Sheared Ejector Housing Bushing (Stud)

[Ramar]

This is an old model Blackhawk. The one gunsmith who’s seen it, implied only Ruger could fit a new bushing. But Ruger would install the safety conversion. Are replacement bushings available? Difficult to remove old bushing? Are bushings soldered or welded in place?
Your comments are appreciated.

[bradshaw]

Oct 21, 2023 7:55:57 GMT -5 Ramar said:

This is an old model Blackhawk. The one gunsmith who’s seen it, implied only Ruger could fit a new bushing. But Ruger would install the safety conversion. Are replacement bushings available? Difficult to remove old bushing? Are bushings soldered or welded in place?
Your comments are appreciated.

*****

The ejector housing screw NUT, or bushing, is soldered in a shallow countersink in the barrel. The nut is not hardened or heat treated. Don’t know about now; in times past it was a routine fix for Ruger. Call Ruger Customer Service in Newport, New Hampshire.

When Ruger retrofitted New Model lockwork to an old model, the original parts were returned with the revolver. Check to be sure the policy continues----the parts are your property, not Ruger’s property. If you fear loss, strip lockwork before shipping.
David Bradshaw

[northerngos]

Be careful with this…
I had the same thing happen to a first year flattop. I sent it with a letter detailing that I only wanted it soldered back, no update, no reblue, nothing. I figured they would disregard to no updated internals part. They did disregard it. They also not only reblued the barrel and frame, they re-colored the grip frame (looked about as good as thick black spray paint) but they also kept my original grips and sent it back with laminated ones. I called them and ran it up the chain of command as far as they would allow, best I got was “we did you a favor by upgrading and replacing old grips for free as a courtesy.”
I finally dropped it with no recompense. About six months later I get a package from ruger with no documentation. In it is a set of some poor saps old super Blackhawk grips 🙄.

[Ramar]

David, northerngos,
Thank you for your comments. I’ll call Ruger to ask if they will just replace the bushing. If I have to remove all the 3-screw parts, not a big deal. This Blackhawk was made in 1966. It’s not pristine but I like it just the way it is and would be sorely disappointed if they reblued/repainted it, or kept original parts. Probably not as disappointed as you were, northerngos, with a first year flattop! Sorry to hear about your experience.
Thanks again for your help!

[x101airborne]

I had same thing happen to me about 2 years ago. Called Ruger and they do not do that repair anymore. Found a local gunsmith that bored the old bushing out, threaded the barrel and fitted the ejector rod housing to accept a larger screw. Not original, but this is my hunter so collector value is long gone.

[bradshaw]

northerngos.... my brass grip frame Super Blackhawk was the first customer old model retrofitted with Retrofit New Model lockwork. Bill Ruger, Jr., made the swap one afternoon in his hydro mill/shoe factory just downstream of the Sturm, Ruger factory on the Sugar River in Newport, New Hampshire. That would be about forty years ago. Parts dropped in a worked fine without hand fitting, as designed. Immediately thereafter, Bill, Jr., set up space for retrofitting in the old mill. (I soon switch ‘em back to original. That revolver factored in the early revolver battles of IHMSA.) Ruger’s policy was to just retrofit and return customer’s old model---including original parts in a bag.

Single action revolver production continued at Lacey Place in Southport, Connecticut until trucking the tooling to resume production in Newport NH.

I was aware if customer service sometimes rebluing a gun without the customer requesting it, nor notifying the customer. As for refinishing the aluminum Blackhawk grip frame was anodized, not coated. It’s always desirable to speak with the service manager about work, then make note of it in a letter and enclose letter with gun.
David Bradshaw

[2 Dogs]

Those are a pain because the abutment must be fabricated and silver soldered in place.

I would consider if the original barrel was a good enough shooter to spend the money on…

[Ramar]

Thanks, x101airborne! Saved me a call to Ruger. Tapping a larger hole and using a larger screw is probably the least expensive way to get this old gun back in service.
Just spoke to Fermin. He said John Powers is able to fabricate a new bushing and silver solder it in place. As he said in his post, you need to decide if the original barrel is worth it. Decisions decisions... Thank you, Fermin!

[Deleted]

John Powers did one for me. My Horvath build has a soldered bushing added to the s&w barrel he put on a blackhawk.

[Ramar]

Good to know, professor. Thank you!

[northerngos]

Oct 21, 2023 16:57:31 GMT -5 bradshaw said:

northerngos.... my brass grip frame Super Blackhawk was the first customer old model retrofitted with Retrofit New Model lockwork. Bill Ruger, Jr., made the swap one afternoon in his hydro mill/shoe factory just downstream of the Sturm, Ruger factory on the Sugar River in Newport, New Hampshire. That would be about forty years ago. Parts dropped in a worked fine without hand fitting, as designed. Immediately thereafter, Bill, Jr., set up space for retrofitting in the old mill. (I soon switch ‘em back to original. That revolver factored in the early revolver battles of IHMSA.) Ruger’s policy was to just retrofit and return customer’s old model---including original parts in a bag.

Single action revolver production continued at Lacey Place in Southport, Connecticut until trucking the tooling to resume production in Newport NH.

I was aware if customer service sometimes rebluing a gun without the customer requesting it, nor notifying the customer. As for refinishing the aluminum Blackhawk grip frame was anodized, not coated. It’s always desirable to speak with the service manager about work, then make note of it in a letter and enclose letter with gun.
David Bradshaw

Mr. Bradshaw,
First I should say that my post was a stand alone response it wasn’t in response to your suggestions which were of course sound.  Secondly, I always look forward to and thoroughly appreciate when you take the time to give background like this that sheds light into how things came to be at Ruger, or on the firing line etc.  for those of us (almost all of us) who haven’t been fortunate enough to even peek behind the curtain let alone WORK behind the curtain, these are the only glimpses we will ever have of how things came to be and of the personalities involved.  This reminds us that “Ruger” wasn’t a faceless factory, it was a group of driven gifted people in pursuit of creating great firearms.  The question that is burning in my brain is… where is that revolver?  Do you still have it?  If not, does it still exist?  Does the person who has it now have any idea of the things that revolver has seen and been a part of??  I love “things” with history and I love looking at a firearm and wondering what it has been through, and that revolver has a unique story indeed! 
I made a lot of mistakes, I told myself including a letter would be plenty but why did I even send it with the grips at all?  Nothing against Ruger or any other outfit but why send anything not necessary to the repair?  And I can imagine someone at Ruger thinking “the last thing I’m going to do is solder a part on a gun barrel and send it out discolored like that so people can decide that’s how we do things”.  I guess losing the grips was the part that really stung.  That, and the refusal to admit a mistake.  I don’t know what they did to the aluminum but I wish I still had the revolver maybe I can find a picture.  It looked like the aluminum was coated with thick black paint.  I had another flattop that was a year or two newer and comparing the two after this just made me sad, I had to send the mutilated one down the river.  I should probably have just sent it out to turnbull for refinishing.  The other I still have, and it wears dall grips by Rowen.  It is an absolute tack driver.  They both were, which I suppose leads me to where I should admit that I had been pushing that old flattop pretty hard across the board with handloads among other things.  The sprung housing wasn’t anyone’s fault but my own.

[bradshaw]

Oct 21, 2023 18:53:04 GMT -5 Ramar said:

Thanks, x101airborne! Saved me a call to Ruger. Tapping a larger hole and using a larger screw is probably the least expensive way to get this old gun back in service.
Just spoke to Fermin. He said John Powers is able to fabricate a new bushing and silver solder it in place. As he said in his post, you need to decide if the original barrel is worth it. Decisions decisions... Thank you, Fermin!

*****

This is where ir’s at. Pay homage to an accurate barrel with marksmanship. It’s easy to discard an accurate barrel by assuming its replacement will shoot the same. I’ve made this mistake. Of the barrel ain’t got the grits, replace it. When the barrel compliments skill, honor it.
David Bradshaw

[bisleyfan41]

Totally anecdotal, but a friend sent an OM Super off to Ruger for this very issue, with similar demands as yours.

They did convert it, and return the original lockwork parts. But they replaced the barrel with a NM barrel, rather than fix/replace the bushing.

This also included a new appropriate ejector rod housing and erh screw, plus an ejector rod. Those original OM parts were NOT returned.

[Ramar]

Oct 22, 2023 18:29:13 GMT -5 bradshaw said:

Oct 21, 2023 18:53:04 GMT -5 Ramar said:

Thanks, x101airborne! Saved me a call to Ruger. Tapping a larger hole and using a larger screw is probably the least expensive way to get this old gun back in service.
Just spoke to Fermin. He said John Powers is able to fabricate a new bushing and silver solder it in place. As he said in his post, you need to decide if the original barrel is worth it. Decisions decisions... Thank you, Fermin!

*****

This is where ir’s at. Pay homage to an accurate barrel with marksmanship. It’s easy to discard an accurate barrel by assuming its replacement will shoot the same. I’ve made this mistake. Of the barrel ain’t got the grits, replace it. When the barrel compliments skill, honor it.
David Bradshaw

Wise advice, David. Thanks again!

[Ramar]

Thanks for yet another account of the way Ruger treats old guns, bisleyfan41. Maybe, since Ruger employees are surrounded by these guns day after day, it's difficult for them to appreciate the way we feel about our vintage Rugers. With this in mind, this gun won't go back to Ruger.