I may have to swear off Rugers.

[punkndisorderly]

At one point, I was a real Ruger fanboy. When I first started shooting, my first autopistol was a Ruger P94 .40 S&W. It was followed by a GP100, Blackhawk .44, Mark II, and 10/22. All were sold to help pay my tuition several years ago. I kept only the firearms that I figured I couldn't replace down the road.

The past two Rugers I've purchased, their recent spate of recalls (albiet minor ones), and the fact that they laid off a truckload of employees a few years ago has me thinking perhaps their quality control is slipping. Last year I purchased a new MKIII compettion target and had problems with stovepiping and feeding issues on about 10-20% of the rounds fired. Tried several different types of .22, running it everywhere from dry to dripping and every state in between, tried 3 different factory magazines, and ran 500+ rounds through it hoping it would break in to no avail. Sent it back to Ruger on my dime and waited 3 months. Got it back functioning 100%. Was kind of ticked that I got no appology or explaination of what they fixed but it works great now.

Yesterday, the wife bought a new Single Six in .32 H&R. We went out to the range today and two of the cylinders seem very "tight". The cylinder will bind up more ofen than not. The rounds loaded into those two cylinders seem to not sit flush. Opening the loading gate and forcing the cylinder to turn a few times seems to push them in but I'm very leary of doing this consistantly. Looking at the brass, you can see where they've been rubbing along the bottom of the brass. For what it's worth, we were shooting Black Hills cast lead bullets. I've had very good experiences with Black Hills in the past, but perhaps it's the ammo? I'm not very familiar with single actions, having owned only a couple, and both ran flawlessly out of the box with whatever you stuffed into them. Is this a common issue? Likely to break in? Another situation of "send it back to ruger on my dime and wait 3 months"?

Ruger, at least in the past, had a reputation of reasonably priced firearms that were all but indestructable. Anyone else that's purchased new Rugers in the last year or two having problems?

[HOME DEPOT GEORGE]

I had the same problem with a single six 22/22mag last year and had to send it back to get fixed but they had it back in a couple weeks as good as new and working perfectly.

[TheVirginian]

That sounds like the final polish after a basic fit and finish is being done by some new folks or just done haphazardly due to not enough folks on the line? I don't think that anyone would intentionally do that but sometimes things get missed or hurried when times are tight. Times do sound very good for the arms makers at the moment though...

I'd not cast off the brand in general because of finishing issues. It might make you think twice about how much you should offer or about a carry or home defense piece without a tune-up though. My bet is that they'll continue to make very high quality arms at very reasonable prices and that they will be responsive to customer concerns.
-Bill

[kyo]

Didn't have a problem with the p345. Got it new and haven't had any signs of anything going wrong.

[Big Daddy Grim]

I have only had one ruger sent back and it was for the recall and it was back in a month so not to mad there.

[punkndisorderly]

Talked to a buddy of mine that's very active in the Cowboy Action shooting competitions. He said he'd never heard of that problem in a revovler. He said many of the guys there are using Single Sixes and Vaqueros but that most everyone that went the Ruger route sent them straight to a gunsmith for trigger work and chamfering of the cylinders. He owns two identical to mine and said he's never had any problems but that he shoots 32 longs 99% of the time.

Cleaned it this afternoon and it seems to be working slightly better with the chambers and area where the brass rubs well lubed. I ordered some .32 longs and another brand of .32 mags. Curious to see if the longs will work (since I assume they are shorter) meaning it's inside the cylinder rather than something else.

I'm not sure if karma is catching up with me or if quality is really slipping. Between 1995 and 2000, I purchased roughly 30 or 40 firearms. New and used. The worst problem I ever had with any of them was a screw coming loose on my Blackhawk.

In the last 15 months, I've purchased 8 or 9 and 3 of them have given me some sort of problem (the two Rugers and a Remington 597).

[jmr40]

I've had to send more Rugers back than all other brands combined. Of course that may be partly because I've owned a few of them. It is a hassle, but they have always been great to work with and have made things right. Even when it was not their fault. I've bought a few used guns that someone had butchered a trigger job on or other problem and they have always fixed them at no cost to me.

Some Rugers are great. I really like their centerfire bolt rifles. The 10-22 and 22 pistols are fun plinkers, and I like the double action revolvers. I never cared for the mini-14, centerfire pistols, or single actions. Their single action pistols are tough as nails and great hunting revolvers, but after holding a Colt SAA, they just feel wrong in my hands.

Overall they are a great company but they try to do everything. No other company offers so many different rifles, shotguns and handguns. They obviously do a better job with some than others.

[publiuss]

Where did you find a NEW .32 H&R single-six. I want one bad.

[punkndisorderly]

Collectors Firearms in Houston.

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/

I know they have at least one more. Stainless with white grips. While definitely not the low price leader, their prices aren't really high either. Really great people to deal with. If you're in to single actions, military surplus rifles and pistols, or totally engraved BBQ guns, I couldn't imagine a better place to go.

Fully stocked with all the new goodies, too. They actually had a better overall selection than any gun show I've ever been to.

[Mr. Bojangles]

I've had good luck with two new Rugers over the last 2 years. The 10/22 ran fine after about 100 rounds. However, the cheap aftermarket magazines I bought for it are a different story...

[WVleo]

I bought My last Ruger product after the LCP recall blunder. To many other manufacturers out there to have to deal with there recalls and terrible Customer service. I never fell for the drop problem answer for the LCP recall as Mine broke the transfer bar after only 18 rounds fired . Vendor issues more than likely . Everytime I called there plant in Prescott ( prior to there recall announcment ) I got a different excuse and a different due date. I so much as stated that there would be a recall on a couple of forums ! Yeah the Ruger fanatics came screaming out of the wood works, but they are a bunch kool-aid drinkers about there " Rugers " . One even went so far as to tell Me to Peddle the gun, I don't peddle unreliable weapons on others, so it sits in the safe forever ( I did run 50 rounds threw it on it's return, but I would only be waiting for the next part to break if I were to carry it ) . ...............WVleo

[jester_s1]

Ruger has never been a top shelf manufacturer in my mind. I put them one small step above Tarus, Rossi and Charter on handguns. Their centerfire rifles are pretty good Mauser copies, and I will recommend them for a guy who needs the extra reliability of that design. They also are the only game in town for an affordable heavy load SA revolver. I haven't handled a Ruger pistol yet (and I've handled alot of them) that felt like any love went into them though. They are mass produced, loose guns designed to require a minimum of attention in the assembly process. Ruger doesn't polish the trigger assemblies like they need to, and their prices are nearly as high as the better makes. They are made of solid materials though, and if you can tolerate the sloppy workmanship they will last forever. If they were 15-20% cheaper they would make alot of sense, but I'll pass on them personally.

[Just One Shot]

Surely you jest! :what:

[jbkebert]

My friend just bought a new Bisley .44 and had similar problems as the OP. I have owned to ruger rifles and the triggers were horrible. I had a security six that the barrel cracked on. I don't buy to many Rugers anymore.

On a bright note my two Super Redhawks have given flawless performance and I am very happy with them.

[kanook]

I hate Rugers so much that when I see them for sale I will buy them, bring them home and put them in a dark safe only bringing them out on the weekends to show them what they are missing during the week. When I bring them home I clean them so that they will crave for the next time to taste the gun powder. Then I lock them up in the safe with no light again.

[MT GUNNY]

Is it Difficult to Remove the Pin that holds the Cylinder? If so, Clean the Hole of the Cylinder and the PIN, Relube and Function test it!

[PhrankKastle]

Maybe I'm just lucky I've had a Ruger P95, GP100, 10/22 and still have a Single Six .22, Bearcat .22, SP101 and an Alaskan .44 and I've never had any problem of any kind with anyone of them, no failure to feed fire or anything.

The only manufacturer that I've been bitten by quality issues has been S&W over the years I've had issues with a S&W 686 sights not properly installed, a S&W 36 (probably butchered by prior owner) with a bad trigger spring and a S&W M&P with a broken firing pin, and now with the internal locks S&W is the only manufacturer I shy away from.

[Just One Shot]

That's cruel and unusual punishment! :D

[mljdeckard]

I've never liked Ruger centerfire autos. Particularly their triggers.

However, between me and my father, we have owned several Rugers, and I would still tell anyone to get a Mk I, II, or III, Single-Six, 77, 10/22, etc. The SP 101 and GP 100 are two of my favorite revolvers. If I were to hunt big game with a revolver, I would probably get a super Blackhawk in .480. It is certainly possible they are having a QC crisis, many manufacturers have done the same. But thinking long-term, 10, 20 years from now, I think we will still be using them.

[punkndisorderly]

The pin that holds the cylinder comes out easily. The cylinder rotates fine when empty. When the two rounds loaded in the two tight cylinders get to the 9 o'clock position is where it seems to bind. Right in the area where the frame ramps up a bit to make sure the rounds are flush with the cylinder before it gets to the firing position.

After oiling the cylinders and the area where the bottom of the case rubs up against the frame, the binding seems less pronounced. I've ordered a couple of different .32 rounds to see if it might be an ammo problem or if a little more breaking in will fix it.

It's still disappointing to get two new guns in a row that have issues from the same manufacturer.

[foghornl]

"hmmmm...Lemme see what's in here" Foggy said, while rummaging around in the "Artillery Locker"
KP-90...40th Year 10/22....357Vaquero...MKII..50th Year Single-Six...50th Year .357 Blackhawk.

Got a few Rugers...and they all go Bang! on request, every time.

[enting]

http://pinoyguns.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=13

[enting]

http://pinoyguns.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=13

[JR47]

I have a rather large collection of handguns. It ranges from Raven to Korth, probably from my work as an expert witness in the federal court system.

To date, I've had FAR more trouble with S&W than with any other brand, including Astra and RG. We currently own several P95 pistols, several P90s, P97s, a P345, a few Super Single-Six revolvers, a pair of Security-Six revolvers, a GP100, and an SP-101. I actually own more S&W revolvers than Ruger. However, my experience with the Model 19 and Model 29 convinced me to stay with Rugers for constant heavy loads. Heavy loads in this case meaning factory magnum loads. The only S&W that I trust to withstand constant Magnum Loads is the Model 28.