I just got a used SP101 and I noticed that the ejection rod has quite a bit of play in it. Is this normal? Also, how would I go about removing the cyclinder? Do I have to take the trigger assembly out first? It has quite a bit of carbon buildup and I want to take it apart and clean it up.

Yes, you have to remove the trigger assembly to get the cylinder out.  You know about the little pin you use to get the hammer spring out, right?  Then take out the hammer and depress a pin at the rear of the trigger group to get it out.  Cylinder just comes right out after that.

I had an SP101 for a while.  I loved the way it shot, accurate as hell for such a short barrel.  However, I couldn't get more than about 25 rounds through it before the cylinder would seize up.  You have to disassemble it every time you shoot it and clean the crap out of it, literally.  I tried every kind of ammo I could get my hands, including hand loads, and still had trouble.  The stuff I thought was clean apparently wasn't so clean.

Get a manual before you do anything. Call Ruger at 520-778-6555, they will send you a manual free. For some reason Rugers are difficult to take apart...

Quoted: I had an SP101 for a while.  I loved the way it shot, accurate as hell for such a short barrel.  However, I couldn't get more than about 25 rounds through it before the cylinder would seize up.  You have to disassemble it every time you shoot it and clean the crap out of it, literally.  I tried every kind of ammo I could get my hands, including hand loads, and still had trouble.  The stuff I thought was clean apparently wasn't so clean.

I just recently picked up a ported SP101 in .357 MAG and have successfully shot over 300 rounds out of it, and have only cleaned 2 times during this duration. It has functioned the way a revolver should, and it is now my carry weapon.
It surely sounds like yours had a unique problem.

Quoted: Quoted: I had an SP101 for a while.  I loved the way it shot, accurate as hell for such a short barrel.  However, I couldn't get more than about 25 rounds through it before the cylinder would seize up.  You have to disassemble it every time you shoot it and clean the crap out of it, literally.  I tried every kind of ammo I could get my hands, including hand loads, and still had trouble.  The stuff I thought was clean apparently wasn't so clean. I just recently picked up a ported SP101 in .357 MAG and have successfully shot over 300 rounds out of it, and have only cleaned 2 times during this duration. It has functioned the way a revolver should, and it is now my carry weapon. It surely sounds like yours had a unique problem.

Not so unique. I had a SP101 in .357 that made a couple trips back to Ruger and still locked up frequently. Reloaded .38 specials with cast bullets were especially troublesome. That sick puppy is long gone. My S$W "preban" 640 is a much better gun by far.

I stand corrected!

So did I make a bad move by now using this as my carry weapon?


I put at least 30 rounds a week through it.
Still has functioned flawlessly.

I have a question for those of you who have had this problem.

This is issue come with time?
Or was it something that you noticed right away after purchase?

Thanks in advance, for I need to be sure I have a reliable life saver.

Quoted: I stand corrected! So did I make a bad move by now using this as my carry weapon? I put at least 30 rounds a week through it. Still has functioned flawlessly. I have a question for those of you who have had this problem. This is issue come with time? Or was it something that you noticed right away after purchase? Thanks in advance, for I need to be sure I have a reliable life saver.

If your piece runs reliably then I see no reason not to carry it. just make sure you watch it very closely when you do fire it. At the very first signs that it is becoming problematic ditch it and switch to something you are sure is reliable. There is nothing worse than pulling a gun on somebody and then finding out it doesn't work.

I agree, if it works for you use it.  I had problems from the beginning.  I switched ammo several times to see if it was just that.  No change.  Then I thought it just needed to be "broken in".  I ran 50 or so rounds through it, cleaned it, more ammo, more cleaning.  No change.  I even tested to see if it was caused by expansion when it got hot.  Nothing.  I sent it off to Ruger and they sent it back saying they tweaked something minor but found no major problems.  I wondered how many rounds they used to test it.  

Anyway, I really hated that I never figured it out because I loved the way it shot.  I put the Hogue grips on it and it handled so well for me.  The SOB would just jam up, that's all.  Bad for business.  I never could get speedloaders to work very well, either.  The cylinder just didn't drop out quite far enough.

I hope you have better, continued good luck with yours.

Well I hope so too!

The person who I purchased it from is a good friend so I was exposed to this firearm even before I bought it.

You guys sure have me all worried now!

Yes, my SP101 has the houge grip as well!
With that grip, it's one of the best feeling weapons I have ever held.

Quoted: You guys sure have me all worried now!

Sorry man, I guess that is an unfortunate side-effect of honesty.

ArmedAggie has had an ISOLATED incident with his SP101. I have had my SP101 .357 for over six years and my GP100 (which is more or less directly related to the SP101 designwise) for over fifteen years and have run a whole shit pile of dirty-ass ammunition with limited maintenence and have never, ever, had any of the problems he's described. Sounds like operator problems to me.

I've had a 9mm SP101 for about three years, and probably 350-400 rounds through it without a bobble.  Smooth trigger and very accurate!  The 5-shot full moon clips are effective built-in speedloaders.

BRS

Quoted: ArmedAggie has had an ISOLATED incident with his SP101. I have had my SP101 .357 for over six years and my GP100 (which is more or less directly related to the SP101 designwise) for over fifteen years and have run a whole shit pile of dirty-ass ammunition with limited maintenence and have never, ever, had any of the problems he's described. Sounds like operator problems to me.

I'll second that.  My Ruger revolvers (SP101, GP100) have never given me any problems shooting what ever crap ammo I fed them for 10 or more years.  .38 target loads to full blown .357 mag loads, lead wadcutters to JHP's with all kinds of powders, reloads and factory.
Never a hicup, nothing loose and nothing binds.  

Ruger .357's are built for a life time of full bore .357 loads.  If something is flopping about on one, something is wrong.  

Most likely the pistol has been abused somehow(slapping the cylinder open/closed comes to mind) or may have been a "lemon" from the factory.

Sounds like operator problems to me.

Mr. Dandy, what exactly do you mean by that??  Are you referring to the fact that I had to take it back to the store in order to reload?  I never did figure out how to get that damn spinny thing out.  

Actually, I agree that I think I got a bit of a lemon.  No, it was NEVER abused.  Far from it.  Perhaps SP10 and I are the only ones who have ever experienced this problem.  Simply because you have never experienced something (in this case a jamming phenomenon)does not mean that there is no such thing.

On second thought, maybe it is my fault for using that salt water/battery acid lubricant.

Bunghole/MurderSHO45 - IMHO you have some very fine revolvers.  I had over 40K rounds through my GP100 when I retired it, and my SP101 was my carry gun for years.  When you look in reloading manuals and see two different sets of data; one for Ruger's and Thompson Contenders and one for everybody else, it's for a reason.  Ruger Revolvers are built like a bank vault.

Disassembly of the SP/GP series isn't that complicated.  
First remove the grip panels being careful to retain the take down pin that should be stored under the fascia.  Remove the grip screw, take off the fascia panels, punch out the aluminum grip cylinder and pull the grips down off the frame.

Cock the hammer, insert the take down pin into the bottom of the hammer spring strut, and slowly release the hammer to relieve tension on the spring.

Remove the frame pin holding the hammer assembly and remove the hammer assembly and the mainspring assembly from the weapon.

The trigger assembly is held in place by a spring detent that locks into the grip frame.  Push in the detent(it's usually pretty stiff), and swing the trigger assembly down and away from the weapon.

With the trigger assembly removed, you can release the crane and work it out of the frame toward the end of the barrel.

This completes standard disassembly.  This is the procedure as I remember it, but I haven't done this in 4-5 years, so somebody correct me if I'm a little rusty and get something wrong.

The ejection rod should have a fair amount of play.  It is part of the design of the weapon that it serves as only an ejection rod; it has no interface with the rotation or lock-up of the cylinder.  That way, even if you bent the rod, as long as you could get the cylinder closed, it would still lock-up and rotate.

Did I mention that Ruger makes the best Revolvers on the market?

Mr. Dandy, what exactly do you mean by that??

Derive whatever inference you feel is appropriate.

Simply because you have never experienced something (in this case a jamming phenomenon)does not mean that there is no such thing.

There is no "phenomenon" involved. The revolver is a mechanical device, an inanimate piece of machinery. Everything has a logical explanation. Because you, out of the millions of SP101 owners have had a "problem," does not mean anyone else will. Yours is strictly an isolated incident.

Just to show how unbiased I am, I couldn't decide which I liked better, the SP101 or S&W 640. I wound up buying both. I still don't know which I like best, they both shoot just as well.

So, I guess since mine was the only incident (apparently) I should never have mentioned it, right?  I don't think I ever even implied that anyone else would have the same problem.  I guess I just thought it might be nice to make the gentleman aware of my experience for his own consideration.  If he never has a similar experience, great.  If he does, I guess he can figure out another place to look for input besides all you "experts".

You may want to look up phenomenon as well.  In fact, the word applies to both sides of this debate.  To me it was an even which I observed that seemed unusual.  To you (in common American usage) it was an occurence that would be exceedingly rare but is not independently verifiable.

Okay, I guess I don't have to be a smart-ass.  Sorry, Mr. Dandy.  It's been a long day and I need a beer.

Thanks for everyone's input on this matter.

I don't want to piss anyone off, but I will say that if if I was to find another thread about a particular firearm that was having a problem, we would find the exact same discussion that we're having here.

I understand all things mechanical will fail and some things just tend to come off the line as a lemon.

When I raised my brow in concern over what some people had said about the SP101,  I wanted honest opinions, due to this gun protecting my little girl and my soon to be wife.

There's no need for figure pointing, just honest opinions.

After hearing some of your stories, I still feel good about my carry weapon of choice, and I will continue to shoot over 100 rounds a month to make sure it's in tip top condition to protect my loved ones.

I'll let you guys know if I run into any problems.

BTW, the only issue I have with the SP101 (its very minor) is the ejection rod has a gritty feel while ejecting due to machining lines on the ejection rod. (like I said, very minor)

Other then that, it's been VERY good to me!

Probably the best $200 bucks I've spent in a long time!

If you haven't had problems you almost certainly won'y have problems.  I apologize for even bringing it up and making you wonder.

Okay, I guess I don't have to be a smart-ass. Sorry, Mr. Dandy. It's been a long day and I need a beer.

Devote your energies to coming up with a plan for A&M to beat OU. I HATE OU.

Coming down to see the Band, Dandy?  If so, remind me and I'll buy you a beer after the game.

Please check trhe barrel-to-cylinder gap.It
should be a uniform0.004-0.008 in.gap.
If it varies, your crane may be bent or the
cylinder out-of-round, or may be you just
have a cylinder face that needs planing-off
of the front.Sounds to me like after a few shots
the gunk on the cylinder front may be building-up enough to tie-up the gun.I have used Clark's
in Louisiana for Ruger gunsmithing over the
years(mostly first rate trigger jobs as
opposed to repair work) with much satisfaction.
They can also check the headspace for you and
correct as needed.This is subtle stuff I know
but the combination is what usually ties-up
revolvers.Good luck. Chuck Hunt

Quoted: Okay, I guess I don't have to be a smart-ass. Sorry, Mr. Dandy. It's been a long day and I need a beer. Devote your energies to coming up with a plan for A&M to beat OU. I HATE OU.

I'll second that.

Well, I would posit that Jim-Dandy's reading comphrehension skills rank right up there with his tact.

My SP101 was never 100% reliable, and I seriously doubt it was user error. I would guess this gun and ArmedAggie's were, indeed, exceptions. However, I would shoot the hell out the gun just to be sure if I were going to be carrying it.

Hey, SP10, you're not the dope I sold my SP101 to, are you?

heheheheh. Not likely. I'd be more inclined to think you bought mine, as I traded it away over a decade ago. OBVIOUSLY an isolated incidence with 2 incompetents owning the same gun.

You couldn't figure out how to open that spinny thing either, huh?  Boy, they hated seeing me coming at the gun shop.  It cost me more in gas running back and forth to get them to load it for me than I spent on ammo, whatever that is.

for what it's worth...

Mine has been 100% over perhaps 10,000 rounds, 50% .357 mag.... I bought the pistol for it's "tank-like" features... very solid and tough.  Accurate too.

Quoted: heheheheh. Not likely. I'd be more inclined to think you bought mine, as I traded it away over a decade ago. OBVIOUSLY an isolated incidence with 2 incompetents owning the same gun.

2 Incompents owning the same DEFECTIVE gun!

Didn't mean to imply a board member abused a firearm in my earlier post -- I thought we were discussing a used gun.