Are Stainless Steel Parts also Hardened?

Coltdriver · February 19, 2006, 07:34 PM

I have a Stainless Ruger GP100 with the DAO bobbed hammer.

If I want to change that to the SA/DA hammer there may be a need for some fitting of the new hammer.

So I was wondering are stainless steel parts hardened or is the hardness of the stainless sufficient??

Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer this question for me.

Dfariswheel · February 19, 2006, 07:56 PM

All critical gun parts are hardened, whether carbon or stainless steel.

Usually Ruger hammers will drop-in with no fitting, BUT....
First, the key word is "usually".
All revolver parts MAY need some slight fitting work, and this requires an expert's attention.

Another problem is, Ruger usually restricts sale of critical part like hammers to factory-install ONLY for safety reasons.

The good news is, Ruger does such work at very reasonable costs.

jclaude · February 19, 2006, 10:32 PM

The answer you already have for the hammer is very good.
I'll expand on the general question;
Stainless Steel is a generic term for a type of steel alloy. It comes in many variations, with many different mechanical properties. The fact of it being stainless says little, if anything, for it's hardness, or it's corrosion resistance properties, for that matter.

February 19, 2006, 07:34 PM	#1
Coltdriver Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2001 Posts: 683	Are Stainless Steel Parts also Hardened? I have a Stainless Ruger GP100 with the DAO bobbed hammer. If I want to change that to the SA/DA hammer there may be a need for some fitting of the new hammer. So I was wondering are stainless steel parts hardened or is the hardness of the stainless sufficient?? Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer this question for me.

February 19, 2006, 07:56 PM	#2
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	All critical gun parts are hardened, whether carbon or stainless steel. Usually Ruger hammers will drop-in with no fitting, BUT.... First, the key word is "usually". All revolver parts MAY need some slight fitting work, and this requires an expert's attention. Another problem is, Ruger usually restricts sale of critical part like hammers to factory-install ONLY for safety reasons. The good news is, Ruger does such work at very reasonable costs.

February 19, 2006, 10:32 PM	#3
jclaude Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Coastal North Carolina Posts: 157	The answer you already have for the hammer is very good. I'll expand on the general question; Stainless Steel is a generic term for a type of steel alloy. It comes in many variations, with many different mechanical properties. The fact of it being stainless says little, if anything, for it's hardness, or it's corrosion resistance properties, for that matter.