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Jim March · September 14, 2001, 05:22 PM

I'm now pretty dang sure I'm buying a Ruer SA soon. So in doing some web-digging I've come across some neat tidbits that all belong together.

Gunblast.com's "Poor boy trigger job" should be at the top of the list:

http://www.gunblast.com/Poorboy.htm

I also ran into a great homebrew tuning guide aimed at the SASS beginner with simply too much info to list:

http://www.curtrich.com/ruger.html - HIGHLY recommended read.

NC Ordinance has a bird's head grip frame of unusual layout, based on the Colt Lightning frame:

http://www.gungrip.com/ruger.asp

In comparison to the new Ruger Bird's head frame (see also http://www.gunblast.com/Birdshead.htm ) the NCO precisely places the hand for every shot - or at least, that's the rep of other "Lightning frame" guns, I haven't seen the NCO part yet.

I would suspect that the Lightning grip would work great for .45ACP power levels or below, such as "Cowboy loads", mild .357s, etc. Once you get into .44Mag, or "Ruger ONLY" .45LC loads, the grip can't "roll up" in the hand the way the Ruger and Qualitas grip frames can.

Power Custom makes three cool parts for "New Model" Ruger SAs:

1) A "freewheel pawl" that allows multi-directional spin with the loading gate open and hammer down. It's cheap, and reportedly comes with good installation instructions.

2) A revised hammer/trigger setup that allows half-cocking, at which point the chamber will line up with the loading gate when you hear the click. This is especially useful for SASS crowd shooters who are forced by the rules to carry five-up in the old Colt SAA fashion even though the gun has a transfer bar and is perfectly safe six-up.

3) A BISLEY hammer/trigger setup that provides the same half-cock features as above, but drops the hammer reach with a Bisley-type hammer which is still sized to fit a Blackhawk/Vaquero-type grip frame. The Ruger Bisley part can be ordered and fits all New Model SAs, but needs to be clearanced to fit Blackhawks and similar. The Power Custom Bisley hammer is a drop-in for all of 'em.

http://www.powercustom.com/parts_revolver.htm

Belt Mountain base pins can "tighten" a Ruger SA's action cheaply and quickly, if it's got some factory slop. Many also include a hex set-screw to prevent them coming loose under heavy recoil. A short-head "Sheriff's Model" pin is also available, and effectively lengthens the ejector rod stroke by about half an inch or so on any model:

http://www.beltmountain.com/

Finally, the best source of tech info on the .45LC I've seen yet is Linebaugh's data, basically everything under "GUNNOTES":

http://www.sixgunner.com/linebaugh/default.htm

Anybody got more? Let's compile it all right here

.

September 14, 2001, 05:22 PM	#1
Jim March Senior Member Join Date: February 14, 1999 Location: Pittsburg, CA, USA Posts: 7,417	Homebrew modifications for Ruger SAs I'm now pretty dang sure I'm buying a Ruer SA soon. So in doing some web-digging I've come across some neat tidbits that all belong together. Gunblast.com's "Poor boy trigger job" should be at the top of the list: http://www.gunblast.com/Poorboy.htm I also ran into a great homebrew tuning guide aimed at the SASS beginner with simply too much info to list: http://www.curtrich.com/ruger.html - HIGHLY recommended read. NC Ordinance has a bird's head grip frame of unusual layout, based on the Colt Lightning frame: http://www.gungrip.com/ruger.asp In comparison to the new Ruger Bird's head frame (see also http://www.gunblast.com/Birdshead.htm ) the NCO precisely places the hand for every shot - or at least, that's the rep of other "Lightning frame" guns, I haven't seen the NCO part yet. I would suspect that the Lightning grip would work great for .45ACP power levels or below, such as "Cowboy loads", mild .357s, etc. Once you get into .44Mag, or "Ruger ONLY" .45LC loads, the grip can't "roll up" in the hand the way the Ruger and Qualitas grip frames can. Power Custom makes three cool parts for "New Model" Ruger SAs: 1) A "freewheel pawl" that allows multi-directional spin with the loading gate open and hammer down. It's cheap, and reportedly comes with good installation instructions. 2) A revised hammer/trigger setup that allows half-cocking, at which point the chamber will line up with the loading gate when you hear the click. This is especially useful for SASS crowd shooters who are forced by the rules to carry five-up in the old Colt SAA fashion even though the gun has a transfer bar and is perfectly safe six-up. 3) A BISLEY hammer/trigger setup that provides the same half-cock features as above, but drops the hammer reach with a Bisley-type hammer which is still sized to fit a Blackhawk/Vaquero-type grip frame. The Ruger Bisley part can be ordered and fits all New Model SAs, but needs to be clearanced to fit Blackhawks and similar. The Power Custom Bisley hammer is a drop-in for all of 'em. http://www.powercustom.com/parts_revolver.htm Belt Mountain base pins can "tighten" a Ruger SA's action cheaply and quickly, if it's got some factory slop. Many also include a hex set-screw to prevent them coming loose under heavy recoil. A short-head "Sheriff's Model" pin is also available, and effectively lengthens the ejector rod stroke by about half an inch or so on any model: http://www.beltmountain.com/ Finally, the best source of tech info on the .45LC I've seen yet is Linebaugh's data, basically everything under "GUNNOTES": http://www.sixgunner.com/linebaugh/default.htm Anybody got more? Let's compile it all right here . __________________ Jim March