New-to-me Ruger MkII Govt, got a problem with the barrel

[Kharn]

New-to-me Ruger MkII Govt, got a problem with the barrel (Updated)

I took my (excellent/extremely good condition, or so it appeared) new-to-me MkII Government out to the outdoor range today (probably 80-90 degrees outside and high humidity), and had a little problem with the barrel. My brother and I were alternating shooting it and my 1911 w/ .22 conversion, so it sat in the sun for a bit while we were shooting pistols and shooting the breeze with the other shooters. The pistols became very, very hot, almost too hot to touch, so we covered them with spare targets when we werent shooting.

After a while (probably 50 rounds), I noticed the front sight was canted (about 12:45-1:00 looking from the back of the pistol towards the front) a bit, and began to investigate. Apparently, the barrel was loose in the reciever and could rotate from 12:00 to 1:00 (my brother also witnessed the barrel rotating within the reciever, it wasnt just the reciever shifting on the frame) so I became kind of worried about my new toy. I shot an additional 20 rounds and then decided to just put the pistol away, as I would have to rotate the barrel back to 12:00 after every 6-7 shots.

Once I got home, about an hour and a half later, the pistol was still really warm and the barrel could still shift slightly (probably 12:00 to 12:30, but a little tougher to rotate than it was at the range), but once I was done cleaning all my other pistols, the barrel was stuck in place (canted to about 12:15) and wouldnt budge even when I tried to warm the barrel and reciever up with my heat gun.

Now I'm a little concerned, and I'm not sure what I should do about the pistol. I'm considering sending it back to Ruger for servicing, anyone have any other suggestions?

Kharn

 

[Kruzr]

Call Ruger and get a return number. If it wasn't the reciever loose on the frame, then maybe the barrel wasn't installed properly (they are threaded in but difficult to get out).

 

[stans]

That one needs to go back to Ruger! The barrel was not properly installed.

 

[Kharn]

I forgot to mention, the serial number indicates the gun is about 15 years old. The shop I bought it from didnt know anything about its use (beyond that it was a trade-in) when I purchased it a few weeks ago.

Kharn

 

[Al Thompson]

Call'em anyway. Ruger has been very good to me and folks I know. They did a dandy repair on my Security Six though the broken part was my fault. The SS was @ 20 years old at the tiime and I did not send in a registration card.

 

[Kharn]

I'll definitely be sending it back, the only problem is finding a way to get it to Ruger, the nearest UPS counter is 20 miles away (and UPS requires you drop off the handgun at their counter unless you have a commercial account).

How long does it normally take Ruger to service a pistol and send it back?

Edit: Whoa, UPS wants $42 to send the sucker back (next day air saver), anyone know a way to get that down a little lower?

Kharn

 

[foghornl]

Ask the dealer who sold you said pistol to send it back. If you bought it 'private sale', then you are probably on the hook for $42.

One other possibility is that Ruger will issue a pick-up/call tag for UPS to pick up the pistol.

 

[Kharn]

I'll give the dealer a call tomorrow, I bought it from their inventory.
I doubt Ruger is able to issue a call tag, since their rules are very strict on pistols, but its worth a shot.

Kharn

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

Try some of the other local dealers. I know one dealer who will ship handguns for $30 or so. Some will, some don't, can't hurt to try.

 

[Kharn]

Things are looking up, the dealer I bought it from said he'd handle mailing it back and I only had to pay for USPS Priority (he said it would be about $15 to $20). Now I just need to wait for the sun to rise in Arizona before I can call their pistol repair shop and get a return authorization number.

Kharn

 

[lee n. field]

How long does it normally take Ruger to service a pistol and send it back?

Not too terribly long. I think it took a couple weeks to get my P90 back when I shipped it in for repair.

 

[Kharn]

Ruger doesnt need an authorization number, so now I just need to get down to the dealer on Friday to have it sent off. Hopefully it will be repaired before the end of the summer, but if not, I've got other new toys to play with until it comes back.

Kharn

 

[bountyhunter]

You might check with Fed Ex. BTW, I think if you dismatle the gun (break it down and disassemble to field strip level) you can send it any way you want. That is technically "gun parts", not a gun.

 

[DBR]

I second the Fedex recommendation. They will let you ship a handgun which is "broken" to a repair facility second day air and it has cost me as little as $18.00 recently. S&W repair pickup tags are for Fedex no matter what the condition of the gun and S&W returns it Fedex.

 

[Graystar]

I agree with the others...definitely send it back to Ruger.

Send the entire gun. The receiver is the regulated part, so you have to fedex it anyways. Also, I'd think they would want the entire gun. But it's better to send the gun because they'll work the whole thing over and make sure it all works right.

 

[yzguy]

yeah the numbers are on the receiver, so sending that is exactly the same as shipping a whole gun... might as well send the whole thing.

 

[Kharn]

Sorry for bringing this back from the dead, but I finally got an update from Ruger (who has had my pistol since 7/21):

The quick version is that they're going to have to replace the reciever and barrel on my pistol. Once I reminded the nice Customer Service lady that I lived in MD and we have the integral lock law, she said that she'd check her stocks and probably just end up sending me a whole new pistol (that was made in 2002 or earlier).

This will be interesting getting my pistol now, since I leave for college in two weeks and they have to mail me a letter asking for me to give them permission to give me a whole new reciever (which will have a different serial number from my current pistol, they cant pull a Bushmaster and get the ATF to give them a variance to make a replacement reciever with the same serial number).

Kharn

 

[SelfProclaimedExpert]

As for shipping, a receiver is legally a firearm, but it is not a "handgun" per fedex. So you could send a receiver UPS or Fedex ground as a "handgun part." Much cheaper.