Disappointing maiden voyage to the range today with a new Ruger GP-100 revolver. I really thought that these revolvers were quality stuff.

Initially fired a few rounds just fine. Then the problem showed itself. The hammer would move back maybe 1/4" to 1/2" and then stop, as if encountering a brick wall.

Did not matter whether I was trying to shoot single action, cocking the hammer, or double action, squeezing the trigger, same problem either way.

Unloaded the revolver and tried cocking the hammer with an empty cylinder. Same problem, it would work just fine sometimes, and hammer would hit the brick wall when starting to cock, at other times.

Had a relay conversation (Florida telephone relay service for hearing impaired) with Ruger Customer Service, planning to take the revolver back to the dealer where I bought it, let them send it to the Ruger Mother Ship.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: V-Tail,

Sorry this happened with your new toy, but it happens--sometimes even with much more expensive, higher-end firearms. Ruger will make it right.

Sounds like your transfer bar might be hitting the firing pin. Not that it matters at this point, but try pointing it straight up in the air and cocking it.

Like so many other companies, Ruger QC has slipped a great deal in recent years. IIRC there are no Ruger's running Ruger anymore and that's in large part why.

My New Vaquero I bought in 2015 did that. Then it stopped doing it and now the cylinder free spins. The pawl screw or whatever was loose and interfering with the transfer bar, until it fell out and got lost.

I doubt it’s to serious. I would make sure it’s clean & clear under the ‘ejector star’. If it’s not seated completely it will bind up the action as described.

Besides that check a few things mentioned above, no need for any disassembly.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Disappointing maiden voyage to the range today with a new Ruger GP-100 revolver. I really thought that these revolvers were quality stuff.

I took my GP-100 10mm to Don Williams for a general action clean-up/polish. He mentioned to me he is very disappointed in what is coming out of the GP-100 factory these days. He said he sees bits from the machining process left behind in the action.
 
This may not be your problem, but just a data point from a well-respected gunsmith.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:

I would make sure it’s clean & clear under the ‘ejector star’. If it’s not seated completely it will bind up the action as described.

We can eliminate that as a possible cause. It does the same thing with the cylinder open. The ejector is not involved when the cylinder is swung out of the frame.

Ruger has an excellent reputation for CS. I'm sure that they will make it right.

Yes, I have no doubt that they will take care of it, but it is a Royal Pain In The Ass to have to

• take a half day for a wasted trip to the gun club,
  
  
• take the time and burn the gas to make TWO trips to a dealer, one to send the revolver back to Ruger, and a second trip to retrieve it,
  
  
• be without a supposedly high quality handgun from a supposedly high quality manufacturer for the time that it takes to make the round trip and sit on the queue of guns awaiting service,

all because of shitty or non-existent quality control and / or QA testing at the factory, prior to shipping.

I now question whether buying anything further from Ruger is a good idea.

I have sent back more than one Ruger in my time as a shooter. A blued 3 inch .38 Special GP100 last year that locked up during a range session. Cylinder would not close. I had to pay shipping since the revolver was more than 2 years old. It came back with instructions about how to clean it but otherwise they seemed to do very little to it other than clean away whatever stopped the cylinder from closing. I now take extra care to clean it more thoroughly and lube the cylinder latch and it seems to work fine.

My SP101 in .38 was such an epic lemon I sent it back. The cylinder would not index in DA mode the same for all 5 chambers, 3 would index to SA ok, 2 would not. The most troubling thing was very off center primer hits. The firing pin hole in the frame was bored off center so it misfired 2 out of 5 rounds. Ruger paid for the shipping on that and to their credit agreed that it was an epic lemon and will replace it. I should have it in April.

Had another GP100 in .38 this one in stainless that has been flawless out of the box. My 9mm PC Carbine has been an ace out of the box too. My .357 Vaquero seems to be also a winner out of the box but I have only put maybe 100 rounds through it so far.

Yes, it's sad, but it seems that even in a line of good guns from a good company - lemons happen, just like with cars. It's when the lemon percentage starts rising that it pays to start avoiding that line or that company. Not sure how to find real data for it though. All you can do is troll forums and look at complaints (keeping the dates in mind). A few each year is no big deal, but when it's multiple complaints in the same year....

quote:

Originally posted by SBrooks:
A few each year is no big deal,

Unless you get one of the "few". Then its a big deal. Ruger should make hammers and wheelbarrows.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:

quote:

Originally posted by SBrooks:
A few each year is no big deal,

Unless you get one of the "few". Then its a big deal. Ruger should make hammers and wheelbarrows.

You're right of course. I was just thinking from the standpoint of "I'm never going to buy XYZ brand again"

Haven't had to send back any Ruger, but I"ve sent back a Sig, a P250 back, couldn't get through a single mag without jamming.

Sig did fix it but it got traded after it was returned, in good working order but I didn't trust it to carry at the time, plus I'd already bought others...

I'm surprised you had to take it back to the LGS, Sig issued a call tag direct to me, boxed it up and gave it to the Fed Ex guy., They drop shipped the gun back to my office when done, no LGS involved.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

I'm surprised you had to take it back to the LGS, Sig issued a call tag direct to me, boxed it up and gave it to the Fed Ex guy., They drop shipped the gun back to my office when done, no LGS involved.

Lesser of the two weevils.

The UPS pick-up and return would require that somebody be home all day, two days, until UPS got around to picking up, and then delivering.

I have too much to do, to sit around on my narrow ass waiting for them to show up. If they actually show up on the day that they're supposed to.

Thats really sad to hear. My GP-100 .357 has been indestructible for the 2o years + that I've had it, I got it to carry in the woods and when fishing and the trust I have in it to function every time is 100% total.

Sure, Ruger will fix it, but on top of the time and energy it has already cost you it will have to earn your trust in it. It will be harder for you to trust it beyond the range now that it started off by letting you down.

quote:

It will be harder for you to trust it beyond the range

It never was going to be much more that a range gun, maybe a pest killer.

Certainly not home defense, or carry.

It's the GP-100 in .22 cal (10 rounds of .22 short, .22 long, or .22 LR).

I’ve had a bad Ruger, Beretta, Sig and Kimber that all had to go back. By far the best of the CS experiences was Ruger. Beretta was the worst. I also have a bad Taurus that needs to go back but it’s been over a year and I’ve yet to deal with that one.

But I own far more Ruger’s than any other gun so one bad one isn’t too bad, especially considering it was a early model original .327 Fed Mag.

Sorry to hear you got a bad one but Ruger will make it right. They stand by their products.

That is exactly what happened with my SP101 in 22lr. Sent it in they fixed it. I agree it sucks that it didn’t work first time.

At the price that these things sell for, there is absolutely no excuse for the factory shipping defective products.

"Ruger will make it right" just doesn't cut it.

This is something that never should have happened, and judging from some of the experiences that y'all have related, above, this is far from an isolated occurrence.