Jaan Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 My birthday was last week, so Midway USA gave me a pretty decent discount (thank you!) so I went ahead and bout a couple of Super Blackhawk hammers for my Vaqueros. They are both machined "lopsided". I contacted Ruger and they said they were still functional, they didn't seem to really care. Is this common? I'm not trying to make a big deal about it, I used to be a machinist and it just looks sloppy to me; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 No, not common. Send that picture to Ruger and demand a replacement. OLG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickel City Dude Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Lately Ruger seams to have had problems with Quality Control for there products. They have a great customer care service but you would think that they would catch problems before they left the factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody, SASS #26190 Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 What they actually sent was two left handed hammers. Did you specify a right and a left? I'm thinking this is on you if not. On the left handed hammers the right side is left shorter so you can roll your thumb off easier when cocking. The right side hammers are just the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkey Flats Jack Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 obviously that's a left handed hammer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingo Montana Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 I have 6 SBH hammers and all have that lopsidedness in varying degrees, the worst two have been on my NMV's for over a year. I never noticed it until this thread. It has not effected my ability to hit or miss the target one bit, however it probably will now since I'll be self-conscious of it, ugh. Good luck getting a perfect one. Let us know how you make out from Ruger. While their customer service is excellent, they probably will just pull one out of a bin and send it without any regards to it's symmetry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 So is hammer symmetry that big of a deal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-BAR #18287 Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Anything that bugs you is a big deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucker McNeely Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Great now I gotta go look at mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody, SASS #26190 Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Yul Lose said: So is hammer symmetry that big of a deal? Save it, Yul. Next time you're at a big match, and the world champ is loading next to you, ask him "Hey are those hammers lopsided?". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yusta B. Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Just checked my 3 sets --- I'm devastated !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkey Flats Jack Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 3 hours ago, Tucker McNeely said: Great now I gotta go look at mine! I did too! and now it's gonna bug the crap outta me that I have one exactly the same as the one pictured and the other one is close but not perfect lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaan Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 4 hours ago, Bingo Montana said: Let us know how you make out from Ruger. While their customer service is excellent, they probably will just pull one out of a bin and send it without any regards to it's symmetry. I already contacted them and got a response. Basically; it will still function, it's fine. I was a machinist for many years, and my Dad was a machinist his whole life. It jumped out at me immediately. I know it's not a crucial tolerance, it's just the aesthetics. I guess I'll just tell people they're left handed...after all, my SASS alias is LEFT HAND CARLOS (c: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 So that must be the Northern Hemisphere model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Old Man Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Just looked at mine. They are symmetrical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anvil Al #59168 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Nobody but you is going to notice it. And can be quickly fixed if you really want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex M Rugers #6621 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Just went and looked at mine. Two blue ones on my match sixguns , maybe 10 years old , four SS ones in parts drawer , one set about 5 years old , the other about 2 years old. All have the slight difference. I would have never noticed before this thread. Rex , who will likely not think of it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Slim SASS #24733 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Everybody has their own thing they worry about. You being a machinist notice things the rest of us wouldn't. I look at people's leather gear and wonder how they can use them when they have some obvious defects? I'm sure others look at hats and think "'why doesn't that guy spend some money on a decent hat"? Same for boots. Ruger probably looks at it like most people, the hammers were made to function, not look pretty. Just the way things work these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawhorse Kid Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 21 hours ago, Jaan said: .............. I'm not trying to make a big deal about it, I used to be a machinist and it just looks sloppy to me.......... 17 hours ago, Yul Lose said: So is hammer symmetry that big of a deal? To a self respecting machinist, I think the answer would be .. Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yusta B. Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 It may be those hammers are hand ground in the finishing process & the feller doing the grinding chuckles every time he grinds one funny ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 16 hours ago, Jaan said: I already contacted them and got a response. Basically; it will still function, it's fine. I was a machinist for many years, and my Dad was a machinist his whole life. It jumped out at me immediately. I know it's not a crucial tolerance, it's just the aesthetics. I guess I'll just tell people they're left handed...after all, my SASS alias is LEFT HAND CARLOS (c: CALL Ruger, and speak to a CS Supervisor. OLG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Chance Morgun Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 20 hours ago, Goody, SASS #26190 said: Save it, Yul. Next time you're at a big match, and the world champ is loading next to you, ask him "Hey are those hammers lopsided?". That's even better than, "Hey, your shoe's untied!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Chance Morgun Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 21 hours ago, Yul Lose said: So is hammer symmetry that big of a deal? Measure twice, cut once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I really don't see a problem. If you really need to get up close, or use a magnifier to see it, Whom cares. A Ruger is NOT a Cartier 40K watch after all . Sheesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 It is a matter of perspective. Machinists, metal workers, engineers,, etc will spot the lopsided grind immediately and see it every time they look at it. It is purely cosmetic, but when it is a function of a skill that falls in the users wheelhouse, it becomes an irritating point of distraction. Everybody knows a car guy who frets over a little rock ding in the paint of his car, or the woodworker who cant stop staring at the cabinet in their kitchen that has the door hung just barely out of plumb, or the holster maker that complains about an "ugly" spot in the stitching of a purchased holster than none of the rest of us can even see. When you pay for a name brand product, you expect it to meet your expectations, both functionally and cosmetically. Expecting a hammer from Ruger to be ground symmetrically is not an unreasonable expectation. Just the opinion of an engineer who pesters his family and friends by pointing out metalwork anomalies and ugly spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Von Dutch, SASS # 7995 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I installed SBH hammers on my Rugers about 15 years ago but I didn't like them being wide so I milled the sides down on 4 SS pairs and 1 pair of Blue hammers to look like stock hammers, sure looks better! all I wanted was the hammers to be lower because I shoot duelist. That's one way to take care of it! V.D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Rich Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Actually those hammers are made that way because the triggers are offset the other direction and that helps to balance the revolver. kR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramblin Gambler Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 On 5/12/2020 at 6:02 PM, Tucker McNeely said: Great now I gotta go look at mine! I was gunna go look at mine, but I can't even see where his are lopsided. Oh well, I should probably look at all of my guns anyway just on general principal and dream about a day when I can shoot on my own property. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaan Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 For the record, I measured the difference...I don't need a magnifying glass to see it. I couldn't have said it better than Crazy Gun Barney. It's precisely because of Ruger's excellent quality control (and equally excellent customer service) that the small imperfections stand out so much to me. I'll probably end up fixing them, that way I can tell people in my best Paladin Have Gun Will Travel voice; these are hand fitted hammers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang Gregg Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 If Ruger doesn't replace them, I can fix those with a round gunsmith file. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston CAS Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 @Jaan my birthday was earlier this year so I did the exact same thing at Midway. I just pulled my Vaqueros out and they look exactly like yours. Both are asymmetrical at the same angles on each side of the hammer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Pepper Kid, SASS #60463 Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 I had to go look at mine. One is symmetrical to the eye. The other is all cattywampus. I knew it wasn't me that was missing those targets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Gator SASS #29736 Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 The difference is easily visible. Still perfectly functional. You know they can manufacture parts to tight tolerances where required. It just makes you wonder why they don't bother to make these hammers more symmetrical. How much attention would it require? Just seems sloppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castalia,SASS#18915 Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 My dad used to tell me that cabinet makers would measure with a micrometer, mark with a grease pencil, and cut with an axe. Maybe Ruger is hiring old cabinet makers to set up there CAD machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc X Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 2 hours ago, Castalia,SASS#18915 said: My dad used to tell me that cabinet makers would measure with a micrometer, mark with a grease pencil, and cut with an axe. Maybe Ruger is hiring old cabinet makers to set up there CAD machines. I'm thinking you're right. My Vaquero hammers look the same too. With 20+ years as an orthopedic machinist it bugs me. Would have been real easy to fix during final polish. Of course all the machining burrs I found inside the guns bugged me a whole lot more than a lopsided hammer. I'd love to have one of my old "Manager to machinist" chats with the idiot that assembled mine with the burrs still present. Hope he made "rate" that day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.