Mr Weebles
Member
I had MAJOR trouble reassembling my Ruger 22/45, so I searched Google and found these instructions on an old archived THR thread:
The first time I followed these instructions it went back together with no fuss.
Good luck.
Here is my method for reassembling a Ruger .22 auto (all models). I find it easier for a newbie to follow this method that the arcane instructions in the Ruger factory manual:
Here is what I do:
1. Reinstall bolt into receiver while receiver is off frame.
2. Pull trigger, and manually pull hammer up to it's "Fired" position, with it's front face vertical and perpendicular to the top of the grip frame. (Sear pressure on front of hammer should keep it in place pretty securely, once you release the trigger.)
Now that you have the hammer in the "fired" position, DO NOT TOUCH THE TRIGGER until the pistol is reassembled. It's key that the hammer must stay in this "fired" position for the following steps. If you end up touching the trigger, the sear pressure against the hammer will be lost, and the hammer may move to the "cocked" position.
3. Hold grip frame with magazine opening facing down. Carefully lower barrel/receiver assy (with bolt installed) over hammer and onto grip frame. The slot in the bottom of the bolt should be guided down over the hammer. Push rearward to lock barrel/receiver assy onto lug in front of grip frame in the normal manner. DO NOT allow hammer to be bumped back to "cocked" position while doing this. If it does, go back to step 2.
4. Place pistol on it's side, with mag opening nearest yourself, and barrel pointing right or left, parallel to the width of your torso. Install the boltstop pin (attached to mainspring housing) all the way up into reciever while keeping pistol oriented this way.
5. With bolt stop pin fully inserted, but mainspring housing fully pivoted OUT of the grip frame, flip the pistol so the grip frame is facing with the magazine opening UP. (Basically you are rotating the pistol about the axis of the barrel, moving the mag opening from towards your chest, to straight up.) The pistol should now be upside down, facing sideways in front of you.
6. While holding the pistol upside down and sideways across you, tip the muzzle slightly UPWARD (no more than 30 degrees should do it). Holding in this position, close the mainspring housing.
Check for proper operation by pulling the bolt back. If it goes all the way back you did it right. If not, take it apart and do it again.
The whole objective of orienting the pistol in the ways I do in the steps above is to keep the hammer uncocked at all times. Doing that keeps the hammer strut free to flop over to join the mainspring housing when you close it.
Most persons get bamboozled when the hammer strut gets stuck behind the pin in the frame, and won't flop out to join the mainspring housing. The only way the strut will get stuck like that is if the hammer falls back towards the cocked position while doing the reassembly.
As usual, describing this process is a LOT more complicated than doing it. I can actually perform these steps on my .22/45 in about 45 seconds, if I don't let the hammer drop to the cocked position while doing it.
Try this tonite, and see if it does not remove some of the frustration.
The first time I followed these instructions it went back together with no fuss.
Good luck.
