Ruger #1 Safety Operation

[CaptainMal]

Just picked up a Ruger #1 in 270. It is serial # 133-67551 and I think it was a 1999 production. Just starting to play with it and discovered a safety operation issue.

Seems that if you have the action closed and take the safety OFF, you cannot just put it back on. I have discovered that you must completely open the action, which both extracts and ejects any cartridge in it, and then the safety will go back on.

What the heck???

I had a #1 years ago in 6mm Rem that I do not remember having that issue. Are they all like that and my old brain has long forgotten?

 

[SSL]

Just picked up a Ruger #1 in 270. It is serial # 133-67551 and I think it was a 1999 production. Just starting to play with it and discovered a safety operation issue.

Seems that if you have the action closed and take the safety OFF, you cannot just put it back on. I have discovered that you must completely open the action, which both extracts and ejects any cartridge in it, and then the safety will go back on.

What the heck???

I had a #1 years ago in 6mm Rem that I do not remember having that issue. Are they all like that and my old brain has long forgotten?

Nope...you are right. All mine operate as you said - off and on with the action closed. Something is amiss, but I can't say just what.

 

[Adam in WI]

Does it have any kind of aftermarket trigger in it? It sounds like there's an adjustment or wear issue somewhere between the hammer and sear. If you're looking at the bottom of the lever with the action cocked, the little square opening in the front lets you see and feel the spur of the hammer. When you move the safety off, does the hammer move significantly or differently than your other Ruger? The safety in these does two things; one part blocks movement of the trigger, and a second (on mine at least) actually lifts the hammer off of the sear. Taking the buttstock off will let you get a pretty good picture of how it ties together.

 

[CaptainMal]

Does it have any kind of aftermarket trigger in it? It sounds like there's an adjustment or wear issue somewhere between the hammer and sear. If you're looking at the bottom of the lever with the action cocked, the little square opening in the front lets you see and feel the spur of the hammer. When you move the safety off, does the hammer move significantly or differently than your other Ruger? The safety in these does two things; one part blocks movement of the trigger, and a second (on mine at least) actually lifts the hammer off of the sear. Taking the buttstock off will let you get a pretty good picture of how it ties together.

Would not be able to compare with my old #1 as I sold it many years ago.

I will take this one apart tomorrow and look. Brother-in-law I got it from is not much of a gun person. Been in his safe "twenty years". Not sure that is right as it is only 24 years old according to serial number. Literally no usage signs on the rifle and I doubt he did anything to it. Only thing is I do not know if he is original owner.

Will know more tomorrow. THANKS!

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

With an empty chamber, Ruger says to become familiar with how it feels to return the safety to its most rearward position. There is a spring to hold the safety in both fire and safe positions, so possibly look at those springs.

 

[CaptainMal]

In the top picture the black line I marked on the block is barely visible as the lever is closed. That moves the block up toward a locked position. The safety will NOT operate except to take it off if it is on. Once off, you cannot put the safety back on unless ... go to the bottom picture.

In the bottom picture the lever has been opened a little. Now you can see the black line clearly as the block dropped. The safety will now go both on and off, operating normally. That circled bar at the top is the safety bar that must be stopped by something when the block is in any position upward of where it is now.

Is there a solution to this or is this just the way it is?

 

[CaptainMal]

Took the hammer spring out. The safety now goes on and off "normally" with the block up and lever closed.

Ideas?

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Safety bar hanging up, so you can't return switch to safe position?

 

[CaptainMal]

Safety bar hanging up, so you can't return switch to safe position?

Correct.

Unfortunately I have sine tried to replace the hammer spring. Could not pull the nail I used out. Must have tried it under tension and the nail bent. The end of the spring is now cocked with just the end of the bent nail holding it. It will not fit back into the holder for me to yank on the bent nail any more.

GAME OVER for me. Unless I can send to Ruger or find someone who can get the bent nail out and re-tension the spring, I have ruined the rifle. Just my style I guess.

Thanks all for the help.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I believe you will have to reinstall the hammer spring, action decocked(pull trigger, chamber empty). Than cock the action to remove the nail. After hammer spring is in place.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I don't see the safety detent spring in any pics?

 

[CaptainMal]

I don't see the safety detent spring in any pics?

Sorry. Do not know what a "safety detent spring" is.

Without the hammer strut and spring, the safety works properly. You can close the block and both put the safety on and take it off repeatedly. Before I screwed up the hammer strut spring you could only put the safety on when the block was down. You could take it off cocked (block up with action closed) but if you took the safety off to shoot you could not get it back on until you lowered the lever and opened the action.

Must be something to do with the hammer spring and strut.

Called Ruger. After the 1st they could take the hammer spring, strut and retaining washer and assemble it properly. I will try to compress and control that spring then yank that pin out in the meantime. It won't work.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

 

[1911nut]

Schematic- shows the safety detent spring. #54

Ruger No. 1 Series Parts | Gun Parts Corp.

Order Ruger No. 1 Series rifle parts, accessories and more with Numrich Gun Parts Corp..

www.gunpartscorp.com

this might help

I’ve compressed springs similar to the hammer spring using a wire stripper.

 

[CaptainMal]

Schematic- shows the safety detent spring. #54

Ruger No. 1 Series Parts | Gun Parts Corp.

Order Ruger No. 1 Series rifle parts, accessories and more with Numrich Gun Parts Corp..

www.gunpartscorp.com

this might help

I’ve compressed springs similar to the hammer spring using a wire stripper.

Super nice of you to add all the information. I had found most of it but that video got me - When I returned the hammer spring to the rifle I made two mistakes. One was I tried to remove the nail while the spring was under pressure. That twisted and jammed it. Second was I was putting the hammer assembly back in upside down. Saw that in the video whereas all other videos I saw did not show it clearly.

One mistake led to another.

The safety spring IS there. My earlier pictures were from the other side.

Will now try the brake spring idea to compress the assembly and get the hammer spring unjammed and back together properly. If not, I will get a new assembly - assembled.

Still not sure the safety will properly work when all is back together. It works now without a hammer spring so there may still be the underlying problem when I get it back together.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

You will get it figured out, glad the spring was still with the rifle. It is a simple design, been awhile since I have had one apart.

 

[M-61]

I had a #1 years ago in 6mm Rem that I do not remember having that issue. Are they all like that and my old brain has long forgotten?

Actually next to the safety not working at all this would be the next worse thing.
Your brain hasn’t forgotten anything.
Lots of rifles, including a Number1,and lots of years ago when I hunted, the number of times I pushed the safety OFF and then whatever I was shooting at disappeared and I had to pull the safety back ON, are innumerable.

 

[CaptainMal]

Actually next to the safety not working at all this would be the next worse thing.
Your brain hasn’t forgotten anything.
Lots of rifles, including a Number1,and lots of years ago when I hunted, the number of times I pushed the safety OFF and then whatever I was shooting at disappeared and I had to pull the safety bock ON, are innumerable.

Me too. My old #1 was a heavy bbl. 6mm Rem. Used it for Pa. groundhog hunting. Safety on and then off and back on as the groundhog moved around. Spent a few joyful years both hunting with it and extensively modifying it to stop that infernal vertical stringing. Finally got rid of it and bought or built a proper bolt rifle.

Interesting but that rifle - a 40X single shot Rem. is still with me many decades later. Now in 22-250AI, I used it on a couple prairie dog hunts in Wyoming just a few years back. Now it just sits wondering what is wrong.

 

[CaptainMal]

Feel like a dog chasing his tail. I'll end this saga with a bit of an education. Now I am back where I am back where I started from.

The rifle is now re-assembled, using a tool I made.
Used an aluminum tube, cut slots to hold the end cap of the hammer spring. Then put it under a drill press to push all down and insert a proper holding pin. Good thing to have if you have a #1.

That screw in the chuck is just to hold the tube in place. Now I am back to the start but more knowledgable after this mess. The rifle will NOT allow me to put the safety of if the breech is closed and the safety is off. If I put the safety on before closing, all is fine. You can take the safety off to fire. If you do not shoot then you cannot pull the safety back on unless you open things up to do it.

Ridiculous. What the heck is wrong with this thing? If I take the hammer spring assembly out, the safety is fine. Put it back in and kaput.

Postscript... Discovered safety problem, fixed and re-assembled. All is good now.