Redhawk trigger fixes?

[rugerjunkie]

Not uo on da triggers on revolvers but my new redhawk could use some trigger work. Heavy pull and a lot of creep in sa mode...lots. Lighter springs would probably help with the pull weight but how about all the creep?

I have a newer gp100 and the trigger is 10x better than the redhawk. Any tips/tricks?

Thanks!

 

[mhblaw]

Not sure if this will help, but go to Bowen Classic Arms web site, check "News" and scroll down to December 2011. Hamilton has an article on the Redhawk trigger that might give you some answers.

 

[rugerjunkie]

Thank you. That was a good read and offered a lot of information. Its suprising about the possible ignition problems with a Redhawk.

So basically the springs are better left alone and some polishing of the engagement surfaces is the place to start from what I can tell.

 

[41-44-45-48]

I did some polishing of the sear surfaces with 600 then 1000 grit oiled paper. Then shot it a few thousand times. Now the trigger is great - very crisp and reasonably light in SA. DA is still somewhat heavy due to the mainspring but is smooth as glass through the whole pull.

 

[NikA]

If you haven't done this before, India stones may be a better choice than sandpaper because they allow you to keep engagement surfaces flat. I use a fine India stone on the SA sear engagement and 600 grit paper on the DA contact parts to get better trigger action. On my latest Redhawk, this took the pull from the mid-5lb range to right around 4lb for SA and from >10lb to something like 8-9lb for DA. It can only get better from there with use, but I'd prefer to break it in by shooting rather than dry firing.

 

[Thel]

As others have noted the contact surfaces can be polished. I use a fine Arkansas stone to do this. The surfaces can be buffed with crocus cloth to a mirror polish. Shims can be added to the hammer dog, hammer and trigger to reduce friction slightly and give a more consistent trigger. Wolff's offers a reduced power trigger pak with 12, 13, 14 lb springs (17 is std). Ruger recently changed the firing pin retaining arrangement in the frame which will make replacing the firing pin easier. Bowen is supposed to be offering a new style firing pin in extended length for this.

 

[DeletedMember275]

The Redhawk is one gun that simply changing out the spring for a lighter one can cause more problems than it solves. If the trigger is creepy, it definitely needs some attention. The one Redhawk that I've owned had a 7+ pound SA trigger pull, after being well used. I tried a little free-hand stoning with a hard Arkansas stone and reduced it to about 6 pounds, then bought a Power Custom stoning fixture and did it right. The SA pull ended up right at 5 pounds and broke clean. An expensive solution for just one gun, but I bought additional adapters for the stoning fixture, and can do other guns, as well.

 

[Yetiman]

If you change the spring, be sure to test it extensively in double action. If you observe the operation, you will see that the hammer comas back farther in single action than it does in double action. The resulting strike is stronger in single action.

When I put a 12 pound spring in mine it was totally reliable in SA, but would have occasional light strikes in DA.

I moved up to the 14# and it has been spot on since.

 

[Thel]

Over the years have had several tuned Redhawks. My experience mirrors Yetiman. One I had with the 12 lb mainspring had a SA of about 4.2 lbs measured on a Chatillon recording gauge and double action of 8.8 lbs. It worked 100% DA with Corbon and Federal ammo and primers. Never used CCI (the ultimate test) primers. With WW ammo and primers in DA one would get some FTFs. With the 14 lb mainspring things were 100% reliable. Also, this RH had an extended Bowen firing pin. On another Ruger forum a member there claims he can get his Redhawks to run with the 12lb mainspring in DA 100%. I would assume he set firing pin protrusion to maximum and minimum headspace along with shims in the action that is polished. As to creep the cocking notch needs to be reduced. This is a job best done with a fixture. If it is reduced too much or angles changed one can get an UNSAFE trigger in that the hammer may not stay cocked on its own or pushoff.

One other thing is the new Redhawks have MIM triggers so I do not know how well they take to stoning and polished like the previous cast parts.

 

[rugerjunkie]

Thanks for all the info , I really appreciate it. For now I think all I will do before using it is give it a good internal cleaning and see if there are any burrs to clean up. Other than that , I think it will be best if sent off to someone who knows what they are doing. Im an ok parts swapper but not equipped with the right tools to do it right for an all out trigger job. The worst part about the trigger to me is the long and pretty gritty creep it has in single action mode.