So there's this...

Now today at the range:





At this point I'm considering it a lemon and am going to ask for a different gun.

SBH? And other issues?

Lipsey's Blackhawk Flat Top Convertible .45 Colt/.45ACP. No issues other than one of the most important parts of a handgun falling off. Twice.

The hell?   Did the screw snap off or just come unthreaded?

If you had to call NH, I'd say to try to get a hold of Dave in their CS shop.  For AZ (handguns), try to elevate your call to a supervisor.  That shouldn't be happening.  CS should make a note on your account for the tech btw.

Is that red lock tite or some type of epoxy adhesive on the barrel and sight base?

My guess is the original hole end milled and tapped in the barrel was stripped - causing the sight to come off the first time.  And, if it's lock tite or an adhesive, I suspect rather than installing a new barrel, they essentially "glued" the front sight base back on. That isn't really an option in a .45 Colt Blackhawk.

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If that's the case, it's consistent with my experience with Ruger customer service. I had an SP101 with an improperly cut forcing cone that resulted in extreme leading.  The first time it went in they adjusted the extractor star and returned it, despite the ejector star having nothing at all to do with the described problem.  Ruger promised to have one of their supervisors look at it and had me send it in again.  They then decided it was not repairable and I had to wait 4 more months to get a new one the next time they made a run of SP101s.

I'm not such a Ruger fan when it comes to new Ruger revolvers.  I love the old Ruger revolvers, and they seem to do a great job on their 1911s, but I won't buy a new Ruger revolver.

Huh, I've posted about my experiences before and have never had an issue with their CS.  Sucks that other folks have issues though.   I do know that the president of the company reads emails directed at him, so it might be worth tossing an email his way.

It's not a screw. It's a stud that fits in a corresponding divot in the barrel for location. The base is then brazed to the barrel.

Okay, that's why I wanted to ask.  Some models have the front sight base screwed on.  How the fuck someone screwed up brazing and metal prep, I have no idea.  

Wow, that's a bummer. I have the 5241 (5.5") and haven't gotten to the range yet with it. I hope I don't suffer that same or similar fate. I got an LCR several years ago that had the barrel machined and inserted way off to the left, and they replaced it after getting it back. That said, yeah, who the hell screws up metal prep and brazing/soldering? They should Tig weld those on.  Maybe not as attractive, but it would never fall off. I did this back in the 80's on a NM BH I shortened the barrel on and got rid of the rear adjustable sights. Still on there today. Good luck Pokey, and I hope it gets fixed right or replaced!

It doesn't look brazed or silver soldered.

Both require temps around 1200 degrees and that can cause problems with the bluing, so it quickly escalates into a bigger job.  Steel to steel brazing is hard to do correctly - the metal prep has to be perfect to get a good join, and when you add that to rebluing the barrel, it becomes a pretty involved fix that will be beyond the capability of their entry level gun plumbers.

Consequently, I still suspect they tried to short cut the repair process and tried to glue it back on with epoxy bedding compound, etc.  Send it in again and have it escalated to someone who knows what he or she is doing.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. I will use it when I call them on Wednesday.

Called them the other morning. They said it went out for a brand new barrel and complete re-blue.

Decided to pick up another Blackhawk flat top convertible, this one in .357 Mag/9mm. Front sight is noticeably canted to the left. WTF, Ruger???!!! Trigger is really nice though so I'll wait to see if it shoots straight before asking to have it taken back.

Thanks OP.


This reminds me with why I don't buy anything but 10/22s from them.

It's too bad their QC doesn't match their customer service. I buy and sell guns like I change socks. I have NEVER had as much problems as I've had with Ruger. Really sucks because they make some great guns.