Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Ruger Customer Service?

I had a New Model Super Blackhawk I bought from my son (he acquired it new). Was shooting it a month or so ago, mostly to compare it to shooting my .460 Rowland 1911. The .44 mag does "kick" more than the .460 to me, but the trigger is so much better than the Springfield Mil Spec trigger that it is more pleasant to shoot. I was using up some older loads I had lying around, and after about the 3rd or 4th shot, the gun locked up, cylinder would not turn. After messing with it a bit, I finally took it to a new local gunsmith. He found "scarring" on the outside of one cylinder that was keeping it from rotating properly, and there also appeared to be a crack inside that "hole". The rounds I was firing were not "heavy" loads, and I am a careful re-loader. Not saying I could not have over charged one, but I suspect it to be more likely to have bullet setback and over-pressuring, from one cause or another. The gunsmith thought it might have been dropped on concrete, but I certainly don't remember THAT happening. He smoothed it up, test fired (not the damaged cylinder) and recommended that if I kept it to use, I consider it a 5-shooter now. I called Ruger after trying to find a new cylinder online, was told they don't sell them, as they need to be fitted to the gun at the factory. I decided to send mine in for a new cylinder, as my son expects to get it back one day, and I want it to be "right" when he does. I asked if I could maybe get a stainless one, to sort of dress up the gun, but was told Ruger has no "custom shop", so they don't do that sort of thing. If, they said, they only had a stainless one available, and the customer agreed to it, they might put it in a blued gun.

Yesterday I got a call from Customer Service. The girl said their technicians had decided my gun could not be repaired! Said they saw a crack in the frame.That would mess up my 5-shooter plan. She offered to sell me a new gun for a price that was about half suggested retail, almost half what Bass Pro is selling them for now. I agreed, and made arrangements to have a local gunshop receive it for me. Later I started thinking, and emailed the CS girl asking if I could get a stainless model with an unfluted cylinder if I paid the small difference in price? Waiting to get a reply on that deal.

A friend who is not a Ruger fan tells me they have a rep for doing this - not repairing guns, instead trying to sell the customer a new one? He considers it a scam to sell more new guns. I would rather feel like they were giving me the CHANCE to get a new one at a good price, and if the frame is really cracked on mine, it would not have been of much use to me - or anybody else.

Your friend is just plain wrong. It's that simple.

I have only dealt with them once and they did OK with me.

Ruger won't send back a gun they consider unsafe. No scam or tricks involved, just Ruger's usual cautious approach. You're better off with a new gun as a frame crack is a disaster waiting to happen.

Yep. I'm sure someone somewhere has a nightmare tale to tell about Ruger CS but I've been dealing with them for twenty years or more and they have always been stellar.

I recently sent back a Blackhawk that had a bad trigger job done on it - I told them it had a botched trigger job (non-factory work) and could they please replace whatever parts were needed to bring it back to factory spec. I fully expected to pay for it since it wasn't their fault at all. They sent it back in a week with not only new trigger parts but they replaced several other parts as well that they thought needed it - all for free. They didn't even charge me shipping fees to send it back.

The worst customer service I've had from Ruger is better than the best customer service I've ever had from Remington or a couple of other companies..

Thanks for the prompt and reassuring replies, guys. About what I expected. Still, these days I guess people have a right to question things, when it involves their hard-earned money. I am now anxiously awaiting me brand new Ruger!

No one will or should

I've dealt with Ruger CS 4-5 times and I can't say I've ever had better service from any other company in any sector of the economy.

this includes telephone updates, sometimes more than one a day.

once even, they "fixed" something that turned out not to be "fixed" and had to go back a second time. they comped an AA wood upgrade unsolicited....

Never had an issue with Ruger CS myself.

I am pretty much a Ruger fan, products and customer service (if ever needed).

A generation ago, Ruger set the standard for customer service, and they're still tops. If they feel the gun is unsafe, they will either make it safe, or they won't send it back to you. Ruger's offer is very fair, I'd take it and smile.

Actually I would have expected them to fully replace your firearm free of charge. I wonder if because of work done by the gunsmith prior to returning it to Ruger they think it might have been from neglect. I would call them back and ask nicely if you could talk to a supervisor and ask why they are not replacing it on their dime.

Exactly. Had it just been a bad cylinder they'd have replaced it (they did that for me years ago). Cracked frame = can't repair and too dangerous to let remain in circulation.

�..I don't know guys��when one of a company's most famous attributes is that it's really good at fixing it's own defects, that's not necessarily a great virtue. Personally I'd rather deal with a company that nobody knows anything about their customer service as no one has ever had to use it.

I still don't see how that is fair. IF the crack is due to a defect I don't see why the owner should be out so much as a dime.

I made no claim the problem was due to a defect or poor quality handgun. I would never had asked for a repair without a charge. I feel the offer they made me was fair enough, just usually like to see the problem for myself. In the case of a firearm, however, I can see the company not wanting to just send it back, fearing it could be used and result in a much more serious problem. Of course, that was not the way it was explained to me, but the phone connection was not real good. I believe I am happy with their offer. They could have just accused me of abusing it and offered me nothing.

only time i've had to use ruger cs was because i lost a part during teardown and cleaning and when i called to buy the part they said one was on the way no charge.