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Looking for a gunsmith in the Oregon City, Portland, Salem area that can repair a Ruger black powder revolver. Purchased new in the '90's, gave it to my son and he says it will not fire because of bad springs??? Have not seen it in decades but want it in firing order before I die. I need the name of a good gunsmith who knows how to work on these old guns. I don't think it is a major problem, not a cracked frame or anything, but I have no idea on how to go about fixing it. Help please
Thank you
 
Ruger will gladly repair it, unless there is something I don't know. You might call customer service or shoot them an email. Maybe it's something simple and they'll send you a replacement. If you want to stay local, I understand that and someone will certainly advise you.
 
Hard for me to imagine the coil springs and such that Ruger uses to go "Bad".

Something to consider here is oil in the chambers or in the nipples.
Before shooting a percussion gun its a good idea to "bust some caps" first.

Before loading the gun with powder and ball ...."fire" some caps , to drive out any oil and debris that will cause slow or no ignition.

Might be that this is the issue here.
Andy
 
Unless it's out of time, usually the springs are pretty robust, and the only consumable part would be worn out nipples; cheap and easy to replace; just have the correct nipple wrench and nipple lubricant. A complete teardown is a good idea once a year. Black powder has a penchant for getting into the tiniest places and causing rust. Youtube has good videos on this. If you really want a gunsmith to do it, @Velzey is your man but he is pretty swamped. Could be a while. I've done it a dozen times; pretty easy to follow video directions... just make sure you have a Wheeler gunsmith screwdriver set and a paperclip to keep the main spring compressed. If you actually have parts broken, parts are available online, eBay, etc; there are quite a few parts common to the Blackhawk.
 
I know a couple months have passed since you posted this, but I thought I'd chip in with my own Old Army story. Mine froze up internally. I sent it to Ruger, and it was returned about 10 days later, fixed, and they replaced the hammer, all the nipples and a couple of other parts I forget. All of it was free. Their return shipping was free. Ruger service was and is, superb.
 
That's good to know!

Somewhere I'd heard they would install the Ruger safety (forgot what it's called) if it was sent in for repair, but don't really see how that's possible with anything other than the Blackhawks. Nice to know that's not the case.

I know that's an issue with the Blackhawks - if it's an early one without the safety, it WILL come back converted.
 
I sent them an Old Army, the only black powder hand gun they have ever made, and I think they stopped that a few years ago. It is the Cadillac of black powder revolvers. They will retrofit any Blackhawk sent to them with the transfer bar safety system, though they will return the original parts. My Blackhawk still has the original parts, and I just load it with five, the traditional way.
 
Do a normal disassembly and clean all the parts. Reassemble and it will work

If you are unfamiliar with disassembly and reassembly, then it is rusty and corroded.

These guns MUST be thoroughly cleaned immediately after each use.

If you did not know this, it is yet another explanation for failure.
 
I've got a couple ROAs and am familiar with their operation and construction. I've got the proper screw driver set and would be happy to go over it with you to figure out what's wrong.

If you still need help with it, get in touch.
 
That's good to know!

Somewhere I'd heard they would install the Ruger safety (forgot what it's called) if it was sent in for repair, but don't really see how that's possible with anything other than the Blackhawks. Nice to know that's not the case.

I know that's an issue with the Blackhawks - if it's an early one without the safety, it WILL come back converted.
And if they convert it, they send the original pieces back, too.
 
These are absolutely BOMB proof! I love mine, And I cannot imagine any reason for any failure of one, even the springs which are super robust!


As far as current value, I see them ( when available) go for around $900 to $1100 and up, depending on condition and use! I have bought two of them brand new in the box, never fired for around $600 a few years back before the Rona, now, your gonna pay a premium, partly since Ruger stopped producing them some time ago!
 
If you watch the forums they do show up now and then. Yeah, I've seen them advertised for 9-1100, but it's possible to find one for $6-800. Prices have gone up since a year ago when I got one in blue (5-something) and a stainless for between 6 and 7.
 

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