Ruger Forum

Waveform · August 2nd, 2012, 04:22 PM

Had the opportunity to shoot my new-to-me SP101 w/3" barrel at a local range today. (I posted my aquisition of this SP101 earlier under thread titled "Traded in on an SP101!")

Now I am by no means an expert marksman. Do not expect to see me on any upcoming season of "Top Shot". But I am reasonably proficient with my handguns and usually score pretty decently, especially at 7 yards. Nor am I recoil sensitive - I enjoy shooting my GP100, SR 1911, S&W 629 44M, S&W 460XVR, TC Encore 270W, etc.

I ran the target out to seven yards, took my usual sight picture on the center and placed a neat hole at 8 o'clock and about 6-7" from center. Did it again and got a similar result. Put all 5 shots in a nice grouping there. Reloaded and aimed at the silouette's upper left shoulder and found the red zone. Shot a box of 25 and left. Left shoulder of target would get me in the red, aim at red and hit out around 8 o'clock.

I don't think I was pushing or anticipating. Used a typical 2-hand hold. Gun felt good - nice balance and I love the Hogue grip. Had a nice "surprise break" on the squeeze. In other words, everything felt "right" just not very good results.

At home I looked at the barrel where it meets the frame. Both are flat on top and it appears to me that the two surfaces are not parallel, Like the barrel needs to rotate clockwise just a bit more. Is this what is referred to as a "canted barrel"? Would that cause the point of aim to be that far off?

Any insights from the group? I plan to take it with me when I visit my folks in a few days. Dad has a range on his property and he owns a couple of SP101s. I plan to shoot his, he'll shoot mine and we'll compare notes. Don't get me wrong - I love the gun. Ruger customer service is legendary and if we think it's the gun we'll send it right off to Ruger with a target and have them check it out.

As a footnote - this was a used gun but the serial number places it as a 2012 model. I wondered why a guy would want to give it up when still so new. Perhaps I now know.....

Ruger Redhawk · August 2nd, 2012, 04:30 PM

That's to bad. I always check even buying a new gun making sure the barrel and front sight are straight. Depending how far off it is yes that can and will definitely change the POI.
Since you've had it for such a short time I'd take it back to the dealer and let him deal with it or refund your money. You're probably right why the original owner traded it in. Good luck.

MarkB · August 2nd, 2012, 04:57 PM

If you got a good deal on the 101 call Ruger. They should fix it or even replace it if really bad. It doesn't hurt to call. Just try to talk to someone and not just leave a message.

Ruger Redhawk · August 2nd, 2012, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkB

If you got a good deal on the 101 call Ruger. They should fix it or even replace it if really bad. It doesn't hurt to call. Just try to talk to someone and not just leave a message.

I recently had a couple dealings with Gil in the tech dept in Newport NH. A great guy and will go out of his way to help you.

Waveform · August 3rd, 2012, 01:56 AM

Thanks for the contact name - always helps when calling someplace. I'm going to give it another range session with my father's input. Between the two of us there are 3 SP101 revolvers so we can really compare the results with different shooter/gun combinations. I want to make sure it's not just me before calling Ruger. If there is a problem with the gun I'm sure Ruger wants the opportunity to fix it. I would guess they wouldn't want a bad one circulating out there.

MarkB · August 3rd, 2012, 08:39 AM

You can also put the 101's side by side and look for any differences - like a canted barrel or other things. If you have a problem yours will be slightly different than the others.

Jack D · August 3rd, 2012, 09:09 AM

My SP101 has what I call an 'over rotated' (assuming right hand thread) barrel. If I understand your description correctly, yours is 'under rotated'.

Mine shoots just fine as it is and doesn't bother me, so I'll leave it.

Waveform · August 3rd, 2012, 03:29 PM

Well, I don't know what to think. Maybe it IS me. I showed my SP101 to a gun dealer and they agreed the barrel was "under rotated" (good description Jack D). I went back to the range and it shot pretty much the same as before - groups around 8 o'clock. The range is also a store with an on-site gunsmith so I showed him a couple of my targets and he checked the alignment and said although the barrel alignment wasn't perfect externally, internally the alignment was within industry standards. So I asked him to shoot a few rounds on the range, expecting to say "I told you so" afterward. Nope. He grouped around the bullseye with one shot almost dead center. (Sigh.)

We were shooting .38 special instead of .357 magnum and I finished off the box (previously had only shot .357M) and I did seem to do better with the .38s. I'll keep working at it and compare with dad's as I said before. I own mostly large frame revolvers (GP100, S&W 629, S&W 460XVR) and didn't have any learning curve like this. Same for my SR40, SR1911. Humbling I guess.

Jack D · August 3rd, 2012, 03:55 PM

I made a bi-pod for my handguns from a spring clamp. Takes the guess work out of it. Picture your barrel in the clamp in place of the welding nozzle.

Waveform · August 3rd, 2012, 04:08 PM

Jack - that is actually very clever! A spring clamp, a piece of webbing and 2 screws, right? How big is your spring clamp? I sense a weekend project coming on......

ADP3 · August 3rd, 2012, 04:38 PM

If your barrel is under-rotated bringing it up to 12 o'clock will move your groups to the right. Until you shoot your SP101 rested and off a good bench you won't be able to pin down whether it's the gun or you. There are a lot of variables involved-poor lighting in indoor ranges, the angle of the sun at outdoor ranges, canting the gun (the relatively small factory grip makes this easy to do), ammo preferences of a particular gun (heavier bullets shoot better in all of my SP101s), the size of your hand and the way it affects placement of your trigger finger, and a biggie for me at 60-how well my eyes are working that day. Load up your gear, several ammo choices, a good rest and you and your Dad spent some time checking it out from a bench. Give the gun a good cleaning before you go. The previous owner may have shot enough jacketed ammo through it that there are copper deposits in the barrel. Use a good copper solvent and follow up with patches until they quit coming out with a greenish/blue tinge. Follow up with oil and more patches. Copper solvents can etch a bore if they are not thoroughly removed. Keep us informed on your progress.

Best Regards,
ADP3

Jack D · August 3rd, 2012, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waveform

Jack - that is actually very clever! A spring clamp, a piece of webbing and 2 screws, right? How big is your spring clamp? I sense a weekend project coming on......

About 6". I used an old dog leash and the "turkey bands" keep it from sliding off.

Waveform · August 3rd, 2012, 06:38 PM

Good advice ADP3 - thanks. Will have a few days the end of next week and Dad has a range on the property so we can take our time and really check things out. And thanks for the cleaning tips. I found this SP101 at a gun dealer here in town and they had cleaned it in their ultrasonic cleaner. It looked like new but I don't know - would that remove copper deposits too?

McD · August 22nd, 2012, 12:29 PM

I wished I had seen this thread before. I know Ruger wants to fixed these kind of problems. It does them real harm to have discontented owners out there. They survive on repeat buyers. They also don't want owners to be "stuck" with a gun they can't sell, another black eye. Ruger wants to know about this. Send the picture and follow up with a call and I bet they will pay the freight and have it back in a week or so.