Ruger SP101 jammed and loaded-how to fix?
A friend brought me a SP101 which is bound up. It is a bobbed hammer .357. He told me his neighbor was shooting the gun when it seized up. There are 2 live rounds in the gun one of which is lined up with the barrel. The cylinder latch barely moves.
Does anyone know how to get the cylinder open without getting hurt?
Is it possible to remove the grips and remove the dissassembly pin with the hammer down?
At this point the gun may be severely damaged by an overcharge. I would take a rubber mallet and while holding the release button down lightly tap on the side of the cylinder. It may be enough to nudge it open?
What exactly is it hanging on?
Is there a bullet stuck in throat?
Protruding primer?
Or is the frame visibly disfigured?
More info needed. Right now I would guess a primer popped out and is gumming up the works but that's just an educated guess.
It looks like the primer is protruding against the recoil shield. I'm afraid if I press the latch and strike the cylinder the round might go off. The frame appears OK and so do the cylinders. When I tried to pull the trigger at the range I got zero movement. I understand S & W revolvers but have zero experience with Rugers.
How could the hammer be "down" on a live round? Since the hammer draws back as the cylinder turns the hammer should be cocked. I'm thinking the shooter attempted to fire. Could it have been a squib load leaving the bullet wedged between the cylinder and forcing cone? Why not run a rod down the barrel to check for an obstruction. If there is no obstruction I would drench that sucker with Break Free, let it sit for 24 hours, and tap gently with a rubber mallet.
I ran a rod down the barrel and it stops right where a bullet would be. I dont know if it was a squib load or an out of spec round with a non seated primer.
Can you fit a strip of paper between the case heads and the recoil shield ( EG is there any space or is there an actual primer dragging)?
If the shooter did not drop the hammer on this round, it seems to me that the only way the revolver could get in this condition would be if he'd had the cylinder opened, and trying to close it used force. Could be a high primer or dirt under the extractor star. Was your friend even present when this happened? Since you're worried about igniting the primer, I would pull the grips and soak the entire gun in a something that will kill the primers. I know WD-40 will kill primers and suspect that something like kerosene will do the same; I don't know how long it takes and maybe someone else will chime in. It would be nice if the original shooter would explain what he did to this gun.
Originally Posted By mike9905:
If the shooter did not drop the hammer on this round, it seems to me that the only way the revolver could get in this condition would be if he'd had the cylinder opened, and trying to close it used force. Could be a high primer or dirt under the extractor star. Was your friend even present when this happened? Since you're worried about igniting the primer, I would pull the grips and soak the entire gun in a something that will kill the primers. I know WD-40 will kill primers and suspect that something like kerosene will do the same; I don't know how long it takes and maybe someone else will chime in. It would be nice if the original shooter would explain what he did to this gun.
See box-O-Truth on soaking primers,not a sure thing to deactive them
nhsport: I am new to this forum. What is box-O-truth and how do I access? I know someone who put WD-40 vs primers to the test, multiple strikes, no bangs.
I held the gun up to the light and saw no light between the rear of the case and recoil shield ditto for no light between the front of the cylinder and the forcing cone of the barrel. I guess I will talk to the guy who shot it and see what he says.
Sounds like a squib load to me. Who was the last guy to fire it?
I had this very malfunction a number of years ago. In my case, a round was reloaded without a powder charge (not by me). Upon firing, the primer actually blows back out of the primer pocket against the recoil shield locking up the gun. The same thing will happen every time if you use primer powered rubber bullets (by speer) unless you enlarge the flash holes (mark the cases so you don't use the cases for live rounds later). It can happen with light loads, and a case that has been reloaded a lot of times (loose primer pocket). When there is powder in the case, the recoil blows the case rearward, re-seating the primer, and usually fireforming it in hotter loads. In any case, it was a bitch, but we managed to force the cylinder open. A rubber mallet should do it. Just make sure that:
1. The round in line with the bore was "fired" (squib), and
2. The bullet did not jump forward too far into the forcing cone (can you see the bullet through the cylinder gap or not).
theboxotruth.com
has all kinds of good stuff on there and the guy is a mod here at ar15
jrn156: Too many cooks, too many receipes. Gunsmith time. Please let us know the resolution.
Originally Posted By mike9905:
jrn156: Too many cooks, too many receipes. Gunsmith time. Please let us know the resolution.
+1
jrn156: What's the status of this Ruger? I check this site daily looking for an update.
If it were me, I'd just remove the grip, and remove the hammer spring (may have to rig up something to pull the spring back) ... then you can remove the hammer and render the gun safe... then you can figure out how to tap, tap, tap things to get things loosened up, etc. If you're not comfortable with this, seek out a smith.
