wheelyfun101

Hey all,
I am waiting delivery on my new Ruger Vaquero Birdshead (45ACP).

This will be my ONLY firearm for awhile (almost done with school...)

If this was your only firearm, would you keep a spare transfer bar on hand (I have recently read some posts where people had broken transfer bars on Vaqueros...)

Is the broken transfer bar a rarity?
any dry-firing I do will be with snap caps in place....

Being my only gun (nightstand, range, and sometimes CCW)....I like to be prepared for quick maintenance, should the need arise.

what would you do?

jaxrider14

If it makes you feel more comfortable to have a few spare parts, I would buy them.
I have a few inexpensive parts for my Springfield XD40. I may never need them, but I'm comforted that they are right there in my range bag.

terry_p

I don't feel it is a common issue. Not something I would worry about.

wheelyfun101

I know, right?
Don't even have the gun yet...already worrying!

TMD

Reports of transfer bars breaking are far and few between. I really wouldnt worry about it much.

Nick0410

Just make sure your gun doesnt have transfer bar pinch. The hammer should rest on the frame, if you see a gap when the trigger is fully pulled to the rear and the hammer is dropped, then it is pinching the transfer bar and thats what caused the issues

Exmilitary

No I don't. keep many spare parts. today's newer firearms can be dry fired with no problems unless the manufacture tells you otherwise. I have never heard of the transfer bar letting go.
it's. good to carry parts if needed.

Tater

I haven't read much about broken transfer bars. But they can't cost much so a spare can never hurt.

bwinters

For 37 years I have owned 18 ruger revolvers in 22 lr thru 454 and all were transfeer bar equipped and i have shot 300 k plus rounds out of them and I have never had a transfer bar problem.

TMan51

I'd say you're more likely to be run over crossing the street today. I have four Ruger single actions, the new one is 15 years old. Every shooting buddy I know has at least one Ruger SA, most have more. I have never heard of a broken transfer bar from anyone. For the most part it's in a class with struck by lightning and shark attacks.

The spares I'd have on hand are the little springs that take off when you're not careful, or are easily damaged on re-assembly, that are often on backorder from Midway and such.

If you plan to practice regularly by dry firing, a quality set of snap caps is a good idea.

bearcatter

I keep a zip lock bag of parts for each of my guns, and a transfer bar is not on my list. I concentrate on screws, springs, and small parts that are easily lost when when fiddling with a gun..........

Iowegan

When I had my gunsmith shop, I often got similar questions ... "what spare parts should I maintain for my guns?" My response was always .... "do you have the knowledge, skill, and tools to replace the parts yourself?" If the answer is "no", then I would recommend relying on your gunsmith or the factory to provide and replace parts in your guns. If you do have the knowledge, skill, and tools, then by all means, stock the parts you think you need. BTW, nearly all internal parts replacement (including the transfer bar) require a total tear down for access.

As for the transfer bar ... it is a very low failure part. Yes, on rare occasions they do break but this is almost always due to a defective casting and will show up early in the gun's life. In my 31 years of gunsmithing and working on thousands of guns, I can only remember replacing Ruger transfer bars a few times ... not enough to warrant keeping a spare.

Assuming "normal use", there really aren't any parts in a Ruger SA revolver that fall into the category of "high failure", however if you "Rambo" your SA by fanning, slamming the hammer back, shooting hot loads, or other abuse, then yes, there are a few parts that can get damaged. These would include the pawl, cylinder latch, and hammer plunger. As mentioned above, while working on a SA, there are a few parts that tend to get lost or damaged. These would include the pawl plunger spring that sometimes gets munched when reassembling ... same issue with the cylinder latch spring. The parts that tend to get lost are the pawl plunger and the cylinder latch plunger. Grip frame screws, base pin nut, and the ejector housing screw can get the slots buggered from being over tightened or using the wrong screwdriver.

So ... if you operate your SA revolver with respect and keep your loads below max pressures, it should last a lifetime or two without worrying about spare parts. If you just have to tear your guns apart or misuse them, then it might be wise to invest in the parts mentioned above.

shootist

No need for any spare parts, a waste of money, have never needed to replace any parts on any of my Ruger revolvers ever.

TMan51

I suspected as much.

I take my handguns apart every few years, literally, just to get to the stuff that builds up after a couple thousand shots. I shoot my BH/SBH revolvers about 1000rds a year these days, mostly mid-range cast loads, and over time lube and powder junk does build up.

Looking at a couple of these "Transfer Bar Disaster" threads, I decided to pull my SBH down and give it a good clean. I've owned the gun since 1981, and have used it for bowling pins and silhouette, yep with a 5.5" barrel, and some years I burned up 2000 - 3000 rounds of 250gr cast. Looking closely at the internal parts, there is really no significant signs of wear on any of the critical parts in all those years. The bore has no evidence of wear, even at the forcing cone.

It takes a lot to wear one of those guns out. Probably most owners couldn't even afford to with todays prices.

cdu357

I just broke one this weekend and I'm was thinking about sending it back to Ruger to replace. The cost is the main factor now as I think they want 130.00 to look at and replacement cost are extra. The transfer bar cost only 6.00.