Modify the New Model Blackhawk For Cowboy-Action Shooting

For those of you who weren’t among our readers back in October of 1993, or may have lost that particular issue, I’m going to start out here with an instant replay of disassembly instructions for a New Model Ruger Blackhawk Revolver. The New Model, as you may recall, has a transfer block attached to the trigger’unless it’s an Old Model Blackhawk on which Ruger has performed a conversion. In both cases, disassembly follows the same path.

Disassembly Open the loading gate (#17), place the hammer (#28) at half cock, and make certain all cylinder chambers are empty. Depress the base-pin latch (#4) on the left side of the frame forward of the cylinder and move the pin assembly (#2) toward the muzzle until it bumps into the ejector rod (#12). The cylinder (#6) is taken from the frame to the right and the loading gate is then closed. Remove the grips (#24), cock the hammer, and have a small pin or punch nearby.

You’ll insert it into the hole in the bottom of the hammer strut (#33) to capture the mainspring (#34). Take the pressure off the hammer by pulling the trigger (#49) and easing the hammer forward. Using a screwdriver that fits the slots extremely well, back out both upper gripframe screws (#21) and the front screw (#20) just forward of the trigger guard. Once they’re out, move to the rear of the guard and remove the bottom gripframe screws (#22 and #23). Keep in mind that #23 engages a groove in the hammer pivot.

Come reassembly time, it has to go back into the same hole from which it was taken. It’s possible now to separate the upper (cylinder) frame from the lower (grip) frame, but take care you don’t lose the pawl spring and plunger (#38) which are seated in the rear of the cylinder frame. The hammer will be retained by a pin (#29). Drift it out left to right, and remove the hammer from the cylinder frame. Set the hammer and pawl (#37) aside or put them in your spare-parts bin. They won’t be going back into the gun.

The cylinder-latch spring (#7), plunger (#8), and latch (#9) are in the upper grip frame. Lift them out. Unhook the rear legs of the trigger spring (#51) from its pin (#52), push out the pin left to right, and lift out the spring. Depress the lower arm of the loadinggate spring (#18) with a small tool, and push out the trigger pin (#50) left to right. In the following order, remove the loading-gate spring, the trigger, and detach the transfer bar (#48) from the trigger.

For this overhaul, there’s no need to break the gun down further. The Ingredients And the Recipe for Success Ron Power is no stranger to the pages of American Gunsmith. His precision tooling for pistols and revolvers has been featured in several issues. Notable among the items that we’ve covered were his Series I and Series II stoning jigs for both long guns and

The Free Spin Pawl making this feature possible (arrow) is available separately. handguns. Ron Power was a founding member of The Pistolsmiths Guild and sits on its Board of Directors; he was Pistolsmith of the Year in 1986; he was nominated four times for the Outstanding Handgunner Award; and he’s a good friend of the AGA’m eaning you and me.

His complete Power Custom Kit for New Model Blackhawks includes the following: hammer, hammer plunger, hammer-plunger spring, hammer-plunger pin, redesigned trigger for the half-cock-notch hammer, and several Wolff Guaranteed Superi- Opposite page bottom: This is a New Model Blackhawk. Note the two pins under the cylinder that identify it as a suitable subject for the retrofit described in the text. The work described in the text cannot be performed on this older model. or springs.

These are 17-, 18-, and 19pound hammer springs to replace the 23-pounder used by the factory, plus a 30-percent reduced-power trigger spring and an extra power cylinder latch-pin spring. The Power Custom Kit does not include Ron’s Free Spin Pawl, which is sold separately and installed after the trigger work is complete. The hammer and trigger are deep-case-hardened RC 56-58 steel manufactured by EDM and CNC methods to produce the same profile as the factory originals.

They have been blue-finished with their flat sides polished bright, then hand finished with polished engagement areas to allow a 2-1/2- to 3-pound pull. Before that thought gets you too excited, lets’ review a matter of considerable importance. How the Action Works When the hammer is forward at rest against the frame, the hammer plunger should be behind the rear of the cylinder latch.

When the hammer is drawn to the rear, the plunger cams the rear of the latch upward to disengage the front end of the latch from the cylinder notch, the top step of the pawl engages a ratchet, and the cylinder begins to rotate. The hammer plunger then disengages from the rear of the latch, which is pushed upward by its plunger and spring. The latch will place some drag on the cylinder. This is necessary to prevent cylinder skip. Don’t alter the plunger or latch to avoid the small mark caused by the drag.

As the hammer is drawn further to the rear, the job of cylinder rotation is passed from the top of the pawl to its second step. When this step is of the correct height, rotation will continue until the latch engages a cylinder notch and, simultaneously, the sear/trigger

Spur Hammer Plunger Pin Hammer Plunger In most cases, the hammer is a true drop-in component. Fitting the pawl is addressed in the text with special note to point "E," which has considerable effect on the timing. will enter the single-action hammer notch. When the trigger is pulled, it disengages and releases the hammer, which is pushed forward by the hammer strut/spring assembly. With the trigger to the rear, the transfer bar is raised up. The hammer strikes the bar, and the bar drives the firing pin forward.

Releasing the trigger allows the transfer bar to drop down from the firing pin and the second step of the hammer face. Now that you understand how the action works, we’ll get on with how to make it work better. Installation The new hammer and trigger should not be altered in any way. They replace the original factory parts and are intended to drop in. A glitch might occur in the spacing and location of pivot-pin holes in the frame that can negate that intent.

If you come up against this problem, don’t do anything about it u ith Power Custom and review what yo ail. Face Half- Cock Notch The solutions will vary with each occurrence and can’t be generalized upon here. Weight of pull is largely dependent on the weight of the trigger spring. If you use the supplied 30-percentreduced-power spring, the pull will be about 2-1/4 pounds. If that’s too light for any reason, pull will be about 3-1/2 pounds with the factory spring.

For an even 3-pound pull, bend the factory spring as shown in the accompanying drawing. This can be accomplished with long-nose pliers and with the Blackhawk’s action assembled. Bending one or both legs of the spring Bend Here Cylinder Ratchers Lower Edge of Frame Line Where Trigger Guard Fits Frame B Window in Frame for Pawl will lessen tension on the trigger. When the hammer is down, the loading gate of your reassembled Blackhawk will operate as usual.

When the hammer is at half cock, the gate won’t open all the way until an alteration is made to the transfer bar (see drawing). Use a good-quality file and lower the step .075 inch straight across the bar. You don’t need the angled lead of the factory bar with this upgrade. After the alteration, the pivot stud of the loading gate will clear the transfer bar at half cock. But don’t take too much off. You should only be able to full cock the revolver when the gate is closed.

Adding the Free Spin Pawl The installation of this part, called a "hand" by other manufacturers, allows a shooter to load the cylinder by rotating it clockwise or counterclockwise when the loading gate is open. It’s a drop-in operation in some revolvers. In others, it may require minor adjustment for proper timing. To install and check it out, assemble the pawl, hammer, and hammer-

pivot pin in the frame. Hold the hammer fully forward and make sure of the following (see the drawing on the opposite page): 1. Point "A" contacts the lower rear frame slot. 2. Point "D" should be retracted from the frame window. 3. Point "B" should not stick down below the lower part of the frame. If "B" protrudes, it will bump the triggerguard when the guard is reinstalled. Correct this by removing just enough metal to clear the guard.

If the hammer will not go all the way down toward the firing pin, point "A" is too full and tries to retract point "D," preventing ratchet engagement. When this happens, point "C" hits the rear of the pawl’s frame slot. To correct that problem, it’s best to remove metal at point "A" with extreme caution’only .002 to .005 inch, and keep the same contour. Now run a check for binding. Holding the hammer down, the pawl should have a little movement fore and aft in its slot. Install the pawl plunger and spring.

Hold the spring flush with the rear of the frame.

Still 1 Barrel 2 Base Pin Assembly 3 Base Pin Latch 4 Base Pin Latch Nut 5 Base Pin Latch Spring 6 Cylinder 7 Cylinder Latch Spring 8 Cylinder latch Spring Plunger 9 Cylinder Latch 10 Ejector Housing 11 Ejector Housing Screw 12 Ejector Rod 13 Ejector Rod Spring 14 Firing Pin 15 Firing Pin rebound Spring 16 Front Sight 17 Gate 18 Gate Detent Spring 19 Grip Frame 20 Grip Frame Screw, Front 21 Grip Frame Screw, Top 22 Grip Frame screw, Bottom 23 Grip Frame Screw/Hammer Pivot Lock 24 Grip Panels 25 Grip Panel Dowel 26 Grip Panel Ferrule, Left 27 Grip Panel Screw 28 Hammer Assembly 29 Hammer Pivot 30 Hammer Plunger 31 Hammer Plunger Pin 32 Hammer Plunger Spring 33 Hammer Strut 34 Mainspring 35 Mainspring Seat Ruger New Model Blackhawk Revolver (Specifications subject to change without notice) 36 Medallion 37 Pawl 38 Pawl Spring & Plunger 39 Rear Sight Assembly 40 Rear Sight Blade 41 Rear Sight Elevation Screw 42 Rear Sight Elevation Springs 43 Rear Sight Pivot Pin 44 Rear Sight Windage Screw 45 Rear Sight Windage Spring 46 Recoil Plate 47 Recoil Plate Cross Pin 48 Transfer Bar 49 Trigger 50 Trigger Pivot 51 Trigger Spring 52 Trigger Spring Pin 53 Trigger Spring Retaining Pin 54 Frame