SpencerRingwood
Bearcat
Been shooting since I could hold a gun and spent many years with the local fish and game. I've shot trap and archery on league (casual) a lot of informal rifle, muzzleloader, and most recently, handgun shooting. All the men I knew growing up were into hunting/fishing and never heard much talk of Ruger firearms besides the 10/22 (which I'm not a fan of...) and the Mark series pistols.
Tired of carrying my 365 I purchased an LCP a few years ago and it's been fantastic, with the exception of the slide retaining pin spring breaking and the thin blueing. Evidently the spring breaking is a known issue and I'm not sure why Ruger hasn't fixed it but it they sent me a free replacement, plus $7 or so odd bucks for a spare. I rust blued the slide and barrel which make the gun look 1000x better and although there is holster wear I don't get rust in the usual spots anymore. I absolutely love shooting it. The trigger isn't the best but it gets worse press than it deserve. I also don't understand the complaints about the sights. It's not a target pistol but they are appropliately sized, come up easy, white nail polish on the front ramp I'm getting 3" groups out of 2 mags at 25 yards.
Saw an SP101 2.25" with the bobbed hammer at my local shop over the summer and really liked the design. The S&W airweights always seemed cool but 38+P or 357 didn't seem like something I would enjoy shooting, or practice enough, out of a gun that light to become proficient enough to carry. Picked up a 2.25" in .38 with the exposed hammer and it is truly a great shooter in double action with both range and +P defensive loads.m I really appreciate the warning label on the bottom of the underlug as it's one of my top complaints about the brand. Who ever could have thought a gun could be dangerous...
On to the problems with my rifle:
It seems I've become a fan of Ruger without realizing it, and, since needed a new deer gun this year thought I would check out their offerings. Laid eyes on the Guide Gun and loved it. I wanted open sights instead of a scope this time and the express sights that come on it are fantastic. Barrel band sling mount, controlled feed, satin stainless, laminate stock, 20" barrel. Worked really hard this summer, saved up all my bread and had my local store order me one early September.
Both the website and manual say it's sighted to "approximately 50 yards". They're express sights that come up quick and "approximately 50 yards" sounds minute of deer to me. I don't typically miss my what I'm aiming at but I didn't even hit the target holder the first 8 rounds. Got closer and realized it was shooting low. Went back to 50, stapled the target way high to find it was shooting 9" low using new 150 and 165 gr deer loads from Winchester. Rolled up some 150gr FMJ (.307) and SSTs (.308) and bought a few boxes of 220gr Rem Core Lokt and they all shot low. Prone on bags, sitting, standing, with and without a sling- no difference in POI. Shooting with sight and target alignment as illustrated in the manual. Put 250 or so rounds through before doing anything.
Took detailed measurements of both front and rear sights using calipers and explained the problems to customer service. Took about 2 weeks and received a rear sight blade that is shorter than the one that came on the gun which would bring the POI even lower. Called up CS and to tell you the truth I don't think they really understand how iron sights work because they insisted the replacement would correct my POI... Guy on the phone actually said "well why don't you just put a scope on it?" even though I explained I bought this particular rifle because of the express sights and don't like scopes. Was told to expect a call back from a technician in a day or two but he blew me off and it took about 2 weeks to finally get someone on the phone.
Next rep I spoke with said they needed to message a technician to review the build of the rifle, see what they have on hand for parts and would call me back within the week. No call, took a while to get someone else on the phone. At this point it was too close to deer season to send the rifle in because of turn around time, shipping, plus with long guns I always get a delay and this one took 3 weeks to clear when originally purchased.
I understand mistakes happen but I expect a $1600 rifle that has no elevation adjustment to shoot straight out of the box using factory loaded hunting ammunition, and if it doesn't, decent support from the manufacturer with some sense of urgency and understanding. After begging and pleading they agreed to send me one each of every heigh front and rear sights then charged me $80. I offered to pay for expedited shipping but they will only ship standard usps, which takes 2 weeks despite being in the same area code.
At this point I don't have the parts and we're already into bear season so I did the math, stoned the front sight down and shimmed the top of the dovetail to keep the bead in place. Without the shim the plunger spring presses it back up to its original height. Shot 100 rounds with acceptable, repeapeatble results so I wasn't going to try and fix something that wasn't broke on the heels of opening day.
-----------------------
Issue #2:
Bolt doesn't always pickup the next round from the magazine. Rapid fire, slow fire, long bullets, short bullets, reloads, factory ammo. I see a follow up shot as a rare opportunity but it's unacceptable to have a gun that won't feed reliably, especially a gun designed for dangerous game. I have been shooting bolt guns for a very long time and I highly doubt I'm short stroking it, although since the season has closed for the year I'm going to double check whether or not it's operator error.
The feed ramp needs to be polished but the front of the catridges aren't getting hung up on the ramp or near the chamber. When I move the bolt forward it literally will not contact the rear of the case. This even happens when loading from an empty chamber and I make sure every round is seated properly in the magazine when loading the rifle.
------------
Issue #3:
The inletting for the magazine floorplate is inconsistent and too deep on one side. With the action screws properly torqued the floorplate would not fully engage with the release lever. I shimmed the trigger guard using a .014 brass feeler gauge and now the floorplate latches properly.
-------------
Issues that don't really matter but I want to complain about anyway:
The rear sling swivel is blued steel on a stainless gun. It's an easy fix but still money out of my pocket.
There is an empty, jagged hole in the forend of the rifle uglier than the hillary hole on my 686 with a threaded insert for a sling swivel stud. there is aleady a sling mount on the barrel band. I was told it's there in case folks want to mount a bipod and take better shots in the field at long distances on a rifle designed around quick shots at short ranges. It's also an easy fix but I feel like Ruger did me dirty on this one considering I asked, in no uncertain terms, whether there a hole drilled in the forend from the factory and was told there is not and I would have to drill it myself before ordering it.
-------------
Given the poor customer service, lack of communication, short and rude reps, and poor attention to detail I don't feel confident Ruger is going spend enough time to replicate and fix the these issues. I think I got a lemon but Ruger doesn't want to replace it. Last rep I spoke with claimed to have 7 years experience with this exact model yet told me no guns get sighted in at the factory, ever, to any degree and it's up to the shooter to adjust the elevation. She literally contradicted text in the manual and was rude to me when I explained that it is in the manual and despite her tenure with this model still doesn't know there is no elevation adjustment.
I dont have confidence in Ruger to take care of these problems so I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice on how to fix it myself. I spent more money than I should have on this rifle and won't have gun money for a very long time. I can't get a refund, selling it will get me pennies on the dollar and I don't have money for a gunsmith. It's a real shame to be so excited all summer long to have something nice and ending up with a gun that's riddled with problems that make the gun unreliable.
Thanks in advance for any help
Spencer
Tired of carrying my 365 I purchased an LCP a few years ago and it's been fantastic, with the exception of the slide retaining pin spring breaking and the thin blueing. Evidently the spring breaking is a known issue and I'm not sure why Ruger hasn't fixed it but it they sent me a free replacement, plus $7 or so odd bucks for a spare. I rust blued the slide and barrel which make the gun look 1000x better and although there is holster wear I don't get rust in the usual spots anymore. I absolutely love shooting it. The trigger isn't the best but it gets worse press than it deserve. I also don't understand the complaints about the sights. It's not a target pistol but they are appropliately sized, come up easy, white nail polish on the front ramp I'm getting 3" groups out of 2 mags at 25 yards.
Saw an SP101 2.25" with the bobbed hammer at my local shop over the summer and really liked the design. The S&W airweights always seemed cool but 38+P or 357 didn't seem like something I would enjoy shooting, or practice enough, out of a gun that light to become proficient enough to carry. Picked up a 2.25" in .38 with the exposed hammer and it is truly a great shooter in double action with both range and +P defensive loads.m I really appreciate the warning label on the bottom of the underlug as it's one of my top complaints about the brand. Who ever could have thought a gun could be dangerous...
On to the problems with my rifle:
It seems I've become a fan of Ruger without realizing it, and, since needed a new deer gun this year thought I would check out their offerings. Laid eyes on the Guide Gun and loved it. I wanted open sights instead of a scope this time and the express sights that come on it are fantastic. Barrel band sling mount, controlled feed, satin stainless, laminate stock, 20" barrel. Worked really hard this summer, saved up all my bread and had my local store order me one early September.
Both the website and manual say it's sighted to "approximately 50 yards". They're express sights that come up quick and "approximately 50 yards" sounds minute of deer to me. I don't typically miss my what I'm aiming at but I didn't even hit the target holder the first 8 rounds. Got closer and realized it was shooting low. Went back to 50, stapled the target way high to find it was shooting 9" low using new 150 and 165 gr deer loads from Winchester. Rolled up some 150gr FMJ (.307) and SSTs (.308) and bought a few boxes of 220gr Rem Core Lokt and they all shot low. Prone on bags, sitting, standing, with and without a sling- no difference in POI. Shooting with sight and target alignment as illustrated in the manual. Put 250 or so rounds through before doing anything.
Took detailed measurements of both front and rear sights using calipers and explained the problems to customer service. Took about 2 weeks and received a rear sight blade that is shorter than the one that came on the gun which would bring the POI even lower. Called up CS and to tell you the truth I don't think they really understand how iron sights work because they insisted the replacement would correct my POI... Guy on the phone actually said "well why don't you just put a scope on it?" even though I explained I bought this particular rifle because of the express sights and don't like scopes. Was told to expect a call back from a technician in a day or two but he blew me off and it took about 2 weeks to finally get someone on the phone.
Next rep I spoke with said they needed to message a technician to review the build of the rifle, see what they have on hand for parts and would call me back within the week. No call, took a while to get someone else on the phone. At this point it was too close to deer season to send the rifle in because of turn around time, shipping, plus with long guns I always get a delay and this one took 3 weeks to clear when originally purchased.
I understand mistakes happen but I expect a $1600 rifle that has no elevation adjustment to shoot straight out of the box using factory loaded hunting ammunition, and if it doesn't, decent support from the manufacturer with some sense of urgency and understanding. After begging and pleading they agreed to send me one each of every heigh front and rear sights then charged me $80. I offered to pay for expedited shipping but they will only ship standard usps, which takes 2 weeks despite being in the same area code.
At this point I don't have the parts and we're already into bear season so I did the math, stoned the front sight down and shimmed the top of the dovetail to keep the bead in place. Without the shim the plunger spring presses it back up to its original height. Shot 100 rounds with acceptable, repeapeatble results so I wasn't going to try and fix something that wasn't broke on the heels of opening day.
-----------------------
Issue #2:
Bolt doesn't always pickup the next round from the magazine. Rapid fire, slow fire, long bullets, short bullets, reloads, factory ammo. I see a follow up shot as a rare opportunity but it's unacceptable to have a gun that won't feed reliably, especially a gun designed for dangerous game. I have been shooting bolt guns for a very long time and I highly doubt I'm short stroking it, although since the season has closed for the year I'm going to double check whether or not it's operator error.
The feed ramp needs to be polished but the front of the catridges aren't getting hung up on the ramp or near the chamber. When I move the bolt forward it literally will not contact the rear of the case. This even happens when loading from an empty chamber and I make sure every round is seated properly in the magazine when loading the rifle.
------------
Issue #3:
The inletting for the magazine floorplate is inconsistent and too deep on one side. With the action screws properly torqued the floorplate would not fully engage with the release lever. I shimmed the trigger guard using a .014 brass feeler gauge and now the floorplate latches properly.
-------------
Issues that don't really matter but I want to complain about anyway:
The rear sling swivel is blued steel on a stainless gun. It's an easy fix but still money out of my pocket.
There is an empty, jagged hole in the forend of the rifle uglier than the hillary hole on my 686 with a threaded insert for a sling swivel stud. there is aleady a sling mount on the barrel band. I was told it's there in case folks want to mount a bipod and take better shots in the field at long distances on a rifle designed around quick shots at short ranges. It's also an easy fix but I feel like Ruger did me dirty on this one considering I asked, in no uncertain terms, whether there a hole drilled in the forend from the factory and was told there is not and I would have to drill it myself before ordering it.
-------------
Given the poor customer service, lack of communication, short and rude reps, and poor attention to detail I don't feel confident Ruger is going spend enough time to replicate and fix the these issues. I think I got a lemon but Ruger doesn't want to replace it. Last rep I spoke with claimed to have 7 years experience with this exact model yet told me no guns get sighted in at the factory, ever, to any degree and it's up to the shooter to adjust the elevation. She literally contradicted text in the manual and was rude to me when I explained that it is in the manual and despite her tenure with this model still doesn't know there is no elevation adjustment.
I dont have confidence in Ruger to take care of these problems so I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice on how to fix it myself. I spent more money than I should have on this rifle and won't have gun money for a very long time. I can't get a refund, selling it will get me pennies on the dollar and I don't have money for a gunsmith. It's a real shame to be so excited all summer long to have something nice and ending up with a gun that's riddled with problems that make the gun unreliable.
Thanks in advance for any help
Spencer
