Finally got out with My Single Seven

Finally got out with my single seven today, and it was a mixed bag.

Things that were good:
Trigger felt good, to me.
Sites were right on.
First .327 experience, and it gave a satisfying boom. I've had .32H&R for years, and it's definitely a step up.

Things that were not so good:
Indexing for loading and unloading; it's really tedious when the "click" is too far and you have to go around again. I already knew this was an issue from handling it at home with empty cases, but it's more annoying when you're on the range.
There's gravel in my action. When cocking the hammer, it would occasionally hang up so that it would not cock. I could manually rotate the cylinder, but that wouldn't necessarily free up the hammer. Sometimes, it would take multiple attempts to draw it all the way back. It does not happen on the same chamber every time.

So tell me, should I have to open it up to clean out whatever grit or chips are getting in the way of the hammer, or to see if that's really the issue, or should I call Ruger?
If I send it in, I'll also ask them to open up the loading gate.

If it were mine, I would first give it a really good cleaning. If this did not clear up the grit, I would contact Ruger. I'm not sure what to do about the other problems.

Check that your base pin is fully seated. Some of the S7's had problems with the base pins jumping the groove due to the spring seat being machined too shallow. When the base pin moves forward, the spring no longer forces the transfer bar to clear the firing pin, and this can prevent the hammer from cocking all the way. My experience is that Ruger will fix this issue for free, especially if this is your first use of a new gun.

My Single Seven experience matches yours. From mild to wild rounds, accurate and fun.

I asked Ruger to fix the loading gate issue, and they declined. So I sent mine to Clements for his magic and to fix the loading gate. Impatiently waiting its return still.

Mine had the problem with the base pin backing out. Returned it to Ruger and they corrected it. While they had it I ask them to fix the indexing problem and they did. All is well now.

First thing I did with mine was get a Belt Mountain locking base pin and a Bowen rear sight. Looks nice too!

Never had a issue with mine it worked good from the start.

I pulled it back out and, sure enough, the base pin had backed out a good half inch plus. I pulled the cylinder when I first got to the range to get the yellow disc out. Did I neglect to properly seat the base pin? I guess I will need to get back out to the range and make sure the base pin is seated, then see if it backs out again under recoil.

djw54 said:

I pulled it back out and, sure enough, the base pin had backed out a good half inch plus. I pulled the cylinder when I first got to the range to get the yellow disc out. Did I neglect to properly seat the base pin? I guess I will need to get back out to the range and make sure the base pin is seated, then see if it backs out again under recoil.

Click to expand...

My hope is that you've found your problem.
If not, my take on your original question; "So tell me, should I have to open it up to clean out whatever grit or chips are getting in the way of the hammer, or to see if that's really the issue, or should I call Ruger?" is now, and henceforth will be....

The way I see it, Ruger needs to be made aware of every single gun which they've shipped out with any sort of problem, be it QC related, material related, design related, or whatever...and be made to either fix it, replace it, or refund it....even if all it needs is a good cleaning to remove chips/debris.

To me, it's either that or be content with spending hard earned money on "value designed" guns which are being made with more 'n more cheap parts which are being assembled via whatever "value added process" Ruger may have come up with the previous week.....some of which are newer renditions of a previously solid design that rarely gave a problem before they decided to start "fixing" things which weren't broke to start with.

DGW

I really enjoy mine. I'm wondering if there is a free spin pawl that would work for this.

Lets tell the truth here. The early Single-Sevens were flawed guns, rushed into production to satisfy the (Lipsey's) buyer's marketing plan.

The undersized/inadequate loading gate issue and omitting the reverse-index pawl (for cost savings) should have been corrected by engineering. Adding a bit of gunsmithing to the model was not viable nor did it fit the Ruger "parts bin assembly" push, although reports of some guns getting some tuning & tweaking at assembly have been heard. The cylinder pin groove issue was one they had known well before the 327FM cartridge, but again, due diligence took a back seat to the marketing focus. The lack of deburr operations are evident to any decent machinist and the Single-Seven had more than its share of sharp edges as-shipped. Band-aids should not be a necessary accessory.

I highly recommend sending a S7 with ANY issues back for repair and inspection. Ruger has had time to understand the fix for many/all of the problems with the Single-Seven. Let them get it right for you, the end customer (technically the distributor is Ruger's customer, but only one guarantees the gun will work & be safe, and they don't sell the Single Seven!).

As much as I really wanted my Single-Seven guns to work flawlessly and become my daily hikin'/huntin'/packin' revolvers, I've gone back to 'smithing my "other" 32H&R Mag Rugers for such a purpose.

I agree if a Ruger is defective it needs fixed on their dime. I guess I was lucky. I have 2 of the Single Sevens, a 5.5 and a 4 5/8. Other than base pin jump on the 4 inch gun with some very heavy 115gn loads mine have worked flawlessly.

I don't consider the loading indexing a problem. VERY FEW Ruger New Models line up to load/unload on a "click". I have been very pleased with mine. They have become my reloadable 22's.

After what serial number was the Single 7 considered to be fixed of the original problems?

Same issues here. After two trips back to Ruger and a new gun all is fine now.