New 3" GP, sight anomaly? What do you think?**updated*

[G. Freeman]

Hey Guys,
So I brought home my brand new KGPF-331. The gun is perfect in every way. Even the barrel is screwed on straight.

Then I see this:

It looks as if the centerline of the barrel is not centered with the sight trough? Is this merely a finishing issue? (one side of the frame was buffed more than the other side) Or is something really wrong??

I'll be out of town this weekend so I won't have time to shoot this for another 2 or 3 weeks. The gun is as perfect as can be except for this.

Left side.

Right side.

Of course I will need to shoot it to find out if it shoots straight or not, but have you ever seen this in any Ruger and how did your gun shoot?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sugar River]

I'd be interested in a real tight shot of the inside of the ER slot. There was another recent thread about grinding marks on misaligned barrels.

Pete

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I'm no expert, but WOW!!!! :shock: That doesn't look good, although I suppose it could be caused by a mis-drilled barrel. A quick check you can do with an unloaded gun; shine a bright light into the BC gap and look down the barrel when the gun is in lock-up to see if the cylinder holes line-up with the forcing cone and barrel. If there is mis-alignment you should be able to see a crescent shape on either side. A "range rod" is made for checking this alignment.

...Jimbo

 

[revhigh]

If you're talking about the variance between the left and right sides where the barrel meets the frame, that is because the barrel is not screwed in properly (far enough). I've seen much worse than that with new Rugers. If the barrel were screwed in a degree or two more clockwise, that variance would not exist.

Actually, that's one of the better ones that comes out of the Ruger factory these days, unfortunately. IF it shoots OK, I wouldn't worry about it. I had a BH that was far worse than that, and I couldn't get it sighted in without the rear sight being all the way to the right.

The barrel and cylinder line up are most likely fine, although you could check it with a range rod if you want to. Your barrel is NOT screwed in straight, or at least as straight as it could be.

REV

 

[Snake45]

It looks to me like the barrel hole in the frame MIGHT be offset to the right by several thousandths of an inch. But you really can't tell from the pictures if this is so or if there's something else going on, like the contour of one side of the frame or the other (or both) might be off, while the barrel hole is perfectly centered.

Presumably it was test-fired at the factory.

I'd try some mild loads in it first and see if you get any bullet shaving. Then check accuracy, and see how close the sights are. If the thing is safe, accurate, and shoots more or less where it looks, I'd learn to live with it.

I liked Jimbo's suggestion, too.

 

[JHRosier]

I would run a range rod down that bore before firing it.
It would be a big surprise if the timeing were even close to correct.

Jack

 

[Sugar River]

Someone is going to have to 'splain to me how an under indexed barrel, like we have here, is going to effect range.

The sights could be pointing straight down, and the bore would still be concentric with the threaded hole in the frame.

Of course, it wouldn't do much for the B/C gap!

Pete

 

[Snake45]

Someone is going to have to 'splain to me how an under indexed barrel, like we have here, is going to effect range.

The sights could be pointing straight down, and the bore would still be concentric with the threaded hole in the frame.

Of course, it wouldn't do much for the B/C gap!

Pete

The issue, as I see it (and I might be wrong), is that the hole in the frame might not be in the right place. It might be offset a bit to the right, but I can't say for sure.

 

[Sugar River]

Here's the other thread I was thinking of. It leads to a lengthy post on the RF.net.

Pete

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=64895

 

[Sugar River]

Snake,
Got ya. But if that's the problem, I don't see how the gun could have passed proof and function fire as well as the range test done by the assembler.

Pete

 

[Snake45]

Snake,
Got ya. But if that's the problem, I don't see how the gun could have passed proof and function fire as well as the range test done by the assembler.

Pete

Me neither, assuming that it WAS tested. But it's very possible that everything here is well within spec, and the appearance is some kind of optical illusion--or maybe a case of "tolerance stack."

This situation is definitely worth a careful look, but I don't think we can say at this point that anything is definitely dangerous or wrong. We just don't know one way or the other.

 

[Pal Val]

I would call Ruger and return the gun for a thorough check. If the misalignment is so bif that you can see it, it's nothing to be ignored.

 

[G. Freeman]

Thanks guys for the responses. I have checked the timing of the gun and bore/cylinder alignment (visually) is perfect. Also when looking down the bore from the muzzle end, the firing pin appears well-centered in the cylinder chamber.

Yeah, I'm not sure if there's an optical illusion here. It may be a combination of the barrel being slightly undertorqued and the right side of the frame being buffed a little too much by the finisher. But I was looking at it this morning and it may even appear the the barrel is screwed at an angle. Very weird indeed. Again it may just be that the barrel is slightly undertorqued, so when when my eyes follow the contour of the topstrap and top rib of the barrel, it looks as if it's bent.

Of course, only a shooting session will finally confirm what, and if shoots straight, then no big deal.

 

[revhigh]

As soon as the barrel is screwed in a little farther, all those intolerances are going to disappear. You can see on the last pic how far it has to go to make all the other stuff equal. The lines on the lower part of the barrel and the frame should be parallel. They are not.

REV

 

[raw6464]

It's very obvious from the top pix the barrel is under-torqued. The front sight is in the middle of the barrel, but the barrel needs to be turned to the right a few mm.

This has been a problem with a lot of Ruger revolvers... including my SBH 357. The rear sight had to be turned all the way to the right to compensate for the under-torqued barrel.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I think you can see from the top picture that the mis-alignment in not just simple rotation. (note arrows)

I believe the bore was not drilled on-center with the barrel. The whole thing is shifted to the left in the picture. Or else the frame is drilled off-center and that is a really big can of worms.

But!! ...as long as it shoots good that's what really counts.
...just my opinion, Jimbo

 

[Snake45]

This doesn't happen very often, but I agree completely with Jimbo. :shock:

 

[Jimbo357mag]

This doesn't happen very often, but I agree completely with Jimbo. :shock:

That's OK Snake, we'll let it go this time. I'm probably wrong anyway.

...Jimbo

 

[Snake45]

I'm probably wrong anyway.

...Jimbo

I hope we're BOTH wrong this time, because if we're right, the guy's got a real problem. :?

But as you say, the proof is in the shooting. If it shoots okay, it IS okay. :wink:

 

[rhatimi]

I have the same issue with my new 4 inch gp-100 and there are even grinding marks and metal shavings on the side of the barrel where it was screwed into the frame. it makes the overall fit and finish very disappointing.

Hey Guys,
So I brought home my brand new KGPF-331. The gun is perfect in every way. Even the barrel is screwed on straight.

Then I see this:

It looks as if the centerline of the barrel is not centered with the sight trough? Is this merely a finishing issue? (one side of the frame was buffed more than the other side) Or is something really wrong??

I'll be out of town this weekend so I won't have time to shoot this for another 2 or 3 weeks. The gun is as perfect as can be except for this.

Left side.

Right side.

Of course I will need to shoot it to find out if it shoots straight or not, but have you ever seen this in any Ruger and how did your gun shoot?

Thanks in advance!

:x :x :x :x :x