Ruger mark iii very dissapointed

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GunsAreGood

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Well I woke up this morning happy as a clam. I was so excited to go pick up my brand new Ruger Mark III 22/45. I went to my local gun shop and picked up my new gun. When I got home the first thing I was planning on doing was breaking down the gun to do a cleaning and inspect my new firearm. I wish it was that simple. I know that the Mark III 22/45 is not supposed to be the easiest gun to break down but I am fairly knowledgeable in the process of breaking down any gun that I own. I open the lever and swing it out when it comes to pulling the lever down to release the pin from the bolt it would not budge. After 45 minutes of pulling it finally releases. I pull the bolt out and try to get the barrel off but it will not come off. I sat there for over an hour trying everything I could to get it off but there was no hope. I tried all sorts of variations of pulling and prying and nothing would work. I did notice a piece of metal inside the gun that would not go down that in a Disassembly video on Youtube was said it has to be down to get the barrel back on so I am assuming that that would be why I could not get it off. The metal piece inside the gun seemed to be fixed and would not move no matter what I did. I decided that I would say the hell with it for now and just reassemble the gun and deal with it later as I was getting very frustrated at the time. I returned the bolt and preceded to put the pin back in but it would not go. I oiled it and tried again but nothing. I had to use a punch set to drive the pin to its original position but once I got it there I tried to swing the lever back down to finish the reassembly but every time I did so the pin would retract back down and I would be back to driving back up into the gun with the punch set. I do not know if the gun is defective of I am just an idiot. I called Ruger and should get a return call tomorrow. I am seriously thinking about telling Ruger I would like a new firearm or my money back. I love all my Rugers I own and had never had this much trouble with any firearm I have ever owned. I would GREATLY appreciate any help anyone can offer. I am beyond mad and do not know what to do.
 
Don't give up

I too struggled with the MkIII 22/45 take down and assembly. The instructions seem complex and at first a little confusing. Well maybe a lot confusing. The part that I cannot keep straight is when to pull the trigger and when not to.:banghead:

Each and every time I take it apart I have to get out the instructions and follow them step by step. And I think that I am an above average mechanic.

The good part is that after the first two cleanings, once after each 250 rounds, I haven't cleaned it since, other than cleaning the barrel with BreakFree and a patch, in over 2000 rounds with no ill effect.

These are great guns once you get all of the little stuff taken care of, mine had some FTE problems early but a minor trim to the inside of the 'round chambered indicator', solved it completely.

Bottom line: great shooter; pain in the ass to break down.

Oh, to get the barrel off of the frame you need a plastic hammer. Give a good sharp whack to the back of the bolt receiver and it pops right off.
 
This page saved me many times: http://www.guntalk-online.com/2245detailstripping.htm
As said a rubber mallet goes a long way in removing the barrel from the frame and installing it back also.

Doing the mag disconnect mod to the gun makes putting it back together alot easier as you can skip the "insert mag,pull trigger, take out mag" foolishness.

I can now tear mine down to the last piece and put it back together in less than 10 minutes.
 
Sounds like you're not familiar enough with the gun. Take a deep breath, relax, and try it again later. Don't throw in the towel yet, you haven't even shot it! Make sure you're following the instructions EXACTLY.

I was trying to take down my new SIG a few months ago after I had gotten it and I had taken them down MANY times before, but I still messed up. I forgot to take the magazine out and couldn't figure out why the slide wouldn't come off. Now, mind you I DID check the chamber and rack the slide several times to verify empty. I knew it was empty. But it's the stupid things that make you pull your hair out. The magazine floorplate just fits so nicely with the bottom of the grips that I didn't even see it. OOPS.
 
Plastic mallet, knowing what every moves doing inside, will help things along. They are a PITA at first, but if you take the time to understand what your doing inside with the hammer and strut, it will become second nature. I can field strip mine and reassemble in less than a minute, and so can you!! The main thing to remember is, that you want the hammer forward, or uncocked, when ever you remove or install the lock pin-hammer spring assembly. You don't want the strut down compressing the spring(cocked position), while your installing or removing the lock pin assembly;)
 
I am with JDGray. When I first got mine, it took me a god two hours to figure out what was happening but I was an idiot and did not RTFM. :banghead: After watching a few videos I was able to put it back together. I took it apart again and attempt #2 took about 10 minutes. Now its second nature.

Watch the videos, take your time. They are excellent pistols. Just stick with. it...
V.
 
The MKIII is VERY difficult. My MKII was somewhat bad but now after a few years is not a problem. I still have to whack my MKIII to get the assembly out. Of course at this point a wooden (or plastic) mallet is necessary. Also, getting the barrel back into alignment is brutal. I have stopped removing the barrel for a while. I think that just shooting helps loosen the gun but regular takedown is of significant value.
 
Been there.

I had to hold mine at strange angles while I spoke in tongues and calculated azimuths in my head to get that lever to pop back out.

and I'll probably do it again the next time I clean it (which I will avoid for as long as practically possible).
 
I got rid of all my Rugers. Overall withthe exception of the bull barrel 22 SA which I gave to my son (nice dad huh) they were the most inaccurate pieces in the collection. I'll never own one of thier arms again.
 
I had difficulty with the 22/45 first time around as well. Make sure to use a mallet where suggested, take your time and watch the videos.
 
"is not supposed to be the easiest gun to break down" See - you proved that internet rumor. Now maybe you believe the next one you hear!

Get rid of the mag disconnect feature.
 
when i first got my mk iii it jammed all the time and of course it was a pain to take apart. Now it never jams. And the more you disassemble and reassemble it the easier it will get. The vids on youtube will show you how to do it.
 
I got rid of my MkIII when it fired OOB and the Loaded Chamber Indicator blew off into my off hand thumb. I'll trade actual safety for 'lawyer safety' anytime, and a solid receiver wall for a cut-up LCI that no responsible shooter would ever use or trust.

I'm done with Rugers, I think.


Larry
 
Did you read the instructions by any chance?

You really need to read and take the time to go through step by step

and finally, why are you complaining, it is WELL KNOW AND DOCUMENTED that the Ruger MK series of pistol take some time and are DIFFERENT in disassemble than many other pistols.
 
I am not bashing Rugers or complaining about the disassembly of the gun I was just frustrated that I could not get the gun back together. With that said here is what happened.

Once I calmed down a bit last night I decided to take another crack at getting it reassembled. I broke out the manual and went very slow step by step making sure to follow every direction to the T. I did have to use a hammer and punch to get the pin up into the bolt but it went. I was missing a crucial step of inserting the mag before I swung the lever back down then removing it before closing the latch. I can still not get the barrel off but I do not have a rubber mallet. I am sure once I acquire one it should not be a problem. I ended up taking the gun to the range today to see how she ran and I was very impressed. I had one FTF but I believe it was because I was shooting hollow points. The gun was VERY accurate as you all already know. I was shooting 50 rounds in the black with no problems. I also like the fact that I shot for 3 hours and still had about half of my 525 bulk pack of 22's. When I got home I was a little apprehensive about breaking it down to clean because of all the problems I had the night before, but I said the hell with it I am not going to never break the gun down because of one bad experience and decided to do it. I popped the latch and swung out the lever and the pin damn near came out by itself. Like I said before I could not get the barrel off but when I get a rubber mallet I will address that issue. The reassembly was easy as pie. Bottom line is it is a great shooter sturdy as a tank and at first aggravating as hell but everything is all worked out and loosened up and I could not be happier with the gun. Thank you all that gave me positive input. :D:D:D:D
 
I like 'em when they are that tight. Means the barrel won't get a little loose on the frame as one occasionally will. It's true, the mallet helps a whole bunch.
 
Thank you all that gave me positive input
Click to expand...

Glad you figured it out! Yeah....Nothing like being frusterated, and someone says they sold all theirs cause the gun was smarter then they were, or sell it and buy brand "X":rolleyes::D
 
Sell it and buy a used or new old stock MK II to avoid a host of reliability and reassembly issues. Or mod it to mirror the MK II configuration.
 
what you have there is perhaps the most difficult gun in existence to disassemble and even more difficult to reassemble... the first time!!!... best bet is to have someone familiar with it take it down and reassemble it before you tackle any more of the process youself.. many a ruger mk II/III owner has walked into a gun shop with a bag of parts that was originally their spanking new gun!!!.. several of which were warned of this prior to leaving said shop with their new purchase!

also, if you do get it apart, the trick to getting it back together is to sprout an extra arm from the middle of your chest in order to hold the gun at the correct angle (yes it needs to be held at a particular angle) to get the damn thing back together.
 
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