How to remove a pin

O

Overman

New member
I have a Ruger Mk III, and I want to (temporarily) remove the "loaded indicator" flag so I can touch it up with a Dremel.

It's held in place with a pin embedded in the barrel. You can't tap out the pin because you can only see the one end of the pin. It's a small pin, too.

I'm thinking about punching a dimple in the pin so a drill bit does not travel, take a very small drill bit, drill a hole in the pin, drive a screw into the pin, and pull it out.

Any advice appreciated.
 
I don't have a Mk III to check, but I doubt very much that pin is in a blind hole; Ruger doesn't do things that way. Have you removed the barrel and receiver from the grip frame and checked it out?

Anyway, don't go drilling until some of the other folks are heard from.

Jim
 
I don't have a Mk III to check, but I doubt very much that pin is in a blind hole; Ruger doesn't do things that way. Have you removed the barrel and receiver from the grip frame and checked it out?


Oh yeah. The barrel is bare. "Blind hole" is the term, and I think this classifies. Item 7 is the pin I want out. Items 4 are just fillers, which are for, and now hold, a Weaver rail. And no, the other end of the pin is not visible from inside the chamber. It is pinned in solid stainless.
ruger.jpg


Anyway, don't go drilling until some of the other folks are heard from.

I'm there. I'm in no rush. Haste makes waste. Learned that the hard way.
 
It's possible that because this is a safety feature they intentionally rendered it undefeatable for liability reasons. Call Ruger and ask if they made it permanent? If you have to drill it out you may be able to drill it out a little bigger part of the way, tap the rest, then substitute a shoulder screw for the pin.

Before you go to drilling, get a plastic hammer with a fairly solid head and strike the frame near the barrel threads (where it is solid) and in the same direction as if you were driving a parallel pin into place. This may back the troublesome pin out.

Nick
 
It's possible that because this is a safety feature they intentionally rendered it undefeatable for liability reasons.

It's possible.

I just think it's bad design, and the undefeatability was a side-effect. This was added to the line just a year or so ago. Previous models did not have the device, so the barrel, as it was originally designed and intended, did not have it. It was an after-thought inspired by our lawsuit happy society.

In fact, the first few specimins that had this 'safety feature' (the 'loaded indicator'), you could discharge the round in the chamber by striking the indicator with a hammer :eek:

Thank you for your time and advice.
 
Again, I don't have a Mk III, but it looks to me like the loaded chamber indicator simply pops out if driven backward. That is why it has a "U" shaped cut. The pin is driven in and becomes permanent part of the receiver (not the barrel), and then the indicator is just pushed forward and in until it snaps in place. That sounds more like Ruger.

Jim
 
I'll agree with Jim in that the pin looks as if it stays in place and the indicator is removed. Ruger does a very good job with their engineering and can't imagine them putting in a pin that has to be drilled out. You're thinking of GM's and Ford's engineering.
 
Wouldn't that be sweet? I haven't seen a III up close enough to disassemble it, either, and I just can't tell clearly from the schematic. But it makes sense. Call Ruger for verification. Cheap long-distance is a modern blessing to be taken advantage of.

Nick
 
If you go to the Ruger website and use Adobe to blow up the drawing to 300%, you'll see that part #5, the indicator, has a through hole and is trapped by the blind pin.

The good news is that Ruger will sell you a new indicator, pin and spring.

If you really need to get the indicator out, you could use a cutoff wheel and Dremel to grind away the indicator until it pops off he pin. Then grab the pin through the slot with a small pair of long nose pliers and back it out of the hole.
 
If you go to the Ruger website and use Adobe to blow up the drawing to 300%, you'll see that part #5, the indicator, has a through hole and is trapped by the blind pin.

Indeed it is. Indeed it is. But it's not trapped by much. I took a pair of Vice Grips and pullled that sucker out like an old world dentist would have pulled a bad tooth. Had to give it some elbow grease, but that sucker pulled. I figured, what's the worst that can happen. I'll have to ditch it and get a competition barrel. Oh my, how awful.

Took it to the range tonight. Put 160 rounds through it. Not one jam. Not one failure to fire, not one failure to feed, not one failure to eject. Which is more than I can say when the indicator was there. When it was there, I was getting jams about once every twenty rounds, due to that frickin thing.

Should have bought a used Mark II. But now I have a 'customized' Mark III. And I no longer have a piece of metal blocking my chamber from the round going into it.

Yes, it's no longer 'pristine' and I'll never be able to sell it (never sold a gun. probably never will) But that barrel (or whatever) was scarred by the indicator in the first place. And it was causing jams. Aftermarket ruger competition barrels don't have that 'safety'. And no longer does mine.
 
Well, that is one way to approach a gunsmithing job. A cutting torch might work, too.

Took it back to the range tonight. Put 400 rounds through it with just one stovepipe. I'm happy now. Sat down, and put 40 rounds all within a 2" group at 35 feet. Not olympic quality, but one handed at bullseye, the gun will shoot as good as I can hold it. Now maybe I won't have to call three alibis out of ten rounds.
 
Grip the hand grenade in your throwing hand.
Grasp the pull ring with the index or middle finger of your non-throwing hand. Remove the pin with a pulling and twisting motion. If the tactical situation permits, observe the pin's removal.
Click to expand...
Oops wrong type of PIN! :D
 
In the movies they always pulled the pin on a grenade with their teeth. I tried it, whitsh ith why Ith talkth like thissch.

Jim
 
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