Dear All - many of us here on this forum have one of these revolvers, thought by many to have been the epitome of non-replica BP revolvers since their introduction in the middle-1870's, and bought and acclaimed whereever fun shooting happens world-wide.
Even here in UK.
Since the cartridge-firing handgun ban here in mainland UK back in 1997, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of these great handguns have been bought and enjoyed by shooters still keen to take what they can get in terms of handgun shooting experience.
I bought mine back in 1986 - serial 145-52052, in case anybody wants to know.
It worked just fine until yesterday, when, at a guest day, another club member shooting it while I RO'd had occasion to remove the cylinder to clear a piece of cap, and mis-assembled it. On the subsequent attempt to reload, the base pin was not secured in the frame, and as a result, was not fully home when he tried to ram a tight-fitting ball.
It got bent.
Badly.
Last night I sent an email to Sturm, Ruger Inc, and also copied it to our UK importers - Viking Arms. Now I have to tell you that the people at Viking Arms are renowned for being both courteous and helpful, never more so than with their dealings with the general shooting public who buy their Ruger products from the dealerships that they supply. So it came as no surprise to find an email waiting for me this morning when I opened up shop.
What WAS a surprise was that the the email told me in no uncertain terms that there were NO stainless steel base pins to be had from Ruger.
Last year, Ruger sent me [via Viking Arms] two rear frame securing screws - the little ones that go either side of the hammer - advising me as they did that they were the only FOUR of these little screws in existence, and asked if I wanted them all. I got them all - and if anybody has a need for the other two, just call me. BTW, they are black, NOT stainless - there are NO stainless
ones in existence.
My points to this ramble are simple -
1. What happened to Sturm, Ruger's company promise to support out of production firearms for ten years after cessation?
2. How come that spares for what must be one of the most popular BP handguns EVER made are almost non-existant, or in some cases totally non-existant?
3. Critics noted that sales had fallen off over the last couple of years - well, hello critics - barring ham-fisted operators, these guns, built like the Brooklyn Bridge, just do not wear out [much], and how many of them do you want anyhow?
Since I've already mentioned the Brooklyn Bridge, let's keep my comments in the area, so to speak. To Sturm, Ruger Inc., I send a large Bronx Cheer.
tac - V. disappointed
Even here in UK.
Since the cartridge-firing handgun ban here in mainland UK back in 1997, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of these great handguns have been bought and enjoyed by shooters still keen to take what they can get in terms of handgun shooting experience.
I bought mine back in 1986 - serial 145-52052, in case anybody wants to know.
It worked just fine until yesterday, when, at a guest day, another club member shooting it while I RO'd had occasion to remove the cylinder to clear a piece of cap, and mis-assembled it. On the subsequent attempt to reload, the base pin was not secured in the frame, and as a result, was not fully home when he tried to ram a tight-fitting ball.
It got bent.
Badly.
Last night I sent an email to Sturm, Ruger Inc, and also copied it to our UK importers - Viking Arms. Now I have to tell you that the people at Viking Arms are renowned for being both courteous and helpful, never more so than with their dealings with the general shooting public who buy their Ruger products from the dealerships that they supply. So it came as no surprise to find an email waiting for me this morning when I opened up shop.
What WAS a surprise was that the the email told me in no uncertain terms that there were NO stainless steel base pins to be had from Ruger.
Last year, Ruger sent me [via Viking Arms] two rear frame securing screws - the little ones that go either side of the hammer - advising me as they did that they were the only FOUR of these little screws in existence, and asked if I wanted them all. I got them all - and if anybody has a need for the other two, just call me. BTW, they are black, NOT stainless - there are NO stainless
ones in existence.
My points to this ramble are simple -
1. What happened to Sturm, Ruger's company promise to support out of production firearms for ten years after cessation?
2. How come that spares for what must be one of the most popular BP handguns EVER made are almost non-existant, or in some cases totally non-existant?
3. Critics noted that sales had fallen off over the last couple of years - well, hello critics - barring ham-fisted operators, these guns, built like the Brooklyn Bridge, just do not wear out [much], and how many of them do you want anyhow?
Since I've already mentioned the Brooklyn Bridge, let's keep my comments in the area, so to speak. To Sturm, Ruger Inc., I send a large Bronx Cheer.
tac - V. disappointed
