Birdshead Chamber Issues? Update #1

[deac45]

I picked up this little Birdshead Vaquero a while back. Shot it a little at first but not much since. I did note in those first range sessions a couple of chambers felt a little tighter both loading and ejecting. I recently retired so I have time now to dig into this a little further. Here is what I'm finding...two of the six chambers do not allow a cartridge to seat fully. They will seat with slight pressure. This was consistent with four brands of factory ammo, six random rounds and with a single round tried in each chamber...same two chambers every time. This was in a freshly cleaned cylinder with no visible dirt, debris or surface damage. The worst offender was the Hornady 185gr XTP(pic), the Black Hills load fit better. The Federal and Winchester loads fell somewhere in the middle. And yes, those Hydra Shoks have been on the shelf a while.
On target performance I can't judge as shooting the Birdshead grip is way different for me than the Bisleys I'm used to. Some days I shoot it well, others I can't hit the broadside of the barn. My gut tells me I need to resolve this chamber issue before trying for accuracy and load development. Is a return trip to Ruger in order?

Update #1: Contacted Ruger. They wanted it to come back for a checkup. Dropped it off at FedEx yesterday. So, I'll wait and see what they find.

 

[contender]

Occasionally you can get a cylinder that has different internal dimensions.
A set of pin gauges can easily determine the sizes.
It looks like the throats may be the issue.
Member 2dogs, aka Fermin Garza can correctly fix this problem. He’s quick, and very reasonable in pricing.
Ruger may say that the cylinder is within specs.

 

[G2]

My first 45/45acp stainless Birdshead had the same situation.

A trip back to RUGER and it came back all good….
In fact better than new.

 

[seasterl]

I have one in 45ACP and it’s a great shooter with no issues.

If you have any issues at all, though, you can contact Ruger and they will send you a shipping label and then you can ship it at your local FedEx. If you request it, the tech can even verify cylinder endplay and timing just to make sure you get a really solid, reliable shooter in return. What he would likely do in the situation he just replaced the cylinder. Those guys are great and they understand us and our wants/needs for these revolvers.

 

[deac45]

I have one in 45ACP and it’s a great shooter with no issues.

If you have any issues at all, though, you can contact Ruger and they will send you a shipping label and then you can ship it at your local FedEx. If you request it, the tech can even verify cylinder endplay and timing just to make sure you get a really solid, reliable shooter in return. What he would likely do in the situation he just replaced the cylinder. Those guys are great and they understand us and our wants/needs for these revolvers.

Yes sir, I'm thinking that is what I will try first. I've had good results with their customer service in the past. I know they will make it right.

 

[Hondo44]

Measure how deep the shoulder is in the two tight chambers to see if they are not as deep as the other 4 chambers.
Pull a bullet from one of the cartridges you've been shooting and see if it's tighter in the throats of the two problem chambers.

 

[Delbert]

Sounds like the CNC machine that's used had a couple worn reamers for the chambers you're having problems with. Like other's have said, I'd contact Ruger and get the problem fixed correctly, by them either replacing the cylinder, or checking/correcting the problem by test firing, then rebluing and send you back a perfect working firearm.

 

[deac45]

Measure how deep the shoulder is in the two tight chambers to see if they are not as deep as the other 4 chambers.
Pull a bullet from one of the cartridges you've been shooting and see if it's tighter in the throats of the two problem chambers.

Did that after I did the ker-plunk test. Shoulders on all six are uniform. I'm going to contact Ruger in the morning.

 

[Hondo44]

I won't tell you what to do, Ruger will typically have it back to you in 12 days. They'll swap in a new cylinder. Maybe you can talk them into just sending you a new cylinder and return the one you have. If you send the gun to Ruger, put a mark on the cyl so you can tell if they replaced the cylinder.

The .44 cylinder I had with that problem in two chambers also had correctly placed shoulders, so I polished the two throats using a .44 cleaning mop with Flitz polish on it, mounted in my Dremel tool. It took about 20 seconds per chamber. Problem solved.

 

[deac45]

Got it back from Ruger. They replaced the cylinder. Did a quick range session to check it out. It shoots much better now, that is...I kept twelve shots in a ten inch circle where before it would only do six or seven despite my best efforts. I'll have to wait on some cooler temps and lower humidity to really wring it out. Hard to shoot accurately with sweat running down your face.

 

[contender]

Thanks for the update.

Good to know you got it taken care of.