Need advice with Ruger snubnose.

Status
Not open for further replies.
CLP

CLP

member
Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Messages
1,397
I have an SP101 (model 5720)- the 2.25" barrel with bobbed hammer.
Works flawlessly. Eats anything I've put through it. I really like it but refuse to carry it because it groups to the right. Targets set at 10 yards. Off hand, I consistently get groups 6" to the right of the bullseye. There's no visibly apparent misalignment of the front sight. I tried shooting it off a pistol rest but there's enough of the leather pad under the barrel which concerned me for muzzle blast destroying the leather. So, I cupped my gripped hand and rested it on the handgun rest to see if that helped- it didn't. As a Southpaw, I've run into this problem on a number of occasions (grouping to the right of my POA). I usually overcome it by focusing more intently and ensuring proper placement of my trigger finger. Having done that with the SP101, I observed no improvement in the grouping- whether from 38 Spls or 357 mags, both of which I shot various loads

My questions:
1. Am I missing anything else that might account for this severe grouping to the right?
2. I think the front sight is pinned in- can it be drifted?
3. Aside from possibly drifting the front sight, what are my options to true my poi to my poa?
4. Are those methods doable by myself?
5. If not, would it be better to send the revolver back to Ruger to be fixed or are there reputable revolversmiths that can remedy this issue- and are any of them located in central Alabama?

Thanks
 
Is this the only gun you have this issue with, or have you had to adjust sights on other revolvers/autos? I'm asking because many others I have seen with this issue (grouping to the left for right handers) involves a flinch when the final part of the trigger press is made.

If all is good with the other guns and this off-set grouping is only with the SP101, a trip back to Ruger is usually quick and often free.

Good luck!
 
Riomouse911 said:
Is this the only gun you have this issue with, or have you had to adjust sights on other revolvers/autos? I'm asking because many others I have seen with this issue (grouping to the left for right handers) involves a flinch when the final part of the trigger press is made.

If all is good with the other guns and this off-set grouping is only with the SP101, a trip back to Ruger is usually quick and often free.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

i haven't had to adjust sights on any other handguns
 
Not a clue then....6" to the right at 10 yards is waaayy off....I have a SP that I have had for about 25 years and have shot a variety of ammo through it. I have to qualify annually with it and shoot out to 25 yards doing so. I have no trouble at those distances.
 
Look down the barrel (unloaded of course ) and see how the barrel meets the frame. Make sure it doesn't have a cant.

Here's my thread about my gp100 having a canted barrel.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/i-need-some-insight-on-my-gp100.823175

Also check how the rear sight groove is cut into the frame. My sp101's looks just a hair off from the very back. But it still shoots poa

I would let Ruger take care of it. They have great customer service.
 
Last edited:
I would have another shooter or 2 try it. Don't say anything but ask them to shoot a group and see how it goes. If 2-3 somewhat random shooters are to the right then send it back to Ruger. Little guns in DA are tough to shoot well. If it does need to go back if you're still not happy with it maybe have a gunsmith work on the trigger some as that being smoother/lighter may help keep it on target as it is pressed.

If all else fails send it to me as I tend to shoot to the left :)
 
Is it shooting tight groups or patterns?

Tight groups suggests shooter error. In which case welcome to the world of shooting short barrel handguns. The short sight radius cause many shooters problems as it is difficult to see proper sight alignment.

Spraying patterns suggests gun or ammo problems. What do the bullet holes look like in the paper? Are they smooth, even cut or is there smugging on one side of the hole which suggests bullet wobble (and keyholing) which would be from undersize bullets or oversize bore.

You may also cross-eye dominant. You are a lefty so try shooting focusing with your right eye.
 
BSA1 said:
Is it shooting tight groups or patterns?

Tight groups suggests shooter error. In which case welcome to the world of shooting short barrel handguns.
Click to expand...

Tight- relatively so- considering they're being sent down a 2.25" barrel. In other words, the groups isn't so spread out that you wouldn't mistake it for anything other than grouping to the right. No keyholing. Bullets flying straight.

It looks to be a properly assembled revolver. The rear sight notch appears centered, as does the front sight. I know there are some quirks to shooting snub nose revolvers but I'm unsure what I could do differently to produce desired results.

I'll have to check the barrel for cant when I return home from vacation- I didn't inspect for that.

Thanks for the tips
 
If you can't find an ace shooter to try yours out or get your hands on another sp101 for comparison try sending it back to Ruger. I consider their factory service a benefit to buying Ruger. It may turn out that the gun is fine but you'll have paid for piece of mind.
 
BSA1 writes:

You may also cross-eye dominant. You are a lefty so try shooting focusing with your right eye.
Click to expand...

This is me. I learned to shoot rifles a year or two before handguns, and shot them RH-ed, so it was natural to develop right-eye dominance. But I shoot handguns LH-ed, so I became a cross-dominant handgunner.

Now, as my eyes have aged at different rates, I find I can shoot handguns better using the left eye. It's something I'm still training myself to do, especially since I have no intention of becoming a left-handed longgunner.
 
Shooting a snub is an acquired art. It doesn' come easy to shoot one well.
Intensify your best shooting form.
5heydont call them suicide guns for nothing. You can fire one point blank and still have a decent chance of missing.
I had to put a ton of lead down range with mine to get proficient.
 
Last edited:
I always put a laser bore sight down the barrel to check windage.

It may also be worth the $16 or so to get a Hogue monogrip if you are currently using the stock Lett grips on your SP101. That might give you more to hold onto whilst you better diagnose if it's the gun or shooter error. I always preferred shooting mine with the monogrip, and got better results too.
 
CLP said:
Targets set at 10 yards. Off hand, I consistently get groups 6" to the right of the bullseye.
Click to expand...
Tight- relatively so- considering they're being sent down a 2.25" barrel. In other words, the groups isn't so spread out that you wouldn't mistake it for anything other than grouping to the right.
Click to expand...
It might give us more to work on if we knew what ammo you're using and if you could be a bit more specific about your group size.

If you're shooting 4" groups and you're saying that you are shooting 6" to the right, you could be shooting as close as 2" to the center...depending on how you're measuring.

Your ammo might also play a part in your grouping, be it loading consistency or recoil mitigation.

I've extensively shot 3 different SP-101 over the years and casually shot a couple of others. All of them were capable of shooting within a small post-it note at 7-10 yards.

You might try shooting some factory 148gr wadcutters at a closer distance...maybe 3-5 yards...and report back on the results
 
CLP said:
Tight- relatively so- considering they're being sent down a 2.25" barrel. In other words, the groups isn't so spread out that you wouldn't mistake it for anything other than grouping to the right. No keyholing. Bullets flying straight.
Click to expand...

This comment raises a flag for me. A good short barrel revolver is as mechanically capable of shooting just as accurately as a long barrel one especially at close distances as 30'.

Based on what you have posted it sounds like shooter error to me. Like a said short barrel revolvers are more difficult for most people to master.
 
I'll have to look at the boxes when I get home, but I used a variety of good quality factory ammo (Hornady, Federal, etc) and Keith style SWCs I handload (and don't have any accuracy issues in either of my GP100s. I hope the issue is with me and not the revolver- I'll definitely get another shooter to see what they can accomplish. To address group size more specifically, The groups are shot from 10 yards, are approx six inches to the right of bullseye and also about six inches (not three shot groups, but a few cylinder's worth- 10-15). When I get home I'll demonstrate and photograph the problem so you all can better see what is going on exactly- along with a list of specific ammo/loads.
 
My personal standard at 30' is 2" groups double action when taking my time regardless of the barrel length. My wife and I regularly practice a shooting drill where we fire 2 rounds into a 2" circle. She shoots from 5 - 7 yards and I make it harder by shooting from 10 yards.

I will admit that I started out shooting on a S&W K-Frame revolver and have spent a lot of years shooting double action. In fact my edc semi-autos are DA/SA mainly for that reason.
 
Last edited:
CLP said:
. I hope the issue is with me and not the revolver
Click to expand...
I'll bet it is, a 6" error at 30 feet would require the sights to be way off center.
Shooting DA with a snub requires really good trigger control (it isn't where the sights are pointing when you start to pull the trigger, it's where they're pointing when the bullet leaves the barrel)
Get a cheap laser pointer and tape/rubber band it to the gun and practice holding the laser still on an object while stroking thru the trigger (follow safety rules). With practice you can hold the laser on say a light switch plate and stroke the trigger in rapid succession.
 
My opinion is that it most likely shooter error. Snubbie's as Armored Farmer alluded to is "a acquired art". I have alway's thought they were cool guns and wanted one for a long time. About two years ago, I finally purchased a Ruger LCR9mm. Man I was horrible with the gun. And that is precisely what turned me on. I wanted and accepted the challenge with enthusiasm. The same way I did with my love of shooting pocket guns. I began a diligent training program and gradually started getting better and better. Now the gun is one of my favorite range guns. I love shooting it. Take a lot of pride with my accomplishments.
My problem I have been having so much fun, I was going through a lot of ammo. Same with my Pocket guns. Yesterday my LCR22 came in. Well, the gun was new to me, trigger a little stiffer than the 9mm and the lack of recoil or somthing had me shooting terrible shots. I thought something was wrong with the gun. Took a short break and laughed a myself for thinking this. I knew it was just me. I started back up and the groups started moving together. I was getting back into the game. Everything started coming together, me and the gun started working as a team.
My advice for what it is worth, is don't focus so much on the sights. I point and shoot my guns, train for point and shoot skills. Spend time with the gun. I think you might be focusing more on the gun than your shooting. RELAX, think about the trigger and how it is reacting to the gun, your finger etc. I think in a little bit of time, you will see the light of the tunnel.
Good Luck. My 22. is fast becoming a "Fun" gun just like my Pocket Pistols and my LCR9mm.
 
2013-07-29_18-09-56_9.jpg I struggled with my sp101 for quite some time. My gun ad tooling marks in the rifling of its short barrel when I bought it new. I was upset with myself for not checking the bore, but the gun was new so I assumed it was good. My bad. I should have sent it back to Ruger, but I was too excited to get to shoot it. Of course, I was convinced that the tooling chatter was causing the gun to shoot low and left. However, I learned that it was me, not the gun.
After I learned to shoot , I found the gun was actually accurate if I did my part.
 
Mine had the same problem. It also was evident with a laser boresight. So I made a new front sight, "thicker" on the right side (relative to its center), replaced it into the barrel, and now all is right with the world. The only tricky part was duplicating the bottom radius of the sight to match the original.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top