What to do with a lemon ruger

[LyleLovett666]

So I got to the range with my ruger p95 that has been sent back twice,this weekend.I only got to run three mags through it and the first two were fine but every other shot jammed on the third mag.Mostly fte,but also a few double feed.What should I do?

Thanks

[jack404]

if your first two mags work ok try using just them and seeing it may just be the one mag doing something .. if it happens with them too then you know

[Buckshot]

+1 Jack. Sounds like a mag problem until proven otherwise.

[jack404]

next is progressive fail and i always start on cleaning first , if it works after a clean , bingo check your chamber , too much soot getting out the back, but yeah mags first see how they go ..

[LyleLovett666]

It was the same mag for all 48 rounds and the gun was clean before I hit the range.

[jack404]

how clean was the bolt face and extractor area when you finished ?

[LyleLovett666]

Haven't stripped the ruger yet after the range.Will get to that tomorrow.Doesn't seem likely though considering that the pistol was cleaned before I hit the range and the 95 is supposed to be a war horse that eats anything any needs very little upkeep.

[jack404]

dont take much gunk to create FTE's one grain of sand will do it

imagine a grain of sand , imagine that on a .22 rim . see??? under the extractor ? easy ..

[jack404]

when you pull it down , get a few peices of cloth , clean, seperate from the rest use one to clean inside the receiver and one for the bolt ( the rest clean as normal ) and get a small strip to make a pass UNDER the extractor blade

use as close to white as possible if you can

that'll show you whats what and if theres a need to look for a build up and where its happening

the idea to isolate build up areas so you notice if one is way dirtier than the rest and you know where thats happening and then what from

[jack404]

if its not gunk issues then we look at ammo then thats the last of the easy fixes ..

then ya gotta look at the components and their operation

[Cajun Chooter]

i agree... about trying different brand of ammo...

[Zane71464]

Agree with Jack on makeing sure that it's clean under the extractor blade.
This may sem a bit "crude", but I've taken them apart and with a bit of caution, rince the ejector area with a bit of gasoline and throughly rince and dry. Get some oil of choice back in there and make sure the extractor is working as should with your fingers.

[LyleLovett666]

Originally Posted by jack404

how clean was the bolt face and extractor area when you finished ?

There's very little gunk in the gun after only 48 rounds.Overall the gun is very clean.

[Jim K]

FWIW, it doesn't sound to me like a dirty gun, it sounds like the ammo. What kind are you using and have you tried other brands/types? I think it may be underpowered; the failure to feed and double feeding sounds like the result of a slide not coming back far enough and catching the extraction groove of the top round rather than the rim. If it is just marginal, it will work while the gun is perfectly clean and lubed, but fail as soon as the gun heats up and the lube wears off a bit.

Jim

[LyleLovett666]

I put Blazer,Mag tec and Sellier through it but the rounds were run through at different times,so the gun had ample time to cool off.

[jack404]

and you said ruger put some different rounds through too ? or was that someone elses?

[LyleLovett666]

The first return Ruger said that the ejector was repaired.The second return they said there was no problem and they had run various brands of ammo and various grains.

[mogunner]

Double feed in my experience has been that the mag ears are too wide, a round should not be able to come up between them. My P95 came with two mags, but it was brand new when I got it, and I've had zero problems with it even with the steel cased Tulammo, which seemed a bit underpowered to me.

What's the history on the gun? New, used, neglected, first owner?

[LyleLovett666]

New and first owner.

[jack404]

i'd be pulling the extractor off

be carefull, springs fly

[Helix_FR]

Have you had anyone else try to shoot it? The reason Im asking is that your situation sounds like a customer that I had with his P95. Sometimes it wouldn't feed sometimes it would not eject. Cycling by hand it worked fine. I went out and shot it and it worked perfectly. Dont get me wrong here, I dont know your hand gun handling skills but the P95 being a heavy gun and also a large gun is it possible that your are "and this is the new PC term a student in a basic pistol class used" "Yielding to the recoil of the gun"? That is what his problem was. He could handle a handgun but the grip was to large for him to fully control the gun. With the P95 any lost recoil can result in the issues your having.

[LyleLovett666]

Ya,I had my BIL shoot it and he had the same problems.He's an x ranger who's been shooting his whole life,so I trust his opinion.This was before the last time it was returned.I had thought that maybe I was limp wristing it being my first gun but it shot fine for the firts hundred rounds at my first outing and then began to have problems.After the first trip back to ruger every shot jammed and then last weekend the first two mags(fired through the same mag)went through fine but the third mag(the same mag)jammed after every shot.

[LDBennett]

Repairing any gun via the internet is nearly impossible. Ruger's repair guys obviously did not find the problem. The next step is to take it to a real certified gunsmith and have him inspect and test it. He will probably:

Inspect the claw of the extractor for proper fit. Only the very tip of the extractor should touch the case. It should be angled so that it is "positive". That is, no other parts of the extractor other than the tip should be touching the case rim. There should also be a tiny chamfer on the under side of the claw to aid the case coming up under the extractor during feeding

Test the extractor for its strength by placing a modified empty case under it (slide out of gun) and measure the pull force to slide the case down the bolt face to remove the case from the bolt face.

Remove the recoil spring, load up a full magazine with dummies and hand operate the gun to watch the feeding, extraction, and ejection. This may lead to magazine lip adjustments. While the recoil spring is out the recoil "system" will be checked for burrs or anything that might catch the recoil spring.

Inspect the firing pin and it associated parts, making sure the firing pin can not stick forward from the hammer hitting it. There could be something in the firing pin hole (burr or just junk) that is catching the firing pin after the hammer hits it.

A good gunsmith will probably do other tests and inspections as well but all of that is hard to do over the internet.

As a first gun that has failed it must be frustrating. But stuff happens even at Ruger (probably the biggest gun manufacturer of commercial arms in the world). Persevere and you'll get this gun fixed but do take it to a qualified gunsmith. Ruger and others rarely hire real gunsmiths. They just train assemblers to fix common problems. When a stinker problem comes along the trained assembler is at a loss. I think that is where your gun is at.

LDBennett

[Hammerslagger]

As post #23 (L D Bennett) correctly points out in a case like this: "Repairing any gun via the internet is nearly impossible." Many here could likely determine the problem in a few minutes if we had your gun in our hands; but such is not possible. This is certainly a problem for you; but it is Ruger's problem, also, if there is a mechanical defect relative to the gun.

Post #21 (Helix_FR) points out a common reason for semi-auto cycling problems. {I will also add that in the three years that he has been here at TFF, he has gone from being an apparent serious gunsmithing hobbyist to being professionally employed as a gunsmith at a full time, storefront retail firearms business. He likely sees more different things, vocationally, in a week than many of us do in several months.} NO DISRESPECT INTENDED TO YOU OR YOUR "BIL"; but it is not possible for us to know if you and your "BIL" are experiencing operator problems or the gun (which is about as simple and reliable as most boat anchors) has a problem.

My advice is that if Mr. Lovett is absolutely certain that the problem is a defective P95 pistol, and in no way related to the operators failing to provide sufficient solid resistance [locked wrist(s), stiff arm(s), no trigger jerk] for the gun to recoil against, then he should write a letter to: Mr. Joe Cramer, Director of Customer Service, Strum-Ruger & Co., 200 Ruger Rd., Prescott, AZ 86301; and explain the history of the problem with a link to this thread at TFF. I think that you will find that if there is an actual problem with this pistol, Mr. Cramer will do whatever is necessary to get it "made right".

[Helix_FR]

I agree with HS on this one too. Ruger will make it right but they cant make right on something they can't reproduce. Were you go shoot, is there a range master? Ask them if there is. I respect your BIL's military credentials but I know a Marine Sniper that cant shoot his 1911 to save his life. 2 other things that come to mind with the P series rugers that can cause problems that you described. 1 is a bulged barrel. With the slide off and the recoil spring out- the barrel should slide though the front "bushing" the whole length of the barrel, if not, replace it. Also the ejector. This is the part you push down on through the mag well to remove the slide, the small tab at the top of it which is what kicks the spent casing out should be riding high and almost be touching the top of the notch cut out in the breech face. Ive seen issues were this tab is bent too low and instead of hitting the back of the casing its hitting below or missing completly and the only reason the gun even ejects is under its own momentum.