What is gumming up my Ruger Mk. II?

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Smaug

Smaug

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I take my Mk. II with me and shoot a couple hundred rounds through it at every trip to the range.

I don't usually clean it every time, but when I do, here's my procedure. Please let me know what I'm doing wrong.

1) Strip the gun
2) Soak a patch in Hoppe's #9 and run it down the bore. Let it soak for a minute or two.
3) Run a brush down the bore
4) Run a dry patch down the bore
5) Dip my "toothbrush cleaning tool" in #9 and scrub out the carbon & grit from every accessible part of the action.
6) Dry it off as best I can with a clean patch.
7) Clean the bolt in a similar manner
8) Wipe it down
9) Apply a tiny bit of RemOil or CLP to the pivot points.

When I take it out of later (even just a week later) or when I don't clean it. The trigger action is sticky & slow. The bolt doesn't stay open on an empty magazine. (magazines are still operating smoothly)

Is this caused by the CLP getting gummy or the #9?

I'm thinking it might be time to only use #9 for the barrel and use brake cleaner for the mechanisms, followed by a drop of oil here and there.

I haven't had this happen on larger, combat-type pistols yet, just the Mk. II.

Thanks.
 
I have a MKIII hunter and do just as you do. I use hoppes #9 oil and solvent. I have read that remoil will gum up. Not sure about CPL I have used it and never noticed it to be gummy after sitting. After I use hoppes solvent I spray everything with gun scruber and wipe dry and let air dry.

I would try some different oil for the trigger.

with the bolt not staying open, It might be a mag issue or the lever that the mags hits to hold open the bolt on the last shot is worn. If you release the hold open via the lever it can cause this. I read this over on rimfirecentral and I have never had these issues.
 
I only use Hoppe's in bores, not actions. It is specifically engineered to dissolve bore fouling. And keep in mind, when you are talking about a .22, you aren't talking about copper jacketed rounds, like higher powered rounds. You are mostly cleaning soft lead, which doesn't need as harsh a cleaning as higher powered guns. Some .22 guys say they don't clean the bore at all, because the cleaning process is rougher on the rifling than the firing of it. (I still clean them, but much less than other guns.)

IF IT WAS ME, I would use a nylon bore brush, some patches, and a very small amount of maybe Hoppe's, but more likely gunscrubber. On the rest of the action, I would probably use gunscrubber, or a similar aerosol agent, to blast it out. DO NOT USE WD-40. In my experience, two things cause gumming up. Cosmoline that wasn't fully removed, and WD-40.

CLP is a good lube, and you are correct in using as little as possible.
 
I have two MkIIs and shoot one or the other every week. I "C" using Hoppe's No.9 and "L&P" with Eezox. I have zero problems with either one.

Just bought some Weaponshield (received it tonight) and cleaned my stainless MkII with it tonight. We'll see how that works out.
 
Rem Oil ???

Hey There;
Years ago I read a set of test results on the REM OIL. Maybe not the best product on the market. Just about zero rust protection. And will get gummy.
The CLP should work. #9 ??? In the bore, but not the action....
Sounds to me as if you are not getting enough of the oil out. I have not seen WD-40 gum up.

Gun scruber as mentioned above or before may be a much better choice.
Clean dry air at a lower PSI would help blow out that extra oil that is likely gumming up the action.
 
I keep one of those little squeeze bottles of CLP with me when I shoot my mkII. When it starts to jam a bit, give it a nice, heavy squirt and it tends to keep going for a while longer.

Another option is to take a bore snake with you and that will clean up the chamber a bit if it's having a hard time fully chambering a round. My mkII's bolt has a tendency to not close all the way when it gets really dirt.
 
I put a trigger shield in my MkII years ago and it does wonders for keeping the usual filth out of the mechanism. Unfortunately, On Target Guns seems to have gone out of business. It probably wouldn't take much to fabricate one from a piece of feeler gauge stock.
 
I clean my Ruger MKIII 22/45 with electronic parts cleaner then spray the action with light machine oil, blow out excess with air at high pressure after cleaning the bore. Well over 2000 rounds and no gum problems. The only problems I ever have is that it is very choosy what it eats but that is not the result of cleaning. WD 40 will gum or thicken up with time. If you use it be sure and blow out excess.
 
i dont have my mk II anymore, but when i did, it seemed like it was the same problem most 22's have for gumming. dirty ammo, and over oiling. try dry lubricants (dri-slide, hoppes dri-lube, etc.) this helps mine a lot.
 
Sorry to disagree but WD-40 is a solvent and displaces water. Use it if you drop you gun in the water and then clean it off and use a lubricant/rust preventative.
 
I agree.

Hey :
I agree. I have never found WD-40 to gum up anything. In fact if anything it does not last long enough. But will push out water.
Never heard of any gunsmith that would not use it and have seen it on many of their benchs.
 
I recently had a gummy-trigger problem with one of my Mk. IIs, so I disassembled the thing (including taking out the trigger and hammer and other parts) and really scraped the gunk out and reassembled. Problem solved, and it wasn't that difficult.
 
Ask a Gunsmith about WD-40

The late Ralph Walker of Walker Arms Company in Selma ,Al. was a very accomplished gunsmith. In his book "Hobby Gunsmithing" copyright 1972, Digest Books he RECOMMENDS the liberal use of WD-40 as well as mineral spirits. See Chapter 12 entitled "The Clean Scene" page 169.
 
What's gumming up your gun is oil. It collects the soot from shooting and creates a gummy mess.

I have had a stainless MKII for 25 years or so, and my cleaning routine goes like this: Shoot weekly for three to five years. Strip completely, brush off bolt and trigger bits with CLP, wipe completely dry, reassemble. Resume shooting for another several years. I cleaned the bore a couple of times, but there isn't any real reason to ever do so.

If you run them essentially dry, there will be no gunk buildup. You will get a thin coat of soot, but it won't accumulate. My gun goes thousands and thousands of rounds between cleanings with no problems.
 
Jubjub - That's my plan. I just cleaned the hell out of it with Brake Cleaner (Gun Scrubber) and only put the slightest drop of CLP on the extractor pivot point, and a tiny dab rubbed on the side of the bolt.

We'll see how this goes.

I remember cleaning M16s in the Army, and they were very insistent that we not use CLP, except a tiny dab on the bolt.

I'm disappointed now about the RemOil. The damn stuff is expensive, and now I've got this cute little bottle that is going to be good for nothing.
 
Next time it needs cleaning, maybe I'll try WD-40. If it displaces water, lubes a bit, then dries up, that is exactly what's called for on a gun, right?
 
I've now read pro and con concerning WD40. I've not had any trouble with it in firearms, but I have used it to lube 35mm camera shutters and had to go back in and reclean the shutter due to the WD40 getting thicker. Spray WD into a container and let it sit for a couple of days and you will see a vast difference in its viscosity. I realize that camera shutters are not gun actions and since I am a camera smith and not a gun smith I cannot say with authority the results of using WD on guns. I can say that the stuff is a good lubricant for some uses.
 
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