Does your SP101 have "rings" inside the barrel?

DirtyHarold · January 19, 2017, 01:16 AM

If you own an SP101, with the cylinder open and unloaded shine a light at the firing pin (to illuminate the inside of the barrel) and look down the barrel from the muzzle end and see if you can see any faint looking ring shaped impressions in your barrel.

I'm not talking like scratches, just faint almost scuff like ring shapes on mostly the lands but also partially the grooves.

I just notices this in my SP the other day. Dont really notice anything in the GP100. Just wondering if any other SP's have the same thing.

I would post pics but cant get a good in focus one. theyre all totally worthless.

DirtyHarold · January 19, 2017, 01:53 AM

They almost look like tool marks...

Master Blaster · January 19, 2017, 10:23 AM

Most likely they are chatter / tool marks. How does it shoot? Does it seem to be accumulating lead or copper? If it shoots well and does not foul, then I would not worry about it. If it fouls easily and shoots poorly then I would call Ruger and get them to fix it.

TfflHndn · January 21, 2017, 02:37 PM

I have other Rugers that have that. Doesn't seem to affect their accuracy a bit on mine.

Salmoneye · January 21, 2017, 02:50 PM

Fire-lap it...

DirtyHarold · March 19, 2020, 02:36 PM

I remembered this old thread and I was able to get a picture of what I’m talking about

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Driftwood Johnson · March 19, 2020, 09:59 PM

What you are seeing there is typical of the way barrel grooves used to be cut.

Fist, a hole is drilled the length of the barrel. Often this hole is the final diameter of the lands, but a second slightly larger hole may be bored to straighten everything out. At any rate, this hole will often have circular tooling marks on it left behind by the drill. The tooling marks may or may not stand out, depending on how fine a cut was taken.

Then with button rifling, or other forms of rifling a tool was dragged through the barrel to cut the grooves deeper than the 'bore' diameter. This tool was dragged through the barrel lengthwise, so it often left lengthwise tooling marks in the grooves, while the circular tooling marks from the original hole remained on the lands.

That is what the photo you have posted looks like to me. You can see the lengthwise tooling marks at the bottom of the grooves, and some slight remaining circular tool marks on top of the lands.

One way of forming rifling that is becoming more common today is hammer forging. In this case, a mandrel with the reverse 'image' of the rifling is placed in a slightly oversized hole in the bore. The barrel is then hammered, reducing the outside diameter, which squeezes the inside diameter around the mandrel, impressing the rifling into the barrel. The mandrel then has to be pulled or pushed out of the completed barrel. I suspect slight lengthwise drag marks would be seen on all the interior surfaces with this type of rifling, caused when the mandrel was withdrawn from the completed barrel.

Twinsig · September 26, 2020, 10:41 AM

Thread revival:
Tough to eject using higher powered loads (still under max but I'm backing off from that) .. probably will solve the problem.
Hone it out?
Leave it be?

laytonj1 · September 28, 2020, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chucky222

Thread revival:
Tough to eject using higher powered loads (still under max but I'm backing off from that) .. probably will solve the problem.
Hone it out?
Leave it be?

That is the result of using worn tooling. If they stick you can try lightly honing them but anything more aggressive will enlarge the chambers.

Jim

Nacho Man · September 29, 2020, 01:06 AM

Yes my sp101 spurless 357 has the same thing.

rodfac · September 30, 2020, 04:54 AM

All of my Rugers have rings, as you describe them, in their bbl's. Driftwood's explanation is 100% accurate. And I'll add that I've never had an inaccurate Ruger revolver with one exception (a .45 Colt New Vaquero with undersize cylinder throats).

My experience with them goes back to the mid-60's and covers .22's, .32's, 357's, .41's, .44's, and the aforementioned .45 Colt. All had the boring rings left by the initial machining operation, and all shot very well indeed.

Too, if you're into lead alloy bullets, none of my Rugers except the .45 Colt until I had the throats opened up, would lead the bbl. with properly fitted bullets...ie. sized to fit the cylinder throats. YMMv but I'd say you're GTG with your 101. Rod

Carmady · October 5, 2020, 12:40 PM

Check out post #4.
https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...hlight=pitbull

January 19, 2017, 01:16 AM	#1
DirtyHarold Senior Member Join Date: July 23, 2015 Posts: 158	Does your SP101 have "rings" inside the barrel? If you own an SP101, with the cylinder open and unloaded shine a light at the firing pin (to illuminate the inside of the barrel) and look down the barrel from the muzzle end and see if you can see any faint looking ring shaped impressions in your barrel. I'm not talking like scratches, just faint almost scuff like ring shapes on mostly the lands but also partially the grooves. I just notices this in my SP the other day. Dont really notice anything in the GP100. Just wondering if any other SP's have the same thing. I would post pics but cant get a good in focus one. theyre all totally worthless.

September 30, 2020, 04:54 AM	#11
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,624	All of my Rugers have rings, as you describe them, in their bbl's. Driftwood's explanation is 100% accurate. And I'll add that I've never had an inaccurate Ruger revolver with one exception (a .45 Colt New Vaquero with undersize cylinder throats). My experience with them goes back to the mid-60's and covers .22's, .32's, 357's, .41's, .44's, and the aforementioned .45 Colt. All had the boring rings left by the initial machining operation, and all shot very well indeed. Too, if you're into lead alloy bullets, none of my Rugers except the .45 Colt until I had the throats opened up, would lead the bbl. with properly fitted bullets...ie. sized to fit the cylinder throats. YMMv but I'd say you're GTG with your 101. Rod __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

January 19, 2017, 01:53 AM	#2
DirtyHarold Senior Member Join Date: July 23, 2015 Posts: 158	They almost look like tool marks...

January 19, 2017, 10:23 AM	#3
Master Blaster Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 1999 Location: One of the original 13 Colonies Posts: 2,281	Most likely they are chatter / tool marks. How does it shoot? Does it seem to be accumulating lead or copper? If it shoots well and does not foul, then I would not worry about it. If it fouls easily and shoots poorly then I would call Ruger and get them to fix it.

January 21, 2017, 02:37 PM	#4
TfflHndn Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2013 Location: Gig Harbor WA Posts: 160	I have other Rugers that have that. Doesn't seem to affect their accuracy a bit on mine.

January 21, 2017, 02:50 PM	#5
Salmoneye Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 2,076	Fire-lap it...

March 19, 2020, 02:36 PM	#6
DirtyHarold Senior Member Join Date: July 23, 2015 Posts: 158	I remembered this old thread and I was able to get a picture of what I’m talking about Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

March 19, 2020, 09:59 PM	#7
Driftwood Johnson Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2014 Location: Land of the Pilgrims Posts: 2,033	What you are seeing there is typical of the way barrel grooves used to be cut. Fist, a hole is drilled the length of the barrel. Often this hole is the final diameter of the lands, but a second slightly larger hole may be bored to straighten everything out. At any rate, this hole will often have circular tooling marks on it left behind by the drill. The tooling marks may or may not stand out, depending on how fine a cut was taken. Then with button rifling, or other forms of rifling a tool was dragged through the barrel to cut the grooves deeper than the 'bore' diameter. This tool was dragged through the barrel lengthwise, so it often left lengthwise tooling marks in the grooves, while the circular tooling marks from the original hole remained on the lands. That is what the photo you have posted looks like to me. You can see the lengthwise tooling marks at the bottom of the grooves, and some slight remaining circular tool marks on top of the lands. One way of forming rifling that is becoming more common today is hammer forging. In this case, a mandrel with the reverse 'image' of the rifling is placed in a slightly oversized hole in the bore. The barrel is then hammered, reducing the outside diameter, which squeezes the inside diameter around the mandrel, impressing the rifling into the barrel. The mandrel then has to be pulled or pushed out of the completed barrel. I suspect slight lengthwise drag marks would be seen on all the interior surfaces with this type of rifling, caused when the mandrel was withdrawn from the completed barrel.

September 29, 2020, 01:06 AM	#10
Nacho Man Member Join Date: August 5, 2013 Posts: 81	Yes my sp101 spurless 357 has the same thing.

October 5, 2020, 12:40 PM	#12
Carmady Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2013 Location: on the lam Posts: 1,735	Check out post #4. https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...hlight=pitbull