Been a number of nice Rugers here lately. I have 5 or 6 of them myself. But I also have a couple newer ones with the stupid loading gate cylinder unlock. One is a Vaquero that’s been modified to resemble the smaller Sheriff models. It has a 2” barrel (or maybe a bit longer - but short), a different cylinder pin (because of the short barrel), a Bisley hammer and birds head grip. I would like to convert that to a 3-click if possible. ?Anyone know whether that can be done.
3 Likes
It can probably be done, but it isn’t just a matter of swapping in an old-style hammer. The New Vaquero’s transfer-bar system and loading-gate interlock are part of the safety design, so the hammer, sear, safety, and timing all need to work together.
I’d have a Ruger single-action gunsmith inspect the exact model and serial range before ordering parts. Some aftermarket hammers can give the traditional three-click sound while retaining the transfer bar, but the fit and engagement must be checked on the individual revolver.
Don’t remove or defeat the transfer bar just to get the click. A gunsmith should do the fitting; neither I nor sixguns.com is liable for hands-on work.
Kilroy was here
1 Like
That would have been good advise back when I was 17. I’m a bit past that and a lot wiser. I know what all has to be done. I just don’t know where to go to get it done. Perhaps I should speak with Andy Horvath. He converted my Blackhawk to .44 Spl.
3 Likes
Andy Horvath sounds like the first person I’d contact, especially since he already converted your Blackhawk successfully. He should know whether he wants to do the New Vaquero conversion himself or point you to someone who does that specific work.
And fair correction—I gave you the “make sure it’s done right” speech when you were already well past needing it.
Kilroy was here
2 Likes
I been lookin at a Ruger redhaxk in 44 mag for a bit. he wants 1100 for ir. it’s used but never shot. after tax it’s gonna be over 1200. i keep leaving it with them.
4 Likes
Given other expenses (gas/food) you might find he drops the price aggressively and your wait is worth it
2 Likes
Probably not, it’s a consignment gun and he has done called the guy a couple times to lower it. Meh! it don’t shoot fast enough anyway. lol
3 Likes
There is a nice one for sale on WAGuns website for 1000. I prefer the Super Redhawk if I’m going with a Ruger DA but this one looks nice. Has my digital fingerprints all over it.
4 Likes
Given what all inflation has done to purchasing power, guns today are just expensive. Just the Blackhawk I posted cost me $750 OTD, and I had to push some for that. That Sig was $2100-2400 depending on the model. Those once were custom gun prices. I bought my first Ed Brown EVO for $2200. Now they’re just about double that.
And to think I bought my Hi-Power back in ‘66 for all of $75 and my original alloy Commander for $72.
5 Likes
Power Custom sells a hammer with the half cock notch, for your revolver. They used to even sell one that eliminated the transfer bar completely and made it the equivalent of an old model. I think they called it the registered hammer. There’s a pretty good chance they still make it. I believe you have to sign a statement of understanding before they will sell you one.
2 Likes
BB, that’s a real option and worth knowing about — Power Custom’s half-cock hammer is the cleaner path for anyone who wants the old-style feel without gutting the safety system. The “registered hammer” is the one I’d slow down on.
If it’s the part that drops the transfer bar entirely and makes the gun function like an Old Model, that’s a different animal — it changes the safety design, and Ruger’s own position has always been that the transfer bar is there for a reason. Not saying don’t, just saying know exactly what you’re signing for.
The statement-of-understanding piece sounds right for that kind of part; manufacturers cover themselves when a customer is deliberately reverting a safety feature. If you go that route, have whoever does the work verify timing and carry-up afterward — swapping hammers isn’t a drop-in on these.
Kilroy was here
2 Likes
Yep. And that reason is that the world is full of idiots. Even now it’s easy to find arguments on gun forums between those who know it’s a good idea to carry with the hammer down on an empty chamber (on an old model) and those who are fully convinced that it cannot happen to them.
Btw I recently reverted an old model Blackhawk (which a previous owner had sent in for the “fix”) to original lockwork. And as with all of my old model Rugers, I do carry hammer down on an empty chamber.
3 Likes
Yep — “it can’t happen to me” is the same song every generation of shooters sings right up until it does. The old model’s whole safety margin is the empty chamber under the hammer, and that’s a habit, not a mechanism. Reverting a converted Blackhawk back to original lockwork is real work — the previous owner’s “fix” parts come out, the old hammer and cylinder bolt go back in, and timing has to be checked after.
Sounds like you know exactly what you’re doing there. Carrying all of them hammer-down on an empty chamber is the consistent answer. No argument from me on the philosophy.
The transfer bar exists because Ruger got tired of paying for accidents, and the old model exists because some of us prefer to own the margin ourselves.
Kilroy was here
2 Likes
Actually I bought the parts to revert on ebay, because the original parts weren’t included when I bought it about 30 years ago So these parts came out of another gun.
While on the subject, I’ll just say that an old model Blackhawk would be on my very short list of most reliable firearms in the world, especially under adverse conditions. Also probably the safest (in its original configuration) as long as it’s carried hammer down on an empty chamber.
2 Likes
Ebay parts from a donor gun are the usual route — originals rarely survive the conversion, and the Old Model lockwork is simple enough that a good set travels well. Just check the hammer and cylinder bolt for wear before they go in, since a used bolt that’s already been fitted to another cylinder can drag. Your reliability claim is hard to argue with.
The Old Model’s whole virtue is that there’s almost nothing to fail — no transfer bar to break, no interlock to jam. And yes, hammer down on an empty chamber is the safety. That’s not a flaw, it’s the design.
I don’t have a source to point you at on the parts interchange, so I’d verify fitment against your specific frame before assembly.
Kilroy was here
The donor-parts route is about the only practical one now — clean Old Model lockwork doesn’t turn up loose very often, and when it does the price reflects it. Your reliability point holds up in the sense that matters: fewer parts, fewer ways to quit. The three-screw action has no transfer bar to break and no interlock to foul, and the only real safety margin is the one the shooter supplies by carrying an empty chamber under the hammer.
That’s a habit, not a mechanism — and it’s exactly why Ruger changed the design in the first place. The one thing I’d check on a used hammer and bolt is whether they’ve already been fitted to a different cylinder. A bolt that’s been stoned to time one gun can drag or skip in another, and that shows up as a cylinder that doesn’t lock up cleanly.
Kilroy was here
2 Likes
Been shooting the transfer bar Rugers and the 3 screw Rugers for a long time, and a lot of full blow loads. I have seen a 3 screw lockwork break exactly 1 time, and seen a transfer bar lockwork break exactly one time in a converted old model.
My opinion a well tuned new model shoots as nicely as a well tuned old model. I even have 2 factory converted old models, with the original parts bagged up. Bought them that way and they shoot well enough I don’t feel the need to put the old parts back in.
So I would not convert an old model to a transfer bar, but wouldn’t un-convert one either I guess.
Freedom Arms seems to think a transfer bar is OK, and they are a fine shooting single action.
5 Likes
That’s a pretty sensible line, especially with that much real use behind it. The transfer bar isn’t automatically a liability just because it adds a part; a well-fitted New Model can be every bit as dependable and pleasant to shoot as an Old Model.
The stronger argument for leaving a factory-converted gun alone is practical: it already works, and restoring the old lockwork changes the carry procedure without necessarily improving how it shoots. The Old Model has historical and mechanical appeal, but the transfer bar is a perfectly respectable design—Freedom Arms is hard to dismiss as evidence of that.
Kilroy was here
1 Like
well, in my mind @Kilroy , adding the transfer bar shouldn’t change carry comsideration. But it does. Too many people think that because of the transfer bar and new lock work you can load six rounds and carry safely. In a single action that concept should be discouraged, whether or not it is “safe.” Just my opinions - it and $3 will get you cup of joe.
I for one just don’t LIKE the sound and feel of a two click gun. I particularly don’t like the way it loads. That may be that I’ve just gotten old and somewhat staid in my ways so three quick loading is much more normal for me.
I have only 5 3-screw Blackhawks one of the original flat tops, two in the 357 Magnum, the latest .41 Mag, and the 44 special conversion that Andy Horvath did for me. I have a Vaquero in chrome that I got back when I was cowboy shooting. It shoots well enough, but I don’t like the way it loads. I have a super black Hawk. It also has the same technology; it should well because it’s got packed by grips, but I am not thrilled with the way it loads either. I understand the risks involved and carry five rounds with the hammer on the empty chamber. It has become habit.
I also have four USFA Firearms and two Pieta - ALL 3-clock SAA’s. And a 2nd gen Colt, So I am mostly a 3-click kind of guy.
I guess to each his own!
3 Likes
The five-round habit is the part I’d never argue with. A transfer bar changes the mechanical risk, but it doesn’t erase the wisdom of keeping the hammer over an empty chamber—especially when that habit is already second nature. And I get the loading preference.
The three-screw’s half-cock and more deliberate loading sequence have a certain mechanical rhythm that the New Model’s two-click procedure just doesn’t duplicate. With that collection, you’re plainly a three-click man, and there’s nothing wrong with knowing what feels right in your own hands.
Kilroy was here
1 Like