OM 3 screw handling question

[LDB]

So I am patiently (HAHAHA if you believe that) awaiting my unconverted OM. I've never had any OM style before. Reading the manual Ruger nicely provided on their site it lists the 4 hammer positions. As I understand it, from the safety and/or loading notches, positions 2 and 3, the hammer must then be drawn back to full cock, position 4, before it can be released and lowered?

So if one has been in the loading notch, finished loading, and wants to go to the safety notch one must cock it fully to pos. 4, release it down to pos. 1, resting on firing pin, then draw it back one step to safety, pos. 2? There is no direct move from loading pos. 3 to safety pos. 2?

 

[Xrayist]

As with Colt SAA's, you should really carry it with an empty chamber under the hammer. It will be a "5 shooter". The safety notch is not reliable enough to prevent a discharge if the gun is dropped and lands on the hammer. Theoretically, it is there to prevent a discharge if the hammer slips while you are un-cocking it, or before it gets to full cock if you are cocking it. Follow the rule...load a round, skip the next chamber, then load the next four in a row. Bring back the hammer to full cock, while holding the hammer all the way back, pull the trigger and lower the hammer. It will be on the empty chamber.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

If you don't pull the hammer clear back the cylinder may not be aligned with the barrel and locked in position. That last click is important.

 

[LDB]

I know the 5+1 rule. I'm not asking that. I'm not asking theory of reasoning for the notch. I'm just asking to confirm, or not, if I understand what I'm reading. And even loaded 5+1 I'd still carry on the safety notch as that adds even one more safety factor on top of the empty hole. But I won't ever EVER be carrying this, other than empty to the range. So, does it work like I think I understood it to work? If not, then where am I wrong.

 

[Gator89]

Always pull a 4 clicker fully back to the lcovcked & ocked position before lowering the hammer to reduce the severity of turn rings on the cylinder.

 

[Neon Vernon]

So I am patiently (HAHAHA if you believe that) awaiting my unconverted OM. I've never had any OM style before. Reading the manual Ruger nicely provided on their site it lists the 4 hammer positions. As I understand it, from the safety and/or loading notches, positions 2 and 3, the hammer must then be drawn back to full cock, position 4, before it can be released and lowered?

So if one has been in the loading notch, finished loading, and wants to go to the safety notch one must cock it fully to pos. 4, release it down to pos. 1, resting on firing pin, then draw it back one step to safety, pos. 2? There is no direct move from loading pos. 3 to safety pos. 2?

No, don't lower the hammer directly from half cock, the action doesn't care for it and it leaves the dreaded turn ring.

Yes, you can lower the hammer from full cock to the safety notch without going all the way down. It takes a little practice and releasing the trigger at the right time. If you can walk and chew gum you'll get it.

 

[s4s4u]

Load 1, skip 1, load 4 more.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

So I am patiently (HAHAHA if you believe that) awaiting my unconverted OM. I've never had any OM style before.

Sent you a DM.

 

[Hondo44]

LDB, yes you have it exactly right!

A little more explanation of the old model Ruger, i.e., Colt single action lock work might be interesting from an historical perspective. Leaving the chamber under the lowered hammer empty is pretty much fool proof and became the standard practice. That is once enough cowboys shot themselves in the foot or the leg with 6 rounds were in the cylinder, when tightening their saddle cinch with the stirrup hooked over the saddle horn, and the stirrup slipped off and slammed down on the hammer (with or w/o the hammer on the safety notch) of their holstered sixgun! Others came to the same conclusion if the sixgun was dropped and also went bang.

Other techniques were used to prevent this. Those in the late1800s old enough to have been weaned on single action cap and ball revolvers had learned to lower the hammer between two cap nipples for safety so they could have all 6 chambers loaded. This carried over to cartridge single actions and those carrying Colts with smaller calibers than 45 would lower the hammer all the way down from half cock (which left the cyl free to turn) and enabled them to park the firing pin between the rims of two adjacent cartridges and be safe with all 6 chambers loaded. Not quite as safe as an empty chamber locked in position under the firing pin, but a modicum of safety. Normally, since Colts have a full length rigid firing pin, required use of the hammer safety notch on the hammer so the pin wasn't resting in contact with the primer! Or required the empty chamber under the hammer.

This is where Rugers differ since their frame mounted firing pins are inertia driven and don't reach all the way to the primer unless slammed by the hammer to create inertia for the pin to reach the primer. Therefore you can't park the pin between two cartridge rims to lock cyl movement for safety. AND therefore if you lowered the hammer from other than a full cocked position leaving the cylinder unlocked, it's free to rotate to a locked position which....you guessed it.... could position a cyl with an empty chamber, you thought was under the hammer, to the next chamber which is loaded!

So in that way, the old model Ruger and similar modern single actions can be less safe than the old style Colt action. As so many ambulance chasing lawyers took advantage of knowing the Ruger company had deep pockets.

 

[contender]

Hondo has given a good explanation of the process.

One thing not mentioned so far is the FACT that if you go to half cock,, load the gun, and then lower the hammer to the full down position,, without going to full cock,, you WILL cause the dreaded "cylinder ring" scoring of the cylinder between the bolt notches.

Yes,, you can go from half cock,, to full down,, by pulling back the hammer slightly,, then pulling the trigger and lowering the hammer. But that causes the cylinder ring because you didn't get the bolt locked in place. DON'T DO IT!

You read it correctly,, and it's been explained. your last comment,, of going from position 3 to position 2,, NO,, it doesn't work that way.

I think you are trying to over think the process.

Just follow the tried & true,, method of going to full cock, THEN lowering the hammer all the way down. Then, if you wish,, pull it back slightly to the first click,, to relieve the tension on the firing pin spring. (What's commonly called the safety notch.)

 

[LDB]

Since my plan for that gun, and any others if/when I get them, is only ever range time it's all moot as to carry. They'll only ever be carried empty and once loaded safely at the range immediately fired. Or emptied to bring home.

But the cylinder ring is to be avoided if at all possible and that is possible by always going to 4 prior to going to any lower option. More good stuff learned/confirmed. More thought fuel. It's what I do.

 

[41Dude]

After you master loading five you can work on the next step

https://www.google.com/search?sca_e...ate=ive&vld=cid:6ca30152,vid:PQGjI_zhkXA,st:0

PS. It did not take me long to master it but now they call me 9 toes.