Recently purchased a NIB Ruger GP-100 with a 6" Barrel in .357 mag. Took it to the range and was very impressed with the accuracy and overall performance of the gun. I cleaned the gun later that night. The next day I went back to the range to shoot again, and noticed the hammer pull was ocasionally very stiff, and the rest of the time easy to operate and smooth. The stiffness seemed to happen 2 times in a row, but not at any specific interval. There would then be about a dozen good, smooth shots afterward. The gun was only shot SA using 125 gr factory loads. Any ideas or suggestions? Thank you in advance
Help! GP-100 question.....
- Thread starter Max S
- Start date
EIGHTYDUECE
New member
Cock the hammer back and look down into the action from above. You will see the flat arm that comes from the hammer assembly. When you reassemble it with that piece at a left or right angle it can cause the symptoms you are seeing.
I had the same thing happen to my 4" GP-100 after disassembling and reassembleing it.
Just disassemble & reassemble it again and see if you notice the symptom go away.
I had the same thing happen to my 4" GP-100 after disassembling and reassembleing it.
Just disassemble & reassemble it again and see if you notice the symptom go away.
Same experience as Eighty Deuce...I had the action hitch a few times on me somewhat randomly. After a a few outings and disassembly/cleaning/reassembly it never happened again. If you hadn't of been using factory ammo my first guess would've been primers that weren't fully seated.
I have the GP100 in 6" as well and it has become my favorite range gun. Cheap, accurate, versatile, and I don't have to chase cases.
I have the GP100 in 6" as well and it has become my favorite range gun. Cheap, accurate, versatile, and I don't have to chase cases.
Still.....
Thanks for the replys, i tried dissassembly, cleaning, oiling, and dryfiring with little luck. I took the gun out again today, and it shot fine. By the time i got home (about a 45 min drive) it was extreemly hard to pull the trigger DA or cock the hammer. The gun was then cleaned and reassembeled, and same thing..... hammer is randomly very hard to cock. Everything goes smooth on assembly until the hammer goes back in, then everything gets very stiff. Havent noticed any unusual wear... I will call Ruger tomorrow if im out of work in time, any last thoughts before i possibly send it back to them???
Thanks for the replys, i tried dissassembly, cleaning, oiling, and dryfiring with little luck. I took the gun out again today, and it shot fine. By the time i got home (about a 45 min drive) it was extreemly hard to pull the trigger DA or cock the hammer. The gun was then cleaned and reassembeled, and same thing..... hammer is randomly very hard to cock. Everything goes smooth on assembly until the hammer goes back in, then everything gets very stiff. Havent noticed any unusual wear... I will call Ruger tomorrow if im out of work in time, any last thoughts before i possibly send it back to them???
If you remove the hammer and trigger group, but leave the cylinder in place, will it rotate freely?
If you take out the hammer, will the trigger turn the cylinder with no problems?
Are you certain that you're getting the mainspring/mainspring guide back in properly? On the GP100, there is a front and a back to this part. I've never put it in backwards, so I can't say what the effect might be.
If you take out the hammer, will the trigger turn the cylinder with no problems?
Are you certain that you're getting the mainspring/mainspring guide back in properly? On the GP100, there is a front and a back to this part. I've never put it in backwards, so I can't say what the effect might be.
EIGHTYDUECE
New member
What JohnKSa said.
Is the plunger in backwards? I'm not sure if it can be installed backwards, but I'm stumped.
Is the plunger in backwards? I'm not sure if it can be installed backwards, but I'm stumped.
shoots awe lots
New member
Try holding gun pointed down and shake it, if it works after you do this the problem probably is the pawl spring and plunger. I just bought a new Ruger and they left these 2 pieces out. The trigger plunger is sloted and without spring presure it will hang up when gun is tipped backwards. Just something to check.
Another problem is the pawl plunger can get interchanged with the cylinder bolt plunger and they are different lengths. Also, be sure there is no powder under the ejector star. Also, if it is the same chambers that always are hard to pull on then maybe the ratchet is damaged.
P. Plainsman
New member
I've got one more suggestion for you, a different one.
My GP100 is a jewel, and a couple years of use have given it a wonderful trigger pull without any gunsmithing, but it does sometimes start to bind up after a long shooting session, or sometimes -- even more interestingly -- after cleaning. This baffled me for a long time.
Here's what proved to be going on. Hopefully my shaky grasp of revolver terminology will enable me to communicate.
First, unload the gun and set the ammo aside somewhere else! Then simply pop open the cylinder and look at the front of it. The cylinder rotates around a fat, round, stationary central shaft. This is a little different from the S&W geometry. Fouling and crap can get down into the thin gap between the cylinder and (what I'm calling) the shaft, and bind up the revolver. Interestingly, cleaning sometimes drives fouling into the gap that was not there, so my GP100 is occasionally slick and free-spinning at the beginning of a cleaning session, with grime all over the front of the cylinder, yet gets "bindy" at the end of the session when the outer surfaces are nice and shiny again!
But there's an easy, effective, if inelegant fix. Simply hold the gun pointing up with cylinder popped open and pour solvent over the ejector shaft and the whole cylinder shaft assembly. (You will want to have thick layers of newspaper underneath the revolver, especially if cleaning your guns on the coffee table
.) I don't mean gently dribble solvent on it, or rub it with a solvent-soaked cloth, I mean actually pour a quantity of Hoppe's onto the cylinder. 19 times out of 20 this immediately flushes out the grime in the gap and the cylinder will start spinning freely, with a normal, clean trigger pull and cocking action restored once you close the cylinder. Wipe the gun dry and you're good to go, with a smooth-functioning revolver that is somewhat more redolent of Hoppe's #9 than the norm 
.
See if this works. If this proves not to be your problem, hopefully it'll help one of the many other shooters out there with a GP100.
My GP100 is a jewel, and a couple years of use have given it a wonderful trigger pull without any gunsmithing, but it does sometimes start to bind up after a long shooting session, or sometimes -- even more interestingly -- after cleaning. This baffled me for a long time.
Here's what proved to be going on. Hopefully my shaky grasp of revolver terminology will enable me to communicate.
First, unload the gun and set the ammo aside somewhere else! Then simply pop open the cylinder and look at the front of it. The cylinder rotates around a fat, round, stationary central shaft. This is a little different from the S&W geometry. Fouling and crap can get down into the thin gap between the cylinder and (what I'm calling) the shaft, and bind up the revolver. Interestingly, cleaning sometimes drives fouling into the gap that was not there, so my GP100 is occasionally slick and free-spinning at the beginning of a cleaning session, with grime all over the front of the cylinder, yet gets "bindy" at the end of the session when the outer surfaces are nice and shiny again!
But there's an easy, effective, if inelegant fix. Simply hold the gun pointing up with cylinder popped open and pour solvent over the ejector shaft and the whole cylinder shaft assembly. (You will want to have thick layers of newspaper underneath the revolver, especially if cleaning your guns on the coffee table
.) I don't mean gently dribble solvent on it, or rub it with a solvent-soaked cloth, I mean actually pour a quantity of Hoppe's onto the cylinder. 19 times out of 20 this immediately flushes out the grime in the gap and the cylinder will start spinning freely, with a normal, clean trigger pull and cocking action restored once you close the cylinder. Wipe the gun dry and you're good to go, with a smooth-functioning revolver that is somewhat more redolent of Hoppe's #9 than the norm .See if this works. If this proves not to be your problem, hopefully it'll help one of the many other shooters out there with a GP100.
Update
Thanks everyone, for all of your advice. I sent the gun to Ruger on Wed, so I'll keep you posted on what they have to say when i hear from them... unfortunately, military duties have me leaving the country in about a week. I wasn't going to take the GP-100, or expect to have it back before I left, but atleast knowing the resolution would give me a little peace of mind. Thanks agian. Max
Thanks everyone, for all of your advice. I sent the gun to Ruger on Wed, so I'll keep you posted on what they have to say when i hear from them... unfortunately, military duties have me leaving the country in about a week. I wasn't going to take the GP-100, or expect to have it back before I left, but atleast knowing the resolution would give me a little peace of mind. Thanks agian. Max
).shooting4fun
New member
G'day Max S and et al.,
Had a similar experience to yours. In my case it took a bit to identify what the real culprit was. Fortunately, it was a really simple fix. OK, take some time and really have a good look underneath the extractor star.
Rugers are designed pretty well in that it is really hard to muck things up with dis-assembly and assembly.
I found that all it takes is a very small amount of debris trapped under the extractor star in most revolvers to bind things up with regards to the trigger. Yeah, one small grain of sand, unburnt powder, or anything and the extractor doesn't retract all the way back. Thus there is additional pressure/friction on the pilot bearing for the cylinder. That translates to a really crappy trigger pull.
I suggest a really good look, and a good scrubbing with a brush under the extractor. Cheers!
Had a similar experience to yours. In my case it took a bit to identify what the real culprit was. Fortunately, it was a really simple fix. OK, take some time and really have a good look underneath the extractor star.
Rugers are designed pretty well in that it is really hard to muck things up with dis-assembly and assembly.
I found that all it takes is a very small amount of debris trapped under the extractor star in most revolvers to bind things up with regards to the trigger. Yeah, one small grain of sand, unburnt powder, or anything and the extractor doesn't retract all the way back. Thus there is additional pressure/friction on the pilot bearing for the cylinder. That translates to a really crappy trigger pull.
I suggest a really good look, and a good scrubbing with a brush under the extractor. Cheers!