New to me – used and messed up revolver.

[ztargetshooter]

I bought a used revolver at a very reputable shop. It has a problem.
It is a 30 year old .357 Ruger Service Six.

I shot a couple hundred rounds of 38 and 357 blazer my first time to the range with no problems.

The second time I take it to the range it is spitting a lot of lead/metal from the cheapest .357 Mag rounds ony. It shoots WWB .38 special fine. .357 Mag Blazer fine. But with this PMC ammo the kick was noticeably harder. I fired the first six rounds without a problem but thought they were just very hot compared to the Blazer.

I reload, fire 3 rounds and then my cylinder locks up. I can’t pull the trigger, cock the hammer, or even release the cylinder. I fiddle with it and am able to release the cylinder and unload. The revolver’s action was still locked up. I was able to get the action working again, however I felt like it regained functionality after cooling, but now wonder if a chunk of bullet was wedged between the cylinder and barrel and wiggled its way out. I reload after a few minutes, put 3 more down range and the same exact lockup. The trigger mechanisms seemed to work even during lockup but the cylinder refused to budge. After, a while the action returns. I find chunks of metal, the size and shape of a small fingernail. These might have been wedged between the cylinder and barrel freezing the cylinder. I'm not sure.You can see a couple on the box of ammo. Where the cylinder meets the barrel, there is a matching mark on the top of the barrel.

I then load up with 6 .38 special and fire them down range without a hitch.

As a note the cylinder locks up solid, the gap is very very slim. I can see light when holding the gun sideways to the sun so there is a gap. I don’t have a gauge however to measure it.

That makes me think, any of you guys that have had problems with a brand new gun. I really feel for you. That has to be 10X more frustrating that how I feel.

Is there any chance it could be the ammo? While that is a hopeful question and I somewhat doubt it, I don’t understand why I could shoot other ammo fine. One especially odd thing was the dealer had one half box of PMC "precision made cartridges" on the shelf. Now it makes me wonder if someone had returned it to him. (This was bought from a different dealer than the gun).

Does anyone know if Ruger would honor the pistol and fix it? It’s 30 years old and been through who knows how many hands so I won’t blame them if they tell me to go screw.

Another option would be to take it a gunsmith for a re-alignment and general checkup. Can this cost be estimated? I bought the gun to be a cheap shooter. If I had known I was going to have to spend an extra lets say $100 I just would have bought a new gun!

Any helpful input would be appreciated.

 

[dwarven1]

Stop using the Precision Made Crap. I've had the same issue with lots of side splatter with PMC .357 ammo. Now I won't buy that shit any more.

Get some GOOD .357 and run it through. Bet you won't have any problems.

 

[yanici]

I'm no gunsmith, but it looks, to me, like you might have a timing issue. You say the cylinder gap is ok so maybe it's not locking up properly and causing the "lead spitting" issue. You'll have to find out about the lock up and see if the barrel and cylinder are in perfect alignment at the right time.

 

[ztargetshooter]

Stop using the Precision Made Crap. I've had the same issue with lots of side splatter with PMC .357 ammo. Now I won't buy that shit any more.

Get some GOOD .357 and run it through. Bet you won't have any problems.

A guy at the range, 10-15 feet away from me said he felt side splatter when I was shooting. Maybe I can trade them back to the dealer.

The timing and alignment are concerns to me too. But it if was the timing it would have happened with .38 ammo too and I would guess wouldn't have hit the top of the barrel but probably the side. I thought the alignment was more likely as maybe the 38 had just enough extra cylinder space to line up right. But IANAGunSmith.

 

[6hold]

I would hustle back to the dealer that sold me the “half box” of ammo. Did you ask why it was only half a box when you purchased it? I’d explain just what happened at the range and that his half box of PMC was the only ammo causing the issue. If it was me I’d tell him I want my money back but instead of that I would safely disassemble the ammo so no one else could use and possibly be injured by them before bringing them back. Good luck in any case.​

 

[vellnueve]

Did you clean the entire action including each cylinder?

 

[dwarven1]

Like I said, I had this same issue with a box of Precision Made Crap in THREE DIFFERENT revolvers, a 686P and two Model 19s. No problem with other ammo. Folks standing next to me at the TVI fundraiser were complaining about getting the splatter. I'd say it's the ammo.

 

[ztargetshooter]

Did you clean the entire action including each cylinder?

Yep the gun was cleaned thoroughly. Twice actually. It was cleaned before and after the first time I took it to the range. This was only my second range visit with the revolver.

As far as the ammo goes I'm ditching it. I actually didn't buy the half box. I bought the full box right next to it. The full box was only $20 and I think the half box was marked at $15. The full box had a price tag from another dealer marked at $15. I think it was marked the Village Gun Shop. This dealer told me the price ($20) was so good since another dealer unloaded it on him. I no longer wonder why.

I wonder what he would charge for a 3/4 box?

 

[Jose]

Why not just send the gun to Ruger? They'll probably return it to you in like new condition for little to nothing.

A Security Six is a hell of a revolver.

 

[ztargetshooter]

Sending the gun back to ruger seems like a safe bet. And I like the idea that it would come back mechanically like new. My once concern is that this gun has a reduced power hammer spring. I wonder if they will work on it as the gun is not 100% original.

Thanks for the posts guys. I appreciate the input.

 

[Jose]

I wonder if they will work on it as the gun is not 100% original.

Yes. They'll just replace it with a factory part. Or you may ask ahead of time and request that they return the aftermarket spring to you.

 

[jhrosier]

Z,

I recently heard that Ruger has no more parts for the Security-Six or Service-Six revolvers. This model has been out of production for several decades.
You could call them to confirm this.

PMC ammo varied widely in quality. Some of it was top shelf and some other simply junk. The company is defunct, so if you trash your gun there is nobody to complain to.

Try a box of Winchester or Remington and see if the problem persists.

Jack

 

[Greg Derr]

ztargetshooter: I would recommend a proper cleaning of the cylinders and the barrel. You may have excessive leading. If you (or anyone) switches from .38spl to .357 without cleaning the cylinder, you can get soem bad results. The .38 is shorter than the .357 enough to build a ring of carbon in the cylinder wall. Some soft lead(swaged) may add to this buildup more than a FMJ or hard cast. Now when your .357 lead comes in contact with this rough surface in the cylinder- it starts to shave lead. All revolvers will eject some lead in the gap between the cylinder and the forcing cone to one degree or another. If you shoot a lot of lead it will lead to enough build-up that it may cause the cylinder to bild on the barrel( too close a gap) I use a single edged razor to shave the lead off the cylinder face. This may solve your issues. Greg Derr