7-Shot Ruger GP100 Severely Sticking Ejector Rod

[SwampDweller]

My brother recently got a 4" blued 7 shot Ruger GP100 in .357 Magnum. For context, he previously recently bought a new Colt Python with severe timing issues and a 686+ that has a canted rear sight even with replacement of the rear sight assembly. He got the GP100 7-shot in attempt to get a good, dependable .357/.38 revolver. During his first range trip with it, about 25 rounds in, the ejector started being stuck upon trying to eject spent casings and it took considerable time and effort to eject. This was with a mixture of Federal American Eagle 130gr FMJ and Federal American Eagle 158gr JSP. I told him to take it home, clean it, lightly lubricate, etc.

Yesterday he went and shot it again, and after the first 7 rounds were fired the cylinder did the same thing when he tried to eject the spent casings. He's newer to revolvers in particular but astutely (in my opinion; for being newer to firearms and especially revolvers) observed "It's like the casings get stuck after they expand. I can't tell if it's the casings or the rod itself."

I'm not sure how to explain what is going on myself. I was not there and cannot see/handle the revolver. Is it the chambers? The ejector? The ammo? A combination of factors? Part of me wonders if it being a 7 shot has anything to do with it. Ejection with my 6 shot blued 4" GP100 has always been smooth and with no sticking at all (granted, I've only fired a couple hundred rounds through it so far). Could the same-sized but redesigned ejector having to deal with an additional fire-formed casing have to do with it?

I'm curious as to others' input, as well as experiences of anyone owns/shoots a 7-shot .357 Magnum GP100. I feel bad because I recommended the GP100 when he was looking for a dependable, reliable .357 revolver.

[jh9]

My brother recently got a 4" blued 7 shot Ruger GP100 in .357 Magnum. For context, he previously recently bought a new Colt Python with severe timing issues and a 686+ that has a canted rear sight even with replacement of the rear sight assembly. He got the GP100 7-shot in attempt to get a good, dependable .357/.38 revolver. During his first range trip with it, about 25 rounds in, the ejector started being stuck upon trying to eject spent casings and it took considerable time and effort to eject. This was with a mixture of Federal American Eagle 130gr FMJ and Federal American Eagle 158gr JSP. I told him to take it home, clean it, lightly lubricate, etc.

Yesterday he went and shot it again, and after the first 7 rounds were fired the cylinder did the same thing when he tried to eject the spent casings. He's newer to revolvers in particular but astutely (in my opinion; for being newer to firearms and especially revolvers) observed "It's like the casings get stuck after they expand. I can't tell if it's the casings or the rod itself."

I'm not sure how to explain what is going on myself. I was not there and cannot see/handle the revolver. Is it the chambers? The ejector? The ammo? A combination of factors? Part of me wonders if it being a 7 shot has anything to do with it. Ejection with my 6 shot blued 4" GP100 has always been smooth and with no sticking at all (granted, I've only fired a couple hundred rounds through it so far). Could the same-sized but redesigned ejector having to deal with an additional fire-formed casing have to do with it?

I'm curious as to others' input, as well as experiences of anyone owns/shoots a 7-shot .357 Magnum GP100. I feel bad because I recommended the GP100 when he was looking for a dependable, reliable .357 revolver.

There are a couple possibilities.

Ruger had an issue with their initial 7-shot GP-100s and case heads sticking because the cylinder diameter was small enough for the revolver-version of rimlock. There is a thread here somewhere that has the specifics about the diameter of the cylinder before and after the fix. If he can mic the cylinder he should be able to tell if it's before or after the modification.

The most likely culprit based on having problems with every other major brand is that he somehow wronged an old gypsy. Ask him if he ever heard someone say "ne'er again / would he hear / the cylinder spin". If so I think a factory replacement isn't going to fix the underlying issue. He's going to have to atone somehow. The first step is to find the specific gypsy he wronged, either in this life or the last. They move around a lot so if after a few days he hasn't found one locally it might be easier to just buy a Glock.

[JAH 3rd]

I'd just give Ruger a call and state the problem you are having with the revolver. Let them fix it. I know it's a pain to send it back, but they made it, let 'em fix it. Just my .02 cents worth.

[Tarrrnation!]

I have had a couple Ruger Sp101s and now two Ruger Gp100s - one is a 7 shot 3 inch - that had tight chambers in the cylinders making ejecting of spent cases challenging. I bought a flex-hone kit for the 7- shot GP100 to hone the cylinder case holes, but first I cleaned the cylinder holes very good with a bore brush wrapped in choreboy copper scrubber and any decent lube/cleaner/solvent (I had Ballistol on hand- does not really matter IMHO), and that seemed to do the trick for me. The cylinder holes were *just* tight enough to make ejecting spent cases tough. I would recommend he clean the cylinder holes as described and see if that helps.
Good luck to him.
Tar
Ps, I LOVE my Rugers, especially the GP100s. I hope he is able to work it out.

[JonInWA]

Have him contact Ruger and let them examine and repair/replace. Ruger's aftermarket service is legendarily superb.

The don't walk under ladders, hang around mirrors, or buy lottery tickets with him in the vicinity....

Best, Jon

[SwampDweller]

Thanks guys. Yeah, I think it's tight chambers too. I'll tell him to call Ruger. It's just unfortunate because the Python and 686+ were defective too. He also got a VP9 recently that had the roll pin holding the trigger safety thing in walking out. HK did fix it very quickly, though.

The curse seems to be a family thing, as I suffer from it too.

[H8Train]

Did he have any problems with the cylinder binding when attempting to fire it? I had a 7shot GP100 made in 2019. It would bind like a mfer, no matter what brand of ammo. Had no problems ejecting casings though. Called Ruger, they sent a prepaid label and I sent it in. Took them a week for a "its not repairable, what would you like to replace it with?" I opted for a 6 shot version and I had it in my hands a few days later. The 6 shot shoots great and no function problems.

I've read that they fixed the 7 shot problem at some point, and I've read of people that have zero problems with their 7 shot versions. I'm leaning towards it being a case of tolerance stacking, with some guns being ok and some not.

[SwampDweller]

Did he have any problems with the cylinder binding when attempting to fire it? I had a 7shot GP100 made in 2019. It would bind like a mfer, no matter what brand of ammo. Had no problems ejecting casings though. Called Ruger, they sent a prepaid label and I sent it in. Took them a week for a "its not repairable, what would you like to replace it with?" I opted for a 6 shot version and I had it in my hands a few days later. The 6 shot shoots great and no function problems.

I've read that they fixed the 7 shot problem at some point, and I've read of people that have zero problems with their 7 shot versions. I'm leaning towards it being a case of tolerance stacking, with some guns being ok and some not.

No cylinder binding at all. I remember the early 7 shot GP100s having that issue, but to my knowledge they tweaked the dimensions and got rid of that issue altogether. This one is purely having ejection issues.

Funnily enough, his Python did have cylinder binding issues.

[SwampDweller]

Update: My brother came to visit and brought the 7-shot GP100 in question. First off, the blueing is absolutely beautiful. It's high polished and deep, as pretty as my old blued Python. But comparing mine to his, his ejector rod feels rougher when I push it down, where mine is completely smooth. I wonder if the channel the ejector rod rides in is undersized.