Important information on the Ruger SP101 327 Federal.

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pleadthe2nd

Single-Sixer
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
213
Location
midwest usa
I realize this is an old thread, but I just received my new sp 101 in 327 federal, with the 4" barrel Monday, and sent it back to Ruger today, Wednesday, not for sticky extraction, but the trigger would stick in rearward position when shooting in single action mode, never tried in double action, the hammer pull was extremely hard and felt like it was binding, I would have to put my thumb behind the hammer and push the trigger forward to disarm , all it would take is a slight push the it would move forward freely, or loosely, like nothing was behind it, once fully forward it would reset, I disassembled and cleaned went back to the range and same thing, it seems to function fine when unloaded and dry firing, in double or single action, called ruger and they wanted me to send back immediately, so I did, anyone else experience this , my gp100 and super redhawk, or my blackhawk, haven't had any problems. Just wondering about quality of the sp 101 in 327 federal.
 
Joined
Jan 11, 2017
Messages
12
Location
East of the Rio Grande and South of the Canadian
January 8, 2019, I picked up a new SP101 in 327 Fed Mag. Cut my finger on a metal burr when I picked it up to examine it. I was shocked to believe it had been let out of the factory. This is my first Ruger double action and I selected it expressly in 327 Fed Mag because it had a three-inch barrel. I have shot a 32 H&R Vaquero and enjoy how it handles. The small frame birds head points instinctively to the point of impact. Upon close examination of the new SP101, I was resolved to return it to Ruger.

1. The machining on the left side was incomplete. Not only was a burr evident, but there was excess material on the rear of the cylinder opening.
2. The shroud behind the cylinder was inadequate and left the rims of the cartridge exposed.
3. The front of the cylinder did not cover the complete forcing cone.
So back to Ruger it went.

The line supervisor at Ruger called and we discussed the condition of the revolver.
1. The bur was removed, but the excess material was the new norm. The older revolvers had the "excess" material machined of and a small dome was pinned to the frame to stop the cylinder from sliding on the crane when open. The "excess" material was used to stop the cylinder from sliding off the crane on the newer guns.
2. The shroud was redesigned to give the newer guns a "melted" look to improve marketing.
3. The cylinder was replaced as he understood I expected the gun to be safe and I was not impressed with the melted edges on the shroud or the front of the cylinder.
In due time the revolver found its way home. The only ammo I could find was red box American Eagle. Wish I had read the post before I threw the money away. I set up the targets and compared the birds head 32 mag to the SP101 with 32 mag ammo. The 115 cast bullets were in the black at 15 yards with both guns. Next was the real test of American Eagle in the new gun. I can make all kinds of excuses, but the S&W model 66 with full house loads does not kick and buck like that. Extraction was difficult and after 24 rounds I stopped to examine in detail why the rounds were hard to remove. The cases were swelled about 1/8 inch above the rim. It has been a long time since I had a flinch, but the last six rounds had me doubting my form. Then I replace the brass in the box rim up and I noticed that every primer was flattened. EXCESS PRESSURE. I returned the ammo to the dealer and he dodged his responsibility and said, "That is common if the ammo is left in the truck cab in the Texas summer."

Being a hand loader, I had ordered brass and bullets to reload the 32 Fed Mag. The next range session I had a ladder test with two different powders and the same weight bullet. Working up to magnum pressure I did not encounter the difficult extraction and erratic groups that I had with the American Eagle ammo. The top loads were more along the lines of 38 +P with 158 grain bullets or 357 mag with light bullets.

This thread may be ten years old, but the SP101 of today is not the same gun as the one of ten years ago. Look carefully at the images of older SP's and current SP's. There are differences. The older SP's had more detail work done. The newer SP's have been melted to the point that minor production problems can be buffed out. Case in point is the cylinder stop. The "drip" of metal from the shroud to the cylinder stop is the clue. Not all the "drips" are the same. Some are level and others have a channel that leads up to a retaining pin. Look on the web for pictures of the left side.

The little gun is just what I wanted. Well, it is getting there. I am disappointed with the production changes Ruger made in the name of marketing. The design fits my hand, packs a serious punch, and is small enough to carry easily. I might be tempted to trade for an earlier model.
 

Tracker1

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 20, 2017
Messages
13
I have a 4.2" .327 Mag, s/n 575-94574 and I have been able to get American Eagle 85 gr. and 100 gr. JSP's. The 85's shoot well and eject with just a bit of drag. The 100's, as previously reported, are way hotter. After shooting two or three, I usually go ahead and eject them, so that I'm not trying to push all five fired cases at once. I think that this load would be fine in a Single 7 revolver, with its individual ejection rod, but they are a bit heavy for the DA SP101. I am a reloader and have the dies, etc. for the .327, but haven't started that project yet. Just building up some brass inventory now with .32 Longs, .32 H.&R. Mags, and .327 Fed Mags. I like the gun. It doesn't fill any big void in my handgun stable, but I am looking forward to the versatility of the multiple cartridges. I just need to keep the chamber brush and solvent close at hand while working up the various loads.
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
11,644
Location
Kentucky
The September issue of Shooting Times has a rather lengthy article on the .327 SP101. Gives a little background on the development of the round and Ruger's participation therein. The test piece is a new 4.2" stainless version with an MSRP of $769 according to the "tech sheet".

The reviewer fired several varieties of ammo, including .327 Fed, .32 H&R, .32 S&W Long, and .32 S&W with no mention of any loading/unloading problems.

Just FYI.
:mrgreen:
 

infantryman

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 21, 2008
Messages
152
Location
Virginia
Damnit. I just bough a mint one of these from a coworker that's in the 573-86xx range. I haven't shot it yet but after I saw this thread I asked if it had extraction issues and was told no but it's only had 50 rounds of .327 through it. Is it possible some in these serial number ranges are ok? And if it is a bad one can I send it in as a second owner? Thanks
 

GooseGestapo

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 1, 2014
Messages
41
Only way to tell is "chute it!"

Yes! Ruger will take it in for inspection. If necessary, they'll replace cylinder.
My Single-7 needs to go back, but I'm loathe to separate at this time of year. It's my favorite belt holster gun.
 

JackAsinus

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 26, 2022
Messages
135
Ruger has treated me well. I ruined a GP100 and they replaced it for free.

I also had a Super Redhawk 454 Casull that developed a cylinder problem and they replaced it with a revolver of my choice. I picked a 454 Alaskan
 

martyj

Blackhawk
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
640
Location
Nebraska
I have SP 101 in 327 and I like the revolver very much and the cartridge has quite a bit more power than 32 H&R.
Mine has never missed a beat and works flawlessly. The trigger single action is great.
 
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