I bought a new Ruger sp-101 in .357 a few months back. Due to the winter weather we had and a busy work schedule I shot it for the first time yesterday. It's awfully hard to cock after firing the first round. It doesn't matter if I try single action or double, it's damn near impossible to pull the hammer back. I cleaned it real good thinking there may be some dirt in there but it's still awfully tight. I'm not much of a gunsmith, but it almost seems like the firing pin is to long or not retracting. What could the problem be? Should I call a gunsmith or send it back to Ruger? I really like the gun, so I hope this isn't the way they all are.

First, I'd send it to Ruger. They'll take care of it for free. Second, is the ammo reloads or factory? The crimp might not be enough to hold the bullets in the case during recoil. The bullets could be lengthening and jamming the gun.

Thanks for the reply. They are factory loads.

Send it back to Ruger. They have great customer service!

I agree, Ruger will take care of you....Great CS.......Good luck...Hb

Ok thanks for all the help. I'll send it back. I've never had to send a gun back before. Should I call first or just send it back with a letter explaining the problem?

I'd Definately call them first. They will usually send a call tag for shipping via FedX or UPS. And don't forget to insure your revolver when you ship it.

Call them.

Thanks again, will call in the morning.

Yep, Ruger will send you a call tag.........Hb

I called Ruger yesterday and they said something about the mainspring. They asked me to take it my LGS and have them send it back. Should have it back in 3 weeks.

Does it act that way with an empty cylinder too? Or just loaded?

If loaded, do you notice any scraping of the shell casing rim faces?

Could be (if that's the case) that there's just not quite enough gap between the cylinder and the rear face of the frame.

I ran into that with a brand-new Single Nine. Heads of the shells were coming into contact with the frame's face. Instead of waiting 3 weeks plus the cost of shipping I just carefully filed off about .005 of the frame face, polished it and reassembled.. It now functions perfectly..

If yours acts up when empty, then a trip to Ruger is definitely in order..

No it just did it loaded after firing the first shot. I thought about trying that, but didn't want to f**k anything up. More than happy to wait a few more weeks and let Ruger fix it the way they want to.