Old Model Single Six problem with light strikes.....

Guns.com Vault
Gather App
D

Dantforth

Blackhawk
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
633
City & State/Province
Westport, Ontario, Canada
It is a three screw model from early production. I sold it to a friend. He reports it will fire one or maybe two in a cylinder. Others appear to be light strikes. It is original lock work. He did try several different brands of ammunition and all were the same. I asked him to bring it back and thought I might ask the experts here before I get it. I purchased it years ago and had never fired it. Humbug!!
David
 
Get it back,, check the firing pin. With an empty gun, cock it, then lower the hammer all the way and hold the trigger back & see what the pin protrusion is.
If the pin is good, check the endshake. Excessive endshake can cause this also.
 
You might try backing the hammer pivot screw off maybe 1/2 to one turn. Sometimes this screw gets over tightened and the frame pinches the hammer.

Bob Wright
 
push on the back of the firing pin ( with the hammer back, see how much of the firing pin nose protrudes, these are a "rebound" firing pin, pushes against the spring, keeps the pin back till it is struck..........make sure there is lots of back and forth with the pin ,that it is NOT "gunked" in place, also check that the nose of the pin is NOT chipped off ( broken)
and as 'Contender 'said above the head space is critical, not too much "free play ( end shake) whatever one wants to call it......
finally that the cylinders chambers are NOT "fouled" and that the cases drop all the way into the chambers...........22 rimfires are very dirty, foul easily.........
Yes also as noted above that the hammer "drops" ( free fall) does not hang up or drag on the sides of the frame, thus absorbing any 'impact'......... 8) :roll: :wink:
 
I suggest an aggressive cleaning with brake-parts cleaner or the more expensive version: 'Gun Scrubber'; especially in the firing pin hole; but everywhere else too.... and I do mean aggressive. I have owned my Single Six OM for MANY years and have kept it immaculately clean. BUT, after several years just sitting unused in my safe, I took it out and found that the action was completely locked-up..... wouldn't budge. After a short panic, I figured it can't hurt to spray the hell out of it. BINGO.... then I got the grip frame off, and did it again. No more problems.
J
 
Light strikes is one of several common issues that get worse as the gun ages. First, the firing pin is not faulty, it is the cylinder which is too far from the f.p. due to looseness that develops with wear. SS parts are getting very difficult to find, but even so, individual parts will not bring back a worn out gun. That is why the GP100 was made. I have no idea why there is such a mystique around the SS, given that its design issues cannot clearly be addressed.

Carry_Up
 
The most common issue of malfunction is crud, not wear, especially in Single Six SAs. The next most common is abuse and/or inexperienced tinkering or parts changing.

.22 LR cartridges are filthy.

But do not wear the cylinders appreciably, the SSs are way too overbuilt for the cartridge. Even in magnums.

Sure the lock work can wear from extended use or abuse in the old models.

As far as the design, currently it's almost bullet proof, vastly improved in 1953 and more so in 1973, of a design in production longer than any other; crowding 15 decades now. Not only will the GP 100 never catch up to it, the popularity of the SS continues to be one of the most popular Ruger models with new versions still being introduced.
 
Carry_Up said:
Light strikes is one of several common issues that get worse as the gun ages. First, the firing pin is not faulty, it is the cylinder which is too far from the f.p. due to looseness that develops with wear. SS parts are getting very difficult to find, but even so, individual parts will not bring back a worn out gun. That is why the GP100 was made. I have no idea why there is such a mystique around the SS, given that its design issues cannot clearly be addressed.

Carry_Up
Click to expand...

Not sure why you’re comparing the single action “Single Six” (most often seen in 22 rimfire) to the larger, double action GP100 which is generally thought of as a .357 Magnum centerfire.

Maybe you’re referring to the Security Six?
 
I finally have the revolver back in my possession. I will answer some of the questions as I check them. The main spring has 28 coils so that is as it came from the factory. S/N is 141999. The cylinder seems to have no appreciable end shake or very minimal. I have turned the hammer pivot screw out 1/2 turn. When I let the hammer drop and hold the trigger back the firing pin protrudes and does not seem to be chipped. I wish I had a method to measure the protrusion. The cylinder is rebated at the rear. I will attempt to take a photo. Comments are welcome. I am about to spray it down with brake cleaner. At some point I will attempt firing it.
i have taken a photo of the cylinder but, since Photobucket cut everyone off I cannot post photos. I can send a photo to anyone who might help. Also when end play occurs is it due to wear on the cylinder or on the frame? Cylinder measures 1.631 with my cheap device.
 
Well, thanks to all who posted here and helped. I am doing a happy dance. I am not sure what the charm was but between backing off the hammer pivot screw and cleaning with brake cleaner the problem does not exist any longer. I just finished firing two cylinders full of CCI ammo and it functioned perfectly.
 
Great news Dantforth…..

Just retighten that hammer screw and you're back in business :-))))

J
 
Johnnu2 said:
Great news Dantforth…..

Just retighten that hammer screw and you're back in business :-))))

J
Click to expand...

Ummmm..............That was his problem in the first place, the hammer pivot screw had been tightened down too much, the frame was binding.


Bob Wright
 
contender said:
Get it back,, check the firing pin. With an empty gun, cock it, then lower the hammer all the way and hold the trigger back & see what the pin protrusion is.
If the pin is good, check the endshake. Excessive endshake can cause this also.
Click to expand...
This is a good start but, the firing pin must protrude about ..040" from the frame to correctly ingage the primer area of the shell, also.
Steve
 
steve8261948 said:
contender said:
Get it back,, check the firing pin. With an empty gun, cock it, then lower the hammer all the way and hold the trigger back & see what the pin protrusion is.
If the pin is good, check the endshake. Excessive endshake can cause this also.
Click to expand...
This is a good start but, the firing pin must protrude about ..040" from the frame to correctly ingage the primer area of the shell, also.
Steve
Click to expand...

Y'all keep referring to the firing pin, when it was not the firing pin that was the problem but rather "light strikes" from the hammer blow being impeded. Three Screw Rugers will display that problem when the hammer screw is tightened too tight, it makes the hammer fall "sluggish." I've seen too many cases where over tightening was the culprit, especially on Single Sixes of the period.

And New Models use a pin instead of a screw.

Bob Wright

P.S. With a Three Screw, you don't have to hold the trigger back.
 
Two procedures to fix problem done at the same time equals not knowing which one was the cure.
How about tightening that screw so I can have a tranquil snooze.

Bill
 
Well, here we go again! I have the problem back. My friend told me it had failed to fire. I tried it and it failed to fire for me as well so I am back searching for an answer. Sending it back to Ruger is not on my list as I am in Canada. So I am hoping for help. I have a second and third old model Single Six here so I started with the obvious. All firing pins appear similar and appear to protrude the same through the frame when the hammer is in fired position. I see a small amount of end shake so, holding the cylinder back as far as I can I am able to squeeze a .003" gauge in between cylinder and forcing cone. But, I also see a similar end shake in my flat gate SS and it shoots fine. Cylinders will not interchange or I would try that. Interesting that on the fail to fire I had I could not locate a firing pin mark on the unfired casing. Thoughts?
 
No mark at all on the case huh?
MAYBE,, the cylinder is not indexing all the way? That would cause the firing pin to strike a portion of the cylinder & not the ammo.
 
Thanks Contender. I am suspicious that the problem is associated with the cylinder and possibly end play. I have never disassembled a Ruger revolver before but am tempted. Is this a hard or complicated process? I did contact Ruger customer service and got an immediate reply advising me that I should contact the Canadian Ruger depot but.....they are shut down like everything else. I am wondering if anyone has the dimension for the cylinder of that period SS? I am hoping for some sage advise.
 
By your comment about no marks on the ammo, I doubt endplay will be the culprit. you say you have a .003 cylinder gap, and I can say that's NOT a lot. I see revolvers with as much as .012 and they still work. And a .005 to .007 is very common in many revolvers. So a .003 is NOT a lot.

Try this;
With an EMPTY gun,,, VERY, VERY slowly cock it. Watch the cylinder as it rotates. When it locks back, stop for a moment, THEN pull the hammer a bit more. It SHOULD actually move the cylinder a little more. The design is such, that the momentum & weight of the cylinder is supposed to rotate on over into the locked position. Very slow cocking sometimes prevents this.
And to see if it's only happening at one spot, when out actually shooting it, using a crayon, mark the chamber(s) that fail to fire. If it happens on all chambers at different times,, then you have a possible worn hand, or even a worn ratchet section on the cylinder. More common will be the hand problem, as it's a part some folks "gunsmith" on.

An OM Ruger is one of the easier handguns to disassemble & work on too. I have books on gunsmithing that show how to do a lot of disassembly & re-assembly, (Gun Digest publishes excellent books on this,) but you can most likely find a "how-to" on the internet.
 
Well, I jumped in with both feet. I printed off a set of disassembly instructions from Ruger. Then I started and I took photos of every piece that I removed. Not as hard as I expected. Now, the insides were just as greasy as could be. Most everything was stuck together with dried up oil. Grip frame and frame are soaking in thinner now. Pieces which I removed I will clean each separately. Question..... how do I remove the firing pin? I see a pin through the frame which probably holds it in place. Can I drift that out and, if so, in which direction? Also, I see a screw in the bottom of the frame which would be under the grip frame when assembled. What does that screw hold and is it necessary to remove it?
 
Contender.....I did try the method you described and did not see what you described.....probably because everything was so badly gummed up. So, I jumped to disassemble.
 
Confession time! I answered all my own questions. Why did I not do this years ago? It was badly gummed up inside. I sent two hours soaking and cleaning. Reassembly was a bit challenging but I took my time and was successful. Loaded it and went outside and it works as advertised. I do appreciate all of the advise and comments from members here. I drifted the pin out which appears to capture the firing pin and I could not remove the FP so I just drove the pin back in.
 
Good to know it was mostly in need of a serious cleaning.
Most of us know to NOT try & remove the firing pin retention pin. It's a PIA to get back in place aligned to where it doesn't show.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
OLD MODEL Single Action grip frame anodizing
Replies
13
Views
360
Randyzzz
Randyzzz
pupsdad
New model single six cylinder
Replies
8
Views
410
contender
contender
pupsdad
New model single six base pin
Replies
13
Views
385
pupsdad
pupsdad
Joey
Single Six and Blackhawk conversion kits
Replies
19
Views
554
Joey
Joey
pupsdad
New to me 32 single six
2 3
Replies
63
Views
2K
Hondo44
H

Latest posts

Back
Top