MKIII Field Stripping Questions

[Wicked K5]

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.

It really isn't all that bad. Don't let it beat you. Don't give up. Next time try swearing at it too. Sometimes these guns need to be verbally scared into submission as well as beat with a mallet. I learned from experience

[Khafre]

Aww your first Mk III fieldstrip. This takes me back to my first 10 hour session of frustration and utter confusion. I must have watched 5 or 6 videos and read the manual a dozen times, but I was able to do it.

It definitley gets easier over time and the more you do it the easier it is to remove the barrel from the frame. The first couple of times with a new pistol the aid of a rubber mallet is essential.

It really isn't all that bad. Don't let it beat you. Don't give up. Next time try swearing at it too. Sometimes these guns need to be verbally scared into submission as well as beat with a mallet. I learned from experience

And yes, swearing at it will loosen it up some

From my experience it isn't really necessary to remove the barrel from the grip for cleaning under 500 rounds, but it really depends on how clean you want it. The nice thing is these Rugers can run fairly dirty. However, if you are really particular about your trigger pulls removing the barrel from the frame is the only way to clean the trigger transfer bar and plunger effectively as this area is susceptible to fouling and can cause a gritty feeling on the trigger's uptake, but the break is still clean even when dirty.

What I find funny is that this topic has been brought up in almost every firearm related forum out there and everyone has their own video they reference when field stripping. So, I will post my own personal favorite which is the best I have found so far.

http://youtu.be/opNMCQ_sqwo

[r8dr rider]

I had and still have the same issues with my MkIII. I love to shoot it but hate to clean it.

[bigcalidave]

I don't understand why they still make them like this. It's gotta be the most insane, impossible takedown method ever. I know some people can do it easy, some guns are easy as well. After spending a few hours battling one of these a long time ago, I still haven't bought one for myself, just in case I got a bad one. Seriously, how long have they made this design?? They can't come up with a better way?

[Longhill]

It does get easier after you do it a few times.

[BigStiCK]

It does get easier after you do it a few times.

Yes it does, especially if you lose the Mag Disc. I can now completely strip my 22/45 & get it back together again in roughly a minute.

Dont be afraid to practice disassembly/ reassembly. It'll loosen it up and you'll learn exactly what to do/ look for.

Piece-O-cake.

[Hooligan]

This painful takedown/reassembly is why mine only gets cleaned every other year. Arrgh. Frustrating.

But a pleasure to shoot and accurate. So it stays with me!

[Old4eyes]

I have two Mark III's, one Mark I. It takes me 45 seconds to pull down and put together my Mark I. It takes me a minute and 15 seconds for one of the Mark III's, you have to play the magazine in/out dance.

Now, let's talk about the other Mark III. Leather mallet, a home built guide pin, every swear word that I know and 10 minutes. If I had gotten this gun first, I too would have sworn on a bible that a Ruger cannot be field stripped

I hope that most people get one like my "easy" Rugers. If however, you get one like my problem child, I can understand the word Buckmark.

[Waketek516]

Aww your first Mk III fieldstrip. This takes me back to my first 10 hour session of frustration and utter confusion. I must have watched 5 or 6 videos and read the manual a dozen times, but I was able to do it.

From my experience it isn't really necessary to remove the barrel from the grip for cleaning under 500 rounds, but it really depends on how clean you want it.

Yeah - I was happy with a 3hr strip, clean, & reassembly for my first time. Luckily my dad has a MKII, so he gave me some good pointers, and told me "you might need to lightly tap the receiver" - Little did I know I'd be doing this for 30mins