Hole in Ruger frame

[IrvJr]

I've posted this on some other websites (RugerForum and sixgunner.com forum) but I thought I'd share this with the folks on THR.

I recently bought a brand new, nice looking Ruger Super Blackhawk single action revolver (4-5/8" barrel, Stainless steel, .44mag/.44sp). It's a nice looking gun, but I had a problem with a loading gate sticking after firing a couple of boxes of factory ammo.

I disassembled the gun per the user manual to inspect the parts and see what was wrong. While I had the gun apart, i noticed a hole in the frame near the loading gate. At first I thought this was causing the problem with the sticking gate, but it turns out that a poorly fit gate spring was the culprit. I dressed the tip of the spring and the sticking gate problem has been fixed, but the hole is still there.

Anyway, some other folks on the boards have Ruger sixguns (Vaquero, Blackhawk, and single six) with these holes, which are presumably due to defects in the casting process. Anyone else seen this or similar problems on their Rugers?

I called Ruger's service line and the person I spoke with said that I could send the gun in and have them look at it. I wonder how many of their guns are out there with these unnoticed holes / voids.

 

[BlkHawk73]

I wonder how many of their guns are out there with these unnoticed holes / voids.

Proberly no more than of any other manufacturer using the same type of manufacturing. Ruger has one of the countries leading metalurgy plants so I'd be thinking this is a rare and proberly not a very critical issue. Everything produced can and will have an "oops" get through now and then. It's not a perfect world. Someone will likely come along and say how Ruger is forever off thier list to buy. Well, I'm guessing that person NEVER makes an oops.

 

[Jim March]

Ruger will set that right. To do so they'll have to stamp your serial number into a new frame and destroy that one, but I strongly suspect they'll do it.

 

[JohnKSa]

Is that really a defect? There's a spot like that on the slide of every 92FS Beretta ever made. The "S" mod required a slot to be machined on the slide and the slot cuts through at the bottom of the decocker travel arc.

I don't know if Ruger meant for that to happen like Beretta meant to do it on their pistols, but I'd surely want to either get verification from the factory that it's actually a flaw, or I'd want to examine several similar pistols to see if they also have the "flaw".

[edit]I just realized that you have to remove (not just open) the loading gate before this machining cut-through is even visible![/edit]

 

[BlkHawk73]

I'd think it would be nothing to worry about. Can't see where it would hamper any structeral integrity. What the overall concensus on the other forums, especially RF?
Since you said you called Ruger and got "you could send it in if you wanted" rathr than "quick give it to us to fix", I'd think it was nothing to worry about.
Three forums and at least four threads on this..