New Ruger SRH Alaskan Problem, please advise

[ccjcc81]

Hey guys, I just bought this new Ruger SRH Alaskan in .44 rem mag, and when I cleaned it after the first shooting session I noticed a problem with the muzzle. The bore doesn't seem to be drilled correctly. It is out of alignment with the rest of the barrel. This really concerned me, and I intend to call Ruger about it, but first I want to get some info from some experienced people about it.

If you look at the bore from different angles, you can see that the dimensions are off. The sidewalls of the barrel are thicker on different sides. The bore hole seems to be low and left by almost 0.014" based on some crude measurements I've taken with my calipers.

Also, there seems to be excessive gas splashback. When I cleaned the gun, I noticed that the whole face of the frame where the back of the cartridges seats was covered with residue except for the firing position with the firing pin. This had me concerned. Is there a chance that the misalignment of the barrel is causing over pressure, or is this all in my mind. I was firing Winchester .44 rem mag 240grn jsp's.

Based on what I've read about Ruger's customer service, I'm sure that if there is a problem here, they'll fix it, but I wan't to venture forward informed, so please discuss your thoughts.

If you own a SRH Alaskan, will you please inspect your muzzle to see if yours is similar?

What would you do in this situation?

I've included some pics of the muzzle, and a crude drawing describing the problem in case you cant see the problem in the pics.

Thanks guys.

 

[hittman]

I'd ask the seller to simply exchange it & he can send it back to Ruger.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Hey guys, I just bought this new Ruger SRH Alaskan in .44 rem mag, and when I cleaned it after the first shooting session I noticed a problem with the muzzle. The bore doesn't seem to be drilled correctly. It is out of alignment with the rest of the barrel. This really concerned me, and I intend to call Ruger about it, but first I want to get some info from some experienced people about it.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for asking our advice. You have an interesting Alaskan.

I suspect the factory would very much like to replace your brrel.

I wonder if the misalignment of the bore in the barrel extends all the way back to the forcing cone. Can you determine that?

I would also look down the barrel with a strong light and try to see if the chamber throats line up with the bore/forcing cone. If not, you will probably be getting lead shaving and overpressure.

If you think it is safe to fire, I would setup some targets at distance and, shooting from as stable a rest as I could manage, see what kind of grouping (accuracy) I could get.

Then I would contact Ruger with the intention of sending it back to Ruger for re-barrelling.

Lost Sheep

Good luck.

 

[the fatman]

Welcome to the forum. Just recently got my Alaskan 44 back from ruger after a couple of months. Had a different problem but they fixed it for me. I only paid for shipping. You need to contact them first. Hopefully your dealer will ship it back for you.

 

[flatgate]

It appears to me that the barrel's crown is "crooked". :shock:

The Factory will certainly correct that issue.

flatgate

 

[427mach1]

It appears to me that the barrel's crown is "crooked".

I thought about that, too, but since he has measured the wall thickness and found it to be "thicker on different sides", i.e., not centered, I think the bore was mis-drilled.

Regardless of what the problem turns out to be, I agree that it should be sent back to Ruger and let them figure it out!

How did it shoot? Was the point of impact anywhere near the point of aim? Did it shoot low and to the left?

 

[ccjcc81]

I wonder if the misalignment of the bore in the barrel extends all the way back to the forcing cone. Can you determine that?

I would also look down the barrel with a strong light and try to see if the chamber throats line up with the bore/forcing cone. If not, you will probably be getting lead shaving and overpressure.

If you think it is safe to fire, I would setup some targets at distance and, shooting from as stable a rest as I could manage, see what kind of grouping (accuracy) I could get.

Then I would contact Ruger with the intention of sending it back to Ruger for re-barrelling.

Lost Sheep

Good luck.

Thank you all for your feedback.

The forcing cone seems to be aligned properly. When I look down the barrel with a strong light, the forcing cone seems to align with the chamber throats. As far as accuracy, I'm still getting used to .44 mag, and I don't remember how accurate it seemed during the first firing session.

 

[zombie44]

I just purchased a SRH Alaskan 44 mag as well and that doesn't look right at all. For sake of comparison here are some recent pics of mine:

By all means send it back to Ruger and have them fix it. Please let us know the results.

 

[batmann]

Mine has been problem free, but in your case I would contact Ruger.

 

[ccjcc81]

Zombie, you certainly take purdier pics than I do! Thanks for your feedback. Well that does it. If your's doesn't have that problem, I don't want mine to either. I'm going to call Ruger. I'm going to give it a couple of days because someone on another forum sent them an e-mail about his pistol with the same issue, and I want to see what kind of results he gets first. I'll copy those results and paste them here, and also keep you guys informed about my case when I contact them. Thanks again for your help guys, keep the advice coming.