Brand New GP100 - a few issues, worth sending to Ruger?

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alrashid2

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Hey guys. Bought a brand new Ruger GP100 6" in stainless steel. It is absolutely gorgeous!

After reading many QC issues with the Ruger GP100s, I decided as soon as I got it home I'd give it a good once over. Well, a few problems...

1. Biggest issue I see is that the barrel is not straight. I read some posts online about barrels being canted because they are under/overtorqued, but that is not what is happening here. The barrel is angled toward the left. I was able to confirm this by taking a straight edge against the frame of the revolver on either end, and measuring the gap between the barrel and the ruler. Left side is about 0.080", and right side is 0.160". Doing a bit of math, this tells me that the barrel is 1.09 degrees to the left.

I know these GP100s are known for this. Does anyone know if ~1 degree is considered within spec for these? I don't want to send in the revolver to Ruger just for them to tell me it's within spec and send it back with nothing done... It's definitely not straight, but it's subtle enough that a photo doesn't show it, and that I am not totally noticing it when shooting, just when looking from the top down...

2. The front sight post is not centered. I pulled my front sight, and could tell with the naked eye that the cut out for the front sight to sit in is not cut centered in the barrel. Again, not a huge deal, but it's obvious that the sight is sticking out a bit on one side.

3. Various scratches and chips. This one is just a bit of a bummer. Various scratches on the rear sight pins, as if somebody missed 3 times when installing the pin. Various chips in hard corners of the frame. I took a file and filed them down so they arent harsh at least.

Of course, my laser bore sighter is out of batteries, so tomorrow I will get a new one and check on zeroing it. If the sights need adjusted so much so that they're obviously way off to one side or the other, I'll send it in. But if the sights just need a minor tweak, what would you guys do? Would you send it in? Or just live with it?

Not sure how normal all of this is. Thanks all.
 

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Quick Update: After looking at this GP100 until my eyes went numb, it now looks like the barrel may not actually be canted, but that the front of the body of the revolver is slightly imperfect. When I ignore the front of the body where the barrel attaches, and instead focus on the rear sight, the hammer, the rear backstrap above the grip, etc and try to make those straight, the barrel appears to be perfectly straight with them. That would explain my gap measurements too I think...

Anyway, I will confirm tomorrow with a laser bore sighter. I just realized I have a 9mm sighter which I thought would work, but it actually does not fully fit into a 357 magnum... grr. Going to try and stick it in halfway and see if I can get some sort of picture.

Going off of that, would you guys send it in to Ruger purely for the uncentered front sight post?
 
Think I'll bite the bullet and send to back to Ruger with a detailed explanation of all of my concerns. I sent a detailed email and will see what they say.

Used a boresighter this morning and it is off. I didn't have to adjust the rear sight to the max one way or another, but it is obviously not centered on the firearm and it bothers me.

Thanks guys, will let you know what they say: they are closed today until Mon, so I bet I don't hear back until mid next week
 
Before I'd send it off,, I'd see how it shoots first.

A bore sighter isn't dead perfect either. And if you need a little adjustment to the sights,, well, that's what they are there for. Without shooting it,, you do not know if it's very accurate or a side of the barn shooter. I've seen some guns that appeared to be way off,, yet shot VERY accurately.
To me,, accuracy is king if I plan on shooting it. If it's to be a collectors piece,, and only displayed,, then cosmetic issues would make me send it back.
The slight offset of the front sight cut may or may not affect the accuracy. But if they decide to fix it,, they will have to replace the barrel,, and if the gun was already very accurate,, and the new barrel gets installed,, you may discover poorer accuracy.

JMO,,, and that's worth enough to get you ignored by waitresses. :D
 
alrashid2 said:
Hey guys. Bought a brand new Ruger GP100 6" in stainless steel. It is absolutely gorgeous!

After reading many QC issues with the Ruger GP100s, I decided as soon as I got it home I'd give it a good once over. Well, a few problems...

1. Biggest issue I see is that the barrel is not straight. I read some posts online about barrels being canted because they are under/overtorqued, but that is not what is happening here. The barrel is angled toward the left. I was able to confirm this by taking a straight edge against the frame of the revolver on either end, and measuring the gap between the barrel and the ruler. Left side is about 0.080", and right side is 0.160". Doing a bit of math, this tells me that the barrel is 1.09 degrees to the left..
Click to expand...
Thats what adjustible sights are for...just kidding...i would send it back
 
My convertible Bisley had a misalignment on the sight base and was very distracting. Sent Ruger a picture and they had me send it back. Replace the barrel and all is good now. Good customer service.
This was a Gun Broker win, and I asked the seller to check to make sure everything looked OK.
Before
DSC00546.JPG


After
DSC00570.JPG
 
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If you haven't shot it yet, contact your dealer and see if they will do an exchange. Most won't, but some will, specially if it's a sporting goods department store. I'm gonna say this, Ruger makes it very hard to judge a barrel not being canted, because of the way they finish machine their frames, sometimes they will grind away more metal on one side or the other. I've had Rugers that I pick up one time and it looks canted, pick it up a second time and it don't. All I can advise is that if you do return it to Ruger for correction, do it yourself and don't take it to your dealer for them to do it.
 
Over my lifetime, i've had to send half a dozen or so back for various issues, including new ones I hadn't fired yet. I wouldn't think twice about it, if it bothers you just send it in and in a few weeks it will show back up at your door ready to go.
 
TheDude said:
Over my lifetime, i've had to send half a dozen or so back for various issues, including new ones I hadn't fired yet. I wouldn't think twice about it, if it bothers you just send it in and in a few weeks it will show back up at your door ready to go.
Click to expand...
Or get stolen in the shippers system on the way there, or get bent double on the way back. Odds are slim of course, but not zero, not in 2025.
 
Theres no denying that, but you could also get hit by a bus on the way to drop it off but that wouldn't stop me either....unless I did actually get hit by a bus on the way to drop it off :D
 
Well, what if China invades New England while the gun is gone? Does anyone ever think about that? Think you'll still get it back?
Or, what if a hurricane hits New Hampshire. Hmmmm? Odds are slim but still .....
 
Ha! You guys are too much. I am sending out to Ruger this week with a prepaid Fedex label, no questions asked. She told me they are operating on a 6 week turn around time right now so hopefully it comes back sooner... will update!
 
BIG UPDATE!

Heard back from Ruger today, on Day 11. They emailed me a PDF letter stating that my GP100 cannot be safely repaired. Wow, I can't believe it was that bad - so glad I sent it in!

They have stated they will send me a replacement at no charge and pay for shipping, but will not reimburse for the transfer fee (my local place is $35). I'm super happy they got back to me quickly and are getting me a proper GP100, though I'll admit the wording of the letter is a bit odd. I'm assuming it was a generic template that would usually be sent out for GP100s or other models that are maybe older, not brand new.

For the hell of it, I emailed back and asked if I could get Model 1740 - the 5" stainless model - as a replacement instead, as while I have been waiting I have been kind of wishing I had hunted for one of those and found one. To my surprise, they emailed back a few minutes later and said they'd gladly give me that model instead - sweet! Only dilemma is that the customer service rep said that, since those are limited edition, it may be a longer wait for me to get my replacement. She is going to check the factory line and let me know tomorrow how much longer the 5" would take.

Before I commit, I wanted to get all of your advice.

1. Is the 5" the exact same as the 6", minus the barrel length?

2. Is a 5" a good choice? I love how the 6" looks, and liked how it felt a lot more than the 4" barrel; however, I will admit it was very front heavy and a bit more difficult than I expected to unholster (had to lift my hand nearly to my armpit to pull it out!) I don't want to get the 5" though only to regret it and wish I had gotten the 6".

3. Biggest issue I have come upon with the 5" is that there are virtually no off the shelf holsters for it. I just purchased a gorgeous leather Triple K 6" holster. Could I just use the 6" holster for a 5" revolver? I thought about returning to Ruger, but the next size they offer is 5.5" - no 5" holster on their site. I feel like a mere 0.5" isn't worth returning and buying another. Is that 1" gap an issue? Could I just fill it with some foam or something?

4. Anything else I'm missing here? I told Ruger I'd make a decision on 5" vs 6" tomorrow. Just don't want to make a mistake here. Thanks all!

1746567418939.png
 
No need to fill the holster with foam. In fact, that might promote rust setting in.
I've had to use a 6" holster for a 5" barrel revolver. The other option is having a holster custom made.
 
Fair point, thanks @arfmel
I'm actually thinking of just returning the 6" holster I bought from ShopRuger and swapping it for their 5 1/2" - still longer but only by a 1/2" instead of a whole inch.

1746625935533.png


EDIT: I'm wondering if this holster is only designed to fit a Half Lug revolver, since the only 5.5" GP100 is the 22 version with half lug...
Think that's the case? How hard would it be to stretch this to fit a Full Lug? I'm going to purchase and see if I can make it work and if not, just keep the 6"
 
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I have both a 5" full lug and a 6" HALF lug GP100. For some reason the 5" feels nose heavy and less wieldly than the 6" half lug at least to me. It should, however, feel handier compared to a full lug 6" model. The 5" full lug model would be a long as I would care to go.
I would just continue to use the same holster if the shorter one fits securely in it.
 
I got an email that a delivery from Ruger via Fedex is being delivered to my FFL tomorrow!

I reached back out to the Ruger customer service rep, as she had said they wouldnt be manufacturing any 5" GP100s until next week.

She let me know that she went to the factory floor and had them produce a one off 5" revolver just for me. Feels custom! Can't wait to get it!
 
Happy to hear you sent it back. You obviously made all the right choices! Congrats on your new 5 inch one off. Glad you didn't have to wait. Don't forget to post pics.
 
Well, picked up the 5" Davidson's Special GP100 today!

As soon as I got there, my stomach sunk as me and the owner chatted about the QC problems and I looked down the top of the 5", and saw this barrel was also canted...

It was far better than the last one though. Maybe half as canted from straight as the last... We looked at it together and I decided I'd take it. What are the odds, two different models, 3 years apart in manufacture date, and they are both canted, and in the same direction? It made me think maybe it was slightly in my head. I'm trying to get over the slight cant as I think had I gotten this specific revolver the first time around, I may have never noticed since I wouldnt have been outright looking for that specifically.

When I got home, I threw a 357 laser boresighter in that I knew was true, and it showed the shots would be shooting to the right. I adjusted the sights, then went out to shoot it. Lo and behold, shots were actually impacting to the left, so I adjusted the sights back to nearly where they were from factory. The laser boresighter sits in the cylinder, not the barrel, so this kind of proved to me that barrel is in fact slightly canted...

All other QC issues were fixed with this one though! No sharp edges or scrapes in the finish, and the front sight post was milled center this time! Despite the barrel "issue", I was able to adjust the sights just fine and the windage isnt overly adjusted one way or the other.

Nonetheless, she shoots super well! Single action, double action, 38 specials, 357 Magnum, I tried it all!! It was awesome. It was smooth and I am satisfied with the trigger pull as is from factory. It also handled recoil much better being heavier and an inch longer than my old Speed Six 4" I traded in.

Only thing during the shooting experience I found curious is that I felt a lot of splatter on my left cheek when shooting 357 Mag. Not every shot, maybe 2 out of the 6 shots each cylinder or so. I know revolvers throw stuff out the cylinder gap, but is it normal for it to come back to your face? Nothing that hurt, just the faintest little splatter on my cheek is all. I hope that is normal and not indicative of the canted barrel...

So just a few questions for you all:

1. Would the slightest cant of the barrel bother you?
2. Is some splatter back at the face with a revolver normal?

PS: Photos below! Picture in the car when I picked her up, then some photos showing the tweaks I made at home. Installed a Hogue Pau Ferro smooth grip, and got a Ruger red front sight post!
 

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