GP100 22lr Cycle locked up

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Dahsira

Bearcat
Joined
Apr 27, 2022
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5
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Canada
Brand new GP100 22lr. Took it apart just enough to clean it before taking it to the range for the first time. Broke it down to frame, cylinder, hammer, trigger group level but did not go further.

Cleaned and oiled it then reassembled. During the reassembly process the pawl and the pawl plunger spring came out. Putting them back in properly was standard and unremarkable. Everything appeared to be functioning nominally. With the cylinder latch, the trigger plunger, the pawl all moving in concert and reseting as expected.

Put the cylinder back in, got the trigger group back in... Very tight fit. Needed some taps to get it to seat fully. With the cylinder and the trigger group reinstalled the gun flat out will not cycle. Took it back apart and watched numberous videos and I can't for the life of me figure this out.

This isn't my first rodeo and I'm very comfortable with disassembly of all my rifles down to each individual spring and never had an issue I couldn't work through. This is a new gun that was functioning normally with about 15-20 dry fires before taking it apart.

If the cylinder latch doesn't seat in one of the notches when it's closed then the trigger will cycle everything but then when the cylinder latch is properly seated on a notch of the cylinder then it's a hard lock and won't move.

If I tape down the cylinder latch everything functions normally. If I pop out the cylinder and hold down the crane latch to replicate the cylinder being closed everything appears to cycle normally. The pawl moves as expected the cylinder latch moves as expected and resets. Pop the cylinder in and nothing moves.

Clearly I messed something up, the horrible part is it's likely something simple but I can't for the life of me figure it out. I've spent over 10 hours watching disassembly videos taking it back apart and putting it back together. Everything functions as normal and expected every single time with the exact same results.

Because I'm in Canada I'd have to ship it across the country to an approved Ruger gunsmith and while I am prepared to do that, I want to ensure I've exhausted all reasonable possibilities myself first.

Thanks in advance for any help
 

Thel

Blackhawk
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Jun 22, 2010
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639
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I wonder if you got the plunger and plunger spring for the pawl mixed up with the cylinder latch plunger and spring? They are different lengths and if mixed up when using double action the cylinder will only rotate a small amount and jam up.
 

Dahsira

Bearcat
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Apr 27, 2022
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Location
Canada
Appreciate the response @Thel. I don't think that could possibly be the problem unless it came from the factory like that and the problem didn't exist with the 15-20 dry fires that I did before disassembly. The cylinder latch has not been removed and likewise the associated plunger and spring with the cylinder latch have explicitly not been removed.

If I understand it properly the pawl spring is the longer of the two so it would stand to reason if the spring in there was too short then the cylinder would not cycle enough causing problems after the first shot. My problem is that it is not cycling at all. There is zero movement once the cylinder is closed and it is rotated so the cylinder latch seats itself in a notch. I cannot pull the trigger even to cycle it, it immediately comes to a hard stop after minimal backward movement of the trigger.

If I have the cylinder out and the crane latch depressed, this allows me to pull the trigger and install the hammer and complete reassembly. The problem still remains however.
 

hittman

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I hope member RoninPA sees this thread cause he will likely be able to help you.
Or, you can send him a Conversation with the questions.

Good luck to you. Welcome to the forum.
 
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
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Lemont, PA, USA 16851
Got the message from Dashira and replied and just now read the background. I think what I sent him might help because I just reread this:

"Put the cylinder back in, got the trigger group back in... Very tight fit. Needed some taps to get it to seat fully. With the cylinder and the trigger group reinstalled the gun flat out will not cycle. Took it back apart and watched numberous videos and I can't for the life of me figure this out."

I think that the transfer bar might not be going back in properly and it may possibly now be bent and/or binding (because of taps to get the trigger group back in) You really shouldn't need to tap the trigger group back it, it might be tight (or even very tight) but if you use something to push the trigger guard latch inwards it will pop right back in.

Take it back apart and examine the transfer bar. Remove it and look at it closely, from a front or back perspective the vertical parts should be vertical, from a side perspective the bottom should be vertical and the top section should be at about a 40-45 degree angle (either forward or backward depending on how you're looking at it. There should be NO kinks in the transfer bar. If it was out of position when the trigger group was "tapped", then it could have been forced into somewhere it didn't belong and it may now always fall into that incorrect postion, jamming the trigger movement.

Here comes the shameless plug. To remove the trigger assembly of Six series revolvers or the GP100 revolvers it is easiest with a "popper". Sometimes it can also help when reinstalling. Brownells use to sell these but they don't any more so I have made some up to sell to people who might be interested. You can check in the Auction Links/Recurring Items section under "Six Series DA revolver parts available" post #5.
 

Dahsira

Bearcat
Joined
Apr 27, 2022
Messages
5
Location
Canada
I don't think this is the problem although it's possible . The taps to get it back in place were not aggressive at all. The transfer bar doesn't appear bent or kinked in any way and the transfer bar is "loose" and not impacting anything. I've resigned myself to sending in for warranty work. I've exhausted all possible "easy" fixes. Clearly something is broken.

Having said that I'm still going grab a popper cuz getting that trigger group in and out is a PITA.

Best I can figure out is the cylinder got bent or twisted somehow and
 
Joined
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Well, with our continued conversations I think it has something to do with the pawl and/or crane latch with the possibliity that something happened to the cylinder. It's just tough to troubleshoot remotely without beening able to physically see the parts in action. To bad it's such a hassle to ship a gun back to the manufacturer from Canada (or to ship it to a gunsmith, I would love to have it in my hands to see what is going on).

Dashira, send me a PM (conversation) about the popper and we'll see what we need to do to get you one.
 

Dahsira

Bearcat
Joined
Apr 27, 2022
Messages
5
Location
Canada
The only reasonable explanation is that the pawl and/or cylinder latch got a very small bend in them when I was tapping the trigger group back into place. The trigger group was (and still is) far to tight to reseat without some amount of tapping.

I'm talking about tapping with a rubber mallet type thing. Not enough force to bend anything in my opinion although it is possible as the amount of force needed was more than I've used in all my previous experience with taking guns apart.

My hands are sore and raw from taking this apart and putting it back together 30 times.

Gonna pull it apart one last time having a very close thorough look at the parts for any signs of possible bending but unless I find some evidence of them bending, I'm gonna just send in it for work and likely wait until fall to get it back :(
 

NikA

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Yrisarri, NM- high in the Manzanos
Did you remove the cylinder from the crane? Any small parts there that could have been misassembled? Seems to me there is a spring that interacts with the cylinder release that could prevent proper functioning if not assembled correctly.
 

hittman

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Let it sit a day or two. Revisit it on Friday or this weekend.

You'll have healed hands and a fresh mind, minus the aggravation of today.
 

Dahsira

Bearcat
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Apr 27, 2022
Messages
5
Location
Canada
Did you remove the cylinder from the crane? Any small parts there that could have been misassembled? Seems to me there is a spring that interacts with the cylinder release that could prevent proper functioning if not assembled correctly.
Cylinder was not disassembled at all.

I'm gonna take hittman's advice and let them simmer a couple days and try again on the weekend. Monday come hell or high water, the gun will either be fixed or in the mail headed for a 6 month sabbatical in Quebec
 
Joined
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I hope you get the gun fixed. I'm curious if mailing guns within Canada is the same as mailing guns here, within the US? Do you have to have a gun dealer mail the gun for you? Or can you just drop it in the Canada Post? And why will it take 6 months? Is that because the place you are sending it is so busy?
 

harley08

Blackhawk
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Jan 9, 2014
Messages
575
IF you did not fix it. Call Ruger, ask them to fix it for you and send it back to them.
Do not take any gun apart unless you are a gun smith, or it is a military pistol that you could easily field strip.
 
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