Ruger Wrangler Guts

[FrankenMauser]

For those wondering how the Wrangler is built and what the internals look like...

It's pretty much just another Ruger single-action, but with aluminum frames, and unretained base pin, and no half-cock.

I didn't realize until reassembly that I could have used the trigger spring pin in place of the main spring / hammer strut retaining pin (hence the drill bit). I probably won't remember next time, either.











The hammer color and finish look really funky - almost as if it's cast aluminum. But, it's strongly magnetic and definitely hardened. So, perhaps it's plated.

There was no lube inside, whatsoever. It was absolutely bone dry.
That little smudge of oil on the grip frame was residual oil from the way the cylinder shipped sopping with oil (wiped down multiple times, and the revolver saw about 80 rounds on its first outing).

[FrankenMauser]

Oh...
One more thing:
That little curly-Q spring thing seems to be to prevent frame wear from the hand.
The looped end goes over the trigger pin, up the back side, and sort of between the hand and the frame (really sloppy fit, they could have done better).

I can't recall being inside of a Single-Six or Bearcat - so I don't know about those - but I've never seen that curly-Q in other Rugers (BHs, SBHs, RHs, SRHs, GPs, SPs, LCRs, etc...).

[UncleEd]

A few observations:

Many new guns, including Ruger, are shipped without oil or lube.

The curly-Q thing must have a name; what does the schematic
say about it? You did look at the schematic, I hope.

Now you might as well go all the way, take apart the ejector
rod housing, unscrew the cylinder pin screw, pull out the
loading gate spring and by the way where is the loading gate.

[Aguila Blanca]

That's a strange looking hammer.

[Charlie98]

Where does the 20rd AR mag fit?

[Ed4032]

Originally Posted by Charlie_98

Where does the 20rd AR mag fit?

Probably just a 7 rounder.

[FrankenMauser]

Another note:
The five screws holding the frames together are Torx drive. (T15, I believe.)
Torque was so low that I would consider the screws "loose" under any other circumstances.
I don't know what the torque is supposed to be, since Ruger doesn't want people disassembling the revolver beyond removing the cylinder; but I re-torqued to about 1/9th of an ugga-dugga. (4-5 times the torque as-shipped.)

The curly-Q thing must have a name; what does the schematic
say about it? You did look at the schematic, I hope.

Why would one do a thing like that?
I don't really care what Ruger thinks it should be called. It's clearly a curly-Q!

(Ruger calls it a "Pawl Guide". Instruction manual: http://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/_...-B8k6d3rHb.pdf)

Now you might as well go all the way, take apart the ejector
rod housing, unscrew the cylinder pin screw, pull out the
loading gate spring and by the way where is the loading gate.

The ejector rod housing is as simple as other Rugers SAs. Nothing special there.
The base pin latch is like other Rugers SAs.
The base pin is crimped together.
And I don't like messing with Ruger loading gates. Spring misalignment is easy to do, and even easier to miss ... at least for me. Unless I have a reason for removal (such as a piece of #9 shot finding its way in there on my SBH), I leave the trigger pivot pin, loading gate, and loading gate spring in place, as pictured.

Probably just a 7 rounder.

ASC "20 round".
Purchased for .458 SOCOM / .475 Tremor, where it would be a 4-rounder. (Back pocket magazine, when hunting.) But it had feeding issues.
So, I moved it over for use with the 6x45mm, where the extra COAL possible would be beneficial. But, it became a 0-rounder. It kept misfeeding or jamming - generally a nose-dive condition.
After a substantial amount of troubleshooting, follower swapping, and testing with dummies at the bench and live fire at the range, I discovered that several of the "support" ribs on the side of the magazine extend too far inside the body and force cartridges to sit at undesirable angles.
That magazine design causes rim lock(!) with .223 Rem and its derivatives (.300 BLK, 6x45mm, .17-223, etc.).
Rim lock with .223 Rem! I couldn't believe it.

It's on the bench awaiting removal of a Magpul follower -- which, more precisely, means it is waiting for me to find the package of Magpul followers that that one will be going back into once removed. When that's done, the pair of ASC "20-rounders" will go away.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Thanks for the photos. Great Job!

Can you tell which parts are MIM and which are still Investment Castings?

I'm guessing the trigger is MIM since it seems to be asymmetrical where the arm is for the transfer bar.

Is that another part still inside the frame near the trigger pin, or a raised feature in the frame?

Have you figured out what the relief cuts on the sides of the hammer are for? Just to lighten it, or maybe some other purpose?

How about the grips? Are they one piece or did you line them up together perfectly for the photo?

I usually use a nail to restrain the hammer spring when I take a Ruger apart. Haven't taken one apart in a long time, so I would probably not remember to use the pin you referred to either.

[DaleA]

Posting your pics and comments was a very nice thing to do. Thanks.

[FrankenMauser]

Something that I did not photograph, and forgot to mention:
The firing pin is spring-loaded and captured by a spanner nut.
I expected it to be staked-in (or crimped-in) at this price point, but perhaps the aluminum frame wouldn't take staking as well as steel.

And, in case someone asks (as my brother did, two minutes after he found out that I bought one):
The barrel is steel. It is not aluminum with a liner.

Can you tell which parts are MIM and which are still Investment Castings?

I don't see any MIM.
The part with the most MIM-like appearance is the hammer, but it still shows signs of Ruger's investment casting process, including two small sinks (caused by shrinkage from casting, but generally not seen with MIM -- visible in several photos).

I'm guessing the trigger is MIM since it seems to be asymmetrical where the arm is for the transfer bar.

Looks investment cast, to me.

Is that another part still inside the frame near the trigger pin, or a raised feature in the frame?

I believe what you're asking about is the loading gate spring.
There's no need for removal for most Ruger SA revolver inspections/cleanings/parts upgrades, so I hold it in place by leaving the trigger pivot pin partially installed.

Have you figured out what the relief cuts on the sides of the hammer are for? Just to lighten it, or maybe some other purpose?

I think the engineers just wanted to pretend it was a Lotus: "Simplify, then add lightness."
It's possible that the reliefs are some kind of warpage/shrinkage/embrittlement mitigation. But I suspect it's just a weight and material savings exercise.

How about the grips? Are they one piece or did you line them up together perfectly for the photo?

Two-piece plastic grips with a steel washer or ferrule (I don't remember which) pressed-in on the screw head side, and knurled steel nut pressed-in on the other side. I just put the screw back in to keep it away from the 'guts', and they kept their spacing.
The alignment was completely accidental.

[dgludwig]

That's a strange looking hammer.

Very strange looking indeed.

[FrankenMauser]

A few notes on how this one shot...
I didn't intend for this to be a review thread, but I don't feel like starting another one, either.

First shots were at what I estimated to be 85-90 yards, and my brother estimated to be 100 yards; but was later ranged to be 92 yards.

I've seen videos and reviews on the Wrangler, with most noting that the sights are unpredictable and usually off by a notable margin.
That was not the case here. At 92 yards, with Federal Champion Target 40 gr RN *(I'll mention this again in a minute), impact was only about 8" high and 3" left.
By the fourth round in the cylinder, I was hitting a bowling pin.

On that note... Accuracy was not tested on paper. It was, however, at least 'minute-of-bowling-pin' (or clay pigeon, if you prefer) at 92 yards, in the hands of myself, my brother, and my adult nephew. My impression of its accuracy leaves no room for complaints or disappointment.

Subsequent ammunition, ranging from subsonic HPs to 'hyper velocity' light weights, performed nearly the same. Accuracy and point of impact were very close, across the board.

The only issues that I ran into were with the Federal Champion Target 40 gr RN ammo. Either the chambers in the cylinder were tight, or the ammunition had been crushed slightly. Bullet diameter and case diameter (at the crimp) were large enough that some of the cartridges took considerable force to chamber. The same lot of that ammunition, however, has never given me trouble in other firearms. Nor did that same box of ammo give us issues in the Crickett and Marlin .22 rifles that we had out on the same trip, but it did feel a little snug.

Trigger and hammer pull? Acceptable. Heavier than desired. Rougher than desired. But not terrible; and it's expected at this price point - especially from Ruger.
Some people would drop lighter springs in it and think that's the answer. I'll probably polish the important bits for a smooth, clean trigger pull, and be happy.

My personal impression of this particular example is good enough that I actually changed plans. I had planned on cutting the barrel down and performing an unusual customization (along with internal deburring, polishing, etc.). But, since these sights are about as close as you get to 'perfect' for this type of sight arrangement and at this price point, and paired with what appear to be a good barrel and crown, I'll be leaving the barrel and sights alone. I don't want to screw up a good thing. If I my desire for the unusual customization persists, I'll buy another one. They're only $200, after all.

[UncleEd]

Regarding the hammer spring takedown pin, Ruger in its
double action revolvers still contains it within a groove in
the non-Hogue rubber grips with the wood panel holding it in. Or
when a rubber Hogue or full wooden grip is provided, such as with the
Match Champion, it is packed in the gun's box
in a tiny envelope.

I've had more than a few people ask me when seeing
the pin in its envelope, "What's that?"

[jaguarxk120]

When I bought my used GP100 the takedown pin was still in the
plastic envelope never removed. The original owner never took the
gun down for cleaning or used a small nail.

[kenny53]

Thank you for the review and the pictures. I don't believe I would disassemble a gun as far as you did. I know I would lose pieces and doubt I would get it back together.

[gwpercle]

Enjoyed looking at the guts and your commentary !

Well Done,
Gary

[FrankenMauser]

Thanks.

Regarding the hammer spring takedown pin, Ruger in its
double action revolvers still contains it within a groove in
the non-Hogue rubber grips with the wood panel holding it in. Or
when a rubber Hogue or full wooden grip is provided, such as with the
Match Champion, it is packed in the gun's box
in a tiny envelope.

Yep. I have several.
The one that's most easily accessible was about 20 feet away, in my standard cleaning 'kit'.
...But the drill bits were already on the bench.

[UncleEd]

FrankenMauser,


You seem to be a man of excellent intellect and wonderful
humor. But as to your location, I think you either have to
choose between Potatoes or Hops. Not sure they mix well
in adult beverages.

[FrankenMauser]

In addition to our famous potatoes, Idaho is now the second largest producer of hops in the U.S.
They don't really mix well, but both products have wonderful uses.