Super Blackhawk jam. What the heck?? Thoughts please?

[Tallbald]

I was inventorying a few things and I happened to handle my beautiful 4 5/8 inch stainless Super Blackhawk. An important piece of my life from difficult days, this gun is dear to me. Checking to assure it was empty first, I cocked the hammer a couple of times just to enjoy the feel and sound like we all sometimes do when ...WHOA!. The hammer wouldn't cock beyond maybe 1/4 inch and the cylinder wouldn't turn. Locked tight! Thinking that the spring in the base pin was stuck and not holding the transfer bar up away from the firing pin I looked. Nope. Transfer bar was away from the pin. Gate opens fine and allows cylinder to rotate. Base pin is all the way in. Nothing jammed in the cylinder gap. Nothing visible externally. Without disassembling my beloved revolver, can anyone suggest what might be happening? No mods ever except a lighter Wolffe spring set. Very seldom shot. No corrosion at all. Basically a safe queen. My gun has had some cosmetic work done ( stainless lanyard ring, trigger over travel stop, rounding of grip frame and custom grips) that make me not want to return to the factory. Has me worried.
Don.

 

[David Bradshaw]

I was inventorying a few things and I happened to handle my beautiful 4 5/8 inch stainless Super Blackhawk. An important piece of my life from difficult days, this gun is dear to me. Checking to assure it was empty first, I cocked the hammer a couple of times just to enjoy the feel and sound like we all sometimes do when ...WHOA!. The hammer wouldn't cock beyond maybe 1/4 inch and the cylinder wouldn't turn. Locked tight! Thinking that the spring in the base pin was stuck and not holding the transfer bar up away from the firing pin I looked. Nope. Transfer bar was away from the pin. Gate opens fine and allows cylinder to rotate. Base pin is all the way in. Nothing jammed in the cylinder gap. Nothing visible externally. Without disassembling my beloved revolver, can anyone suggest what might be happening? No mods ever except a lighter Wolffe spring set. Very seldom shot. No corrosion at all. Basically a safe queen. My gun has had some cosmetic work done ( stainless lanyard ring, trigger over travel stop, rounding of grip frame and custom grips) that make me not want to return to the factory. Has me worried.
Don.

*****

Don....
Possible cause of described lockup
* Bent hammer plunger.
* Broken hammer plunger spring.
* Broken transfer bar.
* Parts cramped during assembly.
* Cylinder tries to rotate before pawl drops.

Nature of your trigger stop screw may contradict design of New Model lockwork, which requires trigger to sweep rearward at hammer fall. Rearward sweep of trigger raises transfer bar to cover firing pin.
David Bradshaw

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Make sure your cylinder pin is completely seated.

 

[Tallbald]

Cylinder pin is seated well and the pin spring plunger strong. Transfer is fine as I look downward into the hammer gap of the frame.
I forgot to add that my revolver does not lock up every time. Sometimes it takes a minute or two of cocking and releasing the hammer with my thumb. I never dry fire any of my guns either. Hmm. Sure puzzling. Glad I no longer hunt. This could be catastrophic in a bad situation. Don

 

[David Bradshaw]

"I forgot to add that my revolver does not lock up every time. Sometimes it takes a minute or two of cocking and releasing the hammer with my thumb. I never dry fire any of my guns either."
----Don

*****

Strip the revolver. This is the first order of business. If unfamiliar with mechanism, have an experienced person teardown, then clean frame & lockwork. Inspect springs. Clean plunger holes in hammer and grip frame, then lubricate. Clean coil springs and plungers which actuate pawl and cylinder latch.

As for DRY FIRE, it is a standard practice of marksmanship. No handgun has greater immunity to dry fire than a Ruger. Some guns should not be dry fired. The Ruger is not among them.
David Bradshaw

 

[Tallbald]

Thanks all. I agree that a complete teardown is needed. it's been a few years since I've done a teadown on a New Model but I have the time and the motivation. Don

 

[zoner]

maybe cylinder gate spring slightly out of position

 

[Jeepnik]

When was the last time you cleaned the lock works? First thing I do with a recalcitrant anything is clean it. I'm amazed how often the situation is resolved.

 

[Tallbald]

Thanks all. Actually my SBH is a safe queen for the most part. Factory loads always, blow out with cleaner and high pressure air and a wipe down. Then to her berth for another year or so. I just need to do a teardown and inspection. And try to duplicate the failure for evaluation. I bought the girl new about 12 years ago. never had this happen. Don

 

[Hondo44]

When it's not the cyl pin, the most common issues are the cyl hand or the plunger in the hammer base which operates the cyl locking bolt.

If the hammer only moves ~ 1/4" the cyl would normally not unlock yet.

Before tearing it down, remove cyl, re-install cyl pin, point muzzle up and see if it cocks every time and the bolt operates up and down properly, if so, it's a hand/ratchet contact issue.

If not, one more trouble shooting step is in order; spray some lubricant down in the hammer channel at the base of the hammer. Hold the gun upside down so the lube can run down into the hammer plunger hole. Now cock hammer and see if it works every time.

If yes, you're done.

If not this may help speed up disassembly; and you may need go no further than pulling the hammer:

Factory Video - New Model Ruger Disassembly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfOXBa8K8Ow

MY SHORTCUT FOR REMOVING JUST HAMMER and/or PAWL in New Models:

Recognize, when JUST NEEDING to remove the hammer and/or pawl, or check hammer plunger, you do not need to hassle with the PESKY LOADING GATE SPRING, pull the trigger pin, OR trigger/transfer bar. Once you remove the grip frame, the hammer pin is the only other part you need to remove. After that, just pull the hammer back and all the way down, then depress the hammer plunger in the base of the hammer with a small tipped screwdriver to clear the trigger extension where the transfer bar connects to it. Let the hammer & pawl fall out. Reinstall the hammer and pawl back in the same way they came out. Push the plunger in by pushing it against the trigger extension just like you did with the tip of the small screwdriver, and the hammer will slip by the trigger extension. Piece o' cake. Hondo44

Check plunger for sticking, pushing it in and out. Pull plunger by removing the small cross pin. It's a slip fit pin, use a paper clip. Roll plunger on flat surface to see if it's kinked or bent.

 

[mike7mm08]

My SBH was doing the same thing. Bought it used. No idea the round count. But I was not kind to it either. Shot great and was a fun to shoot. Anyways it started locking up. If I let the hammer down from about 1/4 to 1/2 cock and tried again more often then not the next try it would cock normal. Got to the point that it would not cock at all. Tore it down. The plunger in the base pin was sticking occasionally. Also the lower lip on the pawl had a corner wore off. I soaked the plunger end of the base pin in solvent for a few days. Extremely gunked up. Got the plunger moving 100 percent. I also replaced the pawl. Problem was solved. I figured it was mainly the pawl causing the issue. When I tried the action without the cylinder it would only lock up about 25 percent of the time. With the cylinder it was 100 percent.

 

[JC David]

"Is it unloaded"?! I just had this happen to my Ruger New Model 357 Blackhawk. It was a bent hammer plunger. Make sure cylinder lock is disengaged. See if you can remove cylinder. If it is the hamer plunger sometimes turning revolver upside down and shaking it will allow you to follow through with cocking and letting hamer down. If it can be duplicated with cylinder out then it is time to tear it down if your comfy with it or send it to Ruger. I fix all my own.

 

[Tallbald]

Thank you all for the suggestions. penny and I have been extraordinarily busy lately and further examination is on my short list of stuff to do. Hope i find the trouble. Likely shall with the help given here. Don.