire GP that runs with the 8lb trigger return/9lb mainspring and never had misfires but what works in one does not in another due to tolerances. If desired this can be alleviated by "blueprinting" to ideal tolerances. A rimfire, as noted, will need a heavier hammer fall. I have a tuned S&W 18 .22LR that has an 8lb double action pull and works so one can make a lighter .22 revolver, just NOT as light as a centerfire. Anyhow, no one ever knows what works unless they try so may as well.

Thel said:

firing pin protrusion. Insure that it is adequate. Optimal is 0.055". .

Click to expand...

Question....where did the .055 spec come from?
Was it specific to the .22 GP100 ?
Mine was making small " dimples" on the edge of the
cylinder bores when dry fired. They now have a slight
chamfer and no contact.
Thanks
Dave

"Question....where did the .055 spec come from?
Was it specific to the .22 GP100 ?"

It is a quoted supposed industry standard. Ruger will not supply a number. Several gunsmiths have quoted this number. It was cited in relation to centerfire revolvers. I know when dealing with centerfires one can get an indentation in the primer but have inadequate protrusion. The use of the heavier springs causes the hammer to fall faster striking the firing pin which would cause a larger dynamic vs. static firing pin protrusion. A couple of other factors that influence the spring rate necessary are endshake and headspace. The .22 Model 18 I have after a while did develop headspace (or had it all along) and adjusting that solved a problem I had. On the other hand Rugers have less headspace problems due to larger bearing surface for the cylinder.

"Mine was making small " dimples" on the edge of the
cylinder bores when dry fired. They now have a slight
chamfer and no contact"

Generally, many (don't know about Ruger) manufacturers do not recommend dry firing without a snap cap or old cartridge case in the chamber to avoid peening.

Thanks
I had not seen that dimension associated with rimfires and wondered about it.
Ruger is ok with dry firing ( according to manual and customer service )
They are also unconcerned by the small dimples the pin made in the charge hole
edge.
I pulled my cylinder apart and cut a radius on the holes for a little quicker/easier
use of speed loaders.
Dave

Also, although not offered in a kit Wolff does offer an 11 lb mainspring which could be use if the 10 lb mainspring does not work reliably.

Hmmm , maybe a bit premature on phrasing Ruger for my fine GP-100 -.22 ??? Ok , I changed springs. Went to a 10# hammer with a 8# return. Took a bunch of different .22 ammo types to try. I'm having problems with the trigger getting stuck back against the trigger guard. And a few light hammer strikes. ( mostly in double action mode ) The 10# will get changed to the 12# , that should take care of the light strikes. The trigger sticking back has me baffled. ONLY does it with a loaded cylinder. Dry fire it all day and it functions fine. Even with empty cases it sticks back .... When I changed the trigger spring , I smoothed and cleaned the hole. Everything looks ok with the trigger group. When the trigger sticks ... a slight twisting motion on the cylinder releases it. Looking at the cylinder ... everything looks ok ... case heads are down and appear not to be dragging ... I'm stumped. :? Any ideas before I call Ruger. Of course when or if I call Ruger ... the factory springs will be back in

I would say the trigger sticking can be fixed inside of the trigger group, because it releases when you move the cylinder I think your sticking is occurring where the trigger plunger meets the cylinder latch. The trigger plunger pushes the cylinder latch down so the cylinder can rotate, when you release the trigger the trigger plunger has to move rearward to ride over the cylinder latch, the light return spring also has to overcome the tension between the transfer bar and hammer. My guess is if you slick up the trigger plunger and cylinder latch you'll be fine, but be careful, you don't want to remove material, just smooth things out a bit.

Uh , ok. I think I understand what your referring to. But why does it function fine as long as there's no ammo ( empty cylinder ) in it ?? ( as noted before , even empties will cause it to stick ) Oh and thanks for the feed back .

regards , brushunter

Perhaps, if the trigger return spring also has to overcome friction between the hammer and the transfer bar, a little bit of extra pressure from the firing pin resting against a case, i.e. pushing back against the transfer bar instead of floating free, is the problem. I'm just guessing, based on the description of function presented above.

Perhaps the 8# return spring is too light? I have always kept the return springs original in my Rugers as I don't think that does as much for trigger pull weight as the hammer spring does and I prefer a quick reset.

All good food for thought. Thanks. Think , I'll put the original springs back in ... I'm getting old ... memory is shot ! :? I can't remember how the trigger return was with the original spring. I'm sure it wasn't sticking as it is now. we'll see

regards brushunter