Author Topic: super blackhawk barrel update (Read 1076 times)

icthus153 · « **on:** July 21, 2005, 06:01:29 PM »

i posted a while ago about my super blackhawk barrel turning on me and wanted to give an update. i took it to the gunsmith and he tightened it but that only lasted about 20 shots and it was turning again. i really did not want to trade it, for 1 it is a good shooter and for 2 i dont like sticking someone else with a problem gun even though that is what happened to me. i went back to the gunsmith and had him mill a small flat spot to drill and install a barrel pin like the smiths have on them. it isnt the prettiest thing you will see , but it doesnt take away from the overall appearance. now i can hopefully have faith in my gun. it is a shame ruger has not come face to face with this . it is happening enough that they need to address it. myronman had it happen on 3 of his before he bought an FA but there is no way to convince my wife to let me spend that much money!!

AAAJohn · « **Reply #1 on:** July 22, 2005, 02:35:44 AM »

Could you have used locktite on it?

KN · « **Reply #2 on:** July 22, 2005, 12:00:32 PM »

I had one turn on me once. I took the barrel off, used a small center punch to put several peen marks on the face of the frame that meets the barrel, then used locktite. Never turned again. It is a shame though that you would have fix some thing that should never bee a problem. I really can't figure out why they don't use a left hand thread on barrels. That way it would be trying to tighten itself instead of loosening. KN

Jim n Iowa · « **Reply #3 on:** July 22, 2005, 02:20:29 PM »

I had my SBH barrel turn on me. I didn't notice it till I took off the not so good Square-B mount that was impossible to secure. To be honest I loaded up some hard cast a little to warm. We are talking 44 mag 240 hard cast to -1400 fps. I sent it in and Ruger returned it in 2 weeks fixed. I then checked out my RH 5.5" and the barrel had turned as well, though not as much. Sent it in to Ruger 8 wks later I had it back. They claim to have replaced the barrel, springs,(wolf) and repaired the gun and test fired it. Gun looks good, I did not admit to hand loads but those people are not stupid. Bottom line is send your gun to Ruger you pay the freight, they will fix it and send it back insured. Your local smith cannot buy factory parts from Ruger ie: barrel, frame so they limit the use of mods that may come under a warranty issue.
Jim

Jim n Iowa · « **Reply #4 on:** July 28, 2005, 12:40:35 PM »

I took my rh to the range to day. I just got it back from Ruger for a twisted barrel. They replaced the barrel. It shot great. I may send in my other rh and tell them it twisted, to get it back like this one.
Send it to them it can be a 8-10 turn around.
Jim

myronman3 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 03, 2005, 04:20:07 PM »

Quote

I may send in my other rh and tell them it twisted, to get it back like this one.

while i am glad things worked out for you, i wouldnt advise the above. when i sent my second gun in, it came back looking like someone threw it across the parking lot. besides the barrels turning, the time it took for ruger to fix mine (2 months a piece) combined with the condition of the second gun; my ruger pistol owning days are over. and for that matter, i might just swear off all rugers altogether, although i have not had any problems with my m77.

i used to be their biggest fan. i guess i had enough of their screwing me.

good luck to you ruger owners.

Cuz · « **Reply #6 on:** August 19, 2005, 04:22:33 AM »

well, to all you Ruger bashers, I am a happy, proud owner of Ruger weapons. I own a SBH .44mag, BH .357 mag, . I know, some folk have all kinds of trouble with a particular weapon BUT I would not blame a brand. except personally, I do not favor S&W.

barrel turns, fix it. you do stop by the gas pump and put in gas in your car, do you not? life is one long "fix-it". to date, I have NOT had the barrel of the Ruger revolvers to turn, AND I shoot a lot. I hunt with the .44 mag and the freezor gets filled each fall. the one thing I do not do that some others do is, hot load. being a handloader, with each new load, I set up the chrony and record 2 10round sessions, just to be sure the load is within the CORRECT limits.

what color of shirt are you wearing?? I do not like that color so I am wearing a white shirt. the same with weapons, if you want to find something wrong, YOU WILL.

I own, like and shoot Rugers. revolvers as well a long guns. a HAPPY Ruger owner.

Cuz

Dusty Miller · « **Reply #7 on:** August 19, 2005, 09:19:56 PM »

Well Cuz, that's a noble sentiment but the truth of the matter is that we gun owners, by in large, expect our guns to work as advertised. If the trigger ain't just right we figure that's really something of a personal preference thing but when the barrel starts unscrewing that's up a couple of orders of magnitude, kinda like the front sight falling off after about 25 rounds, ya see. If a gunmaker can't do any better than that we start to wondering about about other aspects of their products. If the barrell comes loose on the SBH then what the heck is going wrong with the 454 Alaskan? I can't speak for all gun owners but I'd bet the lion's share of us want some degree of consistency in a gun maker's quality.

big bore fan · « **Reply #8 on:** August 20, 2005, 01:32:34 PM »

I am also annoyed when people bad mouth a product or manufacturer after they experience 1 problem.

It would be great if every Ruger functioned perfectly and shot tight groups right out of the box, but for the price, what do you expect?

Since this is the single action forum, lets look at the blackhawk/bisley. They make the strongest, most reliable and safest mass produced single action revolver and it's pretty cheap.

Sure, some gun snob will say it's not a Freedom Arms, but it is what it is.

It's my understanding that Ruger stands behind it's product and will repair any revolver with a twisted barrel, but some people have been less than pleased with the service. That's still a lot better than what most manufacturers would do, and for inexpensive and strong single actions, they are the only game in town. Ruger could have horrible customer service and still sell plenty of revolvers. The fact that their customer service is pretty good should make people happy.

I have heard of worse problems with S&W's, so it's not like you can just switch brands and everything gets fixed.

If you want perfection, you have to pay for it, or else build the gun your self and make sure that it happens. There is no free lunch and a Ruger blackhawk is still pretty tough to beat.

Buffalo_Hunter · « **Reply #9 on:** August 20, 2005, 07:14:08 PM »

It is beyond me that such a fine firearm's manufacturer as Ruger,would allow this sort of nonsense to go on.Plain and simple,it's great that they fix things cheap,and that they do so in a pleasant manner,but the real issue is that this should not be the sort of problem that seems to be happening on a frequent basis.It appears that this happens fairly often and to those who say," well something can happen to any gun" or " they are generally strong and reliable weapons at a fair price",I agree with both sentiments but c'mon, a barrel should not be twisting on a Super Blackhawk or a Redhawk.I was ready to buy one of each model for packing and hunting,but now I know that I would never feel comfortable owning either gun.Ruger needs to address and resolve the basic issue,that is generating this problem and until then,they should lose sales,like they will with me.In the meantime,I'll be getting a Colt Anaconda and saving for a Freedom Arms Model 83.I earn my money the hard way,by working for it and I won't spend it on a gun that I will have no confidence in.Seems to me that Bill Ruger would be resolving this issue pronto,if he were still with us.Is it too much to ask for a basic issue to be resolved for something that we are paying good money for,or have we come to accept mediocre products and companies who seems to be indifferent to problems? Give it some thought.

myronman3 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 22, 2005, 12:23:02 PM »

cuz said

Quote

I know, some folk have all kinds of trouble with a particular weapon BUT I would not blame a brand.

yeah. a particular weapon.

how do you explain that it happened with three different guns that i bought?

Quote

the one thing I do not do that some others do is, hot load.

me either, cuz. if i want more power, i use a heavier cartridge. i typically run mid power level of a cartridge.

dusty, you got it right.

Quote

They make the strongest, most reliable and safest mass produced single action revolver and it's pretty cheap.

i dont think it is cheap to have 3 revolvers that break when you need them. so i rid myself of the rugers and got a f.a. 44 and had some change left over. there goes your cheap theory.

Quote

The fact that their customer service is pretty good should make people happy.

this is not a fact, jack. that is your opinion. how many guns have you sent in to ruger? one of mine came back looking like it had been thrown across a concrete floor, and it took two months with ruger knowing that this was the third gun with the same exact problem. you may consider this good service, i, and many others, do not. dont try to pass off your opinions as fact. and there are alot of folks around who have had this exact same problem besides me. so dont try to say it is something i have done.

buffalo hunter you are on the right track to save yourself a big headache. i agree 100% with everything you said.

God bless all you ruger owners. like i said before, i hope none of you have the experiences i have had with my rugers. but odds are more of you will as time goes by. be careful.