SP-101 Woes

[Chiforavis]

Hello. I've been shooting a 2" in .357. Because I carry it CCW sometimes I practice with some ( About 30-50 per session. They hurt ! ) 158 gr. FMJ .357 Magtech Shootin Pack. and lots of 158 gr. Magtech Shooting Pack lead nosed .38 Special ( maybe 100-150 per session. Those are fun ! ). Problem is that about 3/4 into my session, the crane plunger that connects into the cylinder, the cylinder itself in that area, and the crane pivot pin that connects to the frame, all get so fouled-up that extraction, closing and opening the cylinder, and even double-action shooting become almost impossible. Very bad things.

Someone told me that my forcing cone needs to be chamfered, because obviously it's shaving lead off the bullets, and expelling it out the sides, and thus the fouling in those areas. Another person says that the revolver is out of timing, and that's the cause of the "shaving", and subsequent fouling.

I had a 3" model many years ago, and I never experienced anything like this. I never put as many rounds per session on the 3 incher, and I only had to do a barrel, chambers cleaning and general lube, without needing to dissassemble the whole revolver like I do now to remove the fouling and restore functionality.

My main question is : Do I really need to send a 90 days old revolver to get timed, and/or forcing-cone-chamfered, or do I just need not to shoot so many rounds per session before cleaning it ? I use M-Pro 7 Bore Gel for cleaning, Kleen Bore Formula 3 Gun Conditioner (gun oil) for general lubrication, and Kleen Bore TW25 B High Tech Lubricant (gun grease)

Anybody else had this kind of issue with the SP-101, or any wheelgun for that matter ? Thanks to all, and happy shooting !

 

[461]

First I'd try some different ammo and see if that's the problem, and if it continues I'd send it in. Every manufacturer puts out a problem once in a while, the real test is what they do about it when it comes to their attention. Ruger is a class act and will take care of any problems.

 

[WillBrayJr]

A guy brought a Mini-30 that Ka-boomed from a hot reload he shot through it. The action was completely destroyed. Ruger did replace the Mini-30 free of charge but the guy got a nasty letter telling him not to use reloads in any of their autoloading firearms. I didn't realize that people reloaded 7.62X39mm ammo.

 

[Old Fuff]

Back during the days when revolvers were almost exclusively used with lead bullets, cylinder/barrel gaps were set wider then is common today. I would suggest switching to Magtech's jacketed 158 grain .38 Special loads in place of the lead ones and see if this makes any difference. I would also measure the cylinder/barrel gap before and after a shooting session to see if there was any difference.

If there isn't any improvement I'd return the gun to Ruger and see what they had to say.

And unless I could shoot .357 Magnum loads accurately and rapidly (read that head shots or smaller at two rounds per second) at 7 yards or better, I wouldn't carry them as a CCW round. The most powerful load isn't best if you miss or make peripheral hits.

 

[foghornl]

Before sending off this revolver, try the revolver checkout procedure at the top of this forum. Might help you spot if your SP101 actually needs some attention, or if different ammo is the fix.

 

[Ichiro]

I've had similar problems with my SP-101 and appear to have solved most of them by using Break-Free CLP for cleaning/lubrication.

Also, since switching to FMJ ammunition, I've not had the cylinder/action tighten up during the shooting of .38s. Used to happen at least once per session with the lead Magtech ammo you mentioned.

I've never had a problem while shooting magnums.

~Ichiro

 

[Chiforavis]

Thanks !

I will try the CLP, and get rid of the evil lead Magtech ( I still have about 150 rds. !) Maybe I need a .38 special snubby to dispose of them, eh !