Reduced Power Revolver Springs: Ruger New Vaquero
Welcome to the campfire compadres – glad you could join us this month and hope to see you many times to come! With the cowboy season well underway for us folks up north (had my first match March 3rd), it sure feels fine to be back in the swing of things – tossing hot lead down range at all those border agents bent on ‘hurrahing up’ our ‘town’. Why, if it weren’t for civic-minded folks like us, this here Wild West might never be settled and fit to live in! With Winter Range 2007 in the history books and End of Trail right around the bend, let’s get on with the subject this month.
One of the easiest modifications a cowpoke can do with their revolver is to install new springs. Whether your need is for easier cocking or lighter trigger pull, there is a spring and kit at Brownells to fit every need. With the Ruger New Vaquero on the market for a couple years now, a number of you have asked me about how difficult doing a spring job is on one of these rascals. Well sir, it ain’t difficult at all – you just need a bit of time and a dose of common sense and patience (as well as a spring kit, of course!).
Since I own a brace of these new Ruger hoglegs, I thought I would devote this Campfire to telling how that spring swap went. Wolff Spring has two new reduced power spring kits out that fit either the New Vaquero or the 50 th Anniversary Blackhawk. The kits include a 14lb hammer spring for easier cocking and your choice of 30 ounce trigger pull (#969-000-156) or 40 ounce (#969-000-157).
Prior to disassembly and since you are a safe cowpoke, make certain your revolver is unloaded and that no loaded ammo is anywhere near your work bench.
Let’s begin! Though I don’t need much disassembly of the revolver for this spring swap, I will pull the cylinder to get it out of the way. This makes gripping the frame a bit easier and also assures the revolver is in a safe condition to work on. With cylinder removed, I next remove the grips. The hammer spring, hammer spring strut, and lock is now clearly in view.
Photo #1
| If you haven’t seen the lock before, it is the pot-metal colored square-shaped block
below the bottom of the hammer strut. Step two is to cock the hammer which compresses the spring, exposing a hole in the strut just above the lock.
In the photo, you can see the half-moon area at the top-center of the lock, and barely make out the hole in the strut. |
Photo #2
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Using a small diameter punch, insert the punch through the hole in the strut.
Photo #3 |
Photo #4 |
I like to have the punch point pass a good half-inch through the hole, as I don’t need to be crawling around on my dang hands and knees looking for a launched spring, just because I was stingy with the punch engagement. And folks, with the factory spring at roughly 20+ pounds in compressed force, that critter will fly!
With the punch in place, you can now pull the trigger and manually move the hammer back to its closed position. Next, study that lock for a moment and you will see a protrusion on the side of it as well as a cutout area in the grip frame – the cutout in the frame is about 3/16” above the lock protrusion when the lock is under tension from the spring.
Photo #5 |
Photo #7 |
In photo #5, I am beginning to raise the lock toward the cutout in the frame, which will allow a person to slide the lock out on either side of the grip frame. There may be an easier way to do this task, but if so, ol’ Badlands didn’t ID it. At first, you may feel like the pressure required will bend the top end of the spring strut at it rests in the frame, but this was not the case. With some careful handling and finagling around, the assembly will come free (no, and I didn’t use no blue words neither, so you know this chore was not that bad!).
Photo #8
Photo #8 shows a pretty clear view of the lock and grip frame and where that frame cutout is located.
Photo #6
Now that you have the hammer spring captured on the strut (photo #6) it’s time for the fun to begin! Hold the spring and strut in one hand while you pull the punch out of the strut hole. I place the bottom of the strut into the palm of one hand and hold the spring tight with thumb and index finger of same hand. With the other hand, just pull the punch free – the spring will expand but with the strut in your palm and thumb and finger grip on the spring, everything will be fine. Simply replace the old hammer spring with the new Wolff unit. Reassembly of the strut, hammer spring, and punch-tip is not quite as easy. If I were a Smith doing a number of these, I can think of several simple fixtures that would make this job easier, but for two revolvers, here is what I did. I positioned the bottom of the strut on a non-slip surface, slid the spring on the strut, then compressed the spring with both hands while Mrs. Badlands (my bride, Sugar Creek Sal) inserted the punch tip. Sure beats the thunder out of ‘goin’ it alone’ and only took a try or two.
Now, for you new Pilgrims here, I rate projects on a ‘Ten-Point Blue Word Scale’. For me, this whole project was a ‘1’ – tar nation that may be a first! Compare that to a project I find ‘not so fun’, like tearing down a Stevens 311 to replace hammer springs – I would rate a task like that a 7-8 on a 10 scale!
Now it is time to remove the trigger spring – a very simple process. Take a gander at photo #9 and you can see the ‘foot end’ of the trigger spring as well as the trigger spring pin – in the photo, the pin is pushed up.
Photo #9
To begin removal, simply unhook both feet of the trigger spring from the retainers on the grip frame, then use a punch and hand pressure to push the trigger spring pin free. Pull out the old spring and put the new reduced power spring in. Line the two coils of the trigger spring up with the pin holes, insert the pin and reattach the two spring feet (you only need your fingers to do this) – it’s that simple. Next, pull back on your trigger a few times to make certain all feels smooth and free.
Our project is near completion and it’s time to place the hammer spring / strut / punch assembly back in place. Take a look at the curvature of the strut – see that slight dog-leg bend? Now, look at your grip frame and the way it also curves – both of those curves – the strut and grip frame – need to go in the same direction. Couldn’t be easier. As in removal, the lock will take a bit of studying to get back into the grip frame. You will notice too it can only go one way, since there is only a grip frame cutout on one side only (the front of the grip frame).
With your hammer spring assembly now back in place, pull out the punch, cock the revolver, and test for smooth and free operation. I keep A-Zoom snap caps on my bench for just such duty and you may spot them in a photo or two. I try and make two to three complete rotations of the cylinder; cycling through all six chambers several times to be certain all is well. I also oil the areas that need lube (photos #10 and #11) using the very handy Brownells Needle Oiler Bottles (#084-038-203 and #084-000-127).
Photo #10 |
Photo #11 |
Cowboy Action shooters don’t tend to scrimp on cleaners and lubricants and I am no different. I purchase my cleaning supplies in bulk, and then load into the oiler bottles where I can get just the right amount needed exactly where I want it.
To better understand more about your Vaquero (old model & Blackhawk), I recommend a DVD (#561-000-009) by a pard of mine – Larry Crow. Larry is a Master Gunsmith and the honcho over Competitive Edge Gun Works. Though this material does not apply specifically to the New Ruger Vaquero, much of the information is the same and of benefit. Many folks in SASS and NCOWS know of Larry and his excellent work and this DVD would be a good addition to your gun library.
There you have it pardners! Two Ruger New Vaqueros with reduced power springs ready to go.
Photo #12
From start to finish, it took less than a hour to complete both guns. As with all revolver work, when I have a matching pair I work on one at a time, so I didn’t mix cylinders (I need to ‘brand’ those critters!) and, so I could compare the feel of an upgraded six-shooter to its stock twin. And the results? Just right! The hammers are easier to cock and I have no worry about primers not going off. Trigger spring is lighter too, though in Cowboy Action Shooting one is less likely to notice the difference. After all, I hear tell that some of you varmints just keep the trigger pulled while you work the hammer and snap-off rounds!
The Campfire is burning low friends – time to call it a day for this edition, but……
Keep your aim straight and your belly full!
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