As I discussed in the last post, I was working on a refinish of a Ruger new model blackhawk and was running into issues with the cylinder not turning/the hammer not cocking.

I ended up doing a trigger job on the revolver to reduce trigger pull and the pull required to cock the hammer, as the stock springs are quite heavy. I installed a Wilson combat spring kit which nicely reduced both and allows for a smooth pull on each.

Upon re-installation of parts, I determined that not only was the original base pin bent (which explained why it couldn't be pulled out or put back into place easily,) but the pawl (the part which pushes up on the cylinder to rotate it and advance the next rounds into position) ultimately was the culprit.

It turns out that the geometry of the original part was not right, and even after some filing , I could not quite get the timing right on the factory part due to the damage, so it had to be discarded.

This turn of events was a blessing in disguise, as I wanted to replace the pawl with one from Power custom anyways. This particular pawl is the "free spin pawl;" I got mine from Brownells.com for $36.99

Following the instructions provided, and also watching the video by Mr. Power, I was able to fit the new pawl within a couple of hours of careful fitting.

The revolver now works even better than it had from the distributor and will likely be a blast to shoot (no pun intended.)

Next on the list of things to do to this firearm will be to replace the blackhawk trigger guard and base, with either a super blackhawk guard and base, or a colt style, to truly give the look and function I'm going for.