new gp100, mixed result...update!

[cleardatum]

i just got a gp100, new, and what a hunk a burnin' stainless! i love this thing. first time at the range, 100 rounds of .38 special (all that was available), o malfunctions, good accuracy, LOVE! it was quite oily when i first got it, so i tore it down, and cleaned and lightly greased/oiled the points i thought would need it. well, apparently these things like to be oily, because last night i was dry firing, and the reset suddenly got real gritty, to the point of not resetting at all, and the trigger locked up. strange. it gave me something to ponder last night (insomniac). i couldn't resist messing with it this morning, so as a quickie experiment, i liberally oiled it without disassembling it, and dry fired some more, paying attention to the feel of the reset. i turned the gun on either side, upside down, et cetera, and when i turned it on its right side, the reset mysteriously smoothed out, and it is like buttah, once again. anyone else ever have such issues? i'll break it down and clean it before going to the range again, as it is REALLY oily.

 

[DGW1949]

Congrats on your new gun.
Yeah, all machinery needs a bit of lubracant.
That said though, a good gun will run wet or dry. Not saying that the GP aint a good gun, just saying that if your's don't, your "over oiling" is probably masking some sort of problem. My guess would be that a good cleaning and inspection is in order.

DGW

 

[6gun]

Check under the ejecter, the stars shaped thing and make sure it clean under there it can get some fowling built up under there some times that can cause the problem you discribed.

 

[cleardatum]

i tore it down and inspected it before firing. i'm one of those guys who just takes my guns apart and cleans them when i've nothing better to do, which included under the ejector star. my guns are squeaky clean. funny, because this just came out of no where last night when i was playing with it. i'll try to find the time this week (gone next week) to tear it down and inspect it closely. i appreciate the input, guys.

 

[6gun]

Well that explains it then you tore it down and something didn't get put back together right, only two things that can make a grindy feel I know of is the pawl or the transfer bar.

I don't understand your reason to take it apart, ruger leaves them nice and clean and lubed inside, and the parts only need to be lightly oiled on contact points, nothing in there needs grease, unless your doing a trigger job or replacing springs there no reason to strip a new one down.

 

[cleardatum]

Well that explains it then you tore it down and something didn't get put back together right, only two things that can make a grindy feel I know of is the pawl or the transfer bar.

I don't understand your reason to take it apart, ruger leaves them nice and clean and lubed inside, and the parts only need to be lightly oiled on contact points, nothing in there needs grease, unless your doing a trigger job or replacing springs there no reason to strip a new one down.

i'm weird like that. it was strange, though, how it worked flawlessly at the range, and after getting home (for a while). i'll figure it out, and post the results. i, too, suspected something with the transfer bar. it sure feels good now.

 

[6gun]

Most likely the transfer bar, if it stopped do it most likely it popped back in place, did you hold the gun sideways as you put the action back in place? if not the tranfer bar could end up going in wrong, well if it gives you any more problems you know how to open it back up and check everything again, not much to these guns other than all the parts are in the right spot and all the little springs are in place and working.

 

[Bat Masterson]

Well that explains it then you tore it down and something didn't get put back together right, only two things that can make a grindy feel I know of is the pawl or the transfer bar.

I don't understand your reason to take it apart, ruger leaves them nice and clean and lubed inside, and the parts only need to be lightly oiled on contact points, nothing in there needs grease, unless your doing a trigger job or replacing springs there no reason to strip a new one down.

I respectfully disagree. The 50th Anniversary .44 Blackhawk was my most recent Ruger Purchase in 2012. It was packed inside and out with grease that had dried out and hardened. Also, the hammer plunger and spring were rusted. A tear-down for thorough cleaning and lubrication was much needed.

I do agree that it sounds like something did not go back together right, or perhaps, there is a burr in there somewhere. My Blackhawk smoothed up considerably after I oiled it and worked the action many times.

 

[The Blackhawk Kid]

A Rule of Thumb: IF you can see your finger print on the oily surface, YOU have too much OIL! I learned this from an old gunsmith 45 years ago. I ain't old, I just been around a long time! BHK

 

[Alpo]

http://gunner777.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/ruger-gp100sp101book-of-knowledge/
The GP100 IBOK (Iowegan Book of Knowledge).
If you follow his tear down, inspection and re-assembly instructions, you'll have about 6 or 7 drops of oil in the gun, max.
And if anyone knows GPs, it's him.

 

[6gun]

Well that explains it then you tore it down and something didn't get put back together right, only two things that can make a grindy feel I know of is the pawl or the transfer bar.

I don't understand your reason to take it apart, ruger leaves them nice and clean and lubed inside, and the parts only need to be lightly oiled on contact points, nothing in there needs grease, unless your doing a trigger job or replacing springs there no reason to strip a new one down.

I respectfully disagree. The 50th Anniversary .44 Blackhawk was my most recent Ruger Purchase in 2012. It was packed inside and out with grease that had dried out and hardened. Also, the hammer plunger and spring were rusted. A tear-down for thorough cleaning and lubrication was much needed.

I do agree that it sounds like something did not go back together right, or perhaps, there is a burr in there somewhere. My Blackhawk smoothed up considerably after I oiled it and worked the action many times.

Well we aint talking about old stock blued single actions they grease to keep them from rusting, that it sat on a shelf for years till the grease dried out, were talking about S/S DA gp100's I have never seen any grease in them, they have always been spotless and clean inside, Ruger does a real nice job making these guns.

 

[Bat Masterson]

Well that explains it then you tore it down and something didn't get put back together right, only two things that can make a grindy feel I know of is the pawl or the transfer bar.

I don't understand your reason to take it apart, ruger leaves them nice and clean and lubed inside, and the parts only need to be lightly oiled on contact points, nothing in there needs grease, unless your doing a trigger job or replacing springs there no reason to strip a new one down.

I respectfully disagree. The 50th Anniversary .44 Blackhawk was my most recent Ruger Purchase in 2012. It was packed inside and out with grease that had dried out and hardened. Also, the hammer plunger and spring were rusted. A tear-down for thorough cleaning and lubrication was much needed.

I do agree that it sounds like something did not go back together right, or perhaps, there is a burr in there somewhere. My Blackhawk smoothed up considerably after I oiled it and worked the action many times.

Well we aint talking about old stock blued single actions they grease to keep them from rusting, that it sat on a shelf for years till the grease dried out, were talking about S/S DA gp100's I have never seen any grease in them, they have always been spotless and clean inside, Ruger does a real nice job making these guns.

My Brand new LC9 was also delivered packed with grease inside. Maybe they don't grease the GP100's like their other guns?

 

[cleardatum]

there wasn't any grease when i tore it down, but there was a LOT of oil. way way more than i would use. it was clean, though. i swabbed the excess oil with q-tips, and sparingly lubed the areas i thought critical. i tested it at the range, and it was perfect. this problem just appeared out of nowhere, while mindlessly watching tv and noodling with it (what better way to watch tv?). i did try tapping the gun with my hand, holding it at different angles, etc. when it didn't reset, the trigger would lock, and if i wiggled the cylinder with my free hand, the trigger would reset. i live in an area that has a lot of dust, and volcanic cinder. i'll be looking for anything unauthorized in the mechanism. maybe tonight. all i know, is that when i (over) oiled it in the various openings, and laid it on its right side, it immediately smoothed out. either lube got to a critical area, or something got flushed out.

 

[6gun]

Starting to sound like the pawl is being a bit sticky, did you take it out when you broke the the gun down? it has a spring under it, some times if the spring is not put in just right the spring can get pinched then the pawl don't move right.

 

[BradB]

Well that explains it then you tore it down and something didn't get put back together right, only two things that can make a grindy feel I know of is the pawl or the transfer bar.

I don't understand your reason to take it apart, ruger leaves them nice and clean and lubed inside, and the parts only need to be lightly oiled on contact points, nothing in there needs grease, unless your doing a trigger job or replacing springs there no reason to strip a new one down.

I respectfully agree. With the part about why anyone takes it all apart. An assembly person with strict practiced guidelines backed by (if its done wrong legalities may apply) has put something together (even test fired once) which is shipped assembled (you paid for that assembly btw) only to arrive to be torn down, looked at, and then re-assembled (probably by someone less practiced). Yes, I did see the word "Weird" in one of those posts.

Then by some statistical lopsided mii-nuuute chance of manufacturing error (which has and could happen) people wonder if the gun was done wrong. Does anyone know? The trained staff at Ruger would probably start by running it through the assembly process for the intermittent problem to make sure everything is in place correctly. To re-initiate "that" which was "disqualified" after arriving at the owners house. Sorry, I mean no disrespect but that is weird.

However, I had the experience of two revolvers ( bearcat & LCR 22) came out of their wrappers so bone dry that operation was non-smooth and resisting.

I soaked them down in REM oil which is thin and teflon included. Soaked it in every crack except maybe the bottom grip. Wipe clean the excess. Low and behold these guns run smooth as the manuactured beauty they are. No disassembly needed. Normal cleaning never should require complete disassembly.

Don't know about the GP100 but the manual for the LCR states: Any further disassembly should only be undertaken by trained factory personnel. Sorry I'm weird for reading the manual.

 

[Gunsby_Blazen]

I am a ruger fan but i have found metal shavings, grime, and machining lubricant in my guns (it was not lubricant for the gun to run well)
any new retail gun, no matter where it comes from, needs to be cleaned before it is shot.

now i like ruger but i have bought guns with screw heads gnarled up. I have two brand new guns like that from the factory....

if i ever go to resell them, they will think i did it while trying to do some home-brew gunsmithing....
(although one was a gift from my late father so i don't think i will ever be selling it. It is a .357 Bisley and i shoot it more accurately than any of my other handguns; I truly love it)

I am just saying that they dont come as polished diamonds from the factory. I never bought a gun that didn't have some kind of cosmoline or rust prevention lubricant all over it and i am glad for it. We all know to clean that stuff off but i can see how it is easy to forget about cleaning the inside and the barrel.

anyway, yeah, you should clean them and then lubricate them before you shoot them. I am not saying you have to tear the whole thing down to the last pin but at least clean all the parts that matter...
Field stripping is all that is needed to clean the sucker up.

 

[cleardatum]

i read the manual, and disassembled it to the extent that it allows. not completely, but just as outlined in the owner's manual. sorry i was not clear on that.

 

[6gun]

i read the manual, and disassembled it to the extent that it allows. not completely, but just as outlined in the owner's manual. sorry i was not clear on that.

So I take it you didn't take apart the trigger assembly then? did you remove it from the gun?

 

[6gun]

I respectfully disagree. The 50th Anniversary .44 Blackhawk was my most recent Ruger Purchase in 2012. It was packed inside and out with grease that had dried out and hardened. Also, the hammer plunger and spring were rusted. A tear-down for thorough cleaning and lubrication was much needed.

I do agree that it sounds like something did not go back together right, or perhaps, there is a burr in there somewhere. My Blackhawk smoothed up considerably after I oiled it and worked the action many times.

Well we aint talking about old stock blued single actions they grease to keep them from rusting, that it sat on a shelf for years till the grease dried out, were talking about S/S DA gp100's I have never seen any grease in them, they have always been spotless and clean inside, Ruger does a real nice job making these guns.

My Brand new LC9 was also delivered packed with grease inside. Maybe they don't grease the GP100's like their other guns?

Yes the LC9's do come greased up, again cause they are a blued gun they are trying to keep from rusting till it's sold, no they don't grease up the stainless guns, there is no reason to.

 

[cleardatum]

i read the manual, and disassembled it to the extent that it allows. not completely, but just as outlined in the owner's manual. sorry i was not clear on that.

So I take it you didn't take apart the trigger assembly then? did you remove it from the gun?

yes, i removed the trigger assembly, per ruger's instructions. i was very careful with the pawl and the transfer bar on assembly, and verified proper function (dry and live fire) after assembly. i didn't take the dis assembly any further than ruger recommended. i do have (many) decades of race engine and transmission building experience, so i'm not some buffoon (when it comes to things mechanical, i mean). :wink:

 

[6gun]

Since you didn't take the trigger assembly apart you really couldn't have done any harm, the pawl and transfer bar will move around when reinstalling the assembly so one or the other wasn't quite in the right spot yet when you were having problems both of them will rub the inside of the case and make a grinding sound if not in the right place, but sounds like you popped it back in and have it working again, and think your good to go.

 

[cleardatum]

i took it apart again last night, and i found some debris in the trigger assembly. it was VERY small (i needed my jeweler's magnifiers to see it). it was some sort of fibrous material, like steel wool or scotchbrite. there was also a jagged edge on the transfer bar that i smoothed while i was in there. i cleaned the trigger assembly with degreaser, and re assembled it dry. the trigger is PERFECT. i think when i flooded it with oil, the debris was indeed flushed out of its resting place. this is why i always dis assemble new machinery! it comes from my engine building (almost all of the manufacturers/ suppliers recommend dis assembling and cleaning their parts- i have found a lot of scary stuff in new engine parts!).

 

[6gun]

My SP101 is almost exactly the same inside as a GP100 just smaller scale, I took it all a part a couple weeks ago including the trigger assembly and polished all the contact spots on the moving parts, plus replaced the hammer and trigger springs with lighter ones, that made a real differents in trigger pull.

 

[Bullzaye]

Hello, all! I just purchased a used GP-100 w/6" bbl a couple of days ago. While inspecting it again after returning home, I noticed something seemed slightly amiss. After looking through the manual, I learned that it was the hammer pivot pin, and it seemed that it was twisted just a bit and standing out a tiny bit from the side of the gun. So, I decided to disassemble it according to the manual.

Having no previous experience with the GP-100, I was surprised at the ease of disassembly. Since I was already half way there, I decided I might as well go ahead and remove the trigger assembly and cylinder. Well...I could not get the little plunger that holds the trigger assembly in place to move at all. I played around for quite awhile, but decided not to exert TOO much effort until I'd searched for a little advice. So I reassembled it (the hammer pivot pin went smoothly into place, and is now nestled securely in its little recess), and put it away, until I can learn a bit more.

Any advice, or words of wisdom, from anyone? I hope no one minds my jumping into this thread. Since there was some discussion going on here about take-down, I thought it seemed better than starting a new thread.

Thanks,
Tim

 

[cleardatum]

that plunger is the same on mine- it took an act of congress to retract it. i did NOT use the main spring assembly, as instructed in the manual. i was afraid i was going to bend or otherwise wreck it, it was that stiff. i used a jeweler's screwdriver, and it wasn't easy. that booger is STIFF.