Ruger SP101 .22 Super Sticky Extraction

[Zaydok Allen]

Hey friends and neighbors,

So I recently picked up a Ruger SP101 in .22lr. I took it out last weekend and shot it for the first time. I noticed that the extraction was really pretty difficult each time I went to empty the cylinder and reload.

I was shooting Federal bulk 36 gr. stuff which I realize is rather dirty and not the highest quality.

Prior to shooting it I did give it a very thorough cleaning and lubrication as one should always do with a new firearm. Cylinder chambers were clean, and dry. No oil sitting in them.

This makes me wonder about chamber support. I do not have a calipers, so maybe I need to buy some. Any thoughts? I noticed however that one does have to give the rounds a shove to get them seated properly in the cylinder. Not difficult, but noticible.

This is my first .22 revolver so if I'm missing something, please fill me in.

 

[grimjaw]

Did it seem 'sticky' even on the first cylinder or did it get worse over time?

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Consistant through all 10 reloads. Yep, sticky on the first time. That's what throws me off. If it had just been dirty, I would have run a bore snake through it and just figured it was from dirty ammo and fouling.

 

[Dave P.]

460,
I got one about a year ago ( new ) and the chamber walls were
nasty. Very bad finish when milled at the factory.
I used a small abrasive roll instead of a reamer and knocked
the ridges off then hit them with some polish on a small felt
point, made a big difference.
If I remember right mine were a few tenths under .224ths.
Never really liked the gun ( grip size ) and sold it about a month
ago.
Dave

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I'll take a closer look tonight at the chambers. An extremely light polishing may help though I may have a smith touch it up. I have no equipment or vise.

Yeah the grips are small. I put a set of full sized Badger Grips on it. And my SP in .357. It makes a world of difference.

Besides the difficult extraction I like the gun fine.

 

[9mmfan]

My LCR .22 is almost like that. I frequently have to lightly smack the end of the ejector rod against the bench to get 'em out.

Had a S&W 17-4 that was so bad I had to poke the empties out individually from the front of the cylinder. Aggravating. Thought it just might be a failing of .22 revolvers in general.

 

[tubeshooter]

I've had my .22 SP-101 right around 10 months. I haven't experienced any extreme difficulty with extraction.

No more so than what I consider normal, anyway. I've always had to use a bit more pressure to extract on the .22 revolvers that I've had than any of my .38s or .357s. That includes my S&W J-frame .22 as well, so I haven't found it to be brand-specific. At any rate - nothing where I had to poke them out from the front end and/or darn near bend my ejector rod trying. That's too much, and indicates a problem.


If you have to force them in too, that sounds like tight cylinders. I would test all 8 cylinders; I doubt all 8 are tight, probably just 2 or 3 that are the root of the trouble. A good buffing is probably in order. Good luck - it's a nice gun and I hate to hear about people having troubles with it.

 

[rhinoh]

My .22 SP101 has had zero issues with tight chambers, rounds going in or out.

 

[weblance]

The reason that a Ruger is $100 less than a Smith & Wesson is that sometimes you have to do a little finishing work. My SP101-22 has no issues with extraction.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Checked the chambers. They don't look rough, but the chambers on my other revolvers do look a touch smoother.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Any other input or should I just try different ammo?

 

[tubeshooter]

Trying other brands is never a bad idea. CCI Mini-Mags are widely regarded as very consistent, if you can get a hold of a few cylinder's worth of them and try that would be good.

That being said - any halfway decent .22LR revolver should be able to fire most any .22 S/L/LR ammo with no issues, unless the ammo is either extremely dirty or wildly out of spec. That's kind of the whole point of going the revolver route; to me, anyway.

The only other things I can think of are to checking the ejector star to see if it wasn't cut right, and to check your ejector rod to ensure it's not bent somehow. But those are fairly unlikely long shots, in my opinion.


If you try your hand at polishing any chambers, be sure to take it easy and don't overdo it.

 

[MedWheeler]

Yeah, that's probably not as smooth as it should be. Even my Heritage Rough Rider's 22LR cylinder easily gives up its spent cases, bulk-stuff or CCI. They pretty much glide right out.

I'd love to get one of those SP-101-22s, though. Would just want to know I could get quality ammo for it, also.

 

[limpingbear]

Try different ammo first. If the problem remains use a snug fit patch on a cleaning jag smeared with JB bore paste and chucked in a light drill on slow speed. It should polish the chambers nice without damage. just make sure to clean all the bore paste out of the chambers before loading.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

They pretty much glide right out

Yeah there is no gliding going on. When I go to unload, I have to push pretty hard, and then it pops all the spent casings out. On all my other revolvers, the gliding is what happens. In fact I often contemplated when I got into revolvers why the extractor rod was even necesarry. Then I shot some Buffalo Bore ammo and found out what sticky extraction was all about.

The only other things I can think of are to checking the ejector star to see if it wasn't cut right, and to check your ejector rod to ensure it's not bent somehow. But those are fairly unlikely long shots, in my opinion.

Yeah, your right about that being unlikely. When the gun is unloaded, the rod and star both move freely and as they should. So I'm inclined to think that it is rough chambers as a few have suggested. I will inspect some of my spent brass to see if there are scratch marks on the outside of the casings.

Ok, so lets say I'm going to polish them up. I have no vice, nor anywhere to set one up. It just isn't an option. So I fear if I use a jag on a dril, that I will slip, and gouge her up. So, what about Mother's Mag Polish on a q-tip? I've been using Mother's for many years to polish the outsides of my stainless revolvers to improve the finish. I know it would be really important to be consistant and pay attention to not over polish anything.

What do you all think? Am I asking for trouble? I tend to be light handed and a bit of a chicken when it comes to working on my guns. They all get babied, except on the range..........

 

[RaceM]

I'd start easy with quadruple ought (0000) steel wool wrapped around a mandrel and hand polish each chamber. Power tools not required, just elbow grease. Do a round of polishing, shoot a cylinder full to check results.

 

[quiettype]

hand polish

Do not use power tools. It makes no real difference whether you use toothpaste, silver polish or any other mild abrasive. You may not even need to polish the entire chamber. Begin with the rear half inch, take your time and you will get it right.

 

[22-rimfire]

Personally, I would be inclined to send the revolver back to Ruger if you tried a number of different brands of 22LR ammunition with similar results. They are supposed to get it right. But, yes, polishing the chambers seems to be the fix. I just have no idea how much "polishing" is required.... 5 minutes or 5 hours of polishing each chamber by hand.

 

[RugRev]

"The reason that a Ruger is $100 less than a Smith & Wesson is that sometimes you have to do a little finishing work. My SP101-22 has no issues with extraction."

I've had a Model 17 and a 18 that had the same problem. Anyhow, polishing the chambers alleviated the problem.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Well, I do have some mini mags, so if the weather cooperates this weekend, I'm gonna go give those a try. I'll make sure the chambers are squeeky clean. I actually have some nickled CCI Stingers I'll put through it. That aught to really reveal any scratches left by rough chambers.

If I have the same issue, I'll try hand polishing the chambers, and then go shoot it again. Sounds like it isn't a common problem, but good to have the results in the thread so future problem havers will have a reference. I shall repeat only doing a very light polishing each time, until the rounds eject properly.

 

[Fremmer]

It sounds like an excuse to buy a caliper. You need to keep a measure, right?

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Put 100 rounds of brass mini mags through her today. Stick extraction again. Also put 50 rounds of nickeled CCI Stingers through. Those slid in and out like ice on a wet counter. I expected the Stingers to extract easier though.

Cleaning tonight. Polishing tomorrow.

 

[YZ]

I'd say it is a common problem. The 22 ammo is not very consistent. A little internal dehorning might be needed. For polishing inside use lead cloth (most gentle), or a piece of rough utility scrub, or nylon wool (with steel wool equivalency). Fine steel wool is said to be safe, I have not tried it. I have also given a puff of RemOil to a box of 22 before loading.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Hey all. I wanted to update this one real quick so anyone with a similar problem sees how it turned out.

I finally got out to shoot my SP101 yesterday after hand polishing the chambers. Extraction was much, much easier. Like upwards of 60% easier. I think I'm going to give it one more light polishing and then let it be. Loading was very easy. The shells glided on in. Extraction only required a little bit of force to pop them out.

The fix was easy too and only cost me about $2.50 for the chamber mop, and the cost of the Mother's Mag Polish. And I already had the polish as I use it on all my stainless revolvers to brighten them up. Grand total polishing time took about 30 minutes of my time.

 

[Walkalong]

I had to do the same thing on a .22 LR revolver converted to .22 Mag. I got a great deal on it, but the first time I shot it my heart sunk, as I almost had to beat out the empties. A thorough polishing (In steps while checking) and they practically just fall out now. Whew.