One Disadvantage to Revolvers - Going Out of Time

Ok, so I drool on and on about the upsides of revolvers. This weekend, I came to realize a downside.

I was shooting my beloved GP100 with 125 grain copper plated bullets running at around 1400 fps. After one particular shot, I felt like I'd been slapped in the face and shoulder. At first I thought it was just the sound wave being harsher than normal. Then the person I was shooting with said, "Oh crap, you're bleeding."

Sure enough, had a little blood coming down from a new little wound in my cheek. I realized I had a similar but smaller wound about an inch below that, and a red mark an inch below that one, and a small little open wound on my shoulder. They were all in a kind of line.

I thought now might be a good time to see if my revolver was going out of time and sure enough, on some chambers, the cylinder wasn't lining up completely before the hammer fell. So I must have shaved a plated bullet and the fragment zapped me. Went to the doc on Monday to get it checked out, and all is fine.

Couple of lessons learned. First, don't go near a shooting range without safety glasses, because you never know. I had glasses on, and always do, but it's still a reminder. Second lesson is, it's a darn good idea to check the timing on a revolver before shooting it.

I've heard it could happen~~never actually heard a first-person experience about it though...and especially on a modern gun. How many rounds had been through it?

And, does it go out of time because of damage or just being worn?

I think the issue is it's just worn. I've fired probably a few thousand full power magnum rounds through it. Bought it used around 4 years ago from a friend who bought it originally in 1995.

I had a trigger job done on it a few years ago, and I'm wondering if that had something to do with accelerating the wear. I've never heard of a GP100 going out of time before. Also, this wouldn't be the first problem I've had since that trigger job. Grrrrrr....

Glad you're safe! I have never had a revolver go out of time before, but I think my most used revolver only has about 2000 rounds through it, only about half of them full power. I will keep that in mind though. How was the accuracy while this was happening? I would think that with part of the bullet shaving off, your accuracy would be affected.

Thanks Corn.

Ha ha ha, the accuracy remained excellent! At 10 - 13 yards, all the bullets kept going into one big hole. Guess that says something about the Ruger barrels.

Are you going to send it back to Ruger to be fixed or find a local 'smith?

Talked to Ruger this morning. They're sending me a FedEx slip to send it back to them. They're going to replace any parts that are out of spec. Some time ago, I had a trigger job done on the gun, so there's a good chance I will get it back with a standard old stock trigger pull, but I am 100% ok with that.

I've learned my lesson about trigger jobs. I somewhat expect the trigger job is what led to the cylinder going out of time. I'll deal with a stock trigger in exchange for a gun that will hold up reliably for many years.

Glad you are getting it fixed. Keep us updated on how Ruger treats you.

Got the GP100 back from Ruger yesterday, only a couple of weeks since I sent it in.

I am VERY impressed. I told Ruger up front that I had some work done to the trigger, so if a fee needed to be charged to fix I will be happy to pay it.

I didn't speak with the tech, but the statement enclosed says they replaced the hammer, pawl, a number of springs, some other parts, tightened the barrel-cylinder fit, performed a safety check and test fired it. No charge.

The trigger actually feels better than it did when the gunsmith worked it over. It's smoother now. But best of all, there is a very satisfying "click" that occurs before the hammer drops, telling me that the cylinder is locked up tight and safe to be fired.

To celebrate, I picked up 500 125 grain jacketed soft points. I'm gonna load them up to master blaster, fire-breathing levels (all within SAAMI and powder manufacturer specs, of course) and go wake up the 9mm shooters at my range.

The longer I own this gun, the more impressed I am by both it and its maker. Next time I buy a new gun, it WILL be a Ruger.

And it will be a very cold day in Hell before I have a gunsmith do any customization to any of my guns again. If it doesn't come the way I want it from the factory, then I will buy something else.

Super glad everything worked out well for you. I love hearing good customer service stories. I love my rugers too.