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it has been said that the factory trigger on the original 1973 Ruger Police Service Six 4" bbl was so heavy, they joked it was a single action revolver that could be fired in double action
mine measures at 10 lbs double action and 6 lbs single action
starting on a project to polish the trigger and lighten the trigger pull
has anyone done this? I didn't find any old post on this

I read on a different forum that the original hammer spring is 16 lbs, light ones are 14 lbs, but a 12 lbs GP100 works quite well, but it's not a 12 lbs when installed in the Service six, after the trigger has been polished
just by chance have one of those
 
Just a little worthless history. All the gun companies wanted to sell their revolvers to the police market. The biggest market was NYC but because of lawsuits the revolvers had to have a double action pull of 9 lbs. With a 9 pound pull there was no way the revolver could be said to have gone off accidentally plus all of the guns were double action only.

Even today when NYC has gone to semi autos the guns are required to have a "new york trigger" of 9 lbs.

Point being if a person carries a gun with a worked on trigger then a sharp lawyer can turn it against them.


I love a good trigger, do my best shooting with one. I have had triggers worked on for competition guns and hunting guns. I leave them stock in a carry gun.
 
Just a little worthless history. All the gun companies wanted to sell their revolvers to the police market. The biggest market was NYC but because of lawsuits the revolvers had to have a double action pull of 9 lbs. With a 9 pound pull there was no way the revolver could be said to have gone off accidentally plus all of the guns were double action only.

Even today when NYC has gone to semi autos the guns are required to have a "new york trigger" of 9 lbs.

Point being if a person carries a gun with a worked on trigger then a sharp lawyer can turn it against them.


I love a good trigger, do my best shooting with one. I have had triggers worked on for competition guns and hunting guns. I leave them stock in a carry gun.
I don't need a carry gun in my lifestyle - then I only have 11 pistols and revolvers
but I do have a HK VP9 with a stock trigger - can't see how one could improve on the VP9 trigger

and the comment about a sharp lawyer turning a trigger job against you?
you need to talk to ever 1911 owner out there

I'll let you know how this old Ruger turns out
 
I don't need a carry gun in my lifestyle - then I only have 11 pistols and revolvers
but I do have a HK VP9 with a stock trigger - can't see how one could improve on the VP9 trigger

and the comment about a sharp lawyer turning a trigger job against you?
you need to talk to ever 1911 owner out there

I'll let you know how this old Ruger turns out
I do tend to talk too much, I will stop that habit before long.:D
 
OK, took it apart tonight
as you know, the old Police Service Six has a mousetrap trigger spring, not a coils spring - left that old spring in
after 40 some odd years of use, the trigger components were fairly well self polished
I did put in a Ruger SP101 10 lbs hammer spring, which was longer than the original 16 lbs spring and got 3.5 lbs single action trigger pull
got good ignition on all the .38 ammo I have, Remington, Winchester and Buffalo Bore
ended up with 8 lbs double action and 3.5 single action with 100% reliability
have a Hogue finger grove rubber grip
for a 40 some odd old Ruger revolver, I'm quite satisfied

Ruger Service Six.jpg
 
I had two Security Sixes about 25 years ago, a snubby and a 6", EDC and HD/woods gun respectively. I put the Wolff replacement springs in both and they greatly lightened both the SA and DA trigger without affecting reliability. They weren't as utterly smooth as SW after I changed springs but were close enough to make no practical difference. And Rugers were way cheaper than SWs in those days.
 
Good article and informative too.

As for revolver shooting, For Me.....
S&W for the normal carry and usage (speaking revolver DA/SA shooting).
Colt.....yeah, genuine COLT SAAs have a place in my heart.
Ruger......OK, Ok, ok, the Vaquero is a "tank" (in SASS).

Aloha, Mark

PS........DA practice. Take a 5.5" or 6" black bull's eye type target out to the range.

Start at whatever distance you like. Shooting double action only. Take your shots.

Are you keeping all of them in the black? If it's too easy.....move it further away from you. Speed it up if you can. Try some double taps? Triple taps? Did I forget to mention, that you should bring plenty of ammo. LOL.

Only if your range will allow you. AND, if you're good/experienced. Maybe, add in holster drawing and firing.
 
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I have 3 new wheel guns, a GP100 and 2 Smith 686
out of the box, the pull weight were similar, but you can't compare a Smith to a Ruger, the designs are so much different
my old Ruger Service Six is as good as my new GP100

I liked that evaluation, 1.4 Million rounds and still going strong

I use 9" Costco paper plates for targets today
a friend who took a pistol course advised me not to use black bullseyes, your eye gets used to looking for the Bull
just get used to area shooting, as tight as possible
bad guys don't have black bulls on their shirts
 
Ruger follows the same design relative to SW today. That is, they way overbuild. On guns .357 or lower power, this just gives you a gun that is heavier than the corresponding SW but won't do any more. And out of the box the Ruger needs new springs and a gunsmith to have a SW-quality trigger. Since it costs just a little under the equivalent SW new, the Ruger actually costs more since the SW has a great trigger out of the box and the Ruger needs a trigger job. Maybe the Ruger will last longer, maybe not. Both seem to outlast multiple owners. Both are more likely to get lost in a tragic boating accident than to wear out.

But with .44 mag there is a huge advantage to the Ruger. SW .44s will merely do a good job shooting the caliber it was designed for. But the Ruger will also safely shoot .44 mag +P in most models, essentially a different caliber. A .44 bullet running at .454 Casull power levels. 1600 ft. lbs. Instead of about 1200. Impressive.
 
Ruger follows the same design relative to SW today. That is, they way overbuild. On guns .357 or lower power, this just gives you a gun that is heavier than the corresponding SW but won't do any more. And out of the box the Ruger needs new springs and a gunsmith to have a SW-quality trigger. Since it costs just a little under the equivalent SW new, the Ruger actually costs more since the SW has a great trigger out of the box and the Ruger needs a trigger job. Maybe the Ruger will last longer, maybe not. Both seem to outlast multiple owners. Both are more likely to get lost in a tragic boating accident than to wear out.

But with .44 mag there is a huge advantage to the Ruger. SW .44s will merely do a good job shooting the caliber it was designed for. But the Ruger will also safely shoot .44 mag +P in most models, essentially a different caliber. A .44 bullet running at .454 Casull power levels. 1600 ft. lbs. Instead of about 1200. Impressive.
I will have to disagree
the old Ruger Service Six, early Redhawk and the GP100 do not have the same trigger design relative to a Smith

I purchased a Ruger GP100 and 2 Smith 686 the same month in 2000
I spent a full day on each of the Smiths to clean up the triggers, machine marks and burrs throughout
one of the Smith had a great trigger, one was no better than the Ruger out of the box - result of mass production
the 686 is no longer hand assembled with matched parts

I personally like the looks and balance of a Smith 686, my son prefers a Ruger Redhawk or GP100
as far as triggers, I can smooth out a Ruger to be just as smooth as a Smith in my barn, sitting on a hay bale with a Dremel and a $12 spring kit
no trained gun smith required
they won't feel the same to your finger - they can't, different designs
Ruger triggers have coiled trigger springs, allowing stacking to allow you to judge when they will release
Smith has a leaf spring with no stacking I can detect
but with a trigger pull gage, they match
 
in-between rainsqualls this evening, I took the Service Six out and shot 12 rnds of full power Rem 125 gn .357
with these Hogue finger grips, I could do this all day long
it's not as heavy as my 686 or GP100, easier to carry all day in my old Jackass shoulder rig, and quite comfortable with full power .357 - for a 40 year old revolver
 
in-between rainsqualls this evening, I took the Service Six out and shot 12 rnds of full power Rem 125 gn .357
with these Hogue finger grips, I could do this all day long
it's not as heavy as my 686 or GP100, easier to carry all day in my old Jackass shoulder rig, and quite comfortable with full power .357 - for a 40 year old revolver
have you ever fired a full power .357 in low light without ear protectors?

I did once - in a freinds barn about 30 years ago

the two of us were blind for almost 30 sec and deaf for atleast 3 Min

if it's coyotes or cougars, a .357 will discourage them from coming back for weeks

I don't need 17 rnds of 9mm for self defense in my lifestyle

first, I'm not anticipating car loads of gang bangers invading my property

even if it's just 2, the muzzle blast from a 4" .357 is going to blind them and concussion will deafen them

and IF one was to miss them, they are still disabled and not able to continue aggressive action towards you

I shoot 9mm weakly because it's cheep, but would use a .357 with 158 gn semi wad cutters if it was a defense situation
 

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