Has Ruger Ever

D

Doc Holliday 1950

New member
I have read and heard that when you send your weapon back to Ruger, they put it back to its original specs and remove any work you've done on it like a hammer or trigger spring job etc.
Question is, has Ruger ever modified one's weapon to accommodate their special needs so that the person who sent it be able to benefit from the changes?
 
I think you have to look at the situation from their (Ruger's) point of view. If they allow your 'improvements' or 'changes' and send the gun back to you with those still in place then they are effectively putting their stamp of approval on them.

1. They might not think your changes are an improvement on their gun.
2. They might not want to handle the legal ramifications of tacitly approving your changes.

I'll step aside if any of the legal folk want to comment. That is, what if you agreed to sign away any possible liability actions if Ruger would leave your changes in place. I really don't want to wrangle the legalities beyond what I've just posted.
 
Only sent 1 firearm back to ruger and it wasn't modified so no direct experience. My guess is they are not searching for modifications to return to factory spec but if you had a trigger job done and sent it back for problems with your trigger or timing of something that may direct them toward your improvement, the first step would be to put it back to factory specs.
 
I once sent a Super Blackhawk back to Ruger...I had lost the cross bolt and they said a new one had to be fitted at the factory. They not only replaced the cross bolt, but changed all the screws to their then-new-standard, nylon lock screws. I was none to happy with that inasmuch as I wanted to keep the gun original. However, the tendency for the screws to come loose from shooting no longer manifested itself.
 
I've sent my p95 in and know a couple of folks that sent guns into ruger.
Ruger states they always return the gun back to you, as it left the factory.
*My buddy's GP100 had a Wolf spring set installed, Ruger replace all with factory stuff!:rolleyes:
 
Howdy

The standard advice is if you have added after market parts such as springs or after market hammers or triggers, remove them and replace them with the original parts before sending back to Ruger.

Ruger is extremely liability conscious, having lost some expensive court battles years ago. So they will not ship you back a firearm in anything other than factory condition.

If you send a gun to Ruger, you WILL receive it back in factory condition. Any after market parts may or may not be sent back to you in a plastic bag.

Of course you could always call up Ruger and ask.
 
My own view is to never send a gun back to Ruger.

Having said that, most of my Rugers are Single Actions, and most problems I can correct myself. Beyond that, I have a good gunsmith nearby.

Bob Wright
 
I've never had to send any of my Rugers back and I have a number of them. I do know that they will put it back to the original specs which means parts as well. One has to understand where they are coming from - and it's not just about them either - it's about lawyers and lawsuits. Personally, I don't blame Ruger for their policy. I have a lot of respect for Ruger and their products.

Just curious . . . . what "special needs" are you talking about? Are you talking about a change for a shooter with a handicap of some nature?
 
The question is pretty vague... What do you mean by special needs and what kind of accommodations are you looking for?

If you want something special done to a gun here are a lot of gunsmiths out there. Ruger guns are fairly basic to work on. Realistically anyone with some mechanical aptitude should be able to disassemble, replace a part and put one back together without much help. There are tons of video out there that show the process.

If you need something other than factory work done you are probably going to have to have some one other than the factory do the work.
 
I'll explain. The SA on my brand new SP-101 is near next to impossible for me to cock. The DA is not a easy to pull as my GP 100 but this I can live with. I called Ruger and discussed what my problem was about my age and what the gun would be used for and they were sympathetic. I was told that they would review the problem and if possible try to help me. I also put into writing to them.
Just trying to ask if they ever did this.
Thanks
 
In general- no.

And not meaning to sound unsympathetic, but Ruger won't modify a gun to meet "special needs" (to use the nearest applicable terminology).

If you can't use a Ruger product, you just can't use it.
The SP has a notoriously harder-cocking spring set-up, it's the nature of the beast.
Ruger won't do custom work on it to accommodate those who can't handle those springs.

They won't re-design the action, obviously, but they also won't deviate from their specs in terms of installing aftermarket springs or lightening trigger pulls or breaks.

It's the liability thing, and from their viewpoint once they open the floodgates the spill would open up new areas of liability they don't want to deal with.

You may not do anything stupid & blow your foot off with such a Ruger-modified gun, but the guy you sell it to later might, and Ruger (again- not to sound cold-hearted about it) would prefer to lose a few sales on the model among those who find factory specs un-workable than to lose millions in another lawsuit if there's even the possibility of a 5% peripheral attributable company-causation in the design or specs variation by a jury.

They establish specs based on both performance and safety standards.
You & I don't always agree with their specs, but once Ruger establishes them, they hang on for dear life.
One standard set of specs is easier to fight potential court battles on than several individual variations.

In your case, if you can't work the SP, you'll either have to adapt or go with something else.
Denis
 
From Ruger's Service Dept. FAQ's. Emphasis is mine.
Q. If any factory parts in my Ruger gun have been altered or modified, will the Service Department perform repairs on the gun?
A. Ruger firearms are designed to function properly in their original condition. Sturm, Ruger will not be responsible for any alteration of any part of the firearm, or for the addition or substitution of parts and accessories not manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. If firearms sent in for service are found to be altered, they may be brought back to factory specifications at the discretion of Sturm, Ruger and at the expense of the customer. So please remove any custom parts and accessories prior to shipment to Ruger for service.
Q. Does Ruger offer custom gunsmithing services?
A. No. Although Ruger offers factory service on firearms that we manufacture, we do not offer any custom gunsmithing services.
 
I have never sent anything back to Ruger but...

I think if you send a Ruger SA 3 screw in to Ruger for whatever reason they will modify it and convert it to the "new model" with the transfer bar and it will no longer have the classic 3 or 4 click traditional single action.

I don't know this for sure but I am pretty sure this happens as it is a safety issue of big concern with Ruger, liability, as was mentioned.

They have always included a flyer with their guns offering to do it for free. Ive never done it. I don't know if they send back the original parts when thy return the revolver.

So they will probably look very seriously at what they consider a safety issue if you send a gun in.
 
Liability can extend not only to a factory making or allowing an unsafe modification but to gunsmiths and individuals as well. If I do something to my gun that will make it unsafe, and blow off my own toes, I can't sue myself. But if I blow off someone else's toes, or if someone else obtains the gun by sale or loan or inheritance and he harms himself or someone else, the injured party can sue me or my estate, since I created the unsafe condition.

Gunsmiths are very vulnerable in that regard, and insurance is hard to get and expensive, so many smiths forego it. Even if a modification is done at the order of a customer, the smith can still be liable if he knew or should have known that it created an unsafe condition. He should not have done anything to make a gun unsafe, even if he lost the customer. Better to lose a customer than to lose the business and be paying out most of your income for the rest of your life.

Jim
 
Thank you everyone. What ever Ruger does and sends back will be fine. I certainly am not going to sell or trade this. Other than my problem with the SA,
this is the best "snub" that I ever shot. Better and more accurate than my 2" Rossi which I traded in or the Smith that I tried before getting this Ruger.

I fully understand Ruger's policy not to modify in any way shape or form other than the original or new original gun. My real concern was if the trigger pull/weight was more than the 14lbs that's in their manual and why was there a slight lag in rapid DA.
James, thank you for your reply and education. Your comments and everyone else's were most welcome and totally helpfull.
 
I had to send my Redhawk back for several issues including a horrible SA trigger. They fixed two of the problems and stated the other two (end shake and the very heavy trigger) were within factory spec.
So no, they won't lighten a trigger.

Jim
 
Thank you everyone. What ever Ruger does and sends back will be fine. I certainly am not going to sell or trade this. Other than my problem with the SA,
this is the best "snub" that I ever shot. Better and more accurate than my 2" Rossi which I traded in or the Smith that I tried before getting this Ruger.

I fully understand Ruger's policy not to modify in any way shape or form other than the original or new original gun. My real concern was if the trigger pull/weight was more than the 14lbs that's in their manual and why was there a slight lag in rapid DA.
James, thank you for your reply and education. Your comments and everyone else's were most welcome and totally helpfull
Click to expand...
Hey Doc, if your happy with the double action pull I would not send your SP101 to Ruger. The single action pull is always heavy on SP101 revolvers. I have had two of them and the single action pull is as heavy as my old H&R 22 LR revolver. Only solution is to pull a hammer spring from Woff and do some polishing on the main spring strut.
Like others indicated, if you sent a revolver back to Ruger with modications Ruger will send it back and replace your mods with factory parts. Also, Ruger does not do any gunsmith work. Best advice is to find a good gunsmith if you want to a real action job.
Good luck
Howard
 
Too late my friend. They have my SP and I'll get it back next week. whatever happens I will adjust and deal with it.
I really like this model and went thru heck trying to figure out which would serve me the best. Ruger won out. End of discussion. Maybe in my next life I'll go Smith.
 
I have an SP101 I brought brand-new something like six months ago. Cocking the hammer was absurdly difficult. The DA and SA triggers were certainly nothing to boast about. The good news is that they have improved over time. They're still not great, but by now they're at least mediocre.

My FiL bought a brand-new GP100 around the same time, and it has been excellent from Day One.
 
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