Ruger 22/45 reassembly problems

[blue86buick]

I picked up a ruger 22/45 tonight...standard blue barrel for 209 at a gun show. It was too late to go shooting, so i took it home, and decided to practice field stripping it. That was going decent, i was starting to get the hang of it. Well, I ran into a problem...the last time I tried to put it back together, I goofed. I had the problem of "bolt only comes back 1/2", and so tried to backtrack. I'ver read this is because some part isn't in right. Well, problem is, the mainspring housing WON'T COME OUT!! I pull and pull and pull, and it ain't moving. It pops out the 1/4" or so, but that's it. Any suggestions on how to get this apart so i can get it back together correctly, so i can shoot it tomorrow??? Thanks!!

 

[larryw]

Is the mainspring caught in the frame, or is the pin just not coming out (stuck in the receiver)? First happens if you open the latch with the hammer cocked. Just takes some force and light prying to get it to pop out. If the mainspring housing is hinging out, but the pin won't release from the receiver, use a dowel or other non-marring punch and lightly tap it out from the top of the receiver. This happens when the guns are new and tight.

Once you get it apart, to get the gosh-darn ( ) thing back together, you need to make sure the hammer strut hits the pocket in the MSH. Look at the bottom of the hammer, see the little arm swingling loose? That fits into the little divit in the MSH as you swing it shut.

Insert bolt. Insert MSH so pin goes all the way through and bumps out the top of the receiver. Tilt gun so muzzle is pointed down and pull trigger. Hammer will fall. Rotate gun so mag well is up and swing the MSH closed. If it closes and fits flush, the strut missed its pocket, open it up and try again. When its good, the MSH will be almost closed, close the latch to fit it flush. Rack bolt, it should go all the way back.

 

[yzguy]

for instructions:
http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/field_strip.htm

for the answer to that and other problems:
http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/field_strip_pcs.htm
(BTW to get the main spring housing out, point it down and pull trigger, make sure to get the hammer to fall forward.)

 

[blue86buick]

heh...thanks for the help...but I actually figured it out myself. I just hadn't had time to post back here again yet. Although I was happy I got it, I was pissed at how easily it came unstuck. :banghead:

What actually was the problem...was I had sucessfully taken it apart. The hardest part about that is popping the barrel off the grip. But when it came to putting it back together, I got to the second to last step...and goofed. I got the pin to go back through the bolt, and protrude out the top. I didn't however, make sure the hammer strut was nestled into the divit. So, when I swung the mainspring housing back into the grip, it wasn't springy like it's supposed to be. I didn't notice this however....I checked the bolt, and it only came out so far. So, I go to pull the mainspring housing back out (to try it again..correctly), and I can't swing the housing away from the grip! I was pulling and prying on it with a key, my fingers, etc...and it wouldn't budge! That was when I posted. I came back down, picked it up, and started playing with it again. I held it upside down, hanging by the trigger-guard, and squeezed the trigger, and the damn MS housing came right out! (with a slight pull) I was both happy....and pissed. So I took the damn thing apart, and put it back together, about 3 more times....making SURE to do it correctly.

yzguy: ya know, i looked up that page...and it wasn't a bit of help. It told me what to do, but not how to do it. Not only that, but I had already TRIED pulling the trigger, and it hadn't made a lick of difference.

Hope it's easier to shoot than it is to strip.

 

[E357]

If by "popping the barrel off the grip", you mean - removing the receiver - Well don't do that again. There's very little reason to do that. The guns cleans up just fine with the receiver on the grip.

You'll want to keep the bolt face and breach face clean, The extractor and it's groove and the "back" of the trigger clean and free of gunk.

Elliot

 

[larryw]

I disagree. Lots of grit and gunk gets caught in the trigger mechanism; you want to clean that out on a fairly regular basis or the trigger will start to get gritty.

 

[yzguy]

I disagree. Lots of grit and gunk gets caught in the trigger mechanism; you want to clean that out on a fairly regular basis or the trigger will
start to get gritty.

not if you get a trigger shield:
http://www.ontargetguns.com/otts.html
(it keeps the crap off of the trigger parts)

blue86buick,
what happened was that when you tried to pull the bolt back, you wedged the hammer strut behind that little cross pin, so to get the hammer forward again you might have to hold it barrel down and shake it a little while pulling the trigger, then the hammer should fall forward, and allow you to pull the main spring housing out.... I'll add that to the page...

 

[blue86buick]

yeah, as i mentioned, when I tried it again, it just....fell apart. guess whatever i did, moved the hammer out of the way.

Note: The On Target Trigger shield will fit the Ruger Mark I and Mark II pistols only. They will not fit on the Ruger 22/45 Pistol.

that's from the trigger shield page. Guess i'll just have to clean it often. what's a good solvent to use, that won't harm the plastic?

 

[E357]

Gunscrubber was invented to remove the gunk that gets into the Ruger Trigger. Then spray a little oil.

I've tried the On-Target (great guy) trigger shield, but the problem with it was once dirt did get in you couldn't get it out without removing the receiver.

I have to add I never used Gunscrubber on the plastic 22/45. I've only owned the steel models.

Elliot

 

[yzguy]

oopss forgot you were talking about a 22/45, in that case you can make in out of a soda can.

http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/blastshield.htm

oh and the one from On-Target can be made to work with the 22/45 but will requre some trimming and bending to clear the mag, that is why it is listed as MKII only (this is from On-Target guns, Bill posts on a MKII/ 22-45 forum I also read).

I've tried the On-Target (great guy) trigger shield, but the problem with it was once dirt did get in you couldn't get it out without removing the receiver.

how else can you clean the dirt out of the trigger parts without removing the receiver?!? I've never heard of being afraid to seal an area off (to keep it clean) being less desirable because it will not allow dirt out!!

 

[E357]

The On-Target trigger guard (and I repeat, I like the Guy and his products alot), WILL allow gunk to get into the trigger parts if you shoot a whole bunch. Not much in any one session, but it will build up without you knowing - since you cannot no longer see the moving parts. If you let the crud harden it starts changing your trigger pull. The trigger shield is not an "air-tight" seal. Hot melted lube and grime will find its way in.

If you want to hammer the receiver off and on be my guest. I remove the grips and bolt and spray Gunscrubber into the trigger area and use plastic picks to clean the extractor groove. I have well over 50,000 rounds through my three Rugers. There is a reason why old Rugers are often found with loose receivers - although it is a easy fix.

Elliot

 

[Kruzr]

I remove the grips and bolt and spray Gunscrubber into the trigger area and use plastic picks to clean the extractor groove.

But since we are talking about a 22/45 here, he doesn't have the same option. To clean the gun properly, take the receiver off the frame.

 

[larryw]

Gunscrubber (which is nothing more than Automotive Brake Cleaner with a real expensive label) works great, won't harm the polymer frame. It will eat ABS and paint.

If you decide to save money and use brake cleaner instead, make sure you buy the non-chlorinated type. Chlorine is easily absorbed into the bloodstream and can have nasty/fatal interactions with OTC medications and vitamins. Gunscrubber is chlorinated.

 

[AZ Jeff]

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.

 

[E357]

larryw: Good Warning about the "Gunscrubber" I used the term in a generic sense. I actually use stuff called PYROIL which is a cheap non-Chlorinated Brake Parts cleaner I bought in either Pep_boys or Wally's.

Elliot

 

[E357]

"mea culpa". I shot at one of my favorite events last night. We shoot at bowling pins "Tops" at 50 feet. I shot my first perfect score in years. 70 tops in 70 shots rapid/timed fire using my Ruger Gov't model.

I made it a point to ask the other Ruger shooters if they removed the "receivers" when cleaning - they all did! I'm the only one who dosen't.
And all the guys know a lot about them.

Elliot

 

[blue86buick]

I picked utryp a can of aersol brake cleaner last night at Menards...3 bucks and change for a can bigger than the 16oz gunscrubber at WalMart, for just over half the price. I'm going to try it next time I shoot and see how well it works. I made sure to make sure it was non-chlorinated too.

When you use this stuff (or gunscrubber), do you have to dry off the gun? Or does it evaporate fairly quickly? I assume if you use it on surfaces that need to stay oiled (trigger action, bolt, etc) that you need to put some fresh oil on after it dries?

 

[AZ Jeff]

Brake cleaner and it's pricier equivalent, Gun Scrubber, are EXCELLENT degreasers. In fact, they are so good at removing oils that if you do NOT reoil a firearm cleaned with this stuff, expect it to rust fairly soon thereafter.

I really suggest for most gun cleaning to NOT use that stuff, unless you are prepared to apply a very light aerosol gun oil to all the surfaces you degreased.

I recommend Remington's "Rem-oil" or Browning's gun oil in their aerosol versions for restoring the lost protection here, but there are LOTS of other oils that will do just as well.

Just make sure whatever you use to reoil the degreased parts, it's not a thick or congealing type oil, such as WD-40.

 

[E357]

What AZ Jeff said - exactly! - you MUST oil after the brake cleaner stuff or you'll ruin the gun. I also found out the hard way that the "bio-degradable" oils like Ballistol are not what you want to use on a gun that you might put away for a while (more than a few months). Which actually makes sense, when you thnk about it.

Elliot

 

[blue86buick]

when to use Grunscrubber, and how?

So basically, gunscrubber is OK to use. It's ok to spray it on everything, to get a buildup of crap off (like when the action gets gritty). BUT, once I've done that, i should give the action and bolt a spray-down with aerosol oil (ie: Rem-Oil). What about non-internal surfaces (exterior of barrel), can I just use a silicone cloth on them? Or spray, wipe down, and then silicone?

 

[ford8nr]

THANKS GUYS !!!
Just bought a 22/45 MK III for the wife to take a NRA Basic Pistol Course. Disassembled it for initial cleaning / inspection, went back together real easy except I had no trigger/hammer pressure. Then guess what it wouldn't come back apart. The grip frame release would only come out about 1/4". Didn't want to pry so I put it away and logged into THR. Got my answer, went downstairs, pulled trigger tipped gun upside down, tapped on it as I rotated it to pointing at the floor. Pulled grip frame release and it CAME OUT !!! whoho !!
Found out the hammer lever/pawl got behind the grip frame, would explain why the magazines were sticking. CARFULLY reassembled and closed grip latch. Everything cycles as it should. This gun is kinda odd on the disassembly, not bad, just odd.

 

[hokiemojo]

Same thing happened to me last night. I still don't have it back together, but after getting it apart, I thought it would be a good time to stop and calm down. I spent almost 2.5 hours trying to figure out how to get it back apart. Can you tell I'm new?

 

[Peakbagger46]

I have the same pistol. All one can say is HOLY CRAP! These things are not easy to put back together.

Check the position of the sun and also the moon phase. Call your buddies in the secret society and have them get you some incense to burn. Then anoint the pistol with holy water and maybe it will decide to line up for you.