SR22PSHOOTER

I got this gun a couple weeks again and still haven't been able to go and shoot it.

Decided that I did have time to take it down and clean it real good before taking it out on an outing. I wasn't that worried since I had already cleaned the cylinders and barrel but wanted to just be sure.

So I was taking it down and was having a lot of trouble with the trigger guard latch, it was very hard to depress and when I did get it depressed it got caught behind the pin, the latch rotated sideways. So no problem just take the trigger guard latch pin. Took it out and fixed it, I did put a little oil down in there just to make it easier to depress.

While during this this I bumped the trigger and the front latch spring and pawl plunger shot out. After finding those on the floor I eventually got it back in with the help of my third hand. Reassembled it all and everything is fine, took it apart again and no problems.

Guess the trigger guard latch just needed some oil.

Anyways I was glad I did take it all apart because I found some really think and nasty grease in crane and crane pivot assembly. Cleaned that up and put a light coat of oil on it and not it spins a lot better.

Other than that it is simple to do and now I have more confidence next time I do it since I think every thing went wrong that could.

Ruger Redhawk

I had the same problem, When I took the trigger group out of my SP101 22 the pawl fell off. The pawl spring and plunger went flying. It took quite awhile to find it. I didn't find it until after I had called Ruger to get replacements. I have spares now just incase.

My trigger guard latch isn't hard to push just a little tricky getting to it.

SR22PSHOOTER

I had to really press mine, I think it was just binding up on the sides. You could hear it grinding the side. A little oil and it is much smoother now. I thought about filing it down some but the oil did the trick.

I was surprised how dry the trigger assembly was, it had a nice trigger but a little oil made it even smoother. Don't know if you should oil it too often or not. Guess I will keep my eye on it.

Waveform

I had to file down the face of the latch with the plunger out to ease the fit slightly (used sandpaper actually and not a file) otherwise it took way too much effort to reassemble. Go easy on the oil so you don't create a mess of residue/powder/oil gunk down the road. Doesn't take much to launch some of those springs! I'll bet we've all had the fun of trying to find them on the floor at some point. "Oh crap!"

Ashlander

When I bought my SP101 and my GP100, I took them both down and looked for burrs and loose metal filings. I also polished contact points (where the parts showed rub marks). Smoothed out the actions quite a bit (I did not, however, mess with the sear -- too much down-side if I screw it up).

charlie9280

I left mine alone. Didn't lose anything and it still works great.

Waveform

I picked up an 18 year old SP101 last week for the right price and stripped it down at the gun counter. Found bits of gunk and crud here and there inside the frame plus metal shavings and filings. The gun had seen very little use and had likely never been disassembled since leaving Ruger. The LGS guy offered to drop all the parts in their ultrasonic cleaner so I agreed. I've been curious to see how well that might work and I had the "before" condition all spread out in front of me. I didn't reassemble it, just put everything in the cleaner's small basket with the frame and cylinder going in the pot separately. Came back the next day to pick it up and it was like a new gun! The "after" was great - not a speck of anything anywhere. (No oil either.) I took it all home in a plastic bag and went through the trigger group and polished up pieces and places as per published recommendations, etc. And added drops of oil here there as well in the process. It is now cleaner and smoother than when it left the factory back in '94. The LGS uses Simple Green in their ultrasonic cleaner I was told. Anyway, I thought the process was pretty slick and I may look at a small ultrasonic cleaner for my own use. I'll tell the wife it's for her jewelry...........

Flash

There isn't really any need to strip an SP101 down that a day soaking in kerosene won't cure. Keep in mind that if Ruger assembled it, with the right tools, it can certainly be reassembled again without filing and sanding. Just saying

Waveform

Well...yes and no. Ruger may have special tools, clamps or jigs us ordinary folks don't. My 3" SP101 was a bear to get the trigger group out and back in. Took a punch and mallet to pop the group out and there was no way it going to pop back in without tools. I used a pair of channel locks and a piece of leather to get enough pressure to put the trigger group back in place. Then I looked it up in my copy of Iowegan's Gun Guide and saw his instructions for how to address this issue: "Often the factory leaves the back surface (the flat area around the trigger latch spring hole) longer than it should be. This can make trigger guard takedown very difficult. If the trigger guard has to be forced into the frame to fit, you can file down the rear flat mating surface until the trigger guard inserts into the frame with minimal friction." (p.31)

I got the trigger group back out and removed the trigger latch and spring but decided to use 400 grit sandpaper instead of a file since I was afraid I might remove too much material. Once it was a nice fit I put it back together and now it comes apart/back together like it's supposed to.

The 2.25" SP101 had several metal shavings inside frame but they likely weren't causing any trouble. There was a bit of raspyness in the trigger however and I found a small metal filing in with the trigger spring. The trigger link plunger would also not come out of the hole without help so I removed it and used a 1/4" drill bit and BY HAND cleaned out the hole until the plunger would move freely.

The kerosene is an interesting idea and may work for cleaning puposes (and cheaper than buying an ultrsonic cleaner) but I doubt it would have helped the trigger on the 2.25" SP101. I also realize that some folks are less interested in the subtilties and nuances of how a trigger feels and as long as the gun goes bang they're happy. Apparently the previous owner must have felt this way for 18 years! Some folks are also more inclined to tinkering around with their stuff than others and I guess I'm one of those types.

Flash

Waveform, i have been working on my SPs since the original Ibok was available and although i use a vise, i never used files or or other methods of metal relief to install the trigger guard. I have a hardened screwdriver ground to a point and bent in a configuration to press the plunger in easily. I forget who offered these but they work great and don't require files or sand paper.

Waveform

Not to belabor this to death but the problem with my 3" wasn't the plunger it was the length of the trigger guard frame. Sanding it down slightly only took a few minutes and now it comes off/on just fine. My 2.25" didn't need it, it was fine from the factory. Most probably are, including yours I guess. But there must be enough like my 3" or else Iowegan wouldn't have described the fix in his book.

If you can remember where you got your "Ruger Popper" tool let me know. I've looked at Brownell's but haven't found one. I may try to make one from an old screwdriver.

GP100man

Have you fellers seen this ???

$10.00 to your door(con us) & disassembly will be safer & easier for both partys !!

Works on SP/GP & Super Redhawks as weel as the SIX Series revolvers.

I have 3 instock .

Waveform

Well now that's pretty slick! "Ergonomically designed Ruger Popper" - how would one actually go about getting one of those? (You can PM me if you want to take it offline.)