Ruger GP 100 7 round brass ejection issue

[TomJ]

I recently picked up a 7 round 357 GP100. The first 7 rounds I fired were from Armscor. I had a difficult time ejecting the spent brass. I then tried WWB and Federal and had similar issues. I've used ammo from the same boxes in my SP101 and Model 66 with no issues. I spoke with Ruger's customer service and their rep was telling me that the Armscor ammo, being foreign made, has brass that's coated and when fired that coating sticks to the cylinders, causing this problem. When asked why it doesn't occur with the two other guns he said the tolerances on the GP100 are tighter. I've never heard of this before and am wondering if anyone else has run into this problem.

 

[DPris]

You need to more clearly define your "difficulty" on ejection.
EXACTLY what was it doing?
Denis

 

[TomJ]

You need to more clearly define your "difficulty" on ejection.
EXACTLY what was it doing?
Denis

When I pushed the ejector rod the spent brass was stuck and didn't want to come out. When I load new rounds in it and eject them without firing them they come out easily.

 

[DPris]

Are they equally stuck?
Do all 7 rounds get stuck exactly the same way & to exactly the same degree & depth, without wanting to move at all?

Or are some a tighter fit on ejection than others?

Are you getting rimlock?
Denis

 

[TomJ]

Are they equally stuck?
Do all 7 rounds get stuck exactly the same way & to exactly the same degree & depth, without wanting to move at all?

Or are some a tighter fit on ejection than others?

Are you getting rimlock?
Denis

The ejector rod did not want to move at all and it appeared as though they were all stuck. In regards to rimlock, I'm not sure. I didn't know enough to look for that. I see in some of the Ruger forums that the brass touching in these 7 round revolvers is thought to be causing issues.

 

[DPris]

Rimlock occurs when all 7 rims are jammed against each other & it needs a good tap on the rod to loosen 'em.
Is that what you're getting?

When you try to eject, the empties are locked in place together & NONE move?
Just confirming.
Denis

 

[TomJ]

That's correct. None of them moved. It sounds like it may be rim lock. I wanted to confirm whether anyone heard of the coating on brass causing this issue. I've heard of other issues with foreign or cheap ammo, but that was new to me.

 

[DPris]

Yes, you've got rimlock.
Gun new or used?

This is a known issue, with SOME brands of ammunition, but not all.
Not even the majority.

Happens frequently with Armscor.

This issue was supposed to have been corrected by now.
Mine did it with 3 out of 73 different brands & loads tested.
Two of those were Winchester white box .357s.
One Federal .38 load.

You CAN "fix" it yourself by using different ammunition.
Denis

 

[TomJ]

Thanks for the help. It's a new gun. I'll talk to Ruger again to see if there's something they can do to correct it. It's not a gun I shoot frequently, but if there's a fix other than using different ammo I'd prefer that.

 

[Alte Schule]

I had the same problem earlier this year with my NIB SP101 in .327 Federal. Magnum. My LGS stepped in and sent it off to Ruger who returned it with a note saying they couldn't duplicate problem but had polished the cylinders. My LGS has a indoor range so I checked in and loaded each cylinder with a different round in each cylinder. Buffalo Bore .327, Speer .327, Hornandy .32 H&R Mag. and Jamison .327 Mag. All spent rounds would not eject. The LGS Manager was able to pry four of the spent rounds out but left two in to show Ruger that there was a problem. It was returned to me four weeks later with a new cylinder. I like Ruger firearms, have several, and was satisfied with their customer service.

 

[TomJ]

I had the same problem earlier this year with my NIB SP101 in .327 Federal. Magnum. My LGS stepped in and sent it off to Ruger who returned it with a note saying they couldn't duplicate problem but had polished the cylinders. My LGS has a indoor range so I checked in and loaded each cylinder with a different round in each cylinder. Buffalo Bore .327, Speer .327, Hornandy .32 H&R Mag. and Jamison .327 Mag. All spent rounds would not eject. The LGS Manager was able to pry four of the spent rounds out but left two in to show Ruger that there was a problem. It was returned to me four weeks later with a new cylinder. I like Ruger firearms, have several, and was satisfied with their customer service.

The first customer service rep I spoke with wasn't helpful, which is unusual for Ruger. My experiences with them have always been good. I called back later in the day and the rep mentioned that replacing the cylinder would correct the problem. I didn't have the gun with me when I called, and will call back in the morning to arrange to have it sent in.

 

[DPris]

Ruger is very much aware of the 7-shot .357 rimlock issue, and it goes beyond tight tolerances.
This is an issue discussed at length with them months ago, and they were supposed to be making corrections.

Back then, the options they offered were a trade for another model, or a refund.
In my case, since every premium load I'd ever carry in my gun fit fine, I didn't & don't care about the tiny percentage of loads that don't work well.
I elected to keep my gun, it's a good shooter & I didn't want to trade it for a 6-shotter. Already have enough of those.

In your case, you lucked into some of the most problematic ammo right off the bat.
You can shoot other ammo, or call Ruger & push the point.
Their service department phone people SHOULD know about this, it SHOULD have been corrected by now in the 7-bangers, and just telling you it's because the GPs have tighter tolerances isn't quite true.

Let me know what Ruger tells you if you push it with them.
Denis

 

[TomJ]

Ruger is very much aware of the 7-shot .357 rimlock issue, and it goes beyond tight tolerances.
This is an issue discussed at length with them months ago, and they were supposed to be making corrections.

Back then, the options they offered were a trade for another model, or a refund.
In my case, since every premium load I'd ever carry in my gun fit fine, I didn't & don't care about the tiny percentage of loads that don't work well.
I elected to keep my gun, it's a good shooter & I didn't want to trade it for a 6-shotter. Already have enough of those.

In your case, you lucked into some of the most problematic ammo right off the bat.
You can shoot other ammo, or call Ruger & push the point.
Their service department phone people SHOULD know about this, it SHOULD have been corrected by now in the 7-bangers, and just telling you it's because the GPs have tighter tolerances isn't quite true.

Let me know what Ruger tells you if you push it with them.
Denis

I'll let you know. They need to either fix or replace it, as the way it is now is unacceptable and I won't sell it to an unsuspecting buyer knowing it has this problem.

 

[DPris]

If you run into any problems with them, I'd like to hear.
Good luck on it.
Denis

 

[DPris]

Any update?
Denis

 

[TomJ]

I just received a call from them a few minutes ago. They offered a replacement, and while I was on the phone with their rep I went to their web site and we went through options. I went with a stainless 6 round GP100. They're picking up all costs, including the transfer fees to my FFL as the replacement has a new serial number and they can't ship it to me directly. My FFL charges $20 for transfers. I appreciate what Ruger is doing and won't ask them for the $20. I own 9 Rugers and went with them for this revolver purchase because of the reputation of their guns and service. They didn't disappoint.

 

[Alte Schule]

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Good outcome.

 

[fordtrucks]

Good to hear. This is why I like Ruger, the “no warranty” 100% warranty.

 

[DPris]

Too bad you couldn't live with it as is, it's a great gun. Just don't use cheap ammunition in it.
And Ruger COULD ship the replacement directly to your door, it's their policy to go through an FFL, not a federal requirement.

I personally think they should pay ALL FFL transfer costs in replacement situations like this.
Denis

 

[TomJ]

Too bad you couldn't live with it as is, it's a great gun. Just don't use cheap ammunition in it.
And Ruger COULD ship the replacement directly to your door, it's their policy to go through an FFL, not a federal requirement.

I personally think they should pay ALL FFL transfer costs in replacement situations like this.
Denis

If it was only one brand of ammunition I would have used a different brand and been fine with it. Unfortunatley it was occurring with several brands, so it was the gun, not the ammo. I would have preferred to keep it, but am happy with their resolution. They did offer to pay my FFL fee, but they're sending me a more expensive gun at no cost, so I don't mind eating the $20.

 

[DPris]

I wasn't disputing that it was the gun, as the primary "problem".
What I was referring to was the use of certain cheap loads (Armscor being notoriously one that does create rimlock in that model).

How many different loads did you end up trying try altogether, and exactly which ones caused the rimlock?

As I said earlier, I got 3 out of 73 that were problematic, and because I very much like the package, I can easily overlook the 3 loads I'd never use anyway.

In my case, the rimlock percentage was so low, it simply was not a concern in the overall picture.

And I would still have let Ruger pay the transfer costs.
They create additional time & expense with their unnecessary FFL-only replacement policy.
I'd be quite happy to allow them to pay the transfer fee.
AND mileage to drive in to the dealer to pick it up, when it can legally be delivered to your doorstep.
Denis

 

[TomJ]

I wasn't disputing that it was the gun, as the primary "problem".
What I was referring to was the use of certain cheap loads (Armscor being notoriously one that does create rimlock in that model).

How many different loads did you end up trying try altogether, and exactly which ones caused the rimlock?

As I said earlier, I got 3 out of 73 that were problematic, and because I very much like the package, I can easily overlook the 3 loads I'd never use anyway.

In my case, the rimlock percentage was so low, it simply was not a concern in the overall picture.

And I would still have let Ruger pay the transfer costs.
They create additional time & expense with their unnecessary FFL-only replacement policy.
I'd be quite happy to allow them to pay the transfer fee.
AND mileage to drive in to the dealer to pick it up, when it can legally be delivered to your doorstep.
Denis

It locked up with Armscor, which I understand can be a problem with the ammo, but also with WWB, Federal, Buffalo Bore and my reloads with Starline brass (I believe, I'm not at home). I may be pressing my luck asking for milage reimbursement.

 

[DPris]

It should have run just fine with BB, most Federal, and all Starline.
Looks like yours had a much more severe problem than mine.

Too bad, Ruger was SUPPOSED to have fixed this by now.
It WAS a new current gun, right?

(And y'oughta go for the mileage. Start to finish it was Ruger's fault. )
Denis

 

[TomJ]

It should have run just fine with BB, most Federal, and all Starline.
Looks like yours had a much more severe problem than mine.

Too bad, Ruger was SUPPOSED to have fixed this by now.
It WAS a new current gun, right?

(And y'oughta go for the mileage. Start to finish it was Ruger's fault. )
Denis

I bought it in June, but I don't know the date it was manufactured. I tried looking it up on Ruger's web site but their list for GP 100's stops as of 2015.