Ruger SP101

[deet]

There were two guns I have wanted for a long time, a SP101 and a SR45. I have owned many guns over the years and shoot them a lot. I found a SP101 in .357mag for $365. The guy said he bought it in 2009 and shot it around 50 times. The gun is in fantastic shape, original box, manual and lock. I was the happiest guy in the world. Took it to the range and fired 50 38spl Remington 130 gr thru it, plus 50 rounds of a handload .357 mag loaded to 38spl +p power. The gun handle the rounds and hardly kicked. It is the 2 1/2' barrel version. Still the happiest guy in the world. Then.... I purchased some Federal 158gr JHP .357 magnums and went to the range a second time with this gun. The best I could do is three rounds before the cylinder would lock up. I mean I couldn't pull the trigger or thumb back the hammer. I had to open up the cylinder eject the rounds and reload it back up. It happened everytime, it would fire two or three then lock up. I have shot .357mag, 44 mag and tons of revolvers, but never had this happen. I a left handed so I wasn't hitting the cylinder release during recoil. Frustrating as hell. Took the gun apart, no dirt, no metal shavings, springs look new, no burrs or anything obvious that looked broken. Reassembled it and dry fired it, it is smooth as silk. Took it to the range a third time and loaded it with magnums and it locked up after two or three rounds. This gun is pure junk. Any suggestions?
I also bought a SR45 and had to send it to Ruger a month ago. I will post about it in the semi forum.

 

[Captain America]

I would verify that the problem only exists with the Federals, if it only happens with one type of ammo you could either stay away from that cartridge, or, you will at least have a little more information to give Ruger when you call them.

 

[gramps]

Sometimes bullets jump crimp and will bind up the cylinder. Sorry you are having problems. My son has one like yours, has had a steady diet of magnums with no problems for close to 20 years. I have one with a 3 inch barrel. Lots of mag rounds down range, no problems. Why did the original owner sell it?
gramps

 

[57springer]

I have one in .357 , shoots all ammo , no problems .

 

[Hawk-in-Wi]

check the primers on the fired rounds , check to see if they're flowing back into the fireing pin hole , too hot of loads can or if the hole is too large it can cause that to happen

 

[hittman]

The majority of the time this is caused by powder built up and not cleaned out under the ejector star. There's an old toothbrush in my range bag just for the purpose of sweeping out that area.

If you're sure that's not happening in this case, call Ruger.

Likely they'll fix it for free.

 

[RoninPA]

Please tell us what you did to troubleshoot the problem. With that information there are many people here on the forum that can give suggestions on what to look for to see if it is the SP101's fault or something external to it.

We would also like to know how familiar you are with shooting revolvers. If you have shot a lot of revolvers in the past then you should be somewhat familiar with what can happen and what can cause problems such as what you are experiencing.

If the bullet is not jumping the crimp (making it too long and thusly causing cylinder binding) then it could be particulate matter getting under the extractor star and when you open the cylinder and eject the unfired and fired rounds the particles may dislodge allowing it to seat correctly again and fire some more until another build up happens. Remember, different brands of ammo burn differently and especially in a short barreled revolver there could be a lot of unburned powder that can get anywhere in the moving parts.

Also as said, if the primer cup is not as hard as it should be, when it is fired it can and will be forced back into the recoil shield (which is where the hole for the firing pin is located). With enough power it can force the primer back hard enough to embed it into the firing pin hole and jam the cylinder. When the cylinder is opened, the force of opening the cylinder can dislodge it enough for the cylinder to open and thus the cycle is repeated - in this case because of the ammunition being used.

No revolver binding condition is caused the same thing each time, that's why we ask for as much information as possible.

 

[deet]

To answer a few questions. I am an experienced revolver shooter. 40 plus years. I have shot ever type of revolver in almost every caliber. I was using Federal ammo, and also tried other rounds from various manufacturers. This gun is binding up using magnums, +p ammo, and 38spl rounds. It shoots 2 or 3 rounds and then it binds up tight as can be. I checked the ammo closely- no split cases, primers were seated, and the cases looked fine. This last range trip I noticed that on a few occasions when the trigger couldn't be pulled or the hammer thumbed back that the cylinder was loose. By loose I mean it would rotate a quarter of an inch or so by hand. But even after rotating the cylinder into a locked position, the trigger still couldn't be pulled or the hammer cocked by hand. It is very frustrating. I have owned literally hundreds of revolvers and have never had this happen. I have disassembled the gun after ever range trip and cleaned it thoroughly. It will dry fire smooth as silk. But put a couple or rounds down range and it locks up tight.

 

[hittman]

Not sure why you'd disassemble a revolver to clean it but ...... to each their own.

Call Ruger; looks like you've covered all other options.

 

[ADP3]

Check your barrel/cylinder gap. On some SP101's it's just too tight. A shim usually fixes the problem without a trip back to the factory. Let us know how things work out.

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

[arfmel]

Yes. Send it to Ruger.
They’ll figure it out. And probably fix it for free.
If you call and ask them nicely, they may even send you a call tag and you won’t have to pay shipping.

 

[pleadthe2nd]

+1 send it to ruger, my sp101 in 327 federal magnum was doing something similar, sent it back, they replaced the pawl, no more problems, it was seven days from when I shipped to the day it returned, very quick turn around.

 

[deet]

Thanks for the replies, sending back to Ruger on Monday.

 

[biker50]

Some SP101's are only able to shot 125 grain 357. If your gun is one of those it should have a roll mark somewhere that says "125 GR Bullet". When you shoot heavier grain what you describe happens. overall cartridge should not exceed 1.57 inches.

 

[gs50401]

I have a 2008 Sp101 3 inch. It loves American eagle 158 grain soft points. As others have said Ruger will fix it.

 

[deet]

Update. Received the SP101 back and Ruger replaced the Pawl. Gun dry fires nice. Traded it to a friend from work who knows about the problems. Hopefully it functions fine for him. I decided to trade it since I believe I wouldn't have any confidence in this as a carry piece.

 

[Mobuck]

"This gun is pure junk. Any suggestions?"
Two things I see here.
Relatively light weight revolver with magnum loads and it "hardly kicked". I notice the recoil of my 3" SP101 with 38+P ammo.
Shooting 38 and 357 cases can and does cause problems later with fouling in the cylinder.
Several solutions proposed above should fix the problem but as a last resort, send it to me and I'll give it a good home.

 

[deet]

The gun hardly kicked with 38spl rounds, and some light loaded .357 mag loads. That was what I said. With full magnum loads it kicked fairly hard. I am used to shooting all types of rounds in many pistols. The recoil with magnums is not as horrible for me, an experienced shooter, as it might be for a new shooter. As I stated I traded it after it came back form the factory, so all is good.

 

[jstanfield103]

To bad you traded it. I bet Ruger got it fixed and it would have never given you another problem and made a super nice revolver. Did you buy a different small revolver or something else ?

 

[JStacy]

Sometimes the small revolvers with a "snappy" recoil will unseat the bullets slightly . I use a method of roll crimp them iron it in with a taper crimp and have not had any more problems with bullets walking out of the crimp. Sorry your SP101 did not work out for you. I had a 2 1/4" 357 and while it had a lot of recoil it was both accurate and reliable . A friend talked me out of it on a trade , wish I had it back !!

 

[blackbeard88]

Deet, I also had the exact same problem with my brand new SP101 two years ago. I had the 3" version. Really like the gun and was carrying it a lot around the farm. However, it would not digest any .357 over 10 rounds before the cylinder would lockup tighter than the hubs of h*ll, the trigger not being pullable, and in some cases, the cylinder release button would fail to lock after the cylinder was in place. My first SP was sent back to Ruger for this with a detailed summary of everything. As to be expected, Ruger repaired it in a timely manner, free-of-charge, and sent a note saying "adjusted cylinder". Then, I went back to the range....

Same thing again...after one cylinder of .357, total cylinder lock again, trigger won't function, cylinder won't seat back in place and the cylinder release button stays pushed-in. This time, I took it to a local gunsmith in my area with 40yrs experience. He took some measurements and said the gun was pretty-much DOA, and should have never left the factory like this. He found the crane was bent, the cylinder gap was almost non-existent, and the ejector rod was obviously bent. Also, the hammer was riding against the frame. He said he's been seeing a LOT of SP101s like mine coming into his shop in the past few years with nearly identical problems, and he said it was "a shame because fundamentally they're great guns". He said to send it back to Ruger AGAIN. because he didn't feel comfortable trying to repair it as flawed as it appeared. (Ammo I used was WWB from Wal-Mart)

I sent my SP back to Ruger once again with a detailed note explaining everything. Once again, Ruger stood by their product and completely replaced it with a new one. I took it to the range, and shot 100 rounds of .38 and +P loads thru it with no problems. Honestly, though, I have lost my confidence in the SP as a reliable carry piece, and I will NOT shoot .357 thru it ever. Perhaps one day my confidence in it will return, but is ain't there yet. Currently, my SP is sitting in the gun safe. I've since began carrying a .38+P LCR for pocket carry that has been flawless so far.

Kudos to Ruger for standing behind their products. However, I think their QC is seriously lacking....just my experience. Yours may vary.

 

[gramps]

Put 200 rounds of carry ammo through your SP, if no problems carry it!
gramps

 

[Checkman111]

Three years later did your friend have any issues with it or was it ok for him? Just curious.