MKIII Field Stripping Questions

[Waketek516]

So last night I decided to strip down my brand new MKIII to clean it for the first time. I used an online guide my dad sent me since there are some quirks about when to insert & remove the magazine during the process:

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

Disassembly was fairly straight forward. The only issue I had was removing the receiver from the frame. I could NOT pull that apart for the life of me. I fount a video online from Ruger where they show how to field strip the gun. They mentioned using a "non-marring" hammer to "tap" the receiver off the frame. I ended up using a rubber mallet to bang it pretty damn hard to finally get it apart.


After that I spent an hour or so really cleaning out all of the parts, and learning where each one went and what its function was.

Then the reassembly - Again I could NOT get the damn receiver to slide onto the frame easily. I had to once again bang it pretty hard to get it to slide back on. It was then a ***** to get it to slide back far enough to get the holes lined up so that the mainspring housing pin would slide back up properly. After fighting with it for a good 30mins, I finally got it all back together & working properly.



Does anyone know if this is normal? Is it because the gun is new that everything is still so stiff coming apart and going together? I know a lot of guys with these guns don't bother cleaning them that often because of what a process it is. I had about 1,500 rds through it before I did this first cleaning.

[Quickdraw Mcgraw]

Threads like this scarred me into a buckmark!

[SAR_boats]

Welcome to Mk3 ownership. This is completely normal. The good news is things will loosen up the more you do this. Keep the rubber mallet and/or block of wood handy until then.

[Merc1138]

Yes, it's normal. I still can't take the receiver off the frame of my 22/45 or put it back on without a rubber mallet, yet I see that some people manage to do it with their hands.

I suppose a tight fit is better than having it loose and rattling, but it's still kinda of ridiculous.

[Waketek516]

Okay - that's good news! I think my fiance' though I was nuts when she saw me beating a gun with a hammer on the coffee table!

[Wicked K5]

Order a bushing from Sam Lam to eliminate the mag disconnect. That'll take the "insert mag, drop mag, hokie pokie dance" out of the equation. And yes, mine had a tight fit also. The first time I took my 22/45 apart it was a struggle. A couple moderate whacks with a rubber mallet to get the receiver off/on. Second time around seemed like it loosened up quite a bit. Still need the rubber mallet but take much less effort.

[Waketek516]

Order a bushing from Sam Lam to eliminate the mag disconnect. That'll take the "insert mag, drop mag, hokie pokie dance" out of the equation. And yes, mine had a tight fit also. The first time I took my 22/45 apart it was a struggle. A couple moderate whacks with a rubber mallet to get the receiver off/on. Second time around seemed like it loosened up quite a bit. Still need the rubber mallet but take much less effort.

I'm sure it may be posted somewhere here, but what does the mag disconnect do? (a more broad answer than "disconnect the mag" would be helpful) haha

[davek8s]

The mag disconnect makes it so the gun will only fire with a mag inserted.

I've owned my mk3 for 5 years. Last week was the first time I've ever stripped it and put it back together in 1 try. The first time, I had to put the parts in a box and have my friends dad help me put it back together.

[Wicked K5]

I'm sure it may be posted somewhere here, but what does the mag disconnect do? (a more broad answer than "disconnect the mag" would be helpful) haha

It's a "feature" that does not allow the gun to be fired unless there is a magazine present. The argument for is with the mag disco in place there is less risk of accidental discharge. IMO, on these guns it makes them a bit more time consuming to disassemble and (I'm not sure if the regular Mark III does it) doesn't allow the mags to drop free.

[Waketek516]

Ahhh I gotcha! Yeah that's one thing I didn't realize - that my mags weren't dropping. I thought it was just a tight fit cuz they were new. I'll definitely be looking into the Sam Lam kit you suggested.

Thanks!

[littlejake]

You need a 2 pound dead-blow hammer to "beat" the receiver off the frame. A rubber mallet doesn't transfer much energy because it bounces. A regular hammer will mar or damage the gun. A dead-blow with a plastic covering is filled with shot than transfers its energy after the hammer makes contact.

About $25 at Sears.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00938394000P?prdNo=4&blockNo=4&blockType=G4

A 1/4 inch brass pin punch is handy to drive out the bolt stop pin -- especially on a new Ruger.

You can buy a kit from Majestic Arms that converts the bolt stop pin into a 2 piece that can be removed with a hex (Allen) wrench; permitting the bolt to be removed without driving out he bolt stop. It comes with a MKII style hammer that is rounded to permit the bolt to be reinserted with the mainspring still applying force to the hammer strut. The kit for the MKIII includes a 3.2 bushing that removes the magazine safety/diconnect -- do so at your own risk.

[Waketek516]

You need a 2 pound dead-blow hammer to "beat" the receiver off the frame. A rubber mallet doesn't transfer much energy because it bounces. A regular hammer will mar or damage the gun. A dead-blow with a plastic covering is filled with shot than transfers its energy after the hammer makes contact.

About $25 at Sears.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...4&blockType=G4

Already went out and grabbed one! I had used the rubber mallet - since it was the only non-marring hammer I had out in my chest.

[compulsivegunbuyer]

It will loosen up a little over time. I would rather have it tight than loose. Personally, I just don't find these that hard to break down and put together.

[Don the savage]

It will loosen up a little over time. I would rather have it tight than loose. Personally, I just don't find these that hard to break down and put together.

You are lucky then. My 22/45 is the most difficult gun in the world to break down. Last weekend I beat on the grip with a mallet and never did get the damn thing off and gave up and just cleaned the upper best I could. Great shooting gun but a beast to clean.

[Merc1138]

You are lucky then. My 22/45 is the most difficult gun in the world to break down. Last weekend I beat on the grip with a mallet and never did get the damn thing off and gave up and just cleaned the upper best I could. Great shooting gun but a beast to clean.

You don't hit the grip with the mallet, you hit the receiver. Just grab it by the grip like normal, and smack the back of the receiver. Do the same to the front of the barrel(this is why you use a rubber mallet, plastic deadblow, etc.) to put it back on.