Diving Deeper into GP100 Shooting: The Journey Starts

[jh9]

I am going to take it apart and clean the internals... I don't really trust myself with taking a stone to them though. I have no experience with that type of thing, admittedly.

No time like the present to get that experience then. Like the 1911 shooter that needs to "be their own armorer" the DA revolver shooter is in the same boat. I used to caveat that as "at least, used in any real volume." Maybe with the state of things you need it out of the gate. Otherwise the answer is the same as it ever was: sell it and buy a Glock 19. This isn't likely to be very enjoyable unless you're willing to get some grit under your fingernails.

Doing things like taking the high spots off the side of the trigger/hammer, fitting a hand, replacing a cylinder stop, etc isn't difficult to learn. I don't know enough about Ruger DAs to have an informed opinion on the kevinsworkbench.com link. But that's certainly the type of place to start.

Plenty of GP-100 "kits" here. Under $200 gets you a hammer and complete (seeming) trigger assembly along with other hard parts like the cylinder and barrel you could possibly use to recover some of the cost. If you're reticent, then tinker with those and leave your original parts alone.

[gato naranja]

There are options for moonclip cuts and a more advanced action job, but after corresponding with the owner, who has assured me the gun will be looked over and hand worked to make sure there's no defects, I think that is the route I'm going to go (basic action job, cylinder honing, cylinder chamfering). It's more for the additional QC than the action job and cylinder chamfering, but those are a bonus.

The only thing I consider my GP-100 to lack are chamfered cylinders. I don't NEED them, but I would like to have them.

I am just too lazy/cheap to have it done.

[358156hp]

I think you need to take it apart and give it a deep clean. Maybe stone the internals

It probably does need a cleaning. I'd be surprised if there were any burrs raised on the internal pieces, Rugers internal parts are harder than the hinges of hell and I've never seen any that are damaged. Yet. If there is anything like this going on internally I'd be more inclined to think that a small piece of displaced steel swarf broke loose from an area that was less than well machined. I saw a lot of this in an early SP101 I did for a customer several years back.

[SwampDweller]

No time like the present to get that experience then. Like the 1911 shooter that needs to "be their own armorer" the DA revolver shooter is in the same boat. I used to caveat that as "at least, used in any real volume." Maybe with the state of things you need it out of the gate. Otherwise the answer is the same as it ever was: sell it and buy a Glock 19. This isn't likely to be very enjoyable unless you're willing to get some grit under your fingernails.

Doing things like taking the high spots off the side of the trigger/hammer, fitting a hand, replacing a cylinder stop, etc isn't difficult to learn. I don't know enough about Ruger DAs to have an informed opinion on the kevinsworkbench.com link. But that's certainly the type of place to start.

Plenty of GP-100 "kits" here. Under $200 gets you a hammer and complete (seeming) trigger assembly along with other hard parts like the cylinder and barrel you could possibly use to recover some of the cost. If you're reticent, then tinker with those and leave your original parts alone.

I suppose it is time for me to cut my teeth on minor revolver tinkering. I feel more comfortable doing it on a Ruger with easily obtained spare parts (thanks for the link btw) than something like a S&W, especially an older one.

I’m already well stocked with multiple G19s, mags, and equipment. But I find myself drawn to revolvers, HKs in .45 and the Glock 21 more.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I did take the 6 shot Gp100 apart last night and gave it a good cleaning, spraying it out with CLP and lightly lubricating with the TWS stuff Ruger recommends. The trigger is still having the same issue on two chambers in particular. I didn’t see any burrs or debris, and I couldn’t tell anything off just by looking at the parts.

[BehindBlueI's]

It probably does need a cleaning. I'd be surprised if there were any burrs raised on the internal pieces, Rugers internal parts are harder than the hinges of hell and I've never seen any that are damaged.

My Redhawk .45 came with a burr on the hammer that was significant enough to drag on the frame, which contributed to light strikes in DA mode until I had a gunsmith fix it.

[SwampDweller]

My Redhawk .45 came with a burr on the hammer that was significant enough to drag on the frame, which contributed to light strikes in DA mode until I had a gunsmith fix it.

Your testimonies on the .45 Colt/ACP Redhawk is why I passed on that. Originally it was my first choice. Were the problems only shooting .45 ACP or did .45 Colt have issues also? Regardless I don’t think they produce it anymore.

[Stephanie B]

On my GP100 stainless so far I have used snap caps to wear in the action. Without notice, I pull the trigger and it completely stops about half-way back. I rotate the cylinder back one notch to the offending cylinder and the trigger pulls straight back and releases the hammer. In other words, I can't reproduce the malfunction. The malfunction happens on a very random basis. This does not instill confidence. It's ironic that I decided on a 6-shot cylinder due to the issue associated with the 7-shot one. Man, that karma bites me once again.

When it happens, keep pressure on the trigger and inspect the barrel-cylinder gap. Possibly it's binding from time to time.

[BehindBlueI's]

Your testimonies on the .45 Colt/ACP Redhawk is why I passed on that. Originally it was my first choice. Were the problems only shooting .45 ACP or did .45 Colt have issues also? Regardless I don’t think they produce it anymore.

IIRC, markedly worse with .45 Auto but not 100% reliable with either.

Now that it's cleaned up and has a longer firing pin installed, 100%. Or near as any man-made machine can be.

[gato naranja]

Or near as any man-made machine can be.

I have had that caveat driven home more than once.

Years ago I argued in a forum about how trustworthy one of my sentimental favorites had been. After my taking umbrage at someone who had a better memory, the synapses started to fire and suddenly the "exceptions" came walking out of the past and I realized that the reliability I was touting was more provisional than actual. "As long as I held it upright... and got the magazine seated correctly... and didn't ease the bolt forward on a round... etc, etc."

Since that time, I am considerably more circumspect. No matter how well I do my vetting, I know that the perfect storm is not out of the question.

[JAH 3rd]

Thanks Stephanie B, will do!