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Ruger Redhawk

• moderate
• Shop tier 3
• high confidence
• Revolver
• revolver
• double action
• modular lockwork
• no sideplate
• magnum
• hunting
• large frame

field strip ~4 min · reassembly ~6 min · detail strip ~30 min

Specifications

Model-specific safety

• Opening the cylinder does not clear the revolver. Check every chamber individually and count them.
• The mainspring strut must be pinned before the mainspring assembly comes out, and that pin must stay in until the assembly is reinstalled. Removing it early lets the mainspring fly off the strut with great force.
• Never remove or install a loaded cylinder. A loaded cylinder can discharge if dropped or struck.
• Ruger double actions have no sideplate — the lockwork comes out as subassemblies. That makes owner-level disassembly feasible, but the manual still restricts anything beyond this procedure to factory service personnel.
• Never flick the cylinder closed.

Under spring tension

• Mainspring and strut assembly (pin it before removal)
• Trigger return spring
• Cylinder latch spring

Easily lost parts

Mainspring seat · Mainspring strut · Cylinder latch and spring

Tools

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 3 Tier 3 — hardest among revolvers, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. At 70 pieces the Redhawk reaches the handgun Tier 3 line, and its single mainspring works through a pivoting mainspring lever and a hooked hammer link that has to be worked off the lever, held by a disassembly pin, then re-hooked with the trigger guard group aligned. More interlocking than the GP100, though Ruger still sanctions the takedown.

Parts: 68 numbered parts (Redhawk base list; .45 Auto/.45 Colt and sleeve/shroud barrel lists excluded (68 line items)), from Instruction Manual for Ruger Redhawk Double-Action Revolvers — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., p. 34–35 ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1].

Bench time: about 35 min to strip, 55 min to rebuild (estimate). Estimated for an experienced tech: Ruger’s sanctioned modular takedown (grip, mainspring, hammer, trigger guard group, cylinder/crane) plus stripping the trigger guard group, crane latches and sights for coating. Rebuild is longer for the pawl spring/plunger, transfer bar and pawl alignment and the mainspring. Extra time for the mainspring lever and hammer link.

Small parts: 17 pins, 9 springs, 11 detents or plungers (counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given))

What comes off for coating

• Grip and mainspring: grip screw and grip panels, mainspring lever with mainspring and strut (lever pivot pin driven out, disassembly pin left in) — disassembly pin / paper clip
• Hammer and trigger guard group: hammer pivot and hammer with hammer link and dog, trigger guard assembly (latch drawn back with the mainspring lever), if the trigger guard is coated: trigger, pawl and plunger, transfer bar, trigger plunger, cylinder latch and plunger, tr — small screwdriver for the trigger guard plunger, pin punches, vise to hold the trigger while refitting the pawl spring
• Cylinder and crane: cylinder and crane forward out of the frame, crane latch, front latch and plungers if the frame is stripped bare, ejector, center pin rod and springs if the cylinder is coated — padded vise
• Frame: rear sight (pivot pin, elevation screw, two elevation springs), front sight (plunger-retained), firing pin, spring and plug only if required (factory-fit parts) — small punch for the front sight plunger

Special tools

• Disassembly pin (supplied, or a fitting pin/paper clip) — Capturing the mainspring on its strut; it must stay in until reassembly
• Small screwdriver/punch through the frame hole — Depressing the trigger guard latch plunger
• Bench vise with soft jaws and a gallon freezer bag — Holding the trigger while the pawl spring/plunger is refitted; catching parts
• 1/8" or smaller pin punch — Trigger guard group pins, sight pins

Known pain points

• The hammer link hook has to be worked off the mainspring lever, sometimes with a jeweler’s screwdriver, before the hammer comes out. (disassembly)
  Source: Instruction Manual for Ruger Redhawk Double-Action Revolvers — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1] — “It may be necessary to move the mainspring lever forward in order to cause the hammer link hook to detach from the mainspring lever”
• The mainspring lever comes out with mainspring and strut held by the disassembly pin; pulling the pin early lets the spring fly with great force. (both)
  Source: Instruction Manual for Ruger Redhawk Double-Action Revolvers — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1] — “Do not remove disassembly pin at this point! Doing so will permit the mainspring to fly off its strut with great force and may cause injury.”
• The pawl and transfer bar must be aligned while the trigger guard latch is drawn back with the mainspring lever, or the guard will not lock in. (reassembly)
  Source: Instruction Manual for Ruger Redhawk Double-Action Revolvers — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1] — “If solid resistance is felt when swinging the trigger guard into the frame, or if the trigger guard will not lock into position, re-check the position of the pawl and transfer-bar”
• Older guns have the hammer link fitted hook-down and need a different sequence (or a link reversal by driving the hammer cross pin). (both)
  Source: Instruction Manual for Ruger Redhawk Double-Action Revolvers — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1] — “The information below applies only to those revolvers in which the Hammer Link (KH06900) is assembled to the hammer with the link hook pointing downward”
• Anything past the modular takedown is for factory service personnel only. (both)
  Source: Instruction Manual for Ruger Redhawk Double-Action Revolvers — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1] — “Any further disassembly should only be undertaken by factory service personnel.”

Fit or check on rebuild

• Pawl and transfer bar positioned so the trigger guard swings home without resistance; trigger rotates and locks the cyli — Ruger’s own reassembly check.
  Source: Instruction Manual for Ruger GP100 Double-Action Revolvers — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [4] — “if the trigger guard will not lock into position, re-check the position of the pawl and transfer bar”
• Timing / carry-up and cylinder lockup in single and double action; dry fire both ways — Ruger asks for single- and double-action dry fire after reassembly; worn pawl or cylinder stop gives the "does not lock up" fault (entry commonIssues).
• Hammer and trigger side play (shims) where fitted — SP101 manual reassembly puts hammer shims either side of the hammer; Shooting Times measures side play with a feeler gauge.
  Source: Instruction Manual for Ruger SP101 Double-Action Revolvers — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [5] — “insert the hammer into frame with the hammer shims on either side of the hammer”
• Crane, front latch and cylinder latch lock the cylinder closed; cylinder spins free with no drag — Ruger’s function check (cylinder must spin freely; hammer must not cock with the cylinder open).

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Manufacturer videos

Official videos from Sturm, Ruger & Co.'s own channels, linked rather than copied. Where a video and the steps on this page differ, follow the manufacturer's manual and video.

• Redhawk Disassembly RugerFirearms field strip · 2009-07-02
  Covers: Ruger Redhawk
• Redhawk Reassembly RugerFirearms reassembly · 2009-07-02
  Covers: Ruger Redhawk
• Ruger Double Action Revolver Cleaning RugerFirearms cleaning · 2009-04-16
  Covers: Ruger double-action revolvers SP101, GP100 and Redhawk (per the video description)
• Tech Tip - Double-Action Revolver Full Cleaning Ruger Firearms · plays on ruger.com cleaning · 2016-04-14
  Covers: Ruger double-action revolvers (generic; models not stated)

Procedures

Torque specifications

No sourced torque values from the manufacturer are recorded for this firearm. Where a fastener has a specified torque — action screws, scope bases, muzzle devices, barrel nuts — get it from the manufacturer or a gunsmith rather than estimating it.

What the manufacturer does say: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "Then tighten the eight top screws a bit at a time to grip the scope body." (Instruction Manual for Ruger Redhawk Double-Action Revolvers, PDF p. 28)

Materials and factory finish

As stated by Sturm, Ruger & Co.. Prep, masking and cure depend on these; a polymer or aluminium part, a nitrided or anodised finish, and a blued steel part are each a different job. Variants with other finishes may exist — check the maker's page for the exact SKU on the bench.

Parts list

Transcribed from the manufacturer's parts list (Instruction Manual for Ruger Redhawk Double-Action Revolvers — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., p. 34–35 ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1]) — Redhawk revolver. Exploded view on p. 36. Key numbers refer to the exploded view in that document.

Function check

• Again, be certain the revolver is unloaded before any check.
• Visually inspect the revolver to ensure no components are damaged, missing, loose, bent, cracked, chipped, or peened.
• Open and close the cylinder and confirm it latches securely.
• Cock the hammer slowly and confirm the cylinder indexes and locks up at each chamber before the hammer reaches full cock.
• With the hammer at full cock, confirm the cylinder is locked with only minimal rotational play.
• Dry fire in single action and in double action through every chamber to confirm all parts are working properly.
• Confirm the trigger guard assembly is fully latched into the frame.
• If you observe excessive wear, stop using the revolver and contact customer service.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

• Crane where the cylinder rides
• Ejector rod
• Hammer and trigger pivots (one drop each)
• Cylinder latch

Cleaning notes

Clean the cylinder face and forcing cone thoroughly. If you shoot .38 Special in a .357 chamber, scrub the resulting carbon ring out or .357 rounds will not seat properly later.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 2000 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Hand · Cylinder stop · Forcing cone · Ejector rod tightness · Firing pin and return spring

Common issues

Also covers

The procedures above are reported to apply to: Ruger Super Redhawk (similar lockwork, different frame and scope mounting). Verify against the manual for your specific model.

Similar manual of arms

• Ruger GP100

Sourcing