Ruger Mark III Problem

AC556,

Do you have spring tension on the disconnector (trigger bar)? Its spring is also the trigger spring. If things are OK there, check the sear spring for correct installation.

I do NOT recommend disassembly of that gun for routine cleaning beyond removing the bolt. I remove crud from the receiver by hosing it down with Gunk Out or something similar then a dose of G96 Gun Treatment. The idea that one must tear down a gun into its tiniest parts and clean each part to surgical standards is ridiculous. (Yes, Marines, I know about the old Gunny, but he isn't with you now and there will be no inspection in the morning!)

Jim
 
I'm a colt guy but wouldn't buy a new one over a ruger. there not so hard to take apart once you get used to it. it took me around three times before i got good at it and now i bet i could do it blindfolded.
 
If the hammer worked properly before the field strip, then it sounds like the hammer strut was not properly installed or the hammer was in the wrong position during assembly (I believe I did this once). I would field strip it again and follow the steps in the guntalk-online link above. Pay attention to the correct hammer position and hammer strut placement. Rugers are a pain to reassemble properly the first few times. And, yes, I need a rubber mallet to remove the barrel and then to allign the bolt stop hole on the barrel and receiver on reassembly.

I clean mine each time it is fired. I don't like the gunk build up from firing a few hundred rounds and absolutely do not want to go to the range and futz around with the gun because I've not cleaned it.
 
problems assembling the mark III

I recently purchased a replacement 'target' sear for my 22/45 mark III hunter after reading online reviews describing this as as 'drop in' and installation as 'no problem'. Yeah right. :( While there is a very good mark III disassembly/assembly guide available here:

http://www.wiztechs.com/knightsrealm/guns/22-45/hammerassembly/hammer_assembly.htm

it forgets to mention how to reassemble the stupid magazine disconnect. Grrrr... After about six hour of poking and prodding, searching online, repeat ad nauseum, and probably ruining the micro-finish on my new sear, I finally figured out how to reassemble the magazine disconnect.

The magazine disconnect has a forward facing 'beak' and a rearward facing 'hook'. The trick is how to get everything in its proper place.

Take a good look at the blowout diagram in the Ruger manual. Assemble everything as described in the link provided. The spring goes just to the right (starboard) side of the hammer. The mag disconnect goes next on the pin before it goes through the disconnecter. The beak of this part goes forward.

Assemble the parts, drop into the frame, and insert the pin. The long tail end of the disconnecter spring will be in the magazine well. the front hook-looking part of the spring end up between the sear and the hammer (obviously, this won't work... ) Through the slot in the back of the grip where the mainspring housing goes, you can see a slot in the radial center of the grip. Use a probe to push the tail end of the disconnecter spring through this slot so that it snaps into place in the body of the gun. This may take some fumbling. Then... from the top of the gun, grab the little 'hook' on the front part of the disconnecter spring with a strong pair or tweezers and pull it up and over the front 'beak' part of the disconnecter. There is a small recess here where the spring is supposed to fit.

If anyone can provide more details, or hopefully a more civilized way of doing this, please enlighten us all.
 
cmm, i looked at the site you listed and the diagrams alone turned me off from it. find the pdf file which ruger has. the instructions are detailed and the diagrams (i'm more of a visual person) helped me a lot with the mark ii. from what i understand the mark ii is similar to the mark i & iii.

as a side note... a few people have said that 22s do not need cleaning... that may be the case with some 22s but the mark ii that i use does not like to be dirty. before i gave it a good cleaning and oiled it (it's my brother's gun & he has the whole no cleaning philosophy), it misfired frequently. haven't had a problem with it since i've kept up with the cleaning. oh & don't over oil it either (learned that from personal experience :) )
 
Due to the massive recoil on my new 22/45 I had the sear pivot pin back out, and the manual had no clear instructions on how to strip down and reassemble to that fine of detail. Using the schematics in the manual and trial and error, I was able to reassemble the thing.

My problem was the correct position of the sear spring in relation to the sear. It would not have been a problem if I was able to see the correct position when I tore it down, but because the pin backed out, I could not.

If you follow the instructions in the manual, EXACTLY, you should have no problem.
 
I fully agree with CrustyFM and thank him for solving my problem. I spent most of the afternoon trying to reassemble my Ruger Mark II 22/45. I was stuck in step 7 of the reassembly instruction. After pointing the muzzle upward in preparation to closing the housing latch, insert an empty magazine then snap shut the latch. I agree Ruger forgot to include this important step.
 
"Cock the gun and pull the trigger which will allow the hammer to fall forward. Lift the mainspring housing lock and bring it up and then remove it from the gun by pulling downward on it. Now the receiver can be pulled forward, but you could use a rubber mallet the first time that you try this because at times they are very tight and require either bumping it forward by a mallet or bumping it downward onto a padded bench on the back end."


I spent all night watching Youtube and the Ruger demos of this. I couldn't remove the housing lock. It woouldn't budge. It just popped right out for the guys in the videos. Finally, after a lot of banging with a hammer and dowel on the top of the gun, I got it out. Now I can't remove the bolt. I point gun up and pull the trigger, but no, the bolt doesn't slide right out like it does in the Ruger video. It won't budge.
 
I point gun up and pull the trigger, but no, the bolt doesn't slide right out like it does in the Ruger video. It won't budge.
Click to expand...
THe hammer strut is probably hung up behind one of the cross pins. Look inside where the mainspring housing came out and see it the strut is hanging up.
 
The target model is much tighter than standard Ruger pistols I assume, because mine needed whacking to get the barrel on and off the receiver. Getting the bolt lock that comes up behind the sight was such a pain that I finally made a hardened tapered pin that finished up at .002 under the pins size. I was whacking the danged receiver one way, then the other until it finally lined up! The brass screwdriver thing is to pop the mainspring lift prong up. I should have made the screwdriver edge line up with the taper pin, but it works this way. Now I just get the receiver close and push this in and it's lined up.
rugert3.jpg

rugert5.jpg


The plastic hammer was $5.99 at Harbor Freight, the copper part is a mig tip I use to knock the bolt lock out of the hole from above.
 
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Wow, a new record.

Not one, but two different bumps as first posts by two different new members, each time resussitating a thread that had been long since dead and buried.

I see this so often it's almost funny. Almost. :rolleyes:

The OP may be dead and buried by now. He hasn't posted since '06. The first bumper...it was his only post, never came back. We'll see how today's new bumper works out.

Search exists for a reason.
 
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Right, googled up this thread.

Not the target model. Fixed sights.

Anyway, I don't think I'll never try taking it apart again. I finally did get the bolt off by wacking it hard a few times with my wooden mallet, but then the mag totally locked up in the gun. I called Ruger tech support but that was no help. He said that I could return it to them and they might or might not charge me for a repair, but they would keep it 4 to 6 weeks. I then brought it back to the store where I bought it the day before, but the man there couldn't figure out how to get the mag out either. He said to leave it for their gunsmith. I reclaimed it later in the day. The gunsmith put it back together and charged me $35. He said that the gun was extremely tight and it was hard for him to put it together too. He said he had to hammer the lock back in. I asked him how he got the mag out. He said he had some secret method with his special tool. He said that the gun should loosen up a little bit after shooting a few hundred rounds, but it will still be tight.

Scouring the internet I see people who say they shoot thousands of rounds through this gun and just clean it by soaking it in kerosene or just cleaning and lubing the barrel and inside the handle, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to try it out today.

Another thing, with the magazines - when I load em up with ten bullets, why is the top bullet so loose? It just about falls out if I turn the mag upside down. Both mags. Is this normal?
 
Doesn't sound normal for the magazine to do that. Do you have more than one and do they all do that?

As far as cleaning, I just go to an Auto Zone and get their cheapest spray can of either brake or carb cleaner. Take off the grips, open the action, remove magazine and spray away.

Wear glasses or goggles to prevent it splashing in your eyes.

You'll notice a remarkable similarity in the way brake and carb cleaner smells to that of a $6 can of Birchwood Casey "Gun Scrubber".

An earlier post asked how to reassemble the magazine safety disconnect after putting in the target sear.

Answer: Don't.

Install an old Mk II hammer or VQ Mk II target hammer and one of Clark Customs oversized hammer bushings instead. Discard the Mk III magazine safety disconnect junk.

Now you've got a Mk II with a push button magazine release and loaded chamber indicator.
 
Now you've got a Mk II with a push button magazine release and loaded chamber indicator
Click to expand...

A lot of folks say the loaded chamber indicator is a bad thing, I don't understand the reason. Can anyone tell me? I can say that it has kept me from dropping the hammer on an empty chamber a number of times. They say it doesn't hurt any modern .22's to dry fire once in a while but I don't like to do it.
 
Thanks, CC. What about the residue from the carb/brake cleaner (or kerosene in the other method) in the innards of the gun? Is that OK? Do you just wipe off what you can get at and let the rest dry out? Do you lube the gun after the carb/brake spray treatment? How about WD-40 instead of carb/brake cleaner, or is that an inadequate solvent? Do the gun parts inside the handle actually get dirty?
 
The LCI is a bad thing IMHO as it takes one of the normal steps from the shooter and places it on a mechanical device. Devices fail all too often. The old LCI was metal and if impacted could set off the round. It protrudes when activated and could snag as well as let in dirt when protruded. I don't need the stupid Politically Correct LAWYER gizmo on my pistol as I consider the chamber hot every second until I remove the magazine and open the bolt and look for my self. Before closing bolt I verify no round is laying the action that could chamber when I close it. The magazine interlock safety forces you to insert a magazine to begin cleaning the gun and after reassembly to verify proper operation. Again, IMHO, I prefer to dryfire with no magazine... something about the "bullet holder thingy being inserted into an "empty" gun:o
Brent
 
ME262, everything inside the pistol will get dirty.
I suggest you go to gun talk for your MK needs as there is a wealthbed of info on the pistols and great pictorials on stripping and mods as well as many of the quirks and typical wear related problems covered...
http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/
Brent
 
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