Backstory: Last summer I was in a LGS eyeballing a Colt 2nd Gen SAA (which I ended up putting on layaway), when I spotted a forlorn 6 1/2" Blackhawk in the display case. The price was right, so I bought that one as well, thinking that maybe I'd have a shorter barrel put on it and have the scratched cylinder replaced, as sort of a project gun or semi-restoration. When I got it home and had a closer look I saw that it had the 1976 Bicentennial markings on it, and at that time I decided to pretty much keep it as-is, since the gun is almost 40 years old. The damaged cylinder still bothered me, and the plan was to order one from Ruger when I got around to it.

Markings on top of barrel:




You can see the damaged cylinder in the picture below (Right-click and 'view image' for the large version).



It's a deep scratch all the way around, about 1/16" from the back of the cylinder. The previous owner must have had something get stuck between the frame and cylinder. I don't see how else this could have happened.


Anyway, I finally decided to call the factory and see if I could order a new cylinder. When I spoke to them, however, they told me that I couldn't just order one and drop it in, but that they would need to have the revolver sent to them so they could properly fit it. They also informed me that it would likely be about $350 just for the cylinder. I decided to send it out to them anyway, since I had originally intended to put a barrel on it as well. I told them that I wanted the old cylinder back as a paperweight, and they didn't seem to have any problem with that. I also requested that they replace some damaged grip frame screws that the original owner buggered up with a wrong-sized screwdriver.

I Fedexed the gun to Ruger on 10-27 and when they received it they gave me a call, which I missed. I called them back, and they informed me that they couldn't return the old cylinder to me. That kinda ticked me off, but before I could say anything, they told me that they were going to replace the damaged cylinder at no charge. Wow, I wasn't expecting that. I sent them a worn out 38 year old gun and they were treating it as if it was a normal warranty repair.

Fast forward to yesterday (11-6)... my gun arrived from Fedex 10 days after I sent it out. It was very well packaged, in an old-style box inside another shipping box. Included was a manual and the papers you normally get with a new Ruger, and a Ruger decal. Opening this up was almost like getting a brand new gun.



Turns out they not only replaced the cylinder and the grip frame screws, but they also replaced the base pin (I suppose it had to match the new cylinder), the hammer, the pawl, and the transfer bar (which did seem to be a bit jiggly before I sent it out).

I have to say, this old gun looks a lot better now, and I should be able to get another 40 years out of this fine revolver, or at least my son will when it gets passed own to him:




Ruger was more than pleasant to deal with, they did the work fast, and my only cost was in shipping it to them. I have several Rugers in my collection, but their fantastic customer service is just one more reason why Ruger is one of the top firearm manufacturers. Their guns are top-notch, built like tanks, and the company stands behind their product 100%. They repaired a gun that was worn out and nearly 40 years old, for free. I'm not even the original owner.

Thanks, Ruger. You've got a lot of class, and you have earned a loyal customer for life!

Sweet

Always had good luck with Ruger CS.

That's a nice gun. Sounds like Ruger really took care of you.

Ruger makes excellent revolvers.  Yours is one of the outstanding models...  

Unbelievable...

Ruger treated you good. Nice weapon also!  

Nice!  I've only seen one "bad" CS job from them, and they eventually made it right, but when their CS stumbles, it doesn't just stumble--it goes full FUBAR.

 

I only had to use them once and it was a very good experience. A+ in my book.

It's not even that I 'had to' use them; as old as the gun is, it had no issues aside from appearance. Ruger went a long way to keep an old gun in service for many years to come. I just can't say enough about what they did for me.

If anyone has had a bad experience with them, I wouldn't mind hearing about it. I only posted about my own experience with their customer service. I'd like to hear about others, good or bad.

Another earlier picture of the same gun:

That revolver will last forever. There are only a couple of brands that are as beefy. Honestly, the way Ruger is. you kid's grandkid's will likely get warranty repairs for nothing. Great company.

One customers old model that he insisted be sent back (missing several parts, old, worn out hunting pistol), they said they couldn't work on unless new model parts were installed.  No problem, says customer.  Off it goes.

 

Sounds like they finally made good, but it took a lot of perseverance to make it happen.

It reminds me of a story my friend told me, who works in the store where I bought this Ruger:

A customer of his was at the range and had finished shooting, and the Range Officer had called a cease fire. Somehow, someone behind him was fiddling with another gun that went off and hit his Ruger on the trigger guard as it sat on the bench next to him and sent the gun flying (yes, that person was ejected from the range and told to never return).

The customer wanted the gun sent back to Ruger to see if maybe they could repair it. They looked at it and said that they were not going to repair it, and that in fact they were going to KEEP it, but that he could pick out any new model for free, which he happily did. The damage was in no way the fault of the manufacturer, yet they still wanted to keep the customer happy ( a happy customer usually brings you more business, so it's a smart policy). It's also possible that Ruger just wanted the gun as an example for their own 'museum' if there is such a thing.

Same here.

what is considered a good price for one of these in good condition?

People talk a lot of crap on Ruger but I really like them. I've had good luck with Ruger CS. Mark Gureny BS'ed with me for about 10 min in a busy Ruger Shotshow booth, good people.

Ruger makes a solid gun. I'm very happy with all the ones I have, and I'll probably buy more of them in the future.

That particular one was in the $350 price range. I don't want to mention how much it cost me to ship it to the factory, but it wasn't cheap. Still, it was worth it considering what I ended up with. As I mentioned in my original post, I was in the process of buying a Colt when I saw the Ruger in the display case and I decided to grab it as well. It was just too good a deal to pass up, in my opinion.

Did you ship UPS or Fed EX and how much did shipping cost?

The quality of their customer service is one of the reasons I will continue to purchase their products.

I used FedEx... next day service was about $70, insured.

UPS wouldn't have been any cheaper. I used UPS to send back an old model Blackhawk for conversion, and it was $85 if I'm remembering right.

Good god man,  When I called they had the UPS guy show up at my door with a label and box sized for my return.  AK to NH and back in 10 days as well.

Hammer was chipping on my new SP101 WC so I wanted to get a checkup in.  Ended up with a new hammer, stoned surfaces, and a fluff n buff done on the revolver.  A spring swap later, and it is absolutely fantastic.

I didn't send it in for warranty work. I fully expected to pay for what I wanted done. They told me once I had sent it that there would be no charge for the work. This gun is 38 years old, and they still fixed it for free. I had no reason to think they would send a call tag for it.

On a side note, I have a WC SP101 like yours... the hammer has a seam down the back, so I have to assume it's MIM. Maybe that is why it chipped.
I don't like the overall  finish on mine, so I may send it off to Gemini to get it ported and bead-blasted. The 'grain' on the brushed finish seems to go every which way, unlike my Alaskan which looks great. I like the gun, I just think I got one with a crappy finish.

noyce

I have never had to actually use thier CS but I did call them to buy a new recoil spring and rear sight, they told me not to worry about it and sent me the parts for free.

Your story is awesome but doesn't really shock me too much with Ruger because I have heard many stories like yours and some even crazier.  

Gotta love a good ol American company that doesn't even offer a warranty but instead just goes above and beyond to stand behind the products they make.
 

Good service.

Very happy to read all this! I have admired Ruger revolvers for years. Bought a new SS 4" Sp101 from the LGS just this afternoon. Seemed to be a really well made pistol IMO.