Ruger SR22 Barrel Loose

irobro · February 7, 2012, 08:36 PM

After 500 rounds my new SR22 started to shoot eratically. I tried to sight it in and gave up. Got home to clean it and found the barrel extremely loose. The gun did not come that way; the barrel was tight. My problems is that I can't find an allen wrench that fits to tighten it. The manual says it's a 3/32" allen wrench. Nope, too small. a 1/8" is still too small. But a 5/32" is too big. What gives? I'm very surprised it loosened on it's own after 500 rounds. Has anyone else had the problem? Does anyone know the allen wrench size that will fit that screw under the trigger?

YARDDOG(1) · February 7, 2012, 08:59 PM

Try a 7/64th

Y/D

Marquezj16 · February 7, 2012, 09:41 PM

Sorry to hear about your problem. I checked mine, a 9/64 fits.

blchandl2 · February 7, 2012, 10:21 PM

Others have had the same issue on the Ruger forum. What is your approximate S/N#? They seem to think it was an issue on some of the first guns. Mine is still tight after 300+ rounds. I will check it often for the next 1000 rounds or so. Some blue Loctite would be a good choice.

Marquezj16 · February 7, 2012, 11:11 PM

This is not good news. I really like this pistol. I will check mine also after the 1000 rd mark. I think I will go ahead and put a drop of blue loctite anyway.

tahunua001 · February 8, 2012, 08:18 AM

this has happened with a few other guys, as far as I know it was restricted to the first few guns that hit stores. interesting that they would name the wrong size allen wrench in the owners manual.

Marquezj16 · February 8, 2012, 11:49 AM

Thanks for the heads up on the loose barrels. We now torque the screws to 55-65 inch pounds. We were only tightening them by hand at first. In 10000 round tests, we did not have any loosen. The Allen size is to be corrected in the next printing of the manual.

Joe

10000 round test! That will take a few days for me.

irobro · February 8, 2012, 12:48 PM

Thanks everyone for all the information! Yes, I found the obscure 9/64" allen wrench at the local hardware store. I torqued it down but loctite would be the 'semi - permanent' answer. No wonder I couldn't sight the d__m thing in! The rear sight is now at the top of its travel and all the way to the left.

Blue loctite... That still allows me to break the bond and get the screw out, right? Some loctite products are all but permanent.

I love the gun. I've put 500 of the cheapest rounds through it and it spit them all out (all, as in no faults); Remington bulk pack, Walmart bulk pack. Well, you get the idea; cheap ammo. Easy to field strip. Easy to clean. Fun to shoot

Marquezj16 · February 8, 2012, 12:54 PM

Blue loctite is not permanent. You can break it loose.

Hopefully that fixes the problem. Keep us posted. I'll do the same.

Iowa Fox · February 8, 2012, 02:08 PM

irobro, What is your s/n? Mine is less than 2000 but have not shot it yet.

Walt Sherrill · February 8, 2012, 07:12 PM

Re: blue loctite and similar products.

If you need to break it loose, heat the area (like the screw) with a soldering iron. Heat will speed up the loosening for most of these materials.

DPris · February 9, 2012, 12:22 AM

Those interested in using the SR22 with a suppressor won't want to use any permanent thread locker on the factory barrel.
Ruger's planning on making a threaded barrel available for retrofit in the near future....

Denis

qaf88vze · March 4, 2012, 07:59 PM

I decided and bought the SR22 Pistol back in late January for cheap shooting. After approximately 400 rounds the gun was jamming quite a bit. When I removed the slide the barrel was extremely loose. I had to buy a new set of hex wrenches to finally get the correct one to tighten it back up. The manual listed the hex wrench with the incorrect size. Went to the range yesterday and barrel is loose again. Upon inspection of the barrel the slot for the location pin has damaged the barrel from flopping around and now the barrel wont seat properly. Im calling Ruger tomorrow!

Marquezj16 · March 4, 2012, 08:25 PM

Keep us updated. My guess is that Ruger will make things right. It's too bad you had to go through the experience though.

I just shot mine today and everything went well, except for the malfunctions with Winchester ammo. The barrel is still nice and tight. I'm gonna make it a habit to check it after every 500 rounds.

qaf88vze · March 7, 2012, 05:40 AM

Update-Im sending it back to Ruger today with a prepaid shipping label.

cryption · March 7, 2012, 12:41 PM

Just had to chime in. I have 1200 rounds through mine so far, and my barrel seems fixed and solid. I've had some jams, FTF, FTE - but nothing I don't expect a .22 to do. I found the Remmington Golden Bullet has much less issues than the Winchester. I'm going to keep trying brands of ammo until I find what works best.

I will say this - I can't shoot the damn thing straight. I've been trying to sight it in and I'm off. I have to pick up my XD to remind myself I'm a capable shooter - but I haven't gotten the SR22 as accurate as I'm used to yet.

tinman507 · March 10, 2012, 09:26 AM

I bought an SR22 about a month ago Ser# 115XX. Made sure to check the barrel bolt and loctited it in (blue). We shot the gun twice over that weekend.
Brought it home to strip and clean. Found a wear mark on the slide on the relase side. Took photos and sent to Ruger. Had a ppd shipping label the next day and off it went to the mothership. They just shipped it back yesterday. Hoping to receive Monday.

Really a fun little pistol to shoot. It's accurate and easy to break down. I have heard of several other issues on them besides the barrel bolt and slide rubs.
The takedown lever has broken in several as the recoil spring weakens. It allows the slide to slam into the lever. You have to be sure the lever is fully embeded or the slide will lop the upper part of the plastic lever off. Not sure what Ruger is going to do about that.

Will report back when I get it in my hands at the range.

boostedtt91 · March 22, 2012, 09:47 PM

they must have an assembler who doesn't tighten there screws enough. After the first 150 rounds my grip screws started to come loose. I had to dig around to find a allen key to fit it as it seems to be a weird size.

g.willikers · March 23, 2012, 07:15 AM

Strong cleaning solvents will dissolve locktite, even the red one.
But it will also cause the locktite to run, and possibly get into places it shouldn't.

bitttorrrent · March 23, 2012, 08:44 AM

picking mine up this afternoon.

So I will inspect it, but should i put locktite or something on it?

Marquezj16 · March 23, 2012, 10:03 AM

From Ruger CS :

We now torque the screws to 55-65 inch pounds. We were only tightening them by hand at first. In 10000 round tests, we did not have any loosen. The Allen size is to be corrected in the next printing of the manual.

I would check it after your first range session. The allen wrench required is 9/64. I used blue loctite on mine.

bitttorrrent · March 23, 2012, 11:15 AM

awesome info - thanks. Ruger even though busy is on top of things.

I only bought 500 rounds. So i will only need 9,500 more rounds before i should check it again!

Marquezj16 · March 24, 2012, 11:18 AM

I check mine as part of my cleaning routine after every 500 rounds. It has not loosened up with the blue loctite so far.

guns93105 · December 12, 2012, 07:55 PM

I too had the barrel screw come loose on my new Ruger SR22. In fact, I fired at least 200 rounds through mine WITHOUT the barrel screw; with the barrel just sitting there. I was experiencing frequent jams, and the gun just felt sloppy, and hard to aim; duh! I did not realize the barrel was lose until taking it apart for cleaning. Ruger is sending me a new barrel screw and lock washer via priority mail--at no charge of course.

February 7, 2012, 08:36 PM	#1
irobro Junior Member Join Date: February 1, 2012 Posts: 9	Ruger SR22 Barrel Loose After 500 rounds my new SR22 started to shoot eratically. I tried to sight it in and gave up. Got home to clean it and found the barrel extremely loose. The gun did not come that way; the barrel was tight. My problems is that I can't find an allen wrench that fits to tighten it. The manual says it's a 3/32" allen wrench. Nope, too small. a 1/8" is still too small. But a 5/32" is too big. What gives? I'm very surprised it loosened on it's own after 500 rounds. Has anyone else had the problem? Does anyone know the allen wrench size that will fit that screw under the trigger?

February 7, 2012, 08:59 PM	#2
YARDDOG(1) Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: GATOR COUNTRY HA HA HA! Posts: 721	Try a 7/64th Y/D __________________ There's a GATOR in the bushes & She's Callin my name >Molly Hatchett<

February 7, 2012, 09:41 PM	#3
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,088	Sorry to hear about your problem. I checked mine, a 9/64 fits. Last edited by Marquezj16; February 7, 2012 at 09:48 PM.

February 8, 2012, 08:18 AM	#6
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	this has happened with a few other guys, as far as I know it was restricted to the first few guns that hit stores. interesting that they would name the wrong size allen wrench in the owners manual. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

February 8, 2012, 11:49 AM	#7
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,088	From Ruger CS Thanks for the heads up on the loose barrels. We now torque the screws to 55-65 inch pounds. We were only tightening them by hand at first. In 10000 round tests, we did not have any loosen. The Allen size is to be corrected in the next printing of the manual. Joe 10000 round test! That will take a few days for me.

February 7, 2012, 10:21 PM	#4
blchandl2 Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2008 Location: TN Posts: 525	Others have had the same issue on the Ruger forum. What is your approximate S/N#? They seem to think it was an issue on some of the first guns. Mine is still tight after 300+ rounds. I will check it often for the next 1000 rounds or so. Some blue Loctite would be a good choice.

February 7, 2012, 11:11 PM	#5
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,088	This is not good news. I really like this pistol. I will check mine also after the 1000 rd mark. I think I will go ahead and put a drop of blue loctite anyway.

February 8, 2012, 12:48 PM	#8
irobro Junior Member Join Date: February 1, 2012 Posts: 9	Thanks to all Thanks everyone for all the information! Yes, I found the obscure 9/64" allen wrench at the local hardware store. I torqued it down but loctite would be the 'semi - permanent' answer. No wonder I couldn't sight the d__m thing in! The rear sight is now at the top of its travel and all the way to the left. Blue loctite... That still allows me to break the bond and get the screw out, right? Some loctite products are all but permanent. I love the gun. I've put 500 of the cheapest rounds through it and it spit them all out (all, as in no faults); Remington bulk pack, Walmart bulk pack. Well, you get the idea; cheap ammo. Easy to field strip. Easy to clean. Fun to shoot

February 8, 2012, 12:54 PM	#9
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,088	Blue loctite is not permanent. You can break it loose. Hopefully that fixes the problem. Keep us posted. I'll do the same.

February 8, 2012, 02:08 PM	#10
Iowa Fox Junior Member Join Date: February 5, 2012 Posts: 2	irobro, What is your s/n? Mine is less than 2000 but have not shot it yet.

February 8, 2012, 07:12 PM	#11
Walt Sherrill Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 1999 Location: Winston-Salem, NC USA Posts: 6,348	Re: blue loctite and similar products. If you need to break it loose, heat the area (like the screw) with a soldering iron. Heat will speed up the loosening for most of these materials.

February 9, 2012, 12:22 AM	#12
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	Those interested in using the SR22 with a suppressor won't want to use any permanent thread locker on the factory barrel. Ruger's planning on making a threaded barrel available for retrofit in the near future.... Denis

March 4, 2012, 07:59 PM	#13
qaf88vze Junior Member Join Date: March 4, 2012 Posts: 2	I decided and bought the SR22 Pistol back in late January for cheap shooting. After approximately 400 rounds the gun was jamming quite a bit. When I removed the slide the barrel was extremely loose. I had to buy a new set of hex wrenches to finally get the correct one to tighten it back up. The manual listed the hex wrench with the incorrect size. Went to the range yesterday and barrel is loose again. Upon inspection of the barrel the slot for the location pin has damaged the barrel from flopping around and now the barrel wont seat properly. Im calling Ruger tomorrow!

March 4, 2012, 08:25 PM	#14
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,088	Keep us updated. My guess is that Ruger will make things right. It's too bad you had to go through the experience though. I just shot mine today and everything went well, except for the malfunctions with Winchester ammo. The barrel is still nice and tight. I'm gonna make it a habit to check it after every 500 rounds.

March 7, 2012, 05:40 AM	#15
qaf88vze Junior Member Join Date: March 4, 2012 Posts: 2	Update-Im sending it back to Ruger today with a prepaid shipping label.

March 7, 2012, 12:41 PM	#16
cryption Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2007 Location: Huntsville, TX Posts: 247	Just had to chime in. I have 1200 rounds through mine so far, and my barrel seems fixed and solid. I've had some jams, FTF, FTE - but nothing I don't expect a .22 to do. I found the Remmington Golden Bullet has much less issues than the Winchester. I'm going to keep trying brands of ammo until I find what works best. I will say this - I can't shoot the damn thing straight. I've been trying to sight it in and I'm off. I have to pick up my XD to remind myself I'm a capable shooter - but I haven't gotten the SR22 as accurate as I'm used to yet.

March 10, 2012, 09:26 AM	#17
tinman507 Junior Member Join Date: March 8, 2012 Posts: 1	I bought an SR22 about a month ago Ser# 115XX. Made sure to check the barrel bolt and loctited it in (blue). We shot the gun twice over that weekend. Brought it home to strip and clean. Found a wear mark on the slide on the relase side. Took photos and sent to Ruger. Had a ppd shipping label the next day and off it went to the mothership. They just shipped it back yesterday. Hoping to receive Monday. Really a fun little pistol to shoot. It's accurate and easy to break down. I have heard of several other issues on them besides the barrel bolt and slide rubs. The takedown lever has broken in several as the recoil spring weakens. It allows the slide to slam into the lever. You have to be sure the lever is fully embeded or the slide will lop the upper part of the plastic lever off. Not sure what Ruger is going to do about that. Will report back when I get it in my hands at the range.

March 22, 2012, 09:47 PM	#18
boostedtt91 Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2011 Location: Danville, Pa Posts: 520	they must have an assembler who doesn't tighten there screws enough. After the first 150 rounds my grip screws started to come loose. I had to dig around to find a allen key to fit it as it seems to be a weird size.

March 23, 2012, 07:15 AM	#19
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Strong cleaning solvents will dissolve locktite, even the red one. But it will also cause the locktite to run, and possibly get into places it shouldn't. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

March 23, 2012, 08:44 AM	#20
bitttorrrent Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 2011 Location: Chicago Posts: 703	picking mine up this afternoon. So I will inspect it, but should i put locktite or something on it?

March 23, 2012, 10:03 AM	#21
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,088	From Ruger CS : We now torque the screws to 55-65 inch pounds. We were only tightening them by hand at first. In 10000 round tests, we did not have any loosen. The Allen size is to be corrected in the next printing of the manual. I would check it after your first range session. The allen wrench required is 9/64. I used blue loctite on mine.

March 23, 2012, 11:15 AM	#22
bitttorrrent Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 2011 Location: Chicago Posts: 703	awesome info - thanks. Ruger even though busy is on top of things. I only bought 500 rounds. So i will only need 9,500 more rounds before i should check it again!

March 24, 2012, 11:18 AM	#23
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,088	I check mine as part of my cleaning routine after every 500 rounds. It has not loosened up with the blue loctite so far.

December 12, 2012, 07:55 PM	#24
guns93105 Junior Member Join Date: November 27, 2012 Posts: 6	SR22 loose barrel screw I too had the barrel screw come loose on my new Ruger SR22. In fact, I fired at least 200 rounds through mine WITHOUT the barrel screw; with the barrel just sitting there. I was experiencing frequent jams, and the gun just felt sloppy, and hard to aim; duh! I did not realize the barrel was lose until taking it apart for cleaning. Ruger is sending me a new barrel screw and lock washer via priority mail--at no charge of course.

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