SBH Hunter back from the Ruger shop

[blue360cuda]

So I have to say that the customer service folks at Ruger were very polite and speedy, got my SBH Hunter back in under 2 weeks. I'm a bit disappointed with the outcomes however. If anyone had read my former posts about this pistol, I sent it in for accuracy issues. The barrel was not aligned at 12:00 exactly and the cylinder gap was 0.0085. On the package return slip they stated that the barrel alignment and cyl gap were "within factory standards" and included a test target , shot at 15 yards. So is it just me or should a 7 1/2" barrel 44 mag shoot a little better than this at 15 yards off a rest? I've shot better groups with my Super Redhawk at 50 yards! I dont know, I'm trying not to be too picky but it's just a bummer when you're spending so much time trying to get a load to shoot decent and I honestly don't think its me. When I spoke with the customer service rep before sending it into Ruger she said oh no problem, if it needs a new barrel or anything fixed it will be perfect, no problem at all . . . then I get it back basically in the exact same shape as sent it, they did polish a few scratches out for me though so it looks nice at least.

What do you guys think? 15 yard "test group" Seems they should darn near be in one hole at 15 yards to me!

[dualsport]

Do your own test. Who knows what their procedure is?

[blue360cuda]

I've already done close to 500 rounds of my own "test" lol . . . that's why i sent her into get checked out at Ruger. I've had a couple decent 50 yard groups but it's very inconsistent and most are around 4 or 5 inches and that's with a 2X20 leupold off bags. Same exact procedure with my Redhawk I can get consistent sub 1 inch groups all day long with 6 shots using 300g hornady and 20.5g H110. I've played a little bit with jacketed bullets and my SBH hunter but was trying to stick with shooting cast, best groups have been with oregon trail 310g laser cast boolits.

[NSB]

Sad fact of the matter is that all guns aren't created equal. Every manufacturing process has to have specifications to build product within. I'd guess your Ruger falls into that category. Ruger, nor any firearm company, can really guarantee accuracy out of the box. You get that type of guarantee when you buy custom build guns for a lot more money than the Rugers cost. I've owned three SBH .44mags over the years and two of them were exceptional and one was "OK" regarding accuracy. You always have the option to send it out to a good pistolsmith who specializes in accuracy improvements.

[lefty o]

i know alot of people will disagree with me, but imo ruger sucks! they've been doing the misaligned barrel thing for way too many years, and its readily apparent they dont give a rip. my own superblackhawk hunter came out of time many years ago, and was sent in for that. well they mostly fixed the timing but buggered up other things on the gun. my latest and last ruger looks like ray charles was working the buffer when it came through.in the last few years i hear more complaints from people than praise about ruger. its too bad, for the most part they used to be a good company, but ill never own another. i know there are guys that worship ruger, and ruger can do no wrong in their eye's, but my experience has been vastly different.

that provided target @15yds may be ok on a short personal defense handgun, but it stinks for a hunting gun.

[Deep Six]

I recently bought a .41 Blackhawk that had an improperly indexed barrel (i.e. front sight leaning noticeably to the right). It shot so far left that the rear sight couldn't be adjusted far enough to compensate. I called Ruger up and they sent a label. I had it back in nine days with a note saying they re-indexed the barrel and re-set cylinder gap, along with a target that looks very much like yours. The front sight is straight up now and the cylinder gap is 0.004-0.005. Haven't done a whole lot of cast testing but it shoots 210 gr XTPs over a case full of H110 into one ragged hole at 25 yards with no POA/POI mismatch. I'm happy!

Just my $0.02 but that's been my one experience with Ruger CS. I have about a half dozen others that never needed to go back.

[blue360cuda]

Deep Six- I've heard many similar stories and many many more good than bad when it comes to ruger's CS department. Like I said, dont know if Im just being too picky or what but after reading and talking to many who own this SBH Hunter I really expected more from it.

I'm kind of bummed out to be honest. . . I've wanted this pistol for a very long time, all through college I would have killed to get my hands on one, money still doesn't flow freely I had to save up for a bit to even be able to buy it now. The real kick in the pants is now Ruger has the 480 SBH. I had my heart set on a 44 but more I read about the 480 I kind of fell inlove with it and shot a friend's SRH in 480, awesome gun! I just have a soft spot for the single actions. Now I'm almost regretting not just going with a BFR in 480/475 and being done with it. They're about $300 more than the Ruger's but they seem to be worth it. Now a Freedom Arms . . . that will be a long time before I can afford one one day . . .

[contender1]

Anybody who knows me will attest to the fact I have more than a few Rugers. That said,,, let's look at a few things.
Ruger builds a lot of guns on an assembly line for a price the working man can afford. Most never have issues,,, but a percentage will have a few. Chalk it up to mass production & not hand building like Freedom Arms. In fact, if you look at the numbers,,, Ruger builds a whole heck of a lot more guns than FA,,, each year. Just look at the plan for the current year. Two million guns in one year. With that number,,, it's a sure bet a percentage will need a bit of return & repair work.
Ever buy ANYTHING mass produced in large quantities that did NOT have any issues ever? Not likely.
Then there is the costs.
The working man can afford to buy a Ruger for $500-$600, while a FA will set you back $2500-$3000. Most buy a Ruger.
Next there are "tolerances."
Mass produced guns, just like ANY mass produced item has a wider tolerance range than a hand built high dollar similar item.

As such, Your Ruger fell within the specs of a normal factory spec gun.

If it had been out of specs,,, they would have fixed it to within the specs.

I can truly relate to your feelings on a very personal note. I scraped & bought the first Redhawk in 44 mag I found. It's accuracy was superb. Right out of the box, with the first reloads I tried,,, it was punching tight groups. I eventually settled upon a load that gave me one hole groups that measured less than an inch, outside to outside measurement at 50 yds from a rest. I still have a few targets from that gun. Then,,,,,,,,,, one day,,,,,,,, an informal shot at a Pepsi can at about 30 yds. I missed & noticed that something flew away from me. I looked down to see that the entire barrel had separated from my Redhawk. As far as I know, I was the first person to have the infamous barrel separation. Well, a polite letter to Ruger, shipped the gun, & got it's replacement. That Redhawk does good to get 2" groups from a rest at 50 yds. yet,,, it is within the factory specs.
My point is that sometimes you get a really good gun and other times,,, not as good. Just remember,,, it's within normal specs for a mass produced item.
Work on it with a lot of different loads, bullets etc to find what it likes the best. Then,,, shoot it a lot to get the right feel for how it does.

Issues such as mis-aligned barrels, canted sights, undersized chambers, gritty actions etc are all items that pop up from time to time. Just remember,,, the folks who work at Ruger are humans & as such are not perfect 100% of the time. I've never been able to achieve 100% perfection in all of my jobs 100% of the time. We are all human & as such, are prone to the occasional mistake.
BTW; My FA has also had a small issue that requires a trip back to them. And that's from a $2800 Premier Grade 454 Casull.

I share all this to hopefully get folks to look at a bigger picture.
Ruger is in the business to make MONEY.
The way to that is the product,,, guns.
Nobody can ever achieve 100% perfection.
As such,, it's how the customer service handles true issues that reflects the heart of the company.

Just don't expect custom grade guns at a laymans price.

Besides,,, we can say the same things about any other gun company too.

Or we can look at things differently.
What if Ruger stopped making guns?
What if Ruger started doing a lot more hand work, custom type fitting? What would it cost to buy one then?

Lastly,,, where would we be without Ruger firearms?

[prsman23]

Let's not forget that it's also easier to hear about these problems with the onset of the Internet and forums. It's been noted that more people complain online than those who are satisfied too. So it may seem disproportionate.
Truth be told I like Ruger. Not been happy with the last three guns I received.

My new charger went back for not having any finish under poorly cut (ripped out) wood.
That happened the same week the barrel on my new single seven exploded for no reason.

I would have sent my latest 10/22 back but the parts are getting upgraded anyway.

[Electric88]

Anybody who knows me will attest to the fact I have more than a few Rugers. That said,,, let's look at a few things.
Ruger builds a lot of guns on an assembly line for a price the working man can afford. Most never have issues,,, but a percentage will have a few. Chalk it up to mass production & not hand building like Freedom Arms. In fact, if you look at the numbers,,, Ruger builds a whole heck of a lot more guns than FA,,, each year. Just look at the plan for the current year. Two million guns in one year. With that number,,, it's a sure bet a percentage will need a bit of return & repair work.
Ever buy ANYTHING mass produced in large quantities that did NOT have any issues ever? Not likely.
Then there is the costs.
The working man can afford to buy a Ruger for $500-$600, while a FA will set you back $2500-$3000. Most buy a Ruger.
Next there are "tolerances."
Mass produced guns, just like ANY mass produced item has a wider tolerance range than a hand built high dollar similar item.

As such, Your Ruger fell within the specs of a normal factory spec gun.

If it had been out of specs,,, they would have fixed it to within the specs.

I can truly relate to your feelings on a very personal note. I scraped & bought the first Redhawk in 44 mag I found. It's accuracy was superb. Right out of the box, with the first reloads I tried,,, it was punching tight groups. I eventually settled upon a load that gave me one hole groups that measured less than an inch, outside to outside measurement at 50 yds from a rest. I still have a few targets from that gun. Then,,,,,,,,,, one day,,,,,,,, an informal shot at a Pepsi can at about 30 yds. I missed & noticed that something flew away from me. I looked down to see that the entire barrel had separated from my Redhawk. As far as I know, I was the first person to have the infamous barrel separation. Well, a polite letter to Ruger, shipped the gun, & got it's replacement. That Redhawk does good to get 2" groups from a rest at 50 yds. yet,,, it is within the factory specs.
My point is that sometimes you get a really good gun and other times,,, not as good. Just remember,,, it's within normal specs for a mass produced item.
Work on it with a lot of different loads, bullets etc to find what it likes the best. Then,,, shoot it a lot to get the right feel for how it does.

Issues such as mis-aligned barrels, canted sights, undersized chambers, gritty actions etc are all items that pop up from time to time. Just remember,,, the folks who work at Ruger are humans & as such are not perfect 100% of the time. I've never been able to achieve 100% perfection in all of my jobs 100% of the time. We are all human & as such, are prone to the occasional mistake.
BTW; My FA has also had a small issue that requires a trip back to them. And that's from a $2800 Premier Grade 454 Casull.

I share all this to hopefully get folks to look at a bigger picture.
Ruger is in the business to make MONEY.
The way to that is the product,,, guns.
Nobody can ever achieve 100% perfection.
As such,, it's how the customer service handles true issues that reflects the heart of the company.

Just don't expect custom grade guns at a laymans price.

Besides,,, we can say the same things about any other gun company too.

Or we can look at things differently.
What if Ruger stopped making guns?
What if Ruger started doing a lot more hand work, custom type fitting? What would it cost to buy one then?

Lastly,,, where would we be without Ruger firearms?

Well said.

I have a Super Redhawk in 454 Casull, and a gp100 357 magnum. Both guns have been incredible to me and I have even considered getting a Blackhawk just because.

I've also considered buying a FA 454 Casull... Those things are beautiful! I seem them on Gunbroker every so often for about $1k, for the Field grade. How do you like yours contender1? I'm debating on taking the plunge after taxes

[LUCKYDAWG13]

[QUOTE=contender1;3403331]Anybody who knows me will attest to the fact I have more than a few Rugers. That said,,, let's look at a few things.
Ruger builds a lot of guns on an assembly line for a price the working man can afford. Most never have issues,,, but a percentage will have a few. Chalk it up to mass production & not hand building like Freedom Arms. In fact, if you look at the numbers,,, Ruger builds a whole heck of a lot more guns than FA,,, each year. Just look at the plan for the current year. Two million guns in one year. With that number,,, it's a sure bet a percentage will need a bit of return & repair work.
Ever buy ANYTHING mass produced in large quantities that did NOT have any issues ever? Not likely.
Then there is the costs.
The working man can afford to buy a Ruger for $500-$600, while a FA will set you back $2500-$3000. Most buy a Ruger.
Next there are "tolerances."
Mass produced guns, just like ANY mass produced item has a wider tolerance range than a hand built high dollar similar item.

As such, Your Ruger fell within the specs of a normal factory spec gun.



Issues such as mis-aligned barrels, canted sights, undersized chambers, gritty actions etc are all items that pop up from time to time. Just remember,,, the folks who work at Ruger are humans & as such are not perfect 100% of the time. I've never been able to achieve 100% perfection in all of my jobs 100% of the time. We are all human & as such, are prone to the occasional mistake.
BTW; My FA has also had a small issue that requires a trip back to them. And that's from a $2800 Premier Grade 454 Casull.

I can relate to the canted sight Attachment 151043
my SBH was a safe queen for over 10 years when i started to shoot it i saw that the front sight was canted and had a gap
I had a hard time getting them to fix it but they did put a new barrel on and re blued it I'm happy with the work

[contender1]

"Let's not forget that it's also easier to hear about these problems with the onset of the Internet and forums. It's been noted that more people complain online than those who are satisfied too. So it may seem disproportionate."
prsman23 has a point here.
All too often,,, we hear more complaints than praise. Normal human behavior. The millions of items built that perform to the expectations (or above) of consumers gets very little fanfare except when somebody else asks how somebody likes XYZ brand of whatever. Then they get a hearty endorsement. Heck,,, even with all the current automobile recall issues, people are still buying the very same brands etc because of a general history of a good product.
Over the years,,, I've probably owned over 350 or more Ruger firearms.
Of that number,,, one had the barrel separation. One was a factory recall (P85) to upgrade the safety after it failed a military test, and the gentleman who gave it to me had bought it new & requested I send it in for his peace of mind. The last one was the SR9 that was one of the early ones that had the barrel peening. The gun was still functioning fine after over 2000 rounds & I chose to send it back just in case a problem developed later.
Next,, I also own a pair of the 357 Maximums (that I shoot,) that were removed from production due to top strap flame cutting. Yet, neither of mine show any signs of top strap flame cutting. It was later determined that the general public that reloaded light bullets with a hotter powder created this issue.

So, if you look at my numbers, I have had less than 1% of any "problems" with Rugers.

I'm sure if you were to get honest numbers from any manufacturer, you'd see just how low their actual return/repair rate is percentage wise of their production.
Again, nobody is perfect 100% of the time.
We just hear more about problems than the praise.

Electric88,,,, My FA is a very, very nice gun. It's all that they claim to be. I have also had the pleasure of a factory tour, lunch with Bob, & in general,,, seen first hand how they do the things they do to turn out a finely crafted gun. My only issue was the firing pin issue where they had some breakage of others from my serial number range. Mine has been fine & so far, no problems. But to get mine upgraded,,, FA does charge for the upgrade. Accuracy is excellent, and the fit & finish is typical of a FA.


To others who may think I'm a total Ruger lover.
I own Colts, S&W's, T/C Contenders, High Standards, along with my Rugers. Over the years,,, about 2 dozen Colts, over 100 S&W's, about 10 Contender frames & over 30 bbls, & over 25 High Standard semi-autos.
I've had "issues" with all of the above brands, and if my numbers are used in percentages,,, it'd be much higher than the Rugers. But I feel the issues I've had are still low enough to not bash any brand.
I just like to think I understand the manufacturing process, and how anybody can have an issue from time to time.

[youngmman]

I have one Ruger, a Super Blackhawk .44 mag I bought in 1964 when I worked at a sporting goods store, mostly for merchandise, when I was in high school. I love it but haven't bought another since Ruger's just weren't as comfortable as the S&W's to shoot.