Ruger GP100 357?

[jack19512]

I have a relatively new Ruger GP100 357 that has had 1 box of ammo put through it so far. On two occasions now the revolver will take a spell to where it will lock up on me.

When this happens I can't pull the trigger in double action or pull the hammer back in single action. I will tinker with it until the problem will go away and everything returns to normal and it functions fine. I can't make the problem happen, it just occurs when it wants to.

The first time it occurred was while shooting the only box of ammo that it has had put through it and the second time was today while cleaning it and practicing some double action trigger control, unloaded of course. I purchased the gun new.

Anyone have any ideas or is this gun gonna have to go back to Ruger like my 44 mag? Needless to say I wouldn't ever trust this revolver for any self defense situations. For those that think revolvers don't hang up you better think that one over some. :(

[HeavyMetal]

At first I thought you might be suffering from an ammo problem. Some times case rims are to thick or case length are to long for short chambers.

Then you said you had the problem with no ammo in the gun.

Send it back to Ruger!

I suspect that you will find the hand has got burrs or is catching on the "window" in the frame but I won't swear to it.

Besides the only way a manufacturer has of dealing with production problems is to look at thier warranty repairs! Excessive warranty on any product, and specifically the same problem repeatedly, will get a hard review by engineers and a change will be made!

So don't attempt the repair your self and don't take it to a gunsmith ( unless he's a Ruger warranty station) because they can't fix it if they don't know it's broke!

Now if this problem persists past the first return seek help else where!

[Muddy Creek Sam]

At first I thought you might be suffering from an ammo problem. Some times case rims are to thick or case length are to long for short chambers.

Then you said you had the problem with no ammo in the gun.

Send it back to Ruger!

I suspect that you will find the hand has got burrs or is catching on the "window" in the frame but I won't swear to it.

Besides the only way a manufacturer has of dealing with production problems is to look at thier warranty repairs! Excessive warranty on any product, and specifically the same problem repeatedly, will get a hard review by engineers and a change will be made!

So don't attempt the repair your self and don't take it to a gunsmith ( unless he's a Ruger warranty station) because they can't fix it if they don't know it's broke!

Now if this problem persists past the first return seek help else where!

+1 :-D

[pumpguy]

My six inch SS did this right out of the box. I always intended to send it back in to Ruger, but, never got around to it. I have put about 20000 rounds through it now and it hasn't done it in a long time. I suppose it had a burr that finally wore down. If I had it to do over, now that I have more than just that gun to play with, I would send it back in.

[Bass Ackward]

If the hammer is in the home or fire position when it locks up, it's probably that the transfer bar is either too short or has a sharp edge on it. This is a common problem when people improperly stone their triggers to reduce the pull. The transfer bar is supposed to come up as the hammer is cocked. But if it catches under the firing pin sticking through the frame, it will lock up and the spring bar on the hammer is supposed to keep it in full time contact.

Corrective action is a longer transfer bar or to file a slight bevel on the inside top so that it can walk away from the pin. Not too much because this could affect how far your firing pin extrudes from the frame if you file too much. These are usually soft steel and need to be replaced periodically or you get inconsistent ignition. They are fairly cheap.

That is your most likely problem, but if it locks up on you in mid or full cock, then it has to be something else. Visual inspection should produce a shiny spot that ought not be so shiny.

[jack19512]

If the hammer is in the home or fire position when it locks up, it's probably that the transfer bar is either too short or has a sharp edge on it.






Everytime it has locked up on me the hammer has been in the down or home position. I either tried to pull the hammer back as in single action or pull the trigger as in double action. I am able to pull the hammer back maybe 1/4 inch or so or pull the trigger in double action with the same results.

I tried to get it to malfunction today but it wouldn't. I already have my 44 mag sent off to Ruger I hope I don't have to send this one off too. I have purchased 3 Ruger revolvers recently and I have to admit I am getting a little disappointed with Ruger.

[mooman76]

I had the same problem with a new out of the box Taurus. It was a common problem it the small SS models. I always thought the revolvers had simple working parts and thought they were almost break proof until something big broke. Boy was I wrong there. I never new the complexities of one until I tried to take this one apart and fix it. There are allot of little parts put in place or saftey reasons to keep it from going bang at the wrong time and blowing up. I'm sure they are made different but the problem with mine was the extracting rod was bent just enough that it would stick up in the cyl when closing. That's why I couldn't figure it out for a long time. I would play with it for awhile like you do and think I would have it fixed. The rod wouldn't stick when open and it would look fine then but after awhile it would stick more and more until I couldn't use it.
I'm not saying this is your problem but it is a place to look. If it were me I would take it apart enough to get to the moving parts and lube it upgood with a real slick lube like breakfree or something like that to make sure nothing is catching on something or binding. It's posible it will wear in and work itself out. If it goes away fine but if it starts getting worse send it back or have someone look at it.

[GP100man]

jack
sometimes they leave "stuff " in the lockworks , shavings, grit from casting & you find obvious burrs, clean it & shoot some more see what happens , but-------
i had 1 that the hammer strut was rubbing on the grip screw, had a heck of a time figuring it out!!!
when it happens push the bottom of the grip forward , if it frees up bingo .
i think i finally found mine after I painted the grip screw with magic marker & found witness marks.
then compared struts with an older one , the angle difference was just enuff to catch the screw when grip would shift a little under heavy recoil

GP100man :cbpour:

[jack19512]

jack
sometimes they leave "stuff " in the lockworks , shavings, grit from casting & you find obvious burrs, clean it & shoot some more see what happens






Since this only happens when it wants to and I can't make it happen I actually thought about something like you mention. I am by no means any kind of gunsmith but I will remove the grips and I have an air compressor and I will blow the internals out the best I can.

I want the sending back to Ruger part to be my last option. Both times it locked up on me no sooner than I start to tinker with it the problem goes away and no trying on my part has been able to cause it to lock back up which is very frustrating when trying to trouble shoot a problem. I do not have to use this revolver for any self defense purposes as I have many others for that so time is on my side. No need to rush it back to Ruger just yet.

[jack19512]

I'm sure they are made different but the problem with mine was the extracting rod was bent just enough that it would stick up in the cyl when closing.








That was one of the things I tried today. I kept opening and closing the cylinder to see if it had anything to do with my problem. I would open the cylinder then close it then pull the hammer back about 10 times in single action then pull the trigger in double action about 10 times and kept repeating the process to no avail.

[GP100man]

while shooting the grip shifts just enuff , hold the revolver in shooting hand & hold barrerl (unloaded of course) pull back on the lower part of the grip ,try a da trigger pull?????

GP100man :cbpour:

[Bass Ackward]

Jack,

What you describe is what I experienced with the transfer bar. And this is easy enough to see without dis-assembly. Cock the gun and use a sharp object to pull the transfer bar away just enough so you can see that end on the side closest the pin and see if it is or has created a burr. The whole end should be beveled a little.

[jack19512]

while shooting the grip shifts just enuff , hold the revolver in shooting hand & hold barrerl (unloaded of course) pull back on the lower part of the grip ,try a da trigger pull?????

GP100man :cbpour:






I tried that and everything was OK. No problems.

[jack19512]

Jack,

What you describe is what I experienced with the transfer bar. And this is easy enough to see without dis-assembly. Cock the gun and use a sharp object to pull the transfer bar away just enough so you can see that end on the side closest the pin and see if it is or has created a burr. The whole end should be beveled a little.






I tried to pull the transfer bar away so I could look at it but I was only able to pull it back a very tiny amount. Not near enough to visually see anything. So I took some fingernail clippers and used the little bar that has the file on it, the part that you use to clean under your fingernails with and used the end that is smooth, the tip part before the file part starts and tried to feel if there was a burr but it felt smooth to me.

I then used the same part of the clippers and just as soon as I started pulling the hammer back would put pressure on the transfer bar and continue cocking the hammer back all of the way to see if the transfer bar would hang up on the firing pin or anything else but it didn't.

I did do what I said I would do and I pulled the grips off and used air pressure to blow out what I could, I don't think I did much with this idea but I guess it didn't hurt to try. All I know to do at this point is to just continue shooting the gun and see what happens. I appreciate all of the replies.

[GP100man]

if not comfortable with it call ruger to send postage back to em , they will make it right!!!!


GP100man :cbpour:

[jack19512]

I thought about it but I already have one sent off to Ruger and I don't have to rely on this revolver for self defense so there isn't any hurry. It would be my luck I would send it off and they would send it back saying they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I will shoot it some more and if it does hang up again I will send it to them after I get my 44 mag back.