Blew up my Redhawk - Page 5

roklok · October 31, 2008, 05:05 AM

Just saw this thread, thought I would throw a comment in. I had to send my Bisley Super Blackhawk back to Ruger after I discovered a crack in the forcing cone. It had seen extensive use of heavy handloads and Ruger installed new barrel, replaced internal parts, and reblued the gun free of charge. I was happy with the customer service.

AZAK · November 2, 2008, 03:41 AM

Getting close to two months, any new news to report? Hear anything back from Ruger since your last info?

Master Blaster · November 2, 2008, 08:40 AM

Quote:

I specifically requested that they repair that gun (if it is safe to do so) since the trigger is so nice on it. (the trigger is much nicer than those of the Super Redhawks) (if you look back at the text of the letter I sent to Ruger, you'll see the full context)

I hate to say this, but dont be surprised when you get it back and the trigger stinks. They will most likely replace the lightened springs that are in it with ruger factory springs. You will know when you fire it single action and the SA pull is 8-10lbs. But dont despair, order a pack of wolf springs for it and change them back again.

Gun 4 Fun · November 3, 2008, 02:40 AM

JohnSka -you are dead on. The redhawk was/is a great gun, but many, many shooters and hunters were dissatisfied with the trigger pull. Ruger was listening and decided to change over to the GP100 grip and trigger system. About the same time as that they started getting reports of Redhawks letting go at the barrel/frame junction. They came up with the idea for the frame extention, but then they had to decide wether or not to keep both guns in the line. I'm glad they did, because in the late 90's the chambered Big Red in .45C. I have one and love it. The book Big Bore Handguns by John Taffin explains most all of this in fair detail. It's a great book any serious gun lover should have. John T. explains the lube issue as well, and he didn't get the info from wikopedia, as he has access to trade info most of us would love to be privy to.

Smaug · November 3, 2008, 09:23 AM

AZAK - No word from Ruger yet. I'm getting nervous too, as deer season is 4 weeks away. I have this sinking feeling that I'll get a call from the shop saying they have my gun one day before I'm supposed to go hunting. At which point, I'm screwed out of hunting this season.

Gun 4 Fun - Welcome to The Firing Line. I'll keep an eye out for that book. I like Taffin's writing, but would hate to limit myself to a book on big bore. (since I like medium bore too)

Master Blaster - You can bet your bottom dollar I'll fix it again if they've replaced the springs with the overly stiff factory ones. I just stoned & polished the action of my SP-101, then installed the Wilson "Custom Tune" spring kit, and the difference from the stock gun is just amazing. I won't be able to stand shooting stock Ruger revolvers any more.

Smaug · November 3, 2008, 04:07 PM

Don't know yet, rootcanal. They said the gun is in polishing. I can't imagine why it would be in polishing if it were the same gun but re-barreled.

I'm thinking it is a new one, and they're polishing the internals to comply with my request to make sure the action is as smooth as it was on mine.

I may have shot myself in the foot with that request, as that would be the thing that causes me to miss deer season.

Gun 4 Fun · November 3, 2008, 11:08 PM

Smaug, thanks for the welcome! I too hope you get your requests granted. Even more so since I had a problem 2 years ago with a brand new Blackhawk, and when I sent the gun in they told me [ on the phone ] that any modifications such as trigger work, sights, grips, etc. would be returned to factory original condition and if I wanted any of that stuff to take it off before shipping the gun, because they wouldn't return it. While I like Ruger guns I went quite a few years without one in my collection because of their attitude on matters like this. I know they're only protecting their hienies from litigation, but still they could be more polite on the phone when talking to their bread and butter. Also I would think a company as big as Ruger would have a custom shop like Smith does, so you could get some of these things addressed while your gun is there. Good luck and I hope you get it back in time to use it to hunt. If they give you a whole new gun, like alot of people have said, use a Wolfe spring kit. They're easy to install, and I would start with the middle weight spring and see how it works. I did on my .45C Redhawk but had to put the heaviest spring in the kit in to keep from getting misfires.

Smaug · November 3, 2008, 11:42 PM

Side note - I have the Wolff spring kit for the Redhawk right here. I ordered it the same time I ordered the kit for the SP-101.

Gun 4 Fun · November 4, 2008, 05:26 PM

Smaug - Taffins book starts at .357 and goes up, guess he figures it has enough of the right stuff to hang with the big dogs. Any word yet? I don't think I've ever seen a group of people so eager to here about someone else's situation.

AZAK · November 14, 2008, 03:11 AM

It has been over a week and a half since I last checked in about your Ruger.

Any news, or are you planning to throw rocks this deer season?

(Hopefully you already have it back, and have not posted about it due to too much time spent at the range with it!)

Wyngnut · November 14, 2008, 09:42 AM

WOW! Sorry to see and hear Smaug! I have no doubt Ruger will take care of you, just unfortunate and inconvenient. Many good informative posts, thanks gang.

Good Luck Smaug, enjoy your new piece.

Smaug · November 14, 2008, 09:51 AM

AZAK - No word from Ruger yet. I'm getting that despairing feeling that I will not be deer hunting this season thanks to this 25-year-old failure of Ruger's. I don't even want to go back to pg. 1 and see how long it has been. Feels like at least 2 months.

I'm going to write to Ruger again today. If I find out that it is sitting at the gun shop and they didn't call me, that shop is really going to get an earful.

On the optimistic side, I've got a box of ammo loaded and ready to go, featuring H110 and Hornady 240 JHP XTPs. 3 weeks to go.

Gun 4 Fun · November 16, 2008, 01:50 AM

If the shop your refering to is the gunshop it's being sent to and it is there, I'd use that first XTP on whoever was responsible.

Wyngnut · November 16, 2008, 11:32 AM

Any news on your Ruger Smaug?

Smaug · November 16, 2008, 02:37 PM

Nope. Sent them another email in the wee hours a couple days ago, asking them to please hurry it up. 2 months is plenty of time to re-barrel or replace a Redhawk, even if it needed polishing. I will look for a reply from them about Tuesday or Wednesday.

Customer Service, even with the desired end result, that takes months instead of days or weeks is not really excellent after all. Seems like they need crack open the checkbook and hire more people at Ruger...

Smaug · November 17, 2008, 03:17 PM

I just got a call back from the fun shop; they've got my Redhawk. It took about 9 weeks, all said & done.

This was cutting it a bit close, but I still do have 2 weeks to practice & zero before going out for a deer with it.

I'm curious to see whether they put another 7-1/2" barrel on it, or a 5-1/2". What are your bets? (the one it had was a 7-1/2", but in the letter, I asked for a 5-1/2") If it has the 5-1/2" barrel, it will be a fun range gun on the off season. Otherwise, it'll be.... well still fun, just damned heavy.

I've got 100 rounds all loaded up. A box of hunting ammo consisting of 240 gr. Hornady XTP with a full charge of H110, and a box of plated flat point 240 gr. with a light charge of HP38. (44 Special load in the magnum case)

I plan to go get it tonight after work, and to take 'er to the range on Wednesday. Wish me luck!

Wyngnut · November 17, 2008, 03:33 PM

Grats!

Bets are: I was gonna say...but recanted my reply upon re-reading your post. If it came stock with the 7.5" and you requested a lesser 5.5" then they would probably grant your request. If it was reversed, they might charge you a slight difference for the added materials. That's my bet.

If I was the floor manager for Ruger, and was responsible for solving this problem, I would grant the request on the basis of the inconvenience of having the gun break to begin with. It's all about reputation and doing the right thing. The right thing may also include stamping out that gun the way was it was originally sold. If it were up to me, I'd grant the request.

Gun 4 Fun · November 17, 2008, 03:45 PM

I agree and I bet you get your 5 1/2". I asked them to change one on a Blackhawk because a local "gunsmith", who actually was lisenced to do that kind of work ,****** it up so bad that the sight came flying off at my face while shooting at the range. They did it without hesitation even though I had had someone work on the gun. It originally was a 7 1/2" and they switched it to 5 1/2".
Let us know how it looks and shoots, eh.
Christmas came early to Smaug's house.

45reloader · November 17, 2008, 06:50 PM

WOW

I really hope Ruger keeps up the quality with the revolvers that they lack with the semi auto's.

Wleoff · November 17, 2008, 06:56 PM

Here's a couple of Redhawks that I bought new in the 80s. I use to shoot the 2x scoped Redhawk in 45 Colt with 325 grain Buffalo Bore rounds. I now shoot handloads in it with 250 grain Hornady HP/XTP copper bullets over IMR 4227 powder. It'll really tag a deer with either. I've mostly shoot commercial rounds in the 44 Mag Redhawk. So far, I've put thousands of rounds thru these two with now problems. Both are very accurate.

Smaug · November 17, 2008, 10:40 PM

Well, it's back. They somehow got that stub of a barrel out of the frame and re-barreled the same gun. They ignored my request for a 5-1/2" barrel. I guess I can't complain. The guy who said they would put it back just the way it was was right. No letter, no action polishing or anything.

Anyway, I'm glad to have 'er back. That stock cowboy grip feels better in my hand than the Pachmayr. I'm sure I'll change my mind on that part the first time I touch off a magnum load.

Who's your daddy!?

Smaug · November 17, 2008, 10:42 PM

So, in the end, Ruger did the right thing. I'm a bit surprised it took 9 weeks to re-barrel a revolver. Seems like a long time.

Maybe not Taurus-long, but long anyway.

Gun 4 Fun · November 17, 2008, 11:11 PM

Smaug- Sorry that those idiots at Ruger couldn't even make an effort to take care of a customer who
1- had to wait so long
2- made a simple request
Did they mess with the action, or leave it alone? Gee, it's been so long that I forgot, didn't it have a really smooth action that you asked them to either leave alone or put back the way they received it? I'd be willing they were holding you off so that they could meet their production quoata first, then get to the work that they weren't getting any money out of.
Hopefully it'll at least shoot the way you like.

AZAK · November 17, 2008, 11:13 PM

Quote:

back just the way it was was right. No letter, no action polishing or anything.

So, did they replace the entire action? Basically gutted and replaced all stock?

Congrats!!! No rock throwing for deer season for you!

kman · November 17, 2008, 11:15 PM

"I draw a bead on the target, cock the hammer, and cut 'er loose. BOOM!clunk, clunk, clunk"

That statement is priceless, I was wiping the marinara sauce off my screen when I realized a few thoughts of my own,,,front sight looks a bit off!!, or how about, Hmm, maybe this is a new take-down model?
Glad you can find humor after watching your $500 handgun disintegrate after one round.

November 2, 2008, 03:41 AM	#102
AZAK Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2008 Location: the object towards which the action of the sea is directed Posts: 2,123	Smaug Getting close to two months, any new news to report? Hear anything back from Ruger since your last info? __________________ The lowest paid college major/degree in this country after graduation... Elementary Education. Now, go figure...

November 3, 2008, 02:40 AM	#104
Gun 4 Fun Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2008 Posts: 956	JohnSka -you are dead on. The redhawk was/is a great gun, but many, many shooters and hunters were dissatisfied with the trigger pull. Ruger was listening and decided to change over to the GP100 grip and trigger system. About the same time as that they started getting reports of Redhawks letting go at the barrel/frame junction. They came up with the idea for the frame extention, but then they had to decide wether or not to keep both guns in the line. I'm glad they did, because in the late 90's the chambered Big Red in .45C. I have one and love it. The book Big Bore Handguns by John Taffin explains most all of this in fair detail. It's a great book any serious gun lover should have. John T. explains the lube issue as well, and he didn't get the info from wikopedia, as he has access to trade info most of us would love to be privy to. Last edited by Gun 4 Fun; November 3, 2008 at 02:41 AM. Reason: posted on wrong thread

November 3, 2008, 09:23 AM	#105
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	AZAK - No word from Ruger yet. I'm getting nervous too, as deer season is 4 weeks away. I have this sinking feeling that I'll get a call from the shop saying they have my gun one day before I'm supposed to go hunting. At which point, I'm screwed out of hunting this season. Gun 4 Fun - Welcome to The Firing Line. I'll keep an eye out for that book. I like Taffin's writing, but would hate to limit myself to a book on big bore. (since I like medium bore too) Master Blaster - You can bet your bottom dollar I'll fix it again if they've replaced the springs with the overly stiff factory ones. I just stoned & polished the action of my SP-101, then installed the Wilson "Custom Tune" spring kit, and the difference from the stock gun is just amazing. I won't be able to stand shooting stock Ruger revolvers any more. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 3, 2008, 04:07 PM	#106
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	Don't know yet, rootcanal. They said the gun is in polishing. I can't imagine why it would be in polishing if it were the same gun but re-barreled. I'm thinking it is a new one, and they're polishing the internals to comply with my request to make sure the action is as smooth as it was on mine. I may have shot myself in the foot with that request, as that would be the thing that causes me to miss deer season. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 3, 2008, 11:42 PM	#108
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	Side note - I have the Wolff spring kit for the Redhawk right here. I ordered it the same time I ordered the kit for the SP-101. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

October 31, 2008, 05:05 AM	#101
roklok Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2008 Location: Fort Yukon, Alaska Posts: 735	Just saw this thread, thought I would throw a comment in. I had to send my Bisley Super Blackhawk back to Ruger after I discovered a crack in the forcing cone. It had seen extensive use of heavy handloads and Ruger installed new barrel, replaced internal parts, and reblued the gun free of charge. I was happy with the customer service.

November 3, 2008, 11:08 PM	#107
Gun 4 Fun Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2008 Posts: 956	Smaug, thanks for the welcome! I too hope you get your requests granted. Even more so since I had a problem 2 years ago with a brand new Blackhawk, and when I sent the gun in they told me [ on the phone ] that any modifications such as trigger work, sights, grips, etc. would be returned to factory original condition and if I wanted any of that stuff to take it off before shipping the gun, because they wouldn't return it. While I like Ruger guns I went quite a few years without one in my collection because of their attitude on matters like this. I know they're only protecting their hienies from litigation, but still they could be more polite on the phone when talking to their bread and butter. Also I would think a company as big as Ruger would have a custom shop like Smith does, so you could get some of these things addressed while your gun is there. Good luck and I hope you get it back in time to use it to hunt. If they give you a whole new gun, like alot of people have said, use a Wolfe spring kit. They're easy to install, and I would start with the middle weight spring and see how it works. I did on my .45C Redhawk but had to put the heaviest spring in the kit in to keep from getting misfires.

November 4, 2008, 05:26 PM	#109
Gun 4 Fun Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2008 Posts: 956	Smaug - Taffins book starts at .357 and goes up, guess he figures it has enough of the right stuff to hang with the big dogs. Any word yet? I don't think I've ever seen a group of people so eager to here about someone else's situation.

November 14, 2008, 03:11 AM	#110
AZAK Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2008 Location: the object towards which the action of the sea is directed Posts: 2,123	Smaug It has been over a week and a half since I last checked in about your Ruger. Any news, or are you planning to throw rocks this deer season? (Hopefully you already have it back, and have not posted about it due to too much time spent at the range with it!) __________________ The lowest paid college major/degree in this country after graduation... Elementary Education. Now, go figure...

November 14, 2008, 09:42 AM	#111
Wyngnut Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Location: Wilmington, North Carolina Posts: 89	WOW! Sorry to see and hear Smaug! I have no doubt Ruger will take care of you, just unfortunate and inconvenient. Many good informative posts, thanks gang. Good Luck Smaug, enjoy your new piece.

November 14, 2008, 09:51 AM	#112
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	AZAK - No word from Ruger yet. I'm getting that despairing feeling that I will not be deer hunting this season thanks to this 25-year-old failure of Ruger's. I don't even want to go back to pg. 1 and see how long it has been. Feels like at least 2 months. I'm going to write to Ruger again today. If I find out that it is sitting at the gun shop and they didn't call me, that shop is really going to get an earful. On the optimistic side, I've got a box of ammo loaded and ready to go, featuring H110 and Hornady 240 JHP XTPs. 3 weeks to go. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 16, 2008, 01:50 AM	#113
Gun 4 Fun Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2008 Posts: 956	If the shop your refering to is the gunshop it's being sent to and it is there, I'd use that first XTP on whoever was responsible.

November 16, 2008, 11:32 AM	#114
Wyngnut Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Location: Wilmington, North Carolina Posts: 89	Any news on your Ruger Smaug?

November 16, 2008, 02:37 PM	#115
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	Nope. Sent them another email in the wee hours a couple days ago, asking them to please hurry it up. 2 months is plenty of time to re-barrel or replace a Redhawk, even if it needed polishing. I will look for a reply from them about Tuesday or Wednesday. Customer Service, even with the desired end result, that takes months instead of days or weeks is not really excellent after all. Seems like they need crack open the checkbook and hire more people at Ruger... __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 17, 2008, 03:17 PM	#116
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	It's Done! I just got a call back from the fun shop; they've got my Redhawk. It took about 9 weeks, all said & done. This was cutting it a bit close, but I still do have 2 weeks to practice & zero before going out for a deer with it. I'm curious to see whether they put another 7-1/2" barrel on it, or a 5-1/2". What are your bets? (the one it had was a 7-1/2", but in the letter, I asked for a 5-1/2") If it has the 5-1/2" barrel, it will be a fun range gun on the off season. Otherwise, it'll be.... well still fun, just damned heavy. I've got 100 rounds all loaded up. A box of hunting ammo consisting of 240 gr. Hornady XTP with a full charge of H110, and a box of plated flat point 240 gr. with a light charge of HP38. (44 Special load in the magnum case) I plan to go get it tonight after work, and to take 'er to the range on Wednesday. Wish me luck! __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 17, 2008, 03:33 PM	#117
Wyngnut Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Location: Wilmington, North Carolina Posts: 89	Grats! Bets are: I was gonna say...but recanted my reply upon re-reading your post. If it came stock with the 7.5" and you requested a lesser 5.5" then they would probably grant your request. If it was reversed, they might charge you a slight difference for the added materials. That's my bet. If I was the floor manager for Ruger, and was responsible for solving this problem, I would grant the request on the basis of the inconvenience of having the gun break to begin with. It's all about reputation and doing the right thing. The right thing may also include stamping out that gun the way was it was originally sold. If it were up to me, I'd grant the request.

November 17, 2008, 03:45 PM	#118
Gun 4 Fun Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2008 Posts: 956	I agree and I bet you get your 5 1/2". I asked them to change one on a Blackhawk because a local "gunsmith", who actually was lisenced to do that kind of work ,****** it up so bad that the sight came flying off at my face while shooting at the range. They did it without hesitation even though I had had someone work on the gun. It originally was a 7 1/2" and they switched it to 5 1/2". Let us know how it looks and shoots, eh. Christmas came early to Smaug's house.

November 17, 2008, 06:50 PM	#119
45reloader Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 669	WOW I really hope Ruger keeps up the quality with the revolvers that they lack with the semi auto's.

November 17, 2008, 06:56 PM	#120
Wleoff Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 2008 Location: North AL Posts: 380	Here's a couple of Redhawks that I bought new in the 80s. I use to shoot the 2x scoped Redhawk in 45 Colt with 325 grain Buffalo Bore rounds. I now shoot handloads in it with 250 grain Hornady HP/XTP copper bullets over IMR 4227 powder. It'll really tag a deer with either. I've mostly shoot commercial rounds in the 44 Mag Redhawk. So far, I've put thousands of rounds thru these two with now problems. Both are very accurate.

November 17, 2008, 10:40 PM	#121
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	Well, it's back. They somehow got that stub of a barrel out of the frame and re-barreled the same gun. They ignored my request for a 5-1/2" barrel. I guess I can't complain. The guy who said they would put it back just the way it was was right. No letter, no action polishing or anything. Anyway, I'm glad to have 'er back. That stock cowboy grip feels better in my hand than the Pachmayr. I'm sure I'll change my mind on that part the first time I touch off a magnum load. Who's your daddy!? __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 17, 2008, 10:42 PM	#122
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	So, in the end, Ruger did the right thing. I'm a bit surprised it took 9 weeks to re-barrel a revolver. Seems like a long time. Maybe not Taurus-long, but long anyway. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 17, 2008, 11:11 PM	#123
Gun 4 Fun Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2008 Posts: 956	Smaug- Sorry that those idiots at Ruger couldn't even make an effort to take care of a customer who 1- had to wait so long 2- made a simple request Did they mess with the action, or leave it alone? Gee, it's been so long that I forgot, didn't it have a really smooth action that you asked them to either leave alone or put back the way they received it? I'd be willing they were holding you off so that they could meet their production quoata first, then get to the work that they weren't getting any money out of. Hopefully it'll at least shoot the way you like.

November 17, 2008, 11:15 PM	#125
kman Junior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Location: Cincinnati Oh. Posts: 11	"I draw a bead on the target, cock the hammer, and cut 'er loose. BOOM!clunk, clunk, clunk" That statement is priceless, I was wiping the marinara sauce off my screen when I realized a few thoughts of my own,,,front sight looks a bit off!!, or how about, Hmm, maybe this is a new take-down model? Glad you can find humor after watching your $500 handgun disintegrate after one round.