Ruger called me today. Twice actually.
Some of you might remember my thread about my Redhawk being a bit out of spec. The barrel was squeezed from .4510 down to .4443 through the frame, the cylinder bores were too tight to pass a .4512 bullet without assistance, and the hammer pin hole in the frame was not round and allowed the hammer pin to move a wee bit.
The customer service rep was very polite and told me that the gun was not repairable. She offered me choice of either a new double action gun or a lengthy wait for replacement. Sadly, they did not have another 7-1/2" Redhawk in 45 Colt. There were parts availability issues.
I expressed my appreciation for her offer and explained that I wanted that exact gun. We discussed the fact that it was not a regular production model and she agreed that it must have been a distributor special. Since parts to build a new gun were scarce I asked if it was possible for them to tear my gun down and slide the guts into a new frame. She made a note and offered to investigate that as an option.
About 20 minutes later she called me back. Swapping frames was a non-starter. Apparently, there is some sort of difference between the 44 and 45 frames. I expected them to be the same but I'd never actually measured them side by side. Perhaps the difference is that a serialized frame is already marked for a specific caliber and changing that on a gun that doesn't normally change calibers is an issue. I dunno. Pure speculation there. Whatever the reason, they could not perform the swap. Again, I was offered my choice of currently available double action revolver or a lengthy wait for replacement (emphasis hers). Once more, I politely declined.
The rep said she would try to get my gun shipped back to me today with the promise that I could return it at a later date when the next batch of Redhawks might be back in production. I suggested some time in early 2014 and she agreed.
So, my Redhawk is coming home. I'll play with it a bit more and run the Ruger Death Match once more. The RH and my SRH will slug it out in a side by side comparison to see which one becomes king of the gun safe and which one is sent packing.
If the RH wins, I'll try contacting Ruger next year to see if the insane market conditions have cooled enough for the manufacturers to get caught up.
The conversation did not end the way I would have preferred but the rep was very polite, expressed concern for my wants/needs, and offered multiple options. I can't complain about the exchange. With a background in production management and being currently employed at a premium brand car dealership I know what it's like to have to make phone calls like the one she made to me.
I'll give Ruger a thumbs up for their attempts to satisfy my needs as well as the outcome. Maybe I'll pursue it again after the madness dies down.
Some of you might remember my thread about my Redhawk being a bit out of spec. The barrel was squeezed from .4510 down to .4443 through the frame, the cylinder bores were too tight to pass a .4512 bullet without assistance, and the hammer pin hole in the frame was not round and allowed the hammer pin to move a wee bit.
The customer service rep was very polite and told me that the gun was not repairable. She offered me choice of either a new double action gun or a lengthy wait for replacement. Sadly, they did not have another 7-1/2" Redhawk in 45 Colt. There were parts availability issues.
I expressed my appreciation for her offer and explained that I wanted that exact gun. We discussed the fact that it was not a regular production model and she agreed that it must have been a distributor special. Since parts to build a new gun were scarce I asked if it was possible for them to tear my gun down and slide the guts into a new frame. She made a note and offered to investigate that as an option.
About 20 minutes later she called me back. Swapping frames was a non-starter. Apparently, there is some sort of difference between the 44 and 45 frames. I expected them to be the same but I'd never actually measured them side by side. Perhaps the difference is that a serialized frame is already marked for a specific caliber and changing that on a gun that doesn't normally change calibers is an issue. I dunno. Pure speculation there. Whatever the reason, they could not perform the swap. Again, I was offered my choice of currently available double action revolver or a lengthy wait for replacement (emphasis hers). Once more, I politely declined.
The rep said she would try to get my gun shipped back to me today with the promise that I could return it at a later date when the next batch of Redhawks might be back in production. I suggested some time in early 2014 and she agreed.
So, my Redhawk is coming home. I'll play with it a bit more and run the Ruger Death Match once more. The RH and my SRH will slug it out in a side by side comparison to see which one becomes king of the gun safe and which one is sent packing.
If the RH wins, I'll try contacting Ruger next year to see if the insane market conditions have cooled enough for the manufacturers to get caught up.
The conversation did not end the way I would have preferred but the rep was very polite, expressed concern for my wants/needs, and offered multiple options. I can't complain about the exchange. With a background in production management and being currently employed at a premium brand car dealership I know what it's like to have to make phone calls like the one she made to me.
I'll give Ruger a thumbs up for their attempts to satisfy my needs as well as the outcome. Maybe I'll pursue it again after the madness dies down.
