OMG, I DID IT! (Ruger Reassembly)

[berettaprofessor]

Just a note of hope for those who despair about ever fully cleaning their Ruger Mark X's

A decade ago, I had a Ruger Mark III Standard, purchased right after they came out. I enjoyed shooting it, but after once taking it apart :banghead: and having to seek professional help (both gunny friend and mental help), I vowed never to take it apart again. Some time later, I gave it to my son.

A handful of years back, I had purchased a threaded barrel 22/45, and then later, as I got to missing my Standard, I purchased a Mark III with bull barrel and adjustable sights. I renewed my vow to never, ever, try to disassemble them, cleaning the barrel and parts I could get at as best I could.

Today, with a little unexpected free time and wanting to avoid watching television all afternoon, I sat down with the manual and the 22/45, determined to do that which others say is simple. A mere 58 minutes later (yes, I timed it!) it was clean and reassembled correctly. As typical with "new" Ruger's, it took a wack or two to get the barrel off. I knew from reading here and elsewhere to be careful of the hammer position and thanks to all of you for that info, because that went smoothly. I had some trouble with the hammer strut, however, and needed to attempt that last step several times before I could fully retract the slide and cock it.

Thus encouraged, I thought the Mark III would be easier and gave it a go as well. Barrel had to be pounded off, and then, during reassembly, I had trouble inserting the bolt catch pin because the barrel/frame fit had to be perfect. Pounded the barrel on and off several times before I got it right and loosened it up considerably Then, once more, the hammer strut was my nemesis. but I recognized the problem a lot faster and knew what to do about it. 55 minutes.

Anyway, despair not, it can be done and someday, probably, I'll get my time down into the teens. Proved that I'm not stupid, just totally inept too.

 

[joem1945]

I put mine in a sonic cleaner after removing the grips. I have taken it a part but it's easier to drop it in the cleaner.

 

[Malamute]

They arent too difficult with a little experience. I dont know if the manual mentions it (last manual I saw for one was probably the 70's), but if you sort of roll it a certain way cartwheel fashion when putting the mainspring parts back together, it all falls into place.

Somebody I knew online had a problem with his going together. When he explained it on the phone, I recognized the problem from way back when and was able to talk him through it with success. After getting the main pin back in, the hammer needs to be dropped and left in the down position while the mainspring parts are put back in. The strut has to be able to go into the mainspring housing groove with the hammer still down, and not catch on the cross pin in the frame.

 

[oneounceload]

I have a MKII that is over 30 years old. Have never felt the need to remove the barrel to clean the gun................

 

[ritepath]

I've had my MKII since the late 80's....Disassembled it once. The rest of the time I just gave it a good cleaning without taking it apart. The only reason I finally did was because of threads where folks said it was hard.

Good thing about most all rugers is they're reliable as

 

[MikeJackmin]

I think these pistols were the reason they invented aerosol gun cleaners.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

They are no big deal once you learn the angle of the dangle of the hammer strut. I can field strip and reassemble mine in under 2 minutes.

 

[LoneGoose]

I have a .22/45 and can reassemble it while reading the steps in the owners manual. It is difficult.

I have seen advertised in shooting magazines a bolt pin that you can unscrew from the frame and is supposed to make disassembly/reassembly a lot easier. Has anyone tried this device?

 

[weblance]

These threads always crack me up. How difficult is it to point the muzzle up, pull, and hold the trigger, and close the mainspring housing? Seriously...? How hard is that? It isnt rocket science

 

[Valkman]

I had a MKII I cleaned once a week at least (after Bullseye) and always took it apart. Sometimes it was a pain but when you do it that much it gets routine.

 

[Jim K]

I wonder why folks feel they just have to remove the barrel from the grip frame when cleaning a Ruger .22 Auto. There is no need to so for ordinary cleaning.

Jim

 

[berettaprofessor]

Ever done it, Jim? Its filthy under there. I was appalled.

 

[Pilot]

I have three MK II's, and a MK II era 22/45. All can be field stripped, including barrel removal for getting to the real crud, and reassembled in five minutes or less. Point the muzzle up, pull the trigger, and make sure the hammer strut goes into the little cup. It is EASY.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

They're easy to take apart. Now, putting 'em back together...that's trickier! I strip mine for cleaning every 20 years whether it needs it or not. So I often forget how to reassemble it. The trick though is that you have to drop the hammer/pull the trigger (at least on my old MkI). It won't go back together til you do.

 

[wrdwrght]

I, too, recently survived the reassembly (my first) of the Mark I that I acquired a few years ago. Glad to have had a YouTube walk-through to calm me down.

 

[rduchateau2954]

It's not that difficult, just make sure when patting your head to rub your belt in a clockwise direction. You go counter clockwise you're gonna have a bad day.

 

[DanTheFarmer]

Yeah, I agree, dis-assembly and reassembly is easy. I just watch YouTube videos EVERY, SINGLE, TIME.

My memory works best when what I'm trying to remember makes sense to me. A seemingly random sequence of motions to be made in order is tough for me to remember.

We all have our different strengths, visualizing the internal relationships of various parts of the Ruger MkIII and the resultant position of said parts needed to reassemble it is clearly not one of mine. Oh well. For what it's worth - This is not my only, nor my most important fault.

If it is easy for you, Great! If not, watch a YouTube video and continue to enjoy life.

Dan

 

[jeepnik]

I wonder why folks feel they just have to remove the barrel from the grip frame when cleaning a Ruger .22 Auto. There is no need to so for ordinary cleaning.

Jim

Well, some of us just like to take things apart and put them back together again. While I guess I may be handier than the average bear, being able to take things completely apart and then get them back together again is a pretty useful skill.

 

[ku4hx]

The owner's manual and bent large paper clip works for me. Of course I've also been known to just hang it in a Cylinder & Slide Dunk-Kit bucket too.

 

[rduchateau2954]

Well, some of us just like to take things apart and put them back together again. While I guess I may be handier than the average bear, being able to take things completely apart and then get them back together again is a pretty useful skill.

I have the "Ultimate Clip Loader" [emoji51] for mine and shoot piles of all ammo through it each time I go out. Pulling off the upper to get as much of the crud out as possible makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It really is pretty simple as long as you remember to do each step in order.

 

[Fishbed77]

Just a note of hope for those who despair about ever fully cleaning their Ruger Mark X's

The note of hope I would offer to owners is to read the instruction manual.

Field stripping these pistols is not difficult at all. Just different.

The Mark III can be a little convoluted, but removing the mag disconnect makes things much easier.

 

[Confederate]

Just a note of hope. ... A decade ago, I had a Ruger Mark III Standard, purchased right after they came out. I enjoyed shooting it, but after once taking it apart and having to seek professional help ...

Yes, the Ruger has driven many to seek professional help. Jeff Cooper urged the owners of .22lr autos to not clean them more than about once a year. He said the powder actually protected the gun and said a toothbrush soaked in Hoppes' 9 and perhaps one or two patches down the barrel was all that was needed for routine maintenance, and even then when it was gritty and dirty.

Today, with a little unexpected free time and wanting to avoid watching television all afternoon, I sat down with the manual and the 22/45, determined to do that which others say is simple.

Whaaaaat? Watching TV is the best time to do this! And remember, if it doesn't come apart or go together naturally...FORCE IT! If it does go back together smoothly, without effort, take it back apart and do it again. You obviously did something WRONG. Take it back apart and beat it with a rubber mallet until it goes in by force!

Thus encouraged, I thought the Mark III would be easier and gave it a go as well. Barrel had to be pounded off, and then, during reassembly, I had trouble inserting the bolt catch pin because the barrel/frame fit had to be perfect. Pounded the barrel on and off several times before I got it right

Ahhh, yes. That sounds about right. If the slide and barrel loosen up so it becomes easier to take apart and put back on, you can mix some Loctite and SuperGlue and pour it along the frame until it dries. That should make assembly and disassembly more difficult again.

°°°

 

[Jim K]

Just for the record, I have taken apart (and yes, reassembled) hundreds of Ruger pistols, from one of the very first to the Mk III. I know full well that the grip frames can get very dirty, but with my own guns I just hose them down with spray cleaner. (Customer guns got squeaky cleaned, of course.)

Jim

 

[CajunBass]

I've found two keys for me to the Ruger pistol.

One was to actually READ the instruction book. Don't just skim it. Don't glance at it. Don't just look at the pictures. READ it. Understand it.

And the mechaniical...The instruction book says to point the gun up or down and let the hammer fall into position. Well none of them I ever had, "fell" anywhere. This is where READING comes in. The book IIRC, says you may have to "manipulate" the hammer. "Manipulate?"...OH! That means "PUSH". I got a screwdriver and learned to push the hammer up or down as needed.

VOLA!

No more trouble.

It was also hard at first to get the upper off the lower. I hated to really HIT my gun with a hammer, even a plastic one. It won't hurt anything. WACK it.

And again, here is where "reading" comes in. I was trying to knock it off the wrong way. Well DUHHHHHHH...No wonder it won't work.

 

[MyGreenGuns]

I borrowed a friends mkii.
Watched 1 youtube video.
Took apart and reassembled.
Not that hard.