Ruger Customer Service, Quality

[Donny1]

I recently purchased a Ruger SP101 from Buds. I inspected it pretty well for any defects and then took it home. I took a quick look down the barrel and noticed some debris, I though was from test firing. I ran a couple of patches through it and then took in out to try a few rounds.

When I came home and did a thorough cleaning I noticed a line of something down one of the barrel groves and I could not clean it out. After a better inspection with a magnifier I could tell it was a defect that looked like galling, and then noticed another grove had a slight line in it as well. The barrel was also very slightly off square to the frame.

I contacted Ruger and got a shipping label and sent it in. They determined it was not repairable and offered to replace it. However, the model they wanted to send was not the same, and, not on the Roster. I pointed out the mistake and they confirmed they would replace it with the correct model.

I was already loosing faith in the process but I provided my FFL's DETAILED info as requested. After 4-5 days with no notification I contacted them again. They said they had not received the info back from my FFL and also said they requested it the same day I provided it. I went to my FFL and questioned them about it and they said they had not been contacted at all. I then provided Ruger the DETAILED FFL info, including hours of operation, who to talk to and assured them that all FFL info requests are handled as soon as received (as they always have). Four days later I contacted them again to see what was up, magically the next day they contacted me and said they received the FFL info and the gun was "ordered". Been days since then and I've heard nothing.

Very frustrating because now I have to wait for them to ship and then DROS, then wait another 10 days, gees.

I have a few other Ruger firearms and they are all perfect. Just wondering if this is a fluke with both the quality and customer service or if they are having issues now.

[The Gleam]

Terrible.

The most ridiculous thing about that is their determination of "...it was not repairable."

Well Ruger... then why in the hell did you let it leave the factory that way in the first place!

Years ago I looked at 4 different NEW at the dealer Super Redhawks in .454 Cassul before I finally found one that didn't have burrs, uneven edges to the crane-to-frame fit, odd formations on the forcing-cone, and worse - uneven cylinder to bore line-up. I eventually found a winner, which I still have to this day, but I went through the same process of looking at 3 different examples when pursuing one in .480-Ruger.

And yet, I would still buy a Ruger revolver any time, so long as I can check it out prior to purchase. Their quality seems to be hit-and-miss from gun to gun, even of the same model and year.

When they get it right, it's great, but the outliers are inexcusable.

[MrBlazito]

Mass produced firearms will have a few bad ones slipping through. Just like cars, you're bound to get a few lemons when you produce hundreds of thousands.

As far as customer service goes, I've only seen nothing but positive comments on Ruger's CS. Maybe things get a little hectic during holidays?

[still919]

Sounds like anything and everything that could have gone wrong on this one, has thus far. I wouldn't classify this as typical of Ruger, unless this is the beginning of a trend. Hopefully that's the end of it as you wait for the replacement.

Just curious, if I read your post correctly; you shot the firearm prior to noticing the "galling" that triggered the service request back to the manufacturer. How did it shoot? I know this is a side note to your post, but I just want to know for troubleshooting purposes in the future.

[Donny1]

Originally Posted by still919

I know this is a side note to your post, but I just want to know for troubleshooting purposes in the future.

It shot very well, better than my .38 snubbie I've had for decades but I'm quite sure that's because of the additional weight.

BTW this is the 9mm.

It's also bugging me because I have shims, spring kit and my Dremel just sitting on my bench waiting

[wpage]

Always had good luck with Ruger.

Bill Ruger did much to simplify guns and his company is a great American success story.

[golfish]

Still made in USA..
I'm sure things will work out for you OP.

[splithoof]

I would venture that your particular experience is very uncommon with Ruger. I have returned a few to them, mostly because I simply wore something out. For me, they have always returned things quickly, and have never charged me at all. The only time they were of no use was when I asked them to shorten/replace the barrel on a SRH in .44 Magnum; while in no way defective or otherwise blemished, it was simply too long (9.5") for my uses. They replied that they would not do that, so off to a custom gunsmith it went. Imagine the business Ruger could get if they only established a custom shop that would build to owners specifications at a very high level of craftsmanship and unique offerings; would be nice to see in the future.

[still919]

Originally Posted by Donny1

It shot very well, better than my .38 snubbie I've had for decades but I'm quite sure that's because of the additional weight.

BTW this is the 9mm.

It's also bugging me because I have shims, spring kit and my Dremel just sitting on my bench waiting

Thanks for the response, OP! I hear ya.

Dang! I was hoping your experience was going to save my wallet a bit. But, Ruger screws up, and it still shoots very well? I'm a bit of a Ruger fiend. I target the older stuff as of recent. That 9mm SP101 was of interest to me, but I was uncomfortable with some of the issues posted on CalGuns.

A couple of recent acquisitions of mine...

[AtomicOrange]

I bought a new Redhawk in .45 colt/acp a couple of years back. It was fine, except the plunger to release the trigger group would not budge, so the trigger group could not be removed. They paid to have It shipped back and they fixed it. Took about one week.

[Donny1]

Originally Posted by still919

That 9mm SP101 was of interest to me, but I was uncomfortable with some of the issues posted on CalGuns.

A couple of recent acquisitions of mine...

Nice!

Are you talking about bullet pull? I have not heard of any other issues but my friend has the 9mm as well and we have had no issues using quality ammo or loading with a light crimp. We tested for this by loading the last round over and over. The most we got was .004 after 5 cycles.

[still919]

Originally Posted by Donny1

Nice!

Are you talking about bullet pull? I have not heard of any other issues but my friend has the 9mm as well and we have had no issues using quality ammo or loading with a light crimp. We tested for this by loading the last round over and over. The most we got was .004 after 5 cycles.

That's encouraging! Various this and that's over the years. I'm not closed off to the variant. Just a bit apprehensive. I'll need a better deal than usual though.

[Jeepergeo]

They're sending you a new replacement firearm. What else can one expect?

Patience is a virtue. Hang tight, they are making it right.

[Donny1]

Originally Posted by Jeepergeo

They're sending you a new replacement firearm. What else can one expect?

Patience is a virtue. Hang tight, they are making it right.

Yes, I've been polite so far

[Donny1]

Originally Posted by still919

That's encouraging! Various this and that's over the years. I'm not closed off to the variant. Just a bit apprehensive. I'll need a better deal than usual though.

It was an awesome deal from Buds but they have been sold out since.

I didn't want another .38 or .357. The .357 is relevant because it's a bad *** but .38 spl in my opinion is beyond outdated and I can't understand the love for it. Because it was develop as a Black Powder cartridge there is so much wasted space and brass. The long ejection stroke required and using speed loaders is so slow in comparison to moon clips in 9mm.

And yes, my shields are up after throwing shade on the .38spl.

[baih777]

I just sent my Ruger Precision Rifle for repair. Cal 556. Piercing primers. Three different brands of ammo. They would not send me a new firing pin assy.
Hope I get it back by Jan.

[FalconLair]

Originally Posted by MrBlazito

Mass produced firearms will have a few bad ones slipping through. Just like cars, you're bound to get a few lemons when you produce hundreds of thousands.

As far as customer service goes, I've only seen nothing but positive comments on Ruger's CS. Maybe things get a little hectic during holidays?

Originally Posted by baih777

I just sent my Ruger Precision Rifle for repair. Cal 556. Piercing primers. Three different brands of ammo. They would not send me a new firing pin assy.
Hope I get it back by Jan.

i own several GP100's and a Ruger 77/357

never had any issues with their customer service - main problem i have is their policy of not letting you buy parts - i wanted to buy a 2nd hammer for one of the GP's and they won't sell the internals

you gotta find someone selling OEM aftermarket Ruger parts

maybe it's a liability issue, that's one story i've heard but other manufacturers seem to sell internals or have an authorized vendor - Ruger doesn't do it

[smittty]

Originally Posted by Donny1

I have a few other Ruger firearms and they are all perfect. Just wondering if this is a fluke with both the quality and customer service or if they are having issues now.

Not a fluke, you were lucky with your other ones!

My personal history with Ruger is 4 lemons out of 7 guns purchased. That’s a 57% failure rate.

One of them took 6 months to get the replacement!

I’m not a Ruger fan but do own a couple of their guns just because they’re the only show in town sort of speak.

If buying new my expectation is at least 50% chance of having to sent it back.

[Oldmandan]

I’ve had significant issues with their CS, mainly because they didn’t seem to be paying attention during our conversation...

This resulted in them sending a gun that had never been DROS’d, to my residence After I notified them of their error, they had the pistol intercepted and shipped back east, then back to my FFL...

Eventually, they made it right by mailing me a gift certificate for their web store. But, most of the stuff they sell on there, they refuse to ship here... so much fail...

[Afterimage]

I own several Ruger firearms. My P90 has been flawless since I purchased it. I've owned a 10/22 since I was a teenager. No worries.

My SP101 is comfortable with .357. I've seen some with canted barrels. So yes.....lemons happen.

[pancakes go]

Originally Posted by MrBlazito

Mass produced firearms will have a few bad ones slipping through. Just like cars, you're bound to get a few lemons when you produce hundreds of thousands.

As far as customer service goes, I've only seen nothing but positive comments on Ruger's CS. Maybe things get a little hectic during holidays?

this also happens with low volume manufacturers like. a few years ago kimber shipped out rusted guns!!! yikes!

[Donny1]

Turns out the only failure is their communication, gun arrived at FFL today.

[Flying Sig]

Originally Posted by smittty

Not a fluke, you were lucky with your other ones!

My personal history with Ruger is 4 lemons out of 7 guns purchased. That’s a 57% failure rate.

One of them took 6 months to get the replacement!

I’m not a Ruger fan but do own a couple of their guns just because they’re the only show in town sort of speak.

If buying new my expectation is at least 50% chance of having to sent it back.

You have bad luck! I also own several Rugers and I had to send one back because I lost the bolt. They replaced it for free and I had it back in a week.

[Donny1]

I gave it a good look over today and it looks awesome. Let the wait begin, again. Still staring at springs and shims on my bench for it.

A shout out goes to 7th Street Pawn in Victorville, CA. Very professional, helpful, and knowledgeable without all the know it all BS. Best place I've found in the High Desert.

[559BearDown]

Ruger customer service was top notch the 1 time I had to use it.

[SnWnMe]

Originally Posted by Donny1

I recently purchased a Ruger SP101 from Buds. I inspected it pretty well for any defects and then took it home. I took a quick look down the barrel and noticed some debris, I though was from test firing. I ran a couple of patches through it and then took in out to try a few rounds.

When I came home and did a thorough cleaning I noticed a line of something down one of the barrel groves and I could not clean it out. After a better inspection with a magnifier I could tell it was a defect that looked like galling, and then noticed another grove had a slight line in it as well. The barrel was also very slightly off square to the frame.

I contacted Ruger and got a shipping label and sent it in. They determined it was not repairable and offered to replace it. However, the model they wanted to send was not the same, and, not on the Roster. I pointed out the mistake and they confirmed they would replace it with the correct model.

I was already loosing faith in the process but I provided my FFL's DETAILED info as requested. After 4-5 days with no notification I contacted them again. They said they had not received the info back from my FFL and also said they requested it the same day I provided it. I went to my FFL and questioned them about it and they said they had not been contacted at all. I then provided Ruger the DETAILED FFL info, including hours of operation, who to talk to and assured them that all FFL info requests are handled as soon as received (as they always have). Four days later I contacted them again to see what was up, magically the next day they contacted me and said they received the FFL info and the gun was "ordered". Been days since then and I've heard nothing.

Very frustrating because now I have to wait for them to ship and then DROS, then wait another 10 days, gees.

I have a few other Ruger firearms and they are all perfect. Just wondering if this is a fluke with both the quality and customer service or if they are having issues now.

Why can't they just receive your gun, destroy it, draw a blank frame from the line and restamp your serial there? Unless their serial machine doesn't allow it.

Sorry to hear about your SP btw. Mine had issues as well. It was handled well but it was disappointing for a Ruger.

[Tortugatron]

Honestly I have had nothing but positive experiences with Ruger. They removed a seized hammer pin that I wasn’t willing for force out and damage the frame on my GP100 MC. They paid for shipping both ways and had it back in a week and a half, cleaned, lubed and ready to go.

Bad ones slip, even with cars. But in my opinion if they were willing to send you a new firearm (preferably destroying the one not suitable for repair and issuing the new one with the same serial) I would call it good. Even if they issue you a new serial firearm they are making good and giving you a brand new (and most likely personally hand checked and verified) replacement.

They are a good company that I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase another firearm from.