SGW Gunsmith
Member
For the most part, the "inter-web" has the intention of being an information providing entity. Sometimes though, myths can be passed along as being "gospel" without any of those passers-along doing any investigation to see if that information has any legs. The myth that I had trouble with understanding involves using the bolt stop thumb piece, on Ruger Mark pistols that have one, as a bolt release and will cause damage to the bolt stop assembly and the front face of the bolt.
How can that be? If the bolt stop thumb piece is indeed used to release the bolt, those mating parts sorta slide off one another very easily, so how can damage occur? Here's what I've found:
This is a brand new bolt from a brand new out-of-the-box Ruger Mark IV Competition Target pistol. I have ONLY used the "sling-shot" method when the bolt has been held back after the last round has been fired, and the bolt stop assembly has been activated by the magazine follower thumb button. Removing the empty magazine and then inserting a full magazine and then pulling the bolt back slightly, then let it fly forward has been touted as THEE way to do things to prevent damage to the bolt face and/or the rear face of the bolt stop assembly. I've done that with this pistol exclusively, so how did the ding get into the from face of this bolt.
My findings have shown that after the magazine is empty and the magazine follower button pushes the bolt stop assembly upward, the bolt comes forward quickly and will, on most Mark pistols, crash into the rear face of the bolt stop. Can't help it, that's how these guns operate.
So, now I use the bolt stop thumb piece to release the bolt, along with the sling-shot procedure, depending on how quick I need to get another round into the chamber, intermittently, and don't adhere to the "myth" any longer.
How can that be? If the bolt stop thumb piece is indeed used to release the bolt, those mating parts sorta slide off one another very easily, so how can damage occur? Here's what I've found:
This is a brand new bolt from a brand new out-of-the-box Ruger Mark IV Competition Target pistol. I have ONLY used the "sling-shot" method when the bolt has been held back after the last round has been fired, and the bolt stop assembly has been activated by the magazine follower thumb button. Removing the empty magazine and then inserting a full magazine and then pulling the bolt back slightly, then let it fly forward has been touted as THEE way to do things to prevent damage to the bolt face and/or the rear face of the bolt stop assembly. I've done that with this pistol exclusively, so how did the ding get into the from face of this bolt.
My findings have shown that after the magazine is empty and the magazine follower button pushes the bolt stop assembly upward, the bolt comes forward quickly and will, on most Mark pistols, crash into the rear face of the bolt stop. Can't help it, that's how these guns operate.
So, now I use the bolt stop thumb piece to release the bolt, along with the sling-shot procedure, depending on how quick I need to get another round into the chamber, intermittently, and don't adhere to the "myth" any longer.