Hi Ben. Well at least you were smart enough to test the new springs. And my point was that if a gun will only fire when using Federal primers or maybe Federal factory ammunition then you have a problem gun. You may not always be able to get federal primers. I have personally never bought any. I use Winchester or CCI. My two GPs fire them and anything else I stick in them without fail. And "without fail" is what I am looking for.
Need advice: GP100 Hammer/Main Spring
- Thread starter Ben_Snow
- Start date
Hi Ben. Well at least you were smart enough to test the new springs. And my point was that if a gun will only fire when using Federal primers or maybe Federal factory ammunition then you have a problem gun. You may not always be able to get federal primers. I have personally never bought any. I use Winchester or CCI. My two GPs fire them and anything else I stick in them without fail. And "without fail" is what I am looking for.
Thanks Rat, and I agree... Even if I can make the GP work with Federal Primers, it will be useless for CCW and home duty using my factory self defense ammo.
Right now I still have the 10lb mainspring installed, and changed the Trigger spring to the 10lb. I am loading a batch of 38sp with Fed primers for a test, and will bring along a dozen CCI's to retest.
I dry fired 2000 times today and my hands are falling off, hopefully I have worn in the action a bit. I already had 1000 rounds fired so should see at least some minor progress.
One thing I DID find on disassembly, one of the hammer shims is not flat. Looks like it was bent on installation, straightened, and then re-installed. Rather than wait for Ruger to replace I ordered a new RDA Hammer Shim Pak from triggershims.com, specified the .003 shims which I believe is the same stock size used in the MC. Makes me wonder if the shim was creating enough friction, combined with the lower spring tension, to increase the FTF rate using CCI primers.
Right now I still have the 10lb mainspring installed, and changed the Trigger spring to the 10lb. I am loading a batch of 38sp with Fed primers for a test, and will bring along a dozen CCI's to retest.
I dry fired 2000 times today and my hands are falling off, hopefully I have worn in the action a bit. I already had 1000 rounds fired so should see at least some minor progress.
One thing I DID find on disassembly, one of the hammer shims is not flat. Looks like it was bent on installation, straightened, and then re-installed. Rather than wait for Ruger to replace I ordered a new RDA Hammer Shim Pak from triggershims.com, specified the .003 shims which I believe is the same stock size used in the MC. Makes me wonder if the shim was creating enough friction, combined with the lower spring tension, to increase the FTF rate using CCI primers.
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Doc Holliday 1950
New member
Ben,
When I bought my GP 100 4.2" 357mag. my cylinder latch was almost impossible for me to open. DA was a chore and SA wasn't pleasant either. I tried snaps and etc. wasn't happy. I spoke to Ruger and told them my problems and they sent me a label and one week later i got back my revolver. I had to check the serial numbers to make sure that I got back the same gun. All three problems were corrected to my satisfaction and beyond. Ruger included a note telling me that my GP 100 was absolutely worked on to Ruger's tolerance. I took it to my friend who was the main gunsmith in the Nashville area and he told me that doing a trigger job and Spring would not make any difference. My Ruger was dynamite.
Maybe your GP 100 was at the higher limits of Rugers tolerance.
When I bought my GP 100 4.2" 357mag. my cylinder latch was almost impossible for me to open. DA was a chore and SA wasn't pleasant either. I tried snaps and etc. wasn't happy. I spoke to Ruger and told them my problems and they sent me a label and one week later i got back my revolver. I had to check the serial numbers to make sure that I got back the same gun. All three problems were corrected to my satisfaction and beyond. Ruger included a note telling me that my GP 100 was absolutely worked on to Ruger's tolerance. I took it to my friend who was the main gunsmith in the Nashville area and he told me that doing a trigger job and Spring would not make any difference. My Ruger was dynamite.
Maybe your GP 100 was at the higher limits of Rugers tolerance.
Thanks Doc...
I'll give Ruger a call tomorrow. While still a Ruger fan I'm very disappointed in the fit/finish of the Match Champion. This is 'supposed" to be the model that's honed to a quality level that eliminates the need for a trigger/hammer post-purchase finishing. While the hammer dog appears to be polished, the rest of the parts are untouched and still have existing burs and rough/uneven surfaces.
Contrary to popular belief there are no stock trigger shims installed the MC, and one of my installed hammer shims was bent on installation.
Take a look at the photos, this is a large piece of scrap metal and grease that had been caught in the "notch" that accepts the trigger assembly. Couldn't get the trigger assembly to mate with the cylinder frame, then found this little treasure inside.
I had similar problems with a Blackhawk SA that I purchased new seven months ago. On my first trip to the range the I had trigger/cylinder problems, after disassembly I found a tiny piece of steel wool lodged into the recessed hole where the base pin contacts the cylinder frame. One month later the pawl spring broke preventing the cylinder from indexing; Ruger provided free repair and shipping, but was without the revolver for two weeks. Guess its more profitable to skip the QA process and lower the per-unit pricing below the competition. Sure, the squeaky wheels like us will demand a free repair that costs Ruger $$, but the majority of people these days are buying only for CCW and will never notice.
Gunk from Cylinder housing 1
Gunk 2
I'll give Ruger a call tomorrow. While still a Ruger fan I'm very disappointed in the fit/finish of the Match Champion. This is 'supposed" to be the model that's honed to a quality level that eliminates the need for a trigger/hammer post-purchase finishing. While the hammer dog appears to be polished, the rest of the parts are untouched and still have existing burs and rough/uneven surfaces.
Contrary to popular belief there are no stock trigger shims installed the MC, and one of my installed hammer shims was bent on installation.
Take a look at the photos, this is a large piece of scrap metal and grease that had been caught in the "notch" that accepts the trigger assembly. Couldn't get the trigger assembly to mate with the cylinder frame, then found this little treasure inside.
I had similar problems with a Blackhawk SA that I purchased new seven months ago. On my first trip to the range the I had trigger/cylinder problems, after disassembly I found a tiny piece of steel wool lodged into the recessed hole where the base pin contacts the cylinder frame. One month later the pawl spring broke preventing the cylinder from indexing; Ruger provided free repair and shipping, but was without the revolver for two weeks. Guess its more profitable to skip the QA process and lower the per-unit pricing below the competition. Sure, the squeaky wheels like us will demand a free repair that costs Ruger $$, but the majority of people these days are buying only for CCW and will never notice.
Gunk from Cylinder housing 1
Gunk 2
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Well that is one gunky gun. I think I owe you an apology. I didn't realize you had a Match Champion. If I had have caught that I would have suggested that you just send the gun back to Ruger. That gun is promoted as a target/competition gun and it should shoot and operate like one right out of the box.
If you send the gun back be sure you reinstall the factory springs because Ruger will replace them and not return them. And be a squeaky wheel. That is what gets their attention.
I used to do factory repair work for a mobile home company. They would sometimes have a new guy that really didn't understand his job. Like the guy that would caulk the windows but would not get caulk in the grooves of the siding and every window he caulked leaked in the rain. I replaced many sheets of sheetrock because of this. One day I went in and showed him how to caulk the windows the right way. That stopped the window leaks and it only took a couple of minutes to fix the problem.
Doc told you right. Ruger will make it right. They have some of the best CS you will find. You really shouldn't have to work on a brand new gun.
If you send the gun back be sure you reinstall the factory springs because Ruger will replace them and not return them. And be a squeaky wheel. That is what gets their attention.
I used to do factory repair work for a mobile home company. They would sometimes have a new guy that really didn't understand his job. Like the guy that would caulk the windows but would not get caulk in the grooves of the siding and every window he caulked leaked in the rain. I replaced many sheets of sheetrock because of this. One day I went in and showed him how to caulk the windows the right way. That stopped the window leaks and it only took a couple of minutes to fix the problem.
Doc told you right. Ruger will make it right. They have some of the best CS you will find. You really shouldn't have to work on a brand new gun.
)GP100MAN
Ben,
Do a historical search, in this forum for a member by the name of GP100MAN or something like that. He use to be very active in here and was very knowledgeable on doing trigger and tuning work. He was of great assist to me and knows his stuff. See if you can resurrect his posts. .....
Be Safe !!!
Ben,
Do a historical search, in this forum for a member by the name of GP100MAN or something like that. He use to be very active in here and was very knowledgeable on doing trigger and tuning work. He was of great assist to me and knows his stuff. See if you can resurrect his posts. .....
Be Safe !!!
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I think you are talking about GP100man. He is most active in the reloading and casting forums. Just put his name in the search box on the members link. He doesn't post much. If this is the correct poster he has 1900 post. So I am not going to go through them to find any GP-100 tips.
But maybe if someone sent him a PM or email maybe he will come here and share his knowledge. Hint,hint.
I would like to read what he has to say.
But maybe if someone sent him a PM or email maybe he will come here and share his knowledge. Hint,hint.
I would like to read what he has to say.john in jax
New member
I am currently running the Wolff kit 8# return with the 10# mainspring in my GP100 and I have not had any problems. However:
I do not reload, only shooting off the shelf/store bought ammo
I used a cloth wheel + buffing compound on the hammer strut, only, to smooth out some obvious rough spots.
The 8# return with the factory mainspring felt pretty good too.
Since I have not e countered any issues, never tried the 12# Wolff mainspring.
I do not reload, only shooting off the shelf/store bought ammo
I used a cloth wheel + buffing compound on the hammer strut, only, to smooth out some obvious rough spots.
The 8# return with the factory mainspring felt pretty good too.
Since I have not e countered any issues, never tried the 12# Wolff mainspring.
I still think the GP100 MC and my Blackhawk SA are excellent revolvers, IMO the poor finishing and Quality Control are acute issues that do not effect the overall design itself.
I would hate to have the job of test firing after they come off the assembly line. While the metal scraps in mine were in non-critical areas, they could have been lodged in a location that would have resulted in a BOOM during a test firing.
Check back in a few weeks for my update...Will be interesting to see how much hand polishing (if any) has been done by Ruger. I took photos of all the internals that had burrs and/or poor surface cuts, and plan on inspecting the same parts on return.
I would hate to have the job of test firing after they come off the assembly line. While the metal scraps in mine were in non-critical areas, they could have been lodged in a location that would have resulted in a BOOM during a test firing.
Check back in a few weeks for my update...Will be interesting to see how much hand polishing (if any) has been done by Ruger. I took photos of all the internals that had burrs and/or poor surface cuts, and plan on inspecting the same parts on return.