Ruger sp101 shot out forcing cone or not? Back from Ruger update!!!!

Over 15k rounds of magnums through a $500 gun and it still shoots great to this day, I'd say you got your money's worth out of it. Let's be reasonable, no gun can be made that never wears out. Just buy a new one. Do you spend $800 on a set of tires and expect them to last 500,000 miles? Of course not. You get 50,000 miles if you're lucky, then shell out the money to buy a new set. Sometimes, I feel sorry for the gun manufacturers with respect to the expectations of their customers. You spent more than $3,500 in ammo that you shot through this gun--that's 7 times the cost of the gun.
 
Over 15k rounds of magnums through a $500 gun and it still shoots great to this day, I'd say you got your money's worth out of it. Let's be reasonable, no gun can be made that never wears out. Just buy a new one. Do you spend $800 on a set of tires and expect them to last 500,000 miles? Of course not. You get 50,000 miles if you're lucky, then shell out the money to buy a new set. Sometimes, I feel sorry for the gun manufacturers with respect to the expectations of their customers. You spent more than $3,500 in ammo that you shot through this gun--that's 7 times the cost of the gun.
I have no complaints.

Your tire comparison however is not valid. Tires come with a mileage guarantee....usually between 50k and 90k. So when I shell out $800 for the tires I know when ill be buying a new set. Ruger has a lifetime warranty. That's their problem not mine........I'll send it back for the new barrel and not feel sorry at all.

Seriously....did you actually suggest I buy a new one rather than send it back? If so you have more money than brains.
 
I have no complaints.

Your tire comparison however is not valid. Tires come with a mileage guarantee....usually between 50k and 90k. So when I shell out $800 for the tires I know when ill be buying a new set. Ruger has a lifetime warranty. That's their problem not mine........I'll send it back for the new barrel and not feel sorry at all.

Seriously....did you actually suggest I buy a new one rather than send it back? If so you have more money than brains.

I have enough brains to understand the "lifetime warranty" is against defects, not normal wear and tear from what you acknowledge is heavy usage. You must be one of those guys who sits and eats for 8 hours at the "all you can eat" buffet, just because it's advertised as "all you can eat."
 
I have enough brains to understand the "lifetime warranty" is against defects, not normal wear and tear from what you acknowledge is heavy usage. You must be one of those guys who sits and eats for 8 hours at the "all you can eat" buffet, just because it's advertised as "all you can eat."
Total red herring with the buffet but nice try.

And I've eaten at a buffet exactly one time in my life. Nasty. Never again.

Ruger will replace the barrel.....I'll take the new barrel. Can't understand why you consider an eroded forcing cone wear and tear and i should just accept it.... but ruger .....the manufacturer.....will totally stand by it and replace it......and your calling me out for being unreasonable by asking for a replacement. You have issues dude.
 
Top strap showed a little flame cutting the first year.
all magnum caliber revolvers show flame cutting if used extensively with full power loads.

I'd be curious to see how Ruger handles this.
hard to say with a firearm where the owner admits to considerable use. honesty with ruger is a good path to follow. my opinion, i don't know if they'd just rebarrel and return a tired revolver. i'd be hoping for that if it were mine. i think the op will get a hefty discount coupon to go to the dealer of his choice for a replacement. just speculating, hard to say.

Not sure I've ever seen a worn out forcing cone.
this cone is past worn out, lol. i also believe a lot of "gun nuts" wouldn't know what they're looking at anyway with a shot out forcing cone

I've got thousands of 357 and 44 magnums through my Dan Wesson's with no issues so far.
i believe this. i shot a dan wesson (monson made) back in the days when i shot ihmsa. my spotter and myself shot a minimum of 800 to 1,000 rds weekly in practice at woburn sportsman's and the danny showed no signs of any major, normal wear one would expect. i cranked the barrel down to eliminate cylinder gap to the point where as the gun heated while shooting, i had to help the cylinder turn as i cocked the hammer. the only documented problem i suffered is it went back to the factory at least once yearly to have it re-timed. when i sold it, the only issue it showed was no blue on the cylinder from me giving it a helping hand and the barest minimum top strap flame cut i've ever seen. i've heard the new cz dan wessons are actually better than the originals. never even seen one though but all i've read and reports from current owners indicate that. 2 thumbs up to them!
 
I have enough brains to understand the "lifetime warranty" is against defects, not normal wear and tear from what you acknowledge is heavy usage. You must be one of those guys who sits and eats for 8 hours at the "all you can eat" buffet, just because it's advertised as "all you can eat."
I just researched the ruger warranty. They don't technically offer a lifetime warranty for legal reason. They do have a customer service department that stands by their product......generally no questions asked repair or replacement service on any ruger fire arm whether your the original owner or the 10th owner.

I own 4 ruger fire arms. All have been great guns 2 revolvers, a 10-22 and a mark iii. If they take care of this barrel for me they've earned a customer for life and also someone who will speak to others about how they stand by their products. It's a pretty good business model for them. Seems to work.....they are the number 1 fire arms manufacturer in the USA by number of guns sold annually.

So tell me again why I should not send it back and just shell out the cash for a new one.
 
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Absolutely send it back.

Contact
RUGER and send it back!
I don't know.....qqac thinks I'm a skinflint and a cheap bastard and should just throw it away and buy a new one.


In all seriousness though......
Calling them is this afternoon's project. Was going to call at lunch today but forgot to write the serial number down. I'm sure they'll want it.
 
50 rounds X 52 weeks X 7 Years = 18,200 Is that what we expect out of revolvers? I would have guessed a lot higher but I don't really know...
 
50 rounds X 52 weeks X 7 Years = 18,200 Is that what we expect out of revolvers? I would have guessed a lot higher but I don't really know...
I'd be pissed if the barrels on my DW revolvers only lasted that long. Even though the barrels take like 30 sec to replace by the owner.

A new 6" stainless 357 barrel would cost around $100-$120 from DW. Under $100 from EWK Arms. Not a huge expense if it were to fail after shooting ~18k rounds but still....
 
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50 rounds X 52 weeks X 7 Years = 18,200 Is that what we expect out of revolvers? I would have guessed a lot higher but I don't really know...
I don't know what to expect.

I know another guy replied to my post and said I've basically abused it by shooting it and I'm a cheapskate for even contacting ruger. Lol

I know it's definitely an eroded cone and ruger supposedly stands by their product 100%.
I'm going to get with ruger to see if they will take care of it. If they do I'm happy.
 
I'd be pissed if the barrels on my DW revolvers only lasted that long. Even though the barrels take like 30 sec to replace by the owner.

A new 6" stainless 357 barrel would cost around $100-$120 from DW. Under $100 from EWK Arms. Not a huge expense if it were to fail after shooting ~18k rounds but still....
I paid $425 for my ruger sp101......and rugers gonna probably replace it.

How much did you spend on the dan wesson?
 
Is 20k rounds death to a revolver?
Send it to ruger it deserves a going through. Let them decide for themselves if its a warranty or not.
 
I paid $425 for my ruger sp101......and rugers gonna probably replace it.

How much did you spend on the dan wesson?
That's a great deal there. I would not be pissed in the least, knowing I'd get a new barrel and/or new gun at no cost[laugh].
I think my Dan cost me around $750-$800 if I recall?
 
I'd send that back. Those cracks are going to keep getting bigger if you keep shooting it. It may still be accurate but that doesn't mean anything in this case. The damage is occurring at the breech end of the barrel, not in the rifled portion (yet).

Ruger has very good customer service and quick turnaround times for repairs. For example, while I was still working as a gunsmith, a customer brought in a mini 14 that simply would not work. I sent it in to Ruger. About 2 weeks later, it came back. They had replaced everything on the gun, free of charge besides the stock components and the receiver.
 
That's a bit past worn .
The metal is giving it up.
Some might call it well loved lol.
I'm sure Ruger will take care of you one way or another .
Even if you have to pitch in for a replacement barrel , if you like the gun that much it's worth it.
 
Just did more googling on ruger forcing cone erosion. Lots of folks on forums everywhere that all state ruger gave em a new barrel free of charge. Most claimed that the culprit is 110 to 125 grain hot magnum loads. I use almost exclusively 125 grain loads. May have to re think that
 
What was your maintenance routine up until this point? Sorry if I missed it earlier in the thread.
 
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Just did more googling on ruger forcing cone erosion. Lots of folks on forums everywhere that all state ruger gave em a new barrel free of charge. Most claimed that the culprit is 110 to 125 grain hot magnum loads. I use almost exclusively 125 grain loads. May have to re think that
Yeah the 110/125 gr 357 and 180 gr 44 mag loads are known to erode the forcing cone and top strap quicker than the loads using heavier bullets. Though it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. Will take quite a few rounds as you’ve experienced lol.
 
A few thoughts in no particular order.

Send the gun back to Ruger. They will almost certainly make it right.

People talk about whether this is not really a warranty issue, since the revolver has been worn out through use. Most firearms companies will not look at it that way, and it makes sense if you think about it. This firearm has stood up to ~20K heavy loads. The cost of factory ammo was approaching 10 times the cost of the gun. How many guns are really used to that extent? Maybe one out of every 1,000 that they sell. Making those guns right is a publicity win that gets noticed by serious shooters. And it costs relatively nothing considering all the guns they sell that don't see a tenth as many rounds in a lifetime.

As others have noted, the 125 grain magnum rounds are notorious for hitting the forcing cone hard. 158 grain rounds are supposed to be easier on the gun.

Regarding claims that the Ruger cast frames are not tough, I am not buying it. I will agree that they are a bit heavy, but Ruger has included enough steel to make them strong. And the solid frame, rather than a sideplate, is an inherently strong design. In every frame size, the Rugers are stronger than the comparable sized Smiths. I generally prefer a Smith for other reasons, but for strength I would have to give the nod to Ruger. This comparison is especially noticeable if you compare the Redhawk to an N-frame.
 
My experience with Ruger has been nothing but outstanding.

If it only needs the barrel they will probably replace it. Anything else wrong and they will probably replace the whole gun.
 
I think you should ask Ruger to replace the entire gun.

Who knows what else may be worn out.

They may be obliged and happy to send you a brand new one.

I would politely write up a good letter to go with this.

Tell them you have shared this information all over the internet.

If they give you a new gun, they will end up looking like an awesome company for the world to see.

It's a win win for all involved.

Lot's of companies offer a full replacement for worn out products. They are glad it was so well loved and it's a matter of pride to take care of their customers.
 
I think you should ask Ruger to replace the entire gun.

This suggestion is reasonable, but I would not do it.

Ruger service will fully inspect the entire gun, and they will make a determination about the best way to send back a revolver that is "up to spec." They have a pretty good reputation for handling this process, so I would just let them do it.

If they determine that your frame is fine, and they are going to repair the gun, then the work will be done in the service department. When it is completed, the service department will check to make sure that everything is right. So the repaired gun is likely to get a better quality control inspection than a new gun would.

Overall, I'd be perfectly happy if they repaired it. And if it is impossible, or too costly, to repair, they'll replace it anyway.
 
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