Brand new revolver failure

American1776 · Jul 17, 2019

Took a brand new Ruger SP101 to the range. Had some factory Geco .357 158 gr. FMJ. New box.

First round went high left. Second round better, then the gun locked up. Could not rotate cylinder, could not open cylinder . Range guys were able to tap cylinder open. Here's what we found. The forcing cone managed to circumscribe the jacket off of the round. The jacket prevented the cylinder from rotating or opening.

I don't know if the gun was out of spec or the ammo was. Maybe both. Primer strikes are centered. There are three holes in the target and only two rounds fired. First round went high left. Second went towed the center. Third hole is jagged and low.

What an adventure. I'm glad I didn't get hit with anything.

bigggbbruce · Jul 17, 2019

Remove jacket and measure forcing cone.. I see ammo failure..

3 holes.. I'd be looking at the shooter next to me..

The_Truth · Jul 17, 2019

Sounds like ammo failure. Could very well have been the first round that partially failed, causing the second round to completely fail. May also be how there's 3 holes instead of 2 but that's just straight up weird.

American1776 · Jul 17, 2019

bigggbbruce said:
Remove jacket and measure forcing cone.. I see ammo failure..

3 holes.. I'd be looking at the shooter next to me..

There was nobody next to me, and I was next to the wall on the left side.

Muley Gil · Jul 17, 2019

Bad ammo, fer sure.

bigggbbruce · Jul 17, 2019

American1776 said:
There was nobody next to me, and I was next to the wall on the left side.

The 3 holes look like complete bullets, unlike fragments from one bullet..

Strange for sure..I wasn't there but are you sure..

OLDSTER · Jul 17, 2019

Bad ammo.

That target looks like one I'd be proud of at 10 yards.

parsonbw · Jul 17, 2019

I would send pics to Ruger and Geco, and see what their thoughts are. Can't hurt to get their insight.

mikerjf · Jul 17, 2019

How about round #1 separates, the jacket is stuck in the forcing cone, core makes hole #1. Round #2 separates, the core forces the previous jacket thru which makes the tumbling-looking hole low, and the core makes the other nice hole. Jacket #2 remains stuck in the core because you stopped there?

GeoJelly · Jul 17, 2019

Wow sir - i've never seen anything like that! I would call Ruger & I'm 99% sure they'll ask you to ship it back. I currently have four SP's and have owned a couple others in the past - with zero problems. They are test-fired at the factory - so as everyone else says - it is very likely an ammo problem. Too late now - but, I never, ever fire .357 ammo as my first rounds thru any revolver. I have a bunch of mild - but safe - .38 rounds that I test fire my "new" revolvers with. My most recent revolver is a DAO SP101 and I'll use my handloads thru it first. Again, just my opinion, but a 2-inch snub anything really isn't the ideal revolver to fire full-house 158-g .357 thru. I carried another little SP on my daily go-outside-in-the-dark foray, this morning, and it was/is loaded with Federal HST .38 HP's ...

H Richard · Jul 17, 2019

Just thinking out of the box, could that be a .327 barrel on that Ruger?

American1776 · Jul 17, 2019

H Richard said:
Just thinking out of the box, could that be a .327 barrel on that Ruger?

THIS got me thinking. I don't have calipers. So I 'slugged' the bore with a 357 round. It seems to fit just fine.

I wonder, could it be a 9mm barrel instead of a true .357 magnum? I know some revolvers can chamber both. Now i'm Thinking outside the box.

Muss Muggins · Jul 17, 2019

I'm starting to think it's you . . .

American1776 · Jul 17, 2019

Muss Muggins said:
I'm starting to think it's you . . .

How could this be a shooter-induced problem?

Muss Muggins · Jul 17, 2019

Didn't say that. Some people just seem to attract failure. I can't explain it. I got a brother in law like you. Nothing works for him . . .

American1776 said:
How could this be a shooter-induced problem?

American1776 · Jul 17, 2019

Muss Muggins said:
Didn't say that. Some people just seem to attract failure. I can't explain it. I got a brother in law like you. Nothing works for him . . .

Oh, I see what you meant. Yeah, maybe I have bad luck with firearms.

I've got some very good luck in life generally. (I was born an orphan in a foreign country, adopted into an American family, am a citizen, got a doctorate at one of the top research universities in the world, I live in the freest and best country in the world, have a great family. I'm the luckiest guy in the world to be an American.)

When it comes to guns---I seem to attract the lemons. :-D

357-RevolverGuy · Jul 17, 2019

Take advantage of Ruger's excellent customer service and have them at least check out your SP101 to make sure it's in spec. I've never heard of Geco ammo. Where is it made?

American1776 · Jul 17, 2019

357-RevolverGuy said:
Take advantage of Ruger's excellent customer service and have them at least check out your SP101 to make sure it's in spec. I've never heard of Geco ammo. Where is it made?

Switzerland is where the parent company is located.

oink · Jul 17, 2019

Bad batch of ammo. I'm thinking jacketed HP with a plain lead base. The first round separated with the core coming out followed by the jacket. The second the core left the jacket behind earlier and the jacket stayed. My experience with Geco ammo has always been good but it tends to be hotter. I'm not sure where it's made but I'm thinking Germany.

Warren Sear · Jul 17, 2019

I wouldn't send the gun back, or even contact Ruger about it. Maybe contact the ammo maker.

I would thoroughly clean the gun barrel, get a new box of ammo from a different manufacturer, and go shooting.

That should be the end of it.

Brand new revolver failure

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