Re-assembling my ruger 22 was tuff...

P

PLASTIC SIG

New member
I see alot of posts concerning ruger MKII and 22/45 field stripping and reassembly. I too used to hate cleaning this gun because it was such a sonofagun to get back togeter.

After months of aggrivating re-assembly i decided to really figure out this gun. I took the gun apart, knocked out all the pins and completly disassembled the gun. every single part was laid out in front of me. Now, getting it back together!!

After about 3 hours i totally figured it out. It took about 3 times of total disassembly/reassembly but I got it back together in perfect order and it shoots like it should. Im glad i did it. Now i have a total understanding of how it works and field stripping and reassembly is a breeze.

Understanding how your gun works is a definate plus when it comes shooting time. I look at it like i do cars. Once you know how a clutch assembly works, a person can usually drive a clutch better. Im not saying this method is for everyone. But for myself, someone whos never totally disassmebled a gun. Its been a great learning experience.

P.S. I did some light trigger work since then. Very much improved now. I shoot it more now than I used to. Which was alot before. But now that i dont mind cleaning it, i dont feel so bad about getting it dirty.

Tim : )
 
I would like to get a cheaper 1911-A1 so that I could feel comfortable tearing it down to bare bones in order to better understand how it works. Looking at diagrams is one thing, having it in your hands is another.
 
I too would like to find parts to build a 1911. I used to be anti-1911 but as i get older and learn more about firearms i seem to get closer to the 1911. I see guys building 1911's everywhere. theres got to be some fun in it. For me it would be like model cars. When i was a kid i used to love building model cars/planes. Its a fun hobby. I think building a firearm out of parts you aquire from different gun shows/shops/friends would be a blast. I think seeking out and finding parts to build something is 1/2 the fun. I had a mustang i used to have to seek out parts, drive to different locations, meet people, search on the net etc. just to get parts. But the finished product is always worth the search.

Tim :)
 
agreed

i gave myself a nice cut on that mainspring housing latch the first time I took the MKII apart. It's a breeze to take apart now.

Quick question:

To test it, I pull back the slide like it says in the instruction manual, but I don't want to dry fire it. Any alternatives?

thanks,
Jesse
 
Supposed to be ok to dry fire with the firing pin stop installed

Choices seem to be:

1. Dry fire.
2. Put spent cartridge in and dry fire, leaving spent cartridge in place until range time.
3. Leave recoil spring compressed.

Me, I dry fire mine with no problem, except I did break a firing pin once in the last two years. Don't know if it's related.
 
A trick I learned when re-assembling my MKII...

I always had trouble getting that disassembly lever to go back into place. I finally figured out that if you hold the muzzle slightly above horizontal, and squeeze the uncocked trigger, it just falls right into place 95% of the time! :)
 
The manual my dad has for his 1962 vintage Ruger Standard Auto Pistol says that dry firing will not hurt the pistol, so he has been doing it for 37 years. I haven't has any problems with my 22/45 either. Go ahead and dry fire it.
 
Ruger claims the MKII is safe to dry fire. (They adjust the firing pin at the factory so that it won't smash against the side of the chamber.) This can be done with most .22s, but most manufacturers don't bother.

I dry-fired mine hundreds of times with no problems. You must dry fire it as part of the assembly/reassembly process.

For those of you who are "handicapped" in stripping and reassembling the Mk II, try this link. Its a great help!

http://www.ontargetguns.com/rtips.html
 
I believe all modern rimfire guns can be dry fired without the firing pin hitting the edge of the chamber. So could most of the old ones, until someone decided to replace a broken firing pin with a piece of nail. ("Whoopee! I are a gunsmith!")

Jim
 
Ledbetter,

From what i was told by my local smith, the older MKII's dont have the firing pin block but the newer ones and the 22/45 do.

He may have been wrong. But for safe measure, I always put a spend cartridge in there and leave it. Even though i have the 22/45 and can see the block. when dry fired it sounds like its doing major damage :(

P.S. for anyone that wants to modify thier ruger 22 here are some useful links...

http://www.ontargetguns.com/
http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/
http://www.gunaccessories.com/
http://www.saftek.com/firearms/rimpistols2.html
 
Did the same with my Glock 22 a couple of months ago. Bought a complete disassembly video at a gun show, and went at it. Boy it was easy, (compared to fully disassembling my 1911).
Basic field stripping is easy to begin with, but even taking everything completely appart was a breeze, and all you need is one tool (punch).

Cowboy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top