ruger marK III problems help

[cdpII]

Hi i just bought a ruger mk III target model and shot about 200rds out of it when i got home i started to clean it. I removed the mainspring housing and then tried to pull the slide back just as the book showed but the slide only came back about an inch, so i reinstalled the mainspring and tried again but the mainspring is now jammed also it only moves out about a half inch. does anyone know what is wrong/ how to fix it?

 

[p85]

Did you dry fire the pistol before removing the mainspring housing?

 

[langenc]

Go to MkIII.org and ask all questions about the Mark III.

Bullseye will sooner or later answer your question-if not already there. Bullseye knows more about MkIII than most workers at Ruger.

 

[chopz]

i'm guessing the hammer probably wasn't positioned correctly on reassembly. try this: look at the picture in the step of reassembly, before you replace the mainspring assembly. the pistol is pointed towards the ground, but not straight down - a little past vertical, so the ejection port is facing toward the ground at an angle as well. now, pull the trigger and shake - trry to get that hammer to fall forward.

ok, i had a similar problem and i think that's how i solved it. couldn't hurt to try, right?

 

[elrod]

I have a MkIII 22/45. Had/have the same problem. Broke the mainspring guide once, got pistol reassembled (called myself doing it by the book) after ordering new guide, only to have it completely locked up! Local dealer (where I bought gun) recommended sending it back to Ruger. Said he personally owned one and did not field strip, even to clean it, due to difficulty in reassembly. (Not in business any more, wonder why?) I send it to Ruger with my check for return shipping and minimun repair charge. When I received it back, they had returned my check uncashed.
The assembly/reassembly of the pistol seems to be a recurrent problem that they are aware of, yet haven't been able to engineer out of the design. I think I would still buy one in spite of this. It is such a fun shooter.

 

[CajunBass]

I've had the same thing happen to me. First don't panic and try to force it. I was tempted. I wish I could tell you something specific that I did to get it unjammed, but to tell you truth, I don't know what I did. I just kept "fiddling" with it, until suddenly it just popped loose. I was about ready to take it to a gunsmith the next morning.

I used to think I'd never take one apart again, but I've learned that EVERY step in the instruction book is important. Disassembly has never been a problem for me, but getting it back together was until I realized that the hammer on mine won't just "drop" into position like the book says. It has to be pushed into position (I use a pencil or a pen, something like that.). Once I started doing that, and following the instructions to the letter, I haven't had any more trouble. And yes, I get the book out every time.

 

[Bullseye57]

Hi i just bought a ruger mk III target model and shot about 200rds out of it when i got home i started to clean it. I removed the mainspring housing and then tried to pull the slide back just as the book showed but the slide only came back about an inch, so i reinstalled the mainspring and tried again but the mainspring is now jammed also it only moves out about a half inch. does anyone know what is wrong/ how to fix it?

Your hammer strut got caught behind the frame crosspin, that's why the bolt wouldn't open more than an inch. Now your trigger is partially cocked and the mainspring housing won't open. You'll need to get the hammer to go fully forward. Here's a link to my web help page, look at the remedies for step #1 the second remedy will get that hammer forward for you, be sure to insert an empty magazine in the frame before attempting to move the hammer forward or it won't move with the Mark III's magazine safety disconnector device. http://www.guntalk-online.com/TroubleshootingPage.htm

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

 

[TimboKhan]

One of the main reasons I don't want a MkIII is the mag disconnect, and here is yet another reason why. I won't trade my MkII's away for anything (except maybe a different MkII, I guess), but the MkIII's just aren't for me.

 

[orionengnr]

Good people, good advice.

First time I took my MkII apart, I reckoned I'd never get it back together

Fortunately, I had already discovered these:

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

http://www.guntalk-online.com/detailstrip.htm

Still not my favorite pisol to disassemble/clean/reassemble, but still one of my favorite to shoot.