rickcr

I purchased a GP100 6'' barrel as my first revolver. I shot about 100 rounds of 38 Special ammo through it. No problems. I just cleaned the gun really well last night.

But now I noticed today that the cylinder is real tight going back and it doesn't seem to always click into place. And now when it does click into place, I can get anywhere from 4 to 7 rotations and then it locks up. Very difficult to even use the injector switch thing to release the cylinder.

I don't think I did anything bad when cleaning it as I was pretty careful. One thing I did notice from day one is the little pin thing that lines up out of the center of gun (not the firing pin but next to it) isn't exactly in the center.. but the first day shooting I never had an issue.

Is there something I can to do to fix this? Can I send it to Ruger for fixing? Should I try the gun shop first where I purchased it? Is it a known issue?

Sort of depressing since I love the way the gun shoots. I need something reliable and durable though (one of the rasons I went with the Ruger.)

Thanks for any info.

opos

Probably fairly simple and even typical for some of the GP's...mine will do it...if you are shooting ammo that leaves a lot of really bad residue it may get under the base pin that operates the extractor "star" on the cylinder...Mine will do that if I shoot soft and dirty hand loads and I've heard lots of comments about it from time to time...Really clean your gun well....make sure there is no carbon build up under the extractor and that the rod it rides on is lubed well.....Not over lubed! Really give the gun a thorough cleaning...did you clean it before you first shot it? often times the factory lube is preservative rather than lube and it can get gummy and keep things from functioning....Ruger's can have tight cylinder gaps and shooting 38 specials..especially cheap loads that are inherently sooty or dirty can be an issue till the gun is sort of 'broken in"....clean the hell out of it....take some pipe cleaners (e bay) and use a good solvent and lube (I use Hoppe's #9 as a solvent and after it's done it's cleaning...I dry things off well and then do a cleaning with CLP (I used Breakfree in the little 4oz bottle...just a dab will do wonders and protect the gun. Don't be discouraged...I think your gun is simply dirty and gunked up..possibly because you might have not cleaned it before firing it the first time....I have several GP's and SP's and have had a problem like that once in a while with all of them....if I got lazy about my cleaning or if I shot really dirty ammo.
Just one other thing...never "snap or flip" the cylinder back into the gun like they do in the detective movies...that ain't good for them...If you are uncomfortable with the situation and your gun shop is truly a gun shop and not some big box store with kids working there..go in and take the gun and ask for assistance...Rugers are really fine firearms and if it isn't a cleaning issue I'll bet Ruger will make it right in a hurry.

rickcr

Thanks for the quick reply. I was just about to type that "I feel like an idiot." I was googling for the issue and others mentioned the same thing as above.. so sure enough I took a closer look under the star and there was a "little" spec of residue.. I hadn't even noticed it. Well suffice it to say I removed it and it seems to be fine now (surprised such a small spec made such a big difference.) Sure glad I posted here and googled before going into the gun shop with it... still a noob and still learning. This forum is great!

Lesson learned! Don't overlook that area when cleaning (sadly I thought I hadn't missed a spot.)

(and yes the cheap ammo.. semi jacketed 38 special - did seem to leave a lot of residue.)

rickcr

Oh and no I hadn't cleaned it before shooting it

I did clean it with hoppe's 9... but man that stuff is greasy. Note, in another post, I couldn't figure out how to get the soot off the one end of the cylinder no matter how much I scrubbed with hoppe's 9. However in the post someone recommended to use "Birchwood Casey Lead Remover & Polishing Cloth" and WOW it worked wonders.. just came today and I just used it.

Another quick question, off topic from this one so hate to keep it in this thread... but do you actually put some oil in the cylinders and in the barrel? I watched this Ruger video and they mention to oil each cylinder?

Thanks again

gen2tegboi

Yes sir. A light film of lube in each cylinder and the bore is good for your gp100.

opos

Is your gun blued or stainless? If blued do not use a lead removing cloth or it will remove the bluing...if it's stainless there is a post up on the board right now about cleaning the rings off the cylinder...cosmetic purposes only..if some remains after cleaning that's just a stainless revolver and no damage done..As to oiling...almost everyone over oils...a lightly oiled patch put through the bbl and cylinders (lightly) and if you plan to shoot it soon, a dry patch can follow...oil will still be there...if your cylinder and bbl look oily when you are done...in my way of doing things...that's a bit too much...also are you shaking the hoppe's #9 well? you might want to shake the hell out of it..then pour a bit in the cap and dip your patches in the lid...don't dip a dirty patch in the bottle or it can just contaminate everything...I've never thought of Hoppe's as 'greasy"...maybe you are using way too much...if I'm using Hoppe's I pour some in the lid...put a couple of patches in the rod...sort of dip the patches in the hoppes and let it "spread" all across the patch...run it into the bore...pull it back out and let it sit for a few minutes....then I will take a brush on the rod and run it though several times and when done I take more hoppes on a rod and again run it though....I might repeat this process if the gun is really dirty...then I start running dry/clean patches through and do so till they come clean...then I'll take a couple of patches and dab some oil or CLP on them and run them through the bbl...then a dry patch to wipe off any excess. Same procedure with the cylinder bores. I don't use hoppe's on the parts of the gun except the bbl and cylinder bores...it's solvent and not lube....after I've tended to the bbl and cylinder bores I give the whole gun a light general cleaning with Break free CLP and a few patches...bore, cylinder, moving parts I can get to (I don' t tear down a revolver for cleaning..only for maintenance or repairs) ....extractor, etc...then a nice wipe down with a dry cloth...then a wipe with a silicone cloth...If you got lots of "gooey stuff" in the bbl or cylinders I'd guess your are using way too much stuff to clean.

I just went back to the other post and find it is also your post...what I see in your original post is way too much gunk in the cylinder...it looks like mud....please look at the Ruger video again...he uses very light coatings and amounts of liquids in all the operations....We tend to "love em to death" when they and we are new...I had a little Winchester pump 22 when I was about 10 (first gun)...I had enough oil dripping out of it to change oil in my car until Dad showed me that "a little dab will do you"...I have a 4 oz bottle of breakfree CLP that I've used for nearly a year and it's still got some in it...and I shoot a lot...same for a small bottle of Hoppes 9...I can pour just a little bit in the bottle top...do my cleaning and still have some to pour back in the bottle (I never have more than maybe 1/4 of the bottle cap full when I begin. Also don't let the Hoppe's or powder solvents sit in the gun for a long time...if your gun get's dirty enough to need that either you are not cleaning properly, or often enough or you have some issue like leading..

Again, let us know what kind of 38 specials you are feeding your baby and maybe we can help.

87hurricane

My last step when cleaning a gun is to run a bore mop with a few drops of oil through the barrel and cylinders. Then I wipe the whole gun down with a cleaning patch with a few drops of oil, and then wipe the excess off with a silicone rag. Once I am done the gun looks great, and I know it is protected from the elements.

rickcr

[QUOTE=opos;753432]Is your gun blued or stainless? [QUOTE]

Stainless

It's definitely 9.. but no I didn't shake it at all I will now next time.

[QUOTE=opos;753432].I've never thought of Hoppe's as 'greasy"...maybe you are using way too much...[QUOTE]

I think the problem is my nylon brush that I wrap the cloth around with the hoppes on it, is a really tight squeeze going into the barrel/cylinder so it starts to 'squeeze' off some out of the cloth. I'll use less and get a right sized bore brush.

Definitely going to order some of that.

It was 125g Remington UMC semi-jacked hollowpoint. I just purchased some different amo from wallmart (winchster?) (I think full jacketted.. not at home so can't recall for sure.)

Thanks again for the good cleaning tips. I'll remember them. I think I was just a bit overly paranoid since my glock doesn't ever seem to get as dirty (but maybe that's a semi thing vs revolver?)

mat523

When you cleaned your GP, Did you detail clean it, as in break it all down? If you did, did all of the springs go back in the right spots? the springs all look similiar, and some will fit in the wrong places. IE if you swap the hammer dog, and the Pawl spring.....the cylinder will lock up on occasion. just food for thought. Breaking down a GP is easy, but it does require paying attention to details.

DPris

Why wrap a patch around a brush?
You lose the function of the bristles.
In 45 years of shooting I've never done that.
Either a bare brush or a patch around a jag head or threaded through a slotted tip.
Denis