Ruger Trigger Shoes & Refurbishing
I have a Ruger 3 screw .357 Blackhawk that I bought in 1965. I just sent it in to Ruger to have it 'upgraded' to repair the incidental discharge problem all Rugers (and many other hand guns had as well in the past) fixed. Prior to the fix, the Blackhawk had 3 positions of the hammer: (1) slightly cocked (about 1/4"), (2) half cocked and in this position you can turn the cylinder (for reload or cartridge discharge) or to remove it, and (3) fully cock ready for shooting. I have just received the gun back from Ruger and the first hammer position has been eliminated. Now there are only 2 positions for the hammer. So, now I can carry the gun fully loaded (all 6 bullets) and have no fear that it will go off.
But in getting it fixed/updated, sending the gun in the mail is not so easy. It needs to be in a special box built just for gun, and this may be model based. Ruger sent me a box free of charge, so maybe these boxes vary based on the model and barrel length. With mine, the barrel is 6.5", which they do not make anymore. Once you have the box, then you need to make sure to seal it tight and send it. You cannot send firearms thru the USPS, so it has to go via UPS or FedEx, and it must go over night! So, while Ruger updated my .357 revolver for free, it cost $100 via UPS to ship it!
Now for the trigger shoe. I have a nice, non smooth trigger shoe on this gun because the standard trigger I feel is too small (too narrow) and you feel it in your finger when pulling it to shoot. The trigger shoe is about 2-3 times wider than the original trigger and not curved (to the sides, but does follow the natural curve of the trigger) so it feels REAL nice and it makes it easier to shoot. But in getting it updated by Ruger, they took my trigger shoe off (maybe the replace or had to pull the trigger out). Fortunately, they sent all the update parts back with the gun along with my trigger shoe, so it is now back on my gun. I also have pearl handles, so I took those off before sending the gun to Ruger. Also, they insisted I send it with the cylinder.
I am now looking into getting a .45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk Convertible (shoots both 45 long colt and 45 ACP). So, I am looking for a place where I can get a similar trigger shoe and make shooting that hand gun easy also. I found this site online that appears to have just what I want in a trigger shoe, although the pics are not very big and it is hard to see the exact unit for my gun, but I may try ordering a trigger shoe from them anyway. So, if you are interested in getting one from them, get model 19-s (for Ruger Blackhawks of all calibers I believe) and go to:
http://t-grips.com/triggershoeorderform.htm. The cost is about $28 for the trigger shoe and $7 for shipping, and they do not take credit or debit cards - personal check or some form of money order.
Vincent 06-12-14