The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Handguns: The Revolver Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old January 13, 2016, 08:28 PM   #1376
superspirit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 8, 2013
Posts: 211
Quote:
Wow. Please, I'm not trying to derail the thread, but you Ruger guys seem to be quick on the draw when it comes to forgiving such egregiously poor craftsmanship. I have never bought a new gun with such serious issues, and if my first exposure to a brand was your experience, I would never buy another. I have never experienced this.....I have never bought a Ruger.

Now I'm not sure what to do. Ruger is for all practical purposes the only game in town with respect to .327 Federal, and I really wanted one. "Making it good", standing by the warranty, customer service.... I'm sorry..... I have bought too many guns that were flawless out of the box to accept that now after 30+ years of gun collecting.

Sorry..... not trying to hurt anybody's feelings.....just trying to grapple with my own.
Just got to ask did you quit driving after you had to have warranty work done on your car?

It really bugs me when I read statements like this. as if another manufacturer has never produced a defective product.
superspirit is offline  
Old January 14, 2016, 02:19 AM   #1377
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,400
Quote:
Wow. Please, I'm not trying to derail the thread, but you Ruger guys seem to be quick on the draw when it comes to forgiving such egregiously poor craftsmanship. I have never bought a new gun with such serious issues, and if my first exposure to a brand was your experience, I would never buy another. I have never experienced this.....I have never bought a Ruger.

Now I'm not sure what to do. Ruger is for all practical purposes the only game in town with respect to .327 Federal, and I really wanted one. "Making it good", standing by the warranty, customer service.... I'm sorry..... I have bought too many guns that were flawless out of the box to accept that now after 30+ years of gun collecting.

Sorry..... not trying to hurt anybody's feelings.....just trying to grapple with my own.
Don't get your panties in a wad.

Not every firearm can be perfect.
Today, especially, we live in a world where most firearms are "consumer goods" rather than 'durable goods'.

If you want perfection, you'll need to travel back in time to what you view as your heydays. The world has changed.
You can be angry with it. You can regret it. You can do whatever you want. It doesn't matter, because this is the world that we live in.



As for my side of the equation...
I have a few things to mention:

The sarcastic comment about the Blackhawk 'holding down the Ruger shelf' wasn't a joke. That shelf stores Ruger revolvers. (And there are many other Rugers that can be found elsewhere - such as the .327 LCR that rarely makes it to the safe, since it's my primary carry piece.)
One of those revolvers on the 'Ruger shelf' is a 20+ year-old .44 Mag Super Blackhawk that was well-worn when I bought it used. After I wore it out and sent it back to Ruger for a quote on some repairs, they shipped it to me as a completely rebuilt [brand new] and refinished revolver, built on my frames. They even took the time to accuracy test it and sight it in before returning it.

I got a brand new revolver for the cost of shipping ($12) and a piece of paper ($0.15?) listing the repairs I wanted price quotes on.

As far as I'm concerned, I owe Ruger one 'pass' for the ridiculously good way in which they treated me on that Super Blackhawk. They had ZERO obligation to treat me so well, and no other revolver company that I am aware of would do the same. (Springfield Armory sometimes treats their customers the same, but they don't make revolvers...)

None of my other Rugers (rifle, pistol, or revolver) have ever needed to go back for repair. They may not be as refined as some other brands, but they always get the job done and don't give me finicky little issues like some "higher end" brands. (Like my S&W 642 that lost timing on 2 chambers after 47 rounds. )

Plus... Ruger's repair center isn't just a "slap new parts in and ship it out the door" operation, like some others. In my experience (including friends, family, etc.), any firearm that goes through the repair center is going to come back as a better specimen that anything that ever came straight off the production line. It's almost like shipping something to the 'custom shop' (if Ruger had such a thing).

Essentially, I'm counting on Ruger to not just fix the issues, but to actually improve the revolver beyond standard production tolerances. I have no doubt that they will do such.
They do 'off the books' trigger jobs. They fine-tune timing. They get the best possible cylinder fitment that they can. They hand-fit barrels (good luck getting that elsewhere). And more...

If you can point me towards another manufacturer that offers a 4.2" barreled .327 Federal revolver with approximately the same frame size as the SP101, at the same price point, I will consider trading. But, until then, I'll wait on my "custom" SP101 to come back from Ruger.

Honestly, I'm almost happy that it's going back, simply because I know it will return to me as one of the best 4.2" .327 Federal SP101s in existence.



For the record, I'm not paying for shipping, either. Everything is on Ruger's dime.
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Old January 14, 2016, 06:07 AM   #1378
Real Gun
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2004
Location: SC
Posts: 2,743
Quote:
Wow. Please, I'm not trying to derail the thread, but you Ruger guys seem to be quick on the draw when it comes to forgiving such egregiously poor craftsmanship. I have never bought a new gun with such serious issues, and if my first exposure to a brand was your experience, I would never buy another. I have never experienced this.....I have never bought a Ruger.

Now I'm not sure what to do. Ruger is for all practical purposes the only game in town with respect to .327 Federal, and I really wanted one. "Making it good", standing by the warranty, customer service.... I'm sorry..... I have bought too many guns that were flawless out of the box to accept that now after 30+ years of gun collecting.

Sorry..... not trying to hurt anybody's feelings.....just trying to grapple with my own.
It could be worse. You could be on the Ruger fanboy forum. In terms of the 327 Federal Magnum, the one I would recommend is the 4" SP101, because it is in Ruger's regular line, and they should be expected to have parts for it. I am not a Ruger apologist, but the SP101 is not a $1500 gun. There can be a certain amount of "gaming" involved to arrive at a well functioning Ruger on their dime.

I have had chronic cylinder replacement issues with my Rugers. I learned with my Single Sevens that, since the model was a distributor exclusive, they have no cylinders remaining. Cylinder issues were reported on the forums by many people. All Ruger will do is offer another model.

I got my gun back and bought a reamer and now have only the issue of cylinder pin jump under powerful loads. That was my second SIngle Seven, the 4 5/8", which is one of my favorite guns. The first was the infamous loading gate misalignment in the 5 1/2", which my gunsmith "fixed", although breaking through the frame to enlarge the gate. It works great.

Last edited by Real Gun; January 15, 2016 at 11:16 AM. Reason: typo
Real Gun is offline  
Old January 15, 2016, 09:54 AM   #1379
Arizona Fusilier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2000
Posts: 1,082
I guess my experience with all these other firearms has given me unrealistic expectations.

Just out of curiosity Frankenmauser, what would you consider to be a "fail" when testing a firearm.
Arizona Fusilier is offline  
Old January 15, 2016, 12:11 PM   #1380
A pause for the COZ
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 11, 2012
Location: Braham, Minnesota
Posts: 1,314
Frankenmauser, I am kind of with you on the manufacturing thing.

"These days" Now that pretty much all manufacturers have moved onto Advanced CNC machining and the gain in tolerance they get compared to manual manufacturing and even compared to 1st gen CNC machines.

Were we kind of are in the world right now.
Low cost providers who had so so quality have gained the most. Pretty much across the board they have all gotten better.

On the other side companies that have gone to the new model are still learning how to do it. Consequently I think their over all quality has went down.

Or in other words. When Taurus builds a gun there never was that many hands touching it before it hit the box. Now that the manufacturing tools are better their quality is better.

Ruger, ect had better quality and knew how to do it that way. Since they now have less hands touching the guns, needs to learn how. They kind of make up for it by over providing in their service dept. They can afford to do that with the few that come in and still keep margins across the board.
If you want a really good Ruger. Buy it on line and send it in right away.
bingo!! You have the best Ruger can make. Shhhh dont tell every body though. Other wise the numbers will get screwed up.

Its how they keep the guns affordable. other wise we would be stuck paying freedom arms prices. If you want a nice gun for $500 this is how your gona get it. other wise pay the $1200 and be happy.

Eventually though the foreign companies are still going to kick our butt. They will be able to take advantage of the advanced machines and have low cost labor to put hands on quality testing.

Thats my opinion any way.

Oh BTW Buds has the LCR in 327 in stock now $500.
__________________
NRA life member. US Army veteran, 11 Bravo.

Last edited by A pause for the COZ; January 15, 2016 at 12:56 PM.
A pause for the COZ is offline  
Old January 15, 2016, 03:45 PM   #1381
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,400
Quote:
Just out of curiosity Frankenmauser, what would you consider to be a "fail" when testing a firearm
If I am testing, it means the firearm has passed inspection. So, fit, finish, etc. are assumed to be acceptable.

At the point of testing, there are any number of things that can happen:
Breakage.
Parts falling off/out.
Function issues.
Timing issues.
Improper operation (sudden ineffectiveness of a safety, for example).
And more...

Or, in the extreme category, one of my favorites: The barrel falling off.
Unfortunately, my back was turned at the time the shot was fired, but I did turn back in time to see my bewildered uncle standing there with his brand new Taurus in one hand and the barrel lying on the ground in 1/2 inch of desert silt.
First shot. Barrel blew off.
It had been over-torqued and cracked about 1 thread in from the front of the frame.
BIG failure.

(Not the only barrel I've seen blown off a revolver, either. But the next one was a S&W.)
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Old January 16, 2016, 02:45 AM   #1382
CaptainO
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2015
Posts: 489
If I had my "druthers"...

I would rather have an 8-shot GP100 with a 6" barrel. This would make certain that the cartridge has enough "runway' for the Federal round and sufficient support for the rest. I enjoy the .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum as well as the .327 Fed.

You can load the Long and H&R Magnums hotter than you'd care to believe. The .327 Magnum has been loaded with 135-grain JHP bullets to some darned stiff levels. Make no mistake about it, it will kill game up through the size of small deer and it is easily handled.
CaptainO is offline  
Old January 16, 2016, 05:07 PM   #1383
dgludwig
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2005
Location: North central Ohio
Posts: 7,486
QUOTE: When I carry the LCR, it's stuffed with either 115 gr Gold Dot factory ammo, or 85 gr Hydrashoks.

So, FrankenMauser, I plan on replacing a Colt Cobra, chambered in .38 Special, with a Ruger LCR chambered in .327 Magnum, as a primary carry concealed revolver for self-defense. In your experience, what load would you recommend in terms of the inevitable compromise between controllability (overcoming recoil to achieve accurate repeat shots) vs "stopping power" (the necessary minimal amount of recoil required to generate the energy to "stop a man in his tracks")?
Thanks for any advice you might have.
__________________
ONLY AN ARMED PEOPLE CAN BE TRULY FREE ; ONLY AN UNARMED PEOPLE CAN EVER BE ENSLAVED
...Aristotle
NRA Benefactor Life Member
dgludwig is offline  
Old January 16, 2016, 11:52 PM   #1384
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,400
That's a very tough question for me to answer, since I haven't fired the 115 gr Gold Dots in the LCR, and I'm not sure if I fired any of the Hydrashoks. (The first 6 rounds may have been Hydrashoks, but I'm not sure.)

After typing up several paragraphs on the matter, and weighing my experience in the GP100 and Blackhawk, I decided to just come back to one short point and the explanation:

Any of the defense loads should be fine.

The reason I carry 85 gr Hydrashoks in the LCR is because they were on top of the ".32 revolver" ammo can when I needed carry ammo. I was too lazy to dig for the Gold Dots (100 and 115 gr) on the bottom of the can.

And the reason I wanted one of the 'official' defense loads, is because the 100 gr AE SP was meant to be a small game bullet. While I'm sure it would work on humans and charging lawnmowers, the other bullets were specifically designed for that purpose (in this cartridge, too - not just adapted for it). The defense loads also seem to have a little less muzzle flash.

Just my opinion, but does it help at all?
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Old January 17, 2016, 02:55 AM   #1385
CaptainO
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2015
Posts: 489
Look, the .327 Federal Magnum is far better than it's detractors would have you believe. As it has been said before, the .327 Fed Mag would be well-served by creating a Marlin or Rossi lever action carbine (a 16" barrel is all that's needed). Such a piece would be an excellent "woodswalking" carbine.

The options of shooting the .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long and .32 H&R Magnum are good ones:

The .32 S&W is a good "garden gun" cartridge (routing pests is a very good application for this stubby little relic). Think about it, shooting pests with this round will not disturb the neighbors.

The .32 S&W Long is a nice, tame short-range cartridge for killing larger pests and rabbit hunting as well. Believe me, you can get some great "pot meat" with some 98-grain round-nosed lead pills!

Now the .32 H&R Magnum is a bit more potent than many "shooting authorities" would have you believe. At it's most potent levels, 30-yard coyotes are in definite jeopardy. (Hell, it would probably kill them as far out as 50 yards)! It's a good small game-getter up (to about 100 lbs.) at close ranges.

Of course, the .327 Federal Magnum is the stellar performer of the bunch. This can easily strike down small deer as if it were a bolt of lightning at 100 yards. (150 pounds would be the limit for the cartridge). Pests? Not a problem. Bobcats, wolves, marauding dogs, no sweat. These are excellent "targets of opportunity" for either a lever-action rifle, or a 6" barreled revolver. (I have seen a Bobcat killed with an S&W .32 Magnum that's been re-chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum. It dropped as if it were struck by the "hammer of Thor". (I can imagine that Cougars would succumb quickly to the 135 grain JHP launced at the same speeds).

If you need anything heavier, you should probably move up to a full-blown rifle cartridge. In the meantime, the "smallbore magnum" should serve you rather well.

Last edited by CaptainO; January 20, 2016 at 03:12 AM.
CaptainO is offline  
Old January 19, 2016, 10:12 PM   #1386
Dragline45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 30, 2010
Posts: 3,513
I owned a .327 LCR for about a week, it had to go back to Ruger and they cant replace it so they offered me a different gun. While I am a but bummed that I will no longer have a small 6 shot snub, I will be getting a .45 Colt New Vaquero in it's place which I am happy with. With that said if anyone is interested in buying my .327 ammo I have a couple 20rd boxes of .327 and .32 H&R both from Federal, will ship for free.
Dragline45 is offline  
Old January 20, 2016, 06:23 AM   #1387
Real Gun
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2004
Location: SC
Posts: 2,743
Quote:
I owned a .327 LCR for about a week, it had to go back to Ruger and they cant replace it so they offered me a different gun.
Does that mean they aren't making any more? That is the same story as when sending in a Lipsey's special edition Single Seven. At some point they should be offering refunds or at least credits to use later when a truly desired gun is available. For refund, it really should go to the seller, who received the retail price and who can go back to Ruger for his part of the money.
Real Gun is offline  
Old January 20, 2016, 10:00 AM   #1388
Dragline45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 30, 2010
Posts: 3,513
Quote:
Does that mean they aren't making any more?
They have been waiting on the necessary parts since November to make more of them and there is no end in sight. They couldn't give me an ETA so they offered to replace it with an LCR in a different caliber, though the only reason I wanted the LCR was because of the caliber so I declined. Though in the end I will be getting a 5.5" stainless Vaquero in .45 Colt, a gun I have wanted for years though could never think of an excuse to get one until now.
Dragline45 is offline  
Old January 30, 2016, 12:32 AM   #1389
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,400
I got the SP101 back from Ruger last week. I believe it was an eleven-day turn around time, including shipping (which, itself, included sitting in a distribution center over a weekend); and I got it back last Friday.
I hadn't mentioned it sooner, because I had some family business that required my attention and I was hoping to be able to shoot the thing by now.
Last week, I pretty much just opened the box, checked the serial number, made sure it was in one piece, glanced at what Ruger claimed to have done, and locked it up.

Today, I finally had some time to pull it back out and take a better look. I still haven't shot it, but at least I got to 'play' with it.

Ruger's repair comments were:
"Repair cylinder fit and barrel."
...That's it.

Upon inspection, I can see that they fit a new hand; new crane and cylinder; either cleaned, machined, and refinished the barrel, or replaced it; and may have fitted a new cylinder stop.

My guess would be that it's a new barrel.

Lockup is tight.
Timing looks and feels great.
And the cylinder gap is half of what it used to be (eyeballed).

Looks good. If the weather is half decent, I may be able to take it out on Tuesday. Otherwise, I have no idea how long it will be...
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Old January 30, 2016, 01:45 AM   #1390
CaptainO
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2015
Posts: 489
Excellent! Let us know how well it shoots, Then see if you can find some 135 grain .327 Federa Magnums from someplace such as Georgia Arms or another place that will "load them heavy" for heavy-duty use.!

It has been done with an S&W Model 16 chambered for the .32 H&R Magnum fitted with a cylinder that has been reamed to accept the longer cartridge . The man's screen name is Hammerdown and the game that he's taken with the .327 Federal Magnum has been rather notable.

I wait with bated breath to hear how well your revolver performs... (I must stop eating that bait)!
CaptainO is offline  
Old February 4, 2016, 06:49 PM   #1391
superspirit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 8, 2013
Posts: 211
Got a call this morning and Ruger said they are going to scrap my brand new SP101 so disappointing. and they do not have another 327 to replace it with
superspirit is offline  
Old February 5, 2016, 01:41 AM   #1392
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,400
It seems like September through December production is always plagued with more problems than January through August, when it comes to Rugers...

When was yours made, or at least when was it purchased, superspirit?
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Old February 5, 2016, 05:44 AM   #1393
Real Gun
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2004
Location: SC
Posts: 2,743
Quote:
Got a call this morning and Ruger said they are going to scrap my brand new SP101 so disappointing. and they do not have another 327 to replace it with
That may mean they don't have time to repair it, as was the case with my gun. I got it back as-is and had my gunsmith fix it.
__________________
Not an expert, just a reporter.
Real Gun is offline  
Old February 5, 2016, 09:23 AM   #1394
superspirit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 8, 2013
Posts: 211
Quote:
When was yours made, or at least when was it purchased, superspirit?
About march or april of last year, the upside is they are going to replace it with a 454 casull I have been considering, so I can just go buy another 327 SP and come out ahead in the end. IF I can find a servicable one. this is the 4th Ruger I've had to send in in the last 2 years and the second that has to be destroyed according to Ruger.
superspirit is offline  
Old February 9, 2016, 09:54 AM   #1395
pesta2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 1, 2006
Location: Fairmont, WV
Posts: 1,682
Here is my Single Seven .327 along with its big brother, Super Blackhawk in .480. Sorry about the photo, from my low quality cell phone.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 2016-02-08_18.57.59.jpg (34.2 KB, 578 views)
__________________
http://www.stevekonya.com
pesta2 is offline  
Old February 9, 2016, 10:06 AM   #1396
Targa
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2014
Posts: 2,083
Those are a couple of beautiful guns you have there. I would love to hear a bit more on that .480 but don't want to derail this thread.
Targa is offline  
Old February 9, 2016, 10:47 AM   #1397
Glenn E. Meyer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2000
Posts: 20,064
Please start another thread about the 480, not for discussion here.

Thanks
__________________
NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens
Glenn E. Meyer is offline  
Old February 9, 2016, 10:26 PM   #1398
CaptainO
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2015
Posts: 489
I truly believe that the best .327 Federal Magnum Ruger is currently producing is their 7 1/2" barreled Single Seven. A great varminter by any stretch of the imagination.

I'd like to see a double action version of this revolver.
CaptainO is offline  
Old March 14, 2016, 08:33 AM   #1399
A pause for the COZ
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 11, 2012
Location: Braham, Minnesota
Posts: 1,314
Just a little heads up for any 327 guy looking for a Taurus M327.
Do a search on Armslist in Minnesota. There is a guy selling one. Gun, Holster and ammo for $250
I already have one other wise I would be on it.

These things have been going for around $400 lately.
__________________
NRA life member. US Army veteran, 11 Bravo.
A pause for the COZ is offline  
Old June 17, 2016, 08:05 PM   #1400
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,400
I'm curious about LCR serial numbers.

Having noticed the other day that my serial number falls with the "approximate" first 60 produced, it made me wonder where the other LCRs on this forum come in.

Ruger started at "approximately" 547-08400 for the .327 Federal LCR and the serial number block does not interchange with other models/variants.

Where does your serial number fall?
First 100?
First 1000? (If they even made 1000...)
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:30 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.41809 seconds with 9 queries