[onenut58]

I was wondering if some of you guys with more experience with the newer ruger single sixes can answer a question about the poor boy trigger jobs.
I bought my woman a new single six a few months ago. I got it for 325 bucks a 4 5/8 barrel fixed sights.She is just learning and I figured learning with fixed sights and a single action would be a good idea.I never owned a single six but have shot a few over the years but they were older three screw versions.The clickety clack saftey bars in these new ones are new to me although I know they have been around a while now.
But any way we took it out to do some shooting and I was amazed at what a horrible trigger pull it has.I thought well its brand new and it will smooth up after a while.After two boxes of 550 bulk ammo it still had about a 800 pound trigger pull and felt like some one inserted type two road base gravel into the action and tamped it down with a compactor.
Having owned a few rugers in my time like a couple security sixes m-77 rifles and 10-22 etc I was amazed ruger would let any thing like that out of there factory.
I watched her trying to apply pressure on the trigger and she would have to pull so hard her hand would shake so she was developing a jerk and it was impossible for her have any acuracy at all with it.Having only fired six rounds through it the day she got it. I decided to mess with it myself and sat in a chair and propped across the corner of the tail gate.I could not keep from pulling off with it myself and after twelve rounds I apologized to her for giving her hard time about saying her finger hurt after shooting. It made my finger hurt by twelve rounds and I had to apply some serious pressure to get the trigger to realease.
I decided either I get something done cheaply with this trigger or this little gun is going down the road and I will find her a three screw or a colt.So I go to the computer and surf up trigger jobs on rugers.I come across a few sites talking about the poor boy trigger job. one site had pictures and detailed descriptions on how to do it.It described cocking the hammer back and applying hard pressure with your thumb on the back of the hammer then pulling the trigger until it smoothed out. It warned not to do it to many times and cause excess wear. So I did it about 20 times and low and behold it smoothed the trigger out wearing off the burs left when it was made.
It then said to remove the grips and lift one side of the spring off and just let it hang and put the grips back on to lighten the trigger. So I do this and poof it has a realy easy smooth trigger pull now. I dont have a quage to test it but it in my guestumation 3 or less pounds.
After a bit of having to break her habit of jerking the trigger she now can hit pretty good with it considering the fixed sights and it dont make her boney little finger sore immediately.My guestion is I am sure this is no well kept secret and most if not all of you have heard of this but is it like it says on the sites ok to use the gun like this. It just seems to me it is not right and can cause some wierd spring wear etc.I was wondering if some of you could give me some input on it.
I also read about bending the main spring but dont realy want to attempt that because sure as hell I will bend it in the wrong place or to much etc.Im not about to attempt to polish the mechanisms in the trigger works them selves and I am to cheap to pay some one to do that on a cheap gun any way.I could go find a nice three screw shooter for less than I would have in it if I went that route.Im pretty happy with it the way it is now but just want to make sure its ok to leave it the way it is.

 

[dant]

for all intenets and purposes , yes, it works, BUT I feel it puts a bit of pressure "off" to the opposung side, instead of "evenly", so would rather just "adjust" the two rear legs of the spring (the end that hooks over the pin...) if you take a pair of needlenose pliers and put a slight "bend, kink", whatever you want to call it, about halfway back to the 'frames "pin" and bend it about only 15 degrees, this will lighten the trigger pull also, and if you do this to BOTH 'legs' and evenly you will not put any pressure off to one side or the other, possibly causing "wear" to the trigger nose ( hook) or the sear notch in the hammer...........yes, it would be better to go over the lock work , deburr, and smooth any and all bearing surfaces, but thats the "right" way to do it...no I do NOT believe in or use aftermarket mainsprings, you may cause trouble in the lock speed. Usually needs that heavy spring for the proper lock speed..............but again, we hear from lots of folks who swear by them....I feel the gun is "engineered" to work as it is, just needs "proper fitting.smoothing....."
especially Rugers stainless guns, they can be a "bear" and rough as a cob........... :roll:

oh also a few drops of well placed oil, can and will make a BIG difference in them too, most we see are all dry...............

 

[Guest]

Dan,

Bet there are more then a few folks that would love to see some pics that illustrate the alternate to the "Poor Boys Trigger Job" you just descriped. Say a pic of a regular spring and a modified one side by side for example...

giz

 

[onenut58]

I am pretty sure I understand what your saying. You talking about the same leggs that I removed one off the pin right?I would measure half way back from the pin to the frame and put a bend at about 15 degrees.I would want to make the bend so the end of the spring leggs would be going up towards the top of the gun relieving pressure on the spring ends.?
I am sure the gun would benifit from some polishing but the pushing on the back of the hammer thing realy did smooth it out as far as the gravel feel to it.So I can live with that and let normal wear over time do the rest.But that spring with one side off realy bugged me. Be kinda like riding my harley with one rear shock disabled. The gun was desighned to use both sides of the spring and by doing the poor boy thing it does make the trigger light but it just seems like a half ass way to do things.
I like this way you described be cause it should keep everything wearing evenly.
Like Giz says a couple of pictures would be nice. I think I understand what your describing and actualy thought about it myself. The not knowing the amount to bend it was what stopped me.But I suspect there are others in here that have the same problem I have and would like me like to see for sure we understand and are doing it the correct way your describing.
Thanks a lot for replying taking the time to give such detailed descriptions of what could wear bad and how to do the bends on the spring leggs.

 

[dant]

yes, once you "see" the slight 'bend' in the springs legs, you know that there is going to be much less pressure on the pin itself, it is "obvious" as you say.........
I'll dig around my "stuff" and see if I have any here, but for the most part , never have to take them out, just remove the grips and make the adjustment, and you can always bend them 'back' too...just keep BOTH sides "even" ( equal...)
normal use , will smoothe out lots of the actions parts " in time" , you can also "slather" a whole glob of something like 'lubriplate' ( what they use on camshaft installations)fill in the entire innards of the guns action, from the top, the back (under the grips and up ,into the action and in from the front,inside the face of the recoil shield, where the 'pawl' comes up and forward, squeeze as much as you can get in there, push it in with a toothpick or such and go out and "work the action", shoot the the "snot" out of the gun, then wash it all out at some later date ( time) and re oil, this is for those guys who do not, will not or can not "take the gun apart....." yep, it works, seen it done many times over the years.............

 

[onenut58]

Thanks Dan I am going to go ahead and bend the spring ends like you say.The packing it full of lubriplate I think I will skip.The thing I did by pushing on the hammer smoothed it up realy nice.I might take it apart and eye ball the mechanism and see if there are any obvious rough spots I need to touch up.I have never attempted to slick a trigger up but there is a first time for every thing.