Previous project #1

     It takes a certain amount of confidence in your work to take something apart, put it back together again and light off 35,000 pounds of pressure in your hand. Luckily, my first project was a simple Ruger DA revolver. A Speed Six I had picked up for a very reasonable price because the finish was freckled, it cleaned up nicely with some 0000 steel wool and eezox. I had owned a GP100 that did little for me, but because of the full frame the "six" series seems to balance much better. They do not exhibit the fine craftsmanship of the older smiths, however. This was to be a winter carry/beater, and it has worked nicely.

This is what I started with. Grips were horrendous in the hand, finish at this point was acceptable. Won an auction for a lot of NOS grips and modified the least attractive pair to be as short as possible- finish is Tru oil.

Found a factory bobbed hammer from Numrich and installed it. The Ruger DA revolvers are extremely simple to disassemble, there is no sideplate just take the grips off, remove a pin and everything pretty much comes apart.

Next, I added a tritium night sight repurposed from a SP101. This one is a meprolight and needed to be drilled for a locating pin. 1/16" punch to remove the old over an armorers block, drill from both sides and drive in the reused roll pin.

 

 

 

So: new bobbed hammer, night sight and grips. After reselling the unused grips from the lot, it covered the cost of the modifications. Carried OWB in Lobo leather it disappears under a coat. 357s are manageable, but I keep it loaded w/ 38sp +P. I do not shoot it as accurately as my smiths, but it is good enough.