Author Topic: Mod. 97, 44Spl.- Had to send it back!  (Read 1359 times)

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Offline De41mag

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Mod. 97, 44Spl.- Had to send it back!
« on: October 18, 2008, 05:26:28 PM »
Yes... after 3+ years, I had to send the 44Spl. back for repair.  The cylinder stop would not engage, allowing the cylinder to spin at random, stopping wherever. And what was strange was that I was shooting standard pressure 44Spl. loads.

                                                                                                             
                                                                                                          Dennis  :(

Offline MarkH

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Re: Mod. 97, 44Spl.- Had to send it back!
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2008, 05:37:18 PM »
Broken bolt spring, most likely.  An easy fix.  The good news is that since the time you bought the gun, FA has improved on the spring and they break much more rarely now.

Offline paul105

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Re: Mod. 97, 44Spl.- Had to send it back!
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2008, 10:16:59 AM »
If you've already shipped the gun, and with shipping costs being what they are, you might want to have them replace the trigger spring and hand spring while they have the gun.   In light of Mark's comment above, it wouldn't supprise me if FA does this as a matter of course. 

At different times, I had to the replace bolt spring, trigger spring, and hand spring on my M97 -- that gun had been shot a lot.  Each time, I talked with John at FA and he tentatively diagnosed the problems over the phone.  I told him I would have a local guy install the new springs and if it didn't work, I'd send the gun to WY for repairs.  Saved a bunch on shipping.

If you shoot your .44 a lot, you might also ask them to send an extra firing pin back with the gun.

FWIW,

Paul

Offline Lee Robinson

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Re: Mod. 97, 44Spl.- Had to send it back!
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2008, 04:58:54 PM »
Paul,

Have you shot Rugers a lot too, and if so do you have to do more or less repairs on them (generally speaking)?
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Offline HAMMERHEAD

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Re: Mod. 97, 44Spl.- Had to send it back!
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2008, 06:26:05 AM »
Same thing happened to my 97-.357. FA called it a broken cylinder lock spring. I was shooting HBWC's at about 800 fps.

Of course FA made it right and had it repaired quickly.
That was three years ago, no trouble since. I hope I got the new spring.

Offline paul105

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Re: Mod. 97, 44Spl.- Had to send it back!
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2008, 05:42:33 PM »
Paul,

Have you shot Rugers a lot too, and if so do you have to do more or less repairs on them (generally speaking)?

Lee,

I have some Rugers, but haven't shot them as much as the FAs -- so I can't answer your questions directly.

Have had (for me) numerous QA related problems with Rugers.  Also, haven't had much luck with the 1" at 25 yds Ruger.

Have had substantial experience with S&W 329 PD -- at least 8,000 .44 Mag level rounds thru three of these guns over a couple of years.  They are literally  ment to be shot little and carried a lot.

 I Do have a FA .475 LB (Old model designation, not M83) that I bought used in Aug of 2007.  I have close to 11,000 rounds thru this revolver, mostly 400gr at 1,100 fps.  I broke a firing pin on this gun -- probably my fault -- I was dry firing with spent rounds in cyl.  No other problems.

Pau

Offline Ken ONeill

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Re: Mod. 97, 44Spl.- Had to send it back!
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2008, 04:12:15 AM »
Lee, in about 50 years of using many dozens of  Rugers in various models, I had one part break. It was the ejector rod housing screw on a NM Super Blackhawk that had been fired many many thousands of rounds. It broke 3/4 of the way through an IHMSA Silhouette match. We quickly red Loctited the whole works together while the targets were being re-set, and finished the match.
I also replaced several rear sights, because the aluminum sight had become worn due to numerous (thousands) of sight changes in matches and practice sessions. That wear, of course, doesn't qualify as breakage.
Implicit in your question is whether or not Rugers might be "better" than FAs. I have pretty broad experience with both. My opinion is that FAs are: Much more finely fitted and finished, USUALLY more accurate, and are factory chambered in some of the most powerful cartridges, equal to any revolver task.
However, Rugers are less expensive, USUALLY pretty accurate, and the .454 / .44 Magnums are all that most people will "need", and finally, since they are less finely fitted, they are probably less likely to "lock up" due to dirt, lubricant accumulation, etc. I'll grant that a "loose" gun can also let more dirt in, but I haven't yet locked up a Ruger. The Rugers are, however, much more likely to come from the factory needing some sort of attention.
Ya pays yer money and ya makes yer choice.... In my case, as I reflect on it, I last bought a Ruger sometime around the mid 90's. It's been FAs since then, but in my case, fine fitting, accuracy and hunting power for large game are important to me. I should also say that I haven't yet broken any FA part, although none of my FAs have been fired as much as some of my Rugers.

Offline nathan

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Re: Mod. 97, 44Spl.- Had to send it back!
« Reply #7 on: December 12, 2008, 11:14:29 AM »
I broke a spring in my M83 475lb after only a couple hundred rounds.  FA was more than happy to ship the spring to my address w/ the promise that I let a qualified gunsmith replace it.  I have a friend w/ a gunsmith license, so he put it in for free.  Much cheaper (and safer) than shipping my baby away for a week.  BTW..the metal in the spring must have had a flaw bc I haven't had a problem since.
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