CUSTOM GUNSMITHS NOT ALWAYS AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED

[charliebrown]

  HI shooters, couple of weeks after some research, I shipped my Ruger SS  5.5" bbl. Super Blackhawk Bisley 44mag to a custom gunsmith in TX. I requested an action job and the installation of a Belt Mt. knurled base pin. It took about 4 weeks for the job and upon receiveing the gun I took it to the range. After firing the 2nd shot, the hammer would not come back far enough to rotate the cylinder. I stepped out of the shooting booth, called the gunsmith on my cell explained the problem. He said that "probably the base pin had moved forward under recoil, just push is back in against the frame". I thanked him and stepped back in the booth. I shot a total of 16 rds. and after every 2nd or 3rd round the base pin continued to slip forward and I had to push it back in order for the hammer to come completely back and rotate the cylinder readying the next round for firing. I called him again from the gun range and he said that "once in a while the Ruger Bisley needs a stronger base pin latch spring". He said he would mail me one and that I could install it easily.  At the point I said to myself, why didn't he test fire the gun and in doing so he would had noticed the problem and installed the stronger base pin latch spring. That would have saved me all this aggravation. But, I did not mention my thoughts to him. Sure enough three days later I receive a Wolff's Extra Power base pin latch spring. I installed it and ran down to the gun range. Darn if the base pin continued to move forward under recoil every 2nd or 3rd shot. When I got home from the range I compare the Ruger factory pin with the Belt Mt. pin. This is a very big differenc in the depth of the groove. The Ruger mearsures .060" and the Belt Mt. measures only .029 on my micrometer. The width and shape of the groove is also very very different. I do not pretend to be a skilled mechanic although I have wrenched on a lot of motorcycles. Anyhow with two small files I reshaped the groove and it now works. Some gunsmiths are not as good as they advertise.

[rbertalotto]

Yup! Good for you to fix it yourself. Afew years ago I invested in $30,000 of gunsmithing equipment so I could do all my own work...

[Goody]

Was the lock screw tight? Perhaps he did testfire, but your loads have heavier recoil? How does the action job feel? Any failure to fires?

[charliebrown]

He never said anything about the lock screw. I noticed the lock screw was not tighted against the bbl. The base pin latch body was not engaging the groove on the base pin. My target loads consist of 5.0grs of Hodgdon Titegroup, 240 gr. Berry plated bullets, Rem. 44 mag. brass cases and a Federal LP primer. I doubt if my loads are even close to 850 fps. I did not have the manufacturers installation instructions because the gunsmith purchased and installed the pin. The action job feels very very good. I shot 50 rds. of my target loads yesterday and there were no failures. I almost never shoot anything other than my target loads as I am a musician and dislike the loud noise of the fast magnum loads. Thanks for your replies and questions.