When I first bought my Ruger 30 Carbine Blackhawk and fired it for the first time I had two cylinders that I couldn't get the shell casing to come out without knocking them out with a dowel and a Mallet. I called Ruger and they told me I could do what they do or send it in and they would fix the cylinder problem. I asked how they would fix it and they told me this. They would take some Automotive Valve Lashing Compound (bought at the local Auto Parts Store) and a bore mop. Find out which cylinders were affected and they would start with the 180 Grit Valve Lashing Compound and the bore mop and run it in and out of the affected cylinders using a drill and then they would do the same with the 220 Grit Valve Lashing Compound and the bore mop. Then take it to the range and shoot it and see it that worked on the two cylinders that I was having problems with. If not, do the same procedure again and shoot it and do that same procedure until the affected cylinders opened up. A little bit at a time and just enough to allow the casings to come out of the cylinders with ease using the built in ejection rod. This is information to anyone who has a Ruger Blackhawk (any caliber) that has a problem with removing the casings that are stuck. Not sure if they do the same thing with the Redhawk but I would think so, the Redhawk just being a different caliber. THIS SAVED ME SOME MONEY ON SHIPPING MY BLACKHAWK TO RUGER EVERY TIME.
30 CARBINE BLACKHAWK CYLINDER REPAIR!!!
- Thread starter 74man
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Kp321
Member
Hate to argue with the factory, but 180 grit lapping compound (not lashing, autocorrect got you I’ll bet) is very aggressive. I have polished numerous chambers with emery cloth on a mandrel but never coarser than 400 grit. For 22 chambers, I use an 800 grit Flexhone.
Varminterror
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I’ve been dealing with Ruger on customer service issues for 20yrs and have bought thousands of dollars in parts from them for their revolvers, I have consistently never received any kind of gunsmithing advice, especially advice on how modify chambers, from any Ruger rep. This sounds much more like some gun counter guru talk than any gunsmith’s advice, but if it DID come from a Ruger rep, I can be sure this isn’t what they’d be doing in the service bays.
The better process is to flex hone the chambers, certainly not starting as abrasive as 180grit. Polishing with fine lapping compound on a mop (better done on a cartridge or turned hardwood dowel) or with emery cloth can be done as a final step, but this is a high polishing process using very fine grit equivalent, and absolutely not hogging out material with 180 or 220 grit.
The better process is to flex hone the chambers, certainly not starting as abrasive as 180grit. Polishing with fine lapping compound on a mop (better done on a cartridge or turned hardwood dowel) or with emery cloth can be done as a final step, but this is a high polishing process using very fine grit equivalent, and absolutely not hogging out material with 180 or 220 grit.
I bought my Ruger Blackhawk in 2005, almost 20 years ago and had this problem from the get go. This is what I was told and saved on shipping. I did this to my 30 Carbine Blawkhawk but had to do it twice and finally the cartridges were able to be expelled by pushing the ejection rod and I never had an issue with the brass sticking in the chamber. That is what they told me go do to keep the cases from sticking in the cylinder and having to be pounded out with a wooden dowel and a mallet. Believe it or not that is what they told me to do to save on shipping the revolver back to them.
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Varminterror
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Regardless of whether a Ruger rep did pass this advice, it's not a good gunsmithing practice, and ends up producing irregular and oversized chambers. Certainly, it will let cases slide out more easily, but that's not indication that what happened to your chambers was all sunshine and roses.
Flex hones are cheap, and proper chamber lapping processes are just as cheap and easy. Exceptionally small change in process with exceptionally better control and less potential for damages than what was described.
Flex hones are cheap, and proper chamber lapping processes are just as cheap and easy. Exceptionally small change in process with exceptionally better control and less potential for damages than what was described.
.308 Norma
Member
Funny, I had the same problem with the 30 Carbine Blackhawk (with some ammunition) I had for a while, and that was at least 20 years before you bought yours. I never did try to fix it or send it back to Ruger though. I just learned what kind of ammo to not use in my 30 Carbine Blackhawk - which as I remember it, was kind of expensive. I never did handload for that revolver either. I just didn't shoot it much, and eventually traded it off for a 357 Blackhawk with an extra cylinder for 9mm.
