gp-100 357 forcing cone

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stonebuster said:
I just noticed while cleaning I have forcing cone erosion on a 7 month old gp. I've shot Perfecta fmj 158grain 357mag and 38 specials 158 grain @ 1000 rounds. Also shot Winchester 125/130 grain @ 300 rounds. Seems to be excessive wear to me. I've cleaned the gun right after each trip to range. My question: Is this excessive wear that I should contact Ruger about? I've shot no handloads or anything under the 125grain.
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Same thing happened to my GP100 after i started shooting 125 XTP's over a full load of h-110. Ruger replaced the barrel free of charge. Havent shot any 125's since, and no more signs of errosion
 
jim8115, when they send the gun back, is it shipped through my FFL or is it shipped to my house and sign for it? I forgot to ask when I talked to Ruger about shipping label before I sent it Fed Ex.
 
Ruger told me one month ago if they shipped my pistol back to me, it came directly back to me.
But if they scrapped my pistol and sent me a new one it had to go through a ffl.
 
^^ This. When Ruger returned my .44 Special, it was sent directly to me, adult signature required.
 
Same experience with Springfield. Repaired my pistol and sent it to my house with a required adult signature.

Delivery service however kept leaving notices of attempted delivery, without ever knocking on our door. I had to go get it myself from the shipping hub.
 
Ruger sent me an e-mail today that the gun will be delivered UPS tomorrow so I'll be here to sign for it. So I guess that means they fixed my gun and not replaced it. As long as they did a good job, that's fine with me since the action had smoothed up pretty nicely with the addition of hammer shims. I'll take it to the range and check it out. Nice of them to let me know. Thanks for the replies to my question.
 
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I bet when you get the gun back your hammer shims will not be with it. Ruger removes and replaces any after market stuff you added like Wolfe springs.
 
Firing hot magnum loads rapidly through any .357 will eventually harm the forcing cone, especially with handloads. The heat and flame will leech the carbon from the steel and cause it to become brittle. If you want to fire a lot of hot reloads, you might consider having your gun hard chromed. Although it's very thin, it's supposed to be very hard and highly protective. If I had a Colt Python, I'd hard chrome the pawl (hand) and cylinder star. It virtually stops wear. It's also supposed to stop flame cutting, but check with the providers.
 
Ratshooter said:
I bet when you get the gun back your hammer shims will not be with it. Ruger removes and replaces any after market stuff you added like Wolfe springs.
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Ya, I should have taken them out before shipping like I did the fiber optic site and grips but I do have another set at home. Funny they take out something that it should have had originally since both my GP's hammers were rubbing the frame as well as the one I rented before buying first GP. Reading forums like this one informed me most of the GP's hammers rub the frame, and also informed me I could get the hammer and/or trigger shims very cheaply( @$15.) Also very simple to install including video showing how to. Ruger paid the shipping back and forth, did the work free(at least I think so), and notified me of delivery date and tracking number without being asked to.Pretty good for a company which doesn't give you a written warrantee when you buy. Anxious to get it today and take a look at what was done.
 
stonebuster said:
Ya, I should have taken them out before shipping like I did the fiber optic site and grips but I do have another set at home. Funny they take out something that it should have had originally since both my GP's hammers were rubbing the frame as well as the one I rented before buying first GP. Reading forums like this one informed me most of the GP's hammers rub the frame, and also informed me I could get the hammer and/or trigger shims very cheaply( @$15.) Also very simple to install including video showing how to. Ruger paid the shipping back and forth, did the work free(at least I think so), and notified me of delivery date and tracking number without being asked to.Pretty good for a company which doesn't give you a written warrantee when you buy. Anxious to get it today and take a look at what was done.
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I had to send a Blackhawk to them for repair and every thing was free except I had to pay overnight air to them. Wish I had known how to get them to pay for that. Got it back from them fixed and shipped at no cost to me. Have to be there to sign for it though when it gets delivered to you. Great company gun only gone for 1 week.
 
Gun was delivered, rebarreled,blued and polished. Actually looks better than when I bought it. The barrel had milling marks you could easy see which were not a big deal to me, but the new barrel doesn't show the milling through the blue. I'm very pleased with the way Ruger took care of the issue and didn't charge me a nickle, including shipping. Plus, it was done in a very reasonable time. Celebrating with a couple of silver bullets today, real bullets at the range tomorrow. Thanks for all your input with this. It was my first time through this process. IMG_0186.JPG
 
stonebuster said:
I have read a dirty forcing cone can cause hot spots and cause damage. I don't believe everything on internet so I'm doing a lot of research try to "separate the fly sh** from the pepper" as my dad used to say. The counter guy at the range where I bought the gp told me firing a lot of 38 specials is causing my forcing cone wear which is contrary to everything I have read or heard. He said it "can" shoot 38 but it's made for 357mag. I'll file that opinion under the "fly sh** category. I'm going to get the all copper chore boy and JB paste cleaner, clean, shoot the heck out of it in 158 grain and keep an eye on the cone. Tired of fussing over it. Worse case I have to replace barrel. Thanks for all your input. Great website.
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If it's really forcing cone wear from so few rounds, contact Ruger, their customer service is outstanding, had a friend buy a $50. O85 that would discharge on safety, sent back an almost new gun came back with a note to contact them if he had any further problems. I've shot many hundreds of 357 Max in my DW supermag and the forcing cone is still fine after 20+ yrs.
 
Glad you got your gun back with a new barrel. The forcing cone erosion after so few rounds of factory ammo was unacceptable. It makes me wonder if they did not have a bad batch of improperly alloyed and heat treated barrels. I am curious did they remove your hammer shims or leave them alone? This thread proves that Ruger has great customer service and stands behind their guns. It also proves that they are not indestructible as some folks seem to think and that even some standard factory loads can cause damage.
 
Just don't shoot lead in something as fast as a 357,

I have several, including 2 GP'S and a few others,

Lead is NOT good for a round that hot.

Shot them since early 80's Trust me on that one..
 
Big7 said:
Just don't shoot lead in something as fast as a 357,

I have several, including 2 GP'S and a few others,

Lead is NOT good for a round that hot.

Shot them since early 80's Trust me on that one..
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All the 357mag I shot were 158gr. FMJ Perfecta. What about JSP 357mag? Any reason not to shoot? Perfecta is not available anymore. Master Blaster, The hammer didn't seem to have much play and I didn't see any marks from rubbing frame after 100 rounds DA after I got it back. I will pull the hammer out and look at some point but since I don't see the rubbing which was obvious before I shimmed it and sanded scratches out, IMG_0210.JPG IMG_0209.JPG I suspect Ruger may have left shims in. The woman I spoke to at Ruger did ask my for permission to "bring the gun back to spec" and I did tell her I shimmed the hammer but not the trigger or change springs. I can only guess maybe the original barrel was not properly heat treated since I don't know what I could have done to cause it. No note when I got it back about the cause. I'm sure Ruger didn't want to speculate since they couldn't be sure, other than my word, what I had been shooting.
 
As long as it has a jacket you should be good.

Ruger has most excellent customer service,

I messed one up years ago shooting flush lead wad-cutters 38 spl in a 357.

Totally my fault !!!!!

They just sent me a new one. No questions. I've been a Ruger-holic for about 25 years.
Matter of fact EVERYTHING I buy new is a Ruger. I will buy used "others" when the deal is right.

Wish I had the funds for a Red or Gold label shotgun.
I would have one of them too...
 
I am also curious how one messes up a. 357 with .38s to the point it needs replaced. Sure, you could lead it up, but that just requires cleaning.
 
Easy. Flush lead wad cutters are to short.. Cylinders are NOT tapered.

Bad situation when you have to jump the "gap".

Anyway, Ruger replaced it. No questions asked.
I was young at the time. Didn't know any better.

If you want to mess up ANY 357, just feed it a few flush mounted lead wad cutters in 38.
 
Big7 said:
Easy. Flush lead wad cutters are to short.. Cylinders are NOT tapered.

Bad situation when you have to jump the "gap".

Anyway, Ruger replaced it. No questions asked.
I was young at the time. Didn't know any better.

If you want to mess up ANY 357, just feed it a few flush mounted lead wad cutters in 38.
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I appreciate the tip. I don't want to create any more issues. Glad I found this site. Thanks.
 
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