LCR Troubles

[NMCB3]

NMCB3 - just curious, what is the serial number on your .22lr SP101? I had a similar problem with mine when it was brand new. Had one chamber so bad that you had to beat out the empty case. All the other chambers were fine. Mine is 573-073xx. Sent it back to Ruger twice before they finally fixed it. Ended up replacing the cylinder, as well as some other parts.

reakin

Mine is 573-142xx. They said they are going to replace the cylinder on mine also.

 

[tek4260]

The insert that tek4260 suggested might be the best option to prevent this situation as the gun wears in.
DGW1949,

Won't that weaken the topstrap at that very critical point behind the barrel? I wouldn't think that would be a good option either, especially for a gun that was originally designed "without" an insert.
Chet15

It wouldn't take much of a notch to hold it. Seems Smith was ahead of the game on this one. It might even be possible to use one from a S&W. Even if mine wasn't cutting, I'd be very concerned about it down the road once it had a little wear. Seems like once it started on the aluminum, there would be very few shots left before it broke thru. I don't think it would stop after a few shots as it does on steel top straps.

 

[NMCB3]

The insert that tek4260 suggested might be the best option to prevent this situation as the gun wears in.
DGW1949,

Won't that weaken the top strap at that very critical point behind the barrel? I wouldn't think that would be a good option either, especially for a gun that was originally designed "without" an insert.
Chet15

It wouldn't take much of a notch to hold it. Seems Smith was ahead of the game on this one. It might even be possible to use one from a S&W. Even if mine wasn't cutting, I'd be very concerned about it down the road once it had a little wear. Seems like once it started on the aluminum, there would be very few shots left before it broke thru. I don't think it would stop after a few shots as it does on steel top straps.

I don't think there is even enough room to put one in. Lightweight smiths have a cavernous gap between the cylinder and top strap, the LCR is tight in that area especially where the top corner of the frame and cylinder intersect. A Smith type shield with a hook on the front will definitely not work, although it is a good idea, although I`ve heard reports of those burning through also with a high round count of 357 mag 125 gr. At least you can just replace the shied though, not scrap the whole gun.

 

[magnum pi]

I'm sorry to hear of this problem. My only dealing with combat plastic is with Glock. Really don't think polymer is the way to go on revolvers or at least not just yet. :idea: I hope they can figure out a solution for all you LCR owners. No problem here with Ruger steel revolvers. Thank God! There's always SP-101 .38/.357! or GP100! Built like tanks!

 

[GilaMonster]

Really don't think polymer is the way to go on revolvers or at least not just yet.

I don't think polymer has anything to do with this guy's problem. The top strap where he has experienced the erosion is aluminum, not polymer.

 

[JimMarch1]

Yup. The whole primary frame is aluminum, barrel is aluminum around a steel core, cylinder is steel. It's where those three meet that's the problem.

The polymer starts about 2.5" rearward of the problem area.

 

[gatorhugger]

You have been carrying and shooting the 101 for a decade and are just
complaing about the cylinders not being reamed out like you expect?
Did I read that wrong?
Why no pictures to help others with the same problems?
It would be helpful, I can walk you through it if you cannot figure it out.

 

[NMCB3]

You have been carrying and shooting the 101 for a decade and are just
complaing about the cylinders not being reamed out like you expect?
Did I read that wrong?
Why no pictures to help others with the same problems?
It would be helpful, I can walk you through it if you cannot figure it out.

I`ve been carrying a SP101 IN 357MAG for a decade, the cylinders are just fine on that gun. The bad cylinder is on a SP 101 22LR that is just a plinker.

As far as pics, sorry, but both guns LCR, and SP101 22LR are in Ruger`s possession now. I do need to learn how to post pics though, maybe the wife can show me one of these days. :wink:

 

[newrugerlcrowner]

Ruger has agreed to replace the revolver. Now the waiting begins. Has anyone else put any more rounds through theirs? Any notice of similar problem from the hot gases?

 

[JimMarch1]

>>Any notice of similar problem from the hot gases?<<

As far as I've been tracking across a bunch of forums, there's only two such trouble reports. That suggests a single bad batch of frames, maybe missed a heat treat step, maybe a bad casting mix, maybe a bad final finish. Missed a heat treat step would be my best guess but Ruger will figure it out.

It's unlikely to be a design flaw, thank the deity of your choice.

 

[NMCB3]

Well today I was in my gun room doing some reloading when I get a call from the gun shop, they say a package from Ruger is there with my name on it. So I drive down to the store to get my new LCR and lo and behold they sent me one with the Crimson Trace laser grips on it (my old gun did not have the laser)

The way I see it is that Ruger not only stood behind their product by replacing the gun, but went above and beyond the call of duty by giving me a free upgrade (worth around $200 I think) to boot. This type of customer service is outstanding and I`m extremely happy about the way they handled it. I`m not sure I`ll even like the laser because I`m kind of old school about my combat guns and like to keep them simple, It came with the original grips also so I can take it off if I don't want it and maybe give it to the wife. Anyways, the point is I`m impressed with the way they handled the situation. Take it from a guy who's been screwed more times in life than not; this is a refreshing change and I will tell everyone who will listen about how they stand behind their products. As a matter of fact I`ll call Chris Peters next week to personally thank him, and I`ll try to find out if they figured out what the problem was yet. I`ll keep you posted.

By the way, do any of you have experience with these laser grips? are they any good, reliable? pros and cons, do`s and dont`s etc. I`m interested in your experiences.

 

[JimMarch1]

I'm not a huge fan of lasers as a fighting tool - you end up "chasing the dot" mentally and visually rather than looking at what's really going on.

BUT, they make huge sense as a no-ammo-expended training tool: line everything up and then hit the laser button to see what you're really doing.

Not a substitute for live fire but it does give interesting clues as to what you're really doing.

 

[gobe]

By the way, do any of you have experience with these laser grips? are they any good, reliable? pros and cons, do`s and dont`s etc. I`m interested in your experiences.

I'm a 'mature' male "gunny" (going on 72) and would recommend that you DO NOT throw away the laser. I've got 'em on all my 'carry' irons and wouldn't be without them.... Period. Jeff Quinn from Gunblast is a staunch advocate, too, but what does he know?

Watch the videos on the CLC website and, if that doesn't convince you, nuttin' will. Most 'social encounters' occur in low light or no light conditions and chances are that you'll never look for your sights ...... you'll be fixated on your aggressor. Really ..... just watch the videos and then make your own judgement. We did away with ring and bead sights in the Air Corps at the end of WWI.

 

[NMCB3]

By the way, do any of you have experience with these laser grips? are they any good, reliable? pros and cons, do`s and dont`s etc. I`m interested in your experiences.

I'm a 'mature' male "gunny" (going on 72) and would recommend that you DO NOT throw away the laser. I've got 'em on all my 'carry' irons and wouldn't be without them.... Period. Jeff Quinn from Gunblast is a staunch advocate, too, but what does he know?

Watch the videos on the CLC website and, if that doesn't convince you, nuttin' will. Most 'social encounters' occur in low light or no light conditions and chances are that you'll never look for your sights ...... you'll be fixated on your aggressor. Really ..... just watch the videos and then make your own judgement. We did away with ring and bead sights in the Air Corps at the end of WWI.

Thanks for the heads up on the videos. One thing is for certain, the laser offers some serious advantages in real world conditions. I think I`m going to incorporate it into my training. Maybe my LCR going bad was a blessing in disguise as I doubt I would have bought a laser on my own....You are wise

 

[NMCB3]

Well I played around with the laser grips in the house yesterday, and went to the range today. I`ll have to say I`m sold on them already. I can shoot more accurately with the grips than without and so can the wife. Anything that increases my hit potential is fine with me. I also like how you can turn the grips off so you can use the open sights. Also you can adjust windage and elevation for a particular load, someting not easily done with a fixed sighted snubby. You can remove the grips for cleaning and reinstall them with no loss of zero and they are rock solid. Ruger designed the gun with mounting holes in the frame specifically to accommodate these grips. The advantage in low light situations is also obvious. The laser immediately shows any error in your trigger squeeze and I think training with it will help in that area tremendously. In hindsight I should have bought a laser equipped model from the get go.

The new LCR functioned flawlessly with no signs of self destructing any time soon.

 

[gobe]

Don't take much convincing, if you got an open mind to match your open sights. Especially on a 'snubby'. The sight radius is so short that just a hairs width throws it off a bunch and in low-light conditions, the sights on most 'snubbies' are almost non-existent. I'll take any advantage I can get. As they said in "Top Gun" .... "there's no trophies for second place."

You come from a good neighborhood ..... Rob and Jan Leahy make some fine holsters. Just sent my Silver Dollar Pancake back to him (after three years) last week to have the 'Inside/Out Straps" put on. Got a notice from USPS that it was on it's way back from Wasilla today. I'll be leaning on the mailbox in a couple of days, waiting for it. I'm sure it'll be excellent, coming from Rob.

 

[NMCB3]

Funny you should mention the Silver Dollar because I just picked one up today for my LCR... It has the inside out straps already on it. It exudes damn good workmanship and its a hell of a lot of holster for the money.

 

[grasshoppa]

This has been a great forum to read.

I've been thinking of purchasing an LCR. However, I wanted to know if there is any strong sentiment on the potential of a redesign or recall for the flame cutting.

I realize this is just asking for opinions, but I'm game.

Should I wait for a few more months to see if there's going to be a recall? Or, is the flame cutting such a rare problem that a recall isn't going to happen?

Anyone care to read the tea leaves? Thanks for your opinion.

 

[rich642z]

The problem that on flame cutting on the top strap is also a concern to me but,,,,,, if you have this problem with your LCR, you sent it back and what I have been hearing that you will get a new one with the Crimson trace Laser Grips. I do not know if same s/n or different s/n #s but give Ruger a call and find out. rich642z

 

[grasshoppa]

Thanks for the replies. So, I actually called Ruger. I thought, what could it hurt? The representative was very pleasant on the phone.

I told her I had been reading online about the "flame cutting" issue. My specific questions were if it was a known issue and if there was a recall in the works.

The response was that it is not recognized as a known issue. Yet, the agent didn't say they'd never seen it. The person just stated they had tested their models with more than 10,000 rounds of +P ammo and not noticed any problems.

The agent reassured me that if any such event occurred, they would be happy to take care of their customer. The caveat is you need to take care of your gun. If it looks to be in good condition, they will help fix it up. The flip side is if you trash it, they may say it's normal wear and tear.

The conclusion is there is no recall in the works. It sounds like they don't believe this is going to be a widespread issue, at this point in time.