Ruger MK lll Questions

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One Lung Wonder

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Goddammit, I have been reading those posts by Gander and now I am thinking I need (NEED!) one of those nifty little Ruger Mk III .22 semiautos. (Yeah, I "need" another friggin hole in the head too!)

How often do you need to clean those things before they start jamming? My current rimfire ride is a Single Six pimped out with a scope and Hogue grips...and ya know, when you put 50 rounds through it, the cylinder gets bunged up and it damn near takes road rage and fury to get shells into it! Once it's clean, the new ammo falls into the cylinder slick as can be! If I have to clean an auto every 50 rounds I would probably say to hell with it.

Second...would you buy one off the EE or go new? I am just cruising the EE now and there's a few on there with ugly marks and others that the current owner is the third or fourth...and I don't want another used piece of crap. If that's the way of it I will order in one of those stainless steel new models and take my lumps up front.

Your advice and two cents is, as always, appreciated.
 
They are actually very tolerant of the fouling buildup and you can easily shoot upwards of over 1K before YOU become so disgusted with it that YOU decide to open it up and clean it. The gun will still be doing fine but it'll be YOU that simply can't live with yourself any longer.

Actually for most folks that are not all OCD over it this point of disgust with the condition will generally hit them at around 500 to 800 rounds. The truly OCD types will clean it after every range session because that's just what they do.

To illustrate I did the bushing swap for a friend to remove the mag disconnect. His gun was so cruddly that I had to ask. He had NEVER cleaned it in 7 years of ownership. Simply just added more oil when needed. The fouling was so thick inside that many of the smaller internal parts were no longer visible under the blanket of dark grey "snow".

I've also got a single six which I love. But you're right about the need to keep the cylinder chambers buffed clean. The Mk III isn't such a sensitive soul like that by any means.

The issues of separating the upper from the lower so you can get in and clean the areas has earned a reputation that is almost biblical. Some, like me, can flip them apart and back together with hardly a second thought. Others did it once and had to take it to a gunsmith to put it back together. I even heard from a Mk III owner of a gunsmith that told him to never bring that *$)@% gun into his shop ever again. So he's never removed the lower since. But if you watch a couple of You Tube videos you'll realize that it's not that bad and it's just a case of knowing the steps to flip the hammer this way and that to do the different things.

Basically the hammer needs to be flipped up to remove or install the main spring housing and take down pin assembly and flipped down to install the bolt. Once you figure that out it's not that big a deal to flip it one way or the other and hold the gun in position. The only other care in all this is that the hammer strut can flip itself to the wrong side of one of the cross pins during all this flipping. So you want to learn where it needs resting just before you re-install the main spring housing or you'll learn a whole lot of new bad words.

All this checking and flipping requires that the trigger be pulled to allow the hammer to move. But with the magazine disconnect in place you need to slot an empty mag in to let you pull the trigger. And that's where it gets complicated because the magazine has to be in to pull the trigger at the times it needs to be pulled.

For this and the reason that the mag disconnect produces some friction and also affects the trigger pull a lot of folks buy a replacement hammer bushing that allows them to remove the disconnect and push the gun back to the way the Mk II's used to work for this stuff.

The Ruger Mk series are pretty tough guns. Lots of us have bought used ones without any issue other than the exterior comes equipped with some "character markings". But a stainless finish can really get ugly looking when it's got a bunch of scuffs. If you're not OK with re-doing the brushed look with a suitable abrasive then buy new.

They are nice guns for sure. But they seem to have picked up a reputation that makes them seem WAY better than they really are. In reality I don't consider them any better a gun than the similarly priced Browning Buckmark. And the Buckmark comes out of the box with a nicer trigger as well as being easier to break down and re-assemble. But if you like the looks of the Ruger over any other options then the gun will prove reliable and more accurate than you are.
 
BCRider hit the nail on the head.

I own one and I'm not OCD about cleaning it. I clean it maybe every other range visit, sometimes even less. I bought mine off the EE for $350 and it was worth it. It's a great pleasure to shoot and I rarely have issues with it, when I can actually find .22LR ammo to put in it.

The disassembly and reassembly took me a few times to master. I ended up just writing down the instructions in point form and posting it above my work bench.

My only regret is that I bought the 22/45 that doesn't have replacable grips. It doesn't really matter, but it would be nice to customize with some different grips instead of just having all black. I ended up putting a Hogue rubber slip-on grip on there instead.
 
I have had one for years. Once you have cleaned a few times it does get easier every time. One of the best affordable 22's
 
They seem to have picked up a reputation that makes them seem WAY better than they really are. In reality I don't consider them any better a gun than the similarly priced Browning Buckmark.
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Depends on your intended purpose. A Buckmark is a great in-formal target .22 as stock, but there are few upgrades available (and factory replacement parts are frankly pretty scarce and expensive). Whereas the Ruger lets you access options in springs, bushings, and other bits, plus adjustable target triggers. And quite importantly you can get a competition grip from Thomas Rink in Germany to fit the Ruger frame, which is the _same_ grip that ISSF shooters use on their Pardini and Walther pistols in the Olympics. That grip is essential to being competitive.

So if you use it for one-handed marksmanship (ISSF or NRA Bullseye), the Ruger Mark series with upgrades can come in about half the price of a S&W Model 41 also with the Rink grip, or even less compared to that Haemmerli you aspire to.
 
I have only full cleaned mine once. I do run a boresnake down it after each trip to the range. They have a reputation as a very difficult gun to take apart, or better yet, tough to get back together. After a few times it is supposed to get easier, but my first time made me hesitant to do it again. Most information says they can go a very extended time without cleaning, and some even recommend NOT cleaning them. Lots of videos online for the tear down process. There is one right from Ruger that is actually very good. You can find it under News & Resources/videos/Ruger Tech Tips on the Ruger website. As far as buying used, for such an inexpensive pistol, I would buy new, for the warranty, and the peace of mind that it has not been abused. And there is something to be said for being the first owner. Also in my experience, the EE prices are pretty much asking new prices, or even more!! Look for a sale, and go for it!
 
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Some of you may know that there is a little gizmo you can purchase that makes the tear-down and reassembly -way- easier. I'll see if I can locate a link to it, others may chime in. Was going to get one for my wife to put on her Mark III 22/45 but she said not to waste my money as she has no problem with it.
 
For shooting dirty rimfire ammo I prefer semi's because I find revolvers get "gummed" up quicker.
I'm on my third MKIII now (standard model) and it's a keeper. The slab-side 22/45 grip was too thin and the bull barrel Target felt too top/nose heavy. All 3 functioned A1+. I brush the chamber and run a bore-snake after each range session (~150rnds). I'll start thinking about a takedown after 500rnds. Mine has the mag disco done with a Sam's bushing. Inexpensive and recommended mod.
Once you've done it a couple times the takedown/re-assembly gets easier. As I've said before, if you can figure out a manual can opener you can figure this out.
Unless you find a good used one with a great price…I'd buy new. Mine was under $400 delivered with 2 mags.
One Lung….yes you need a MKIII:)
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I have a new Ruger 22/45 Lite and a Ruger MK2 used to have a MK2 bull barrel. Yes they are a pain to disassemble but they are very accurate, eat anything, well balanced, and has parts choices galore.

The benefits far outweigh any cons as there is a reason why these have not changed much since the 50s and why they are so popular everyone can't be wrong. :)

Get one if you don't like you can sell it easy as its not some oddball .22.

Randy





 
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Hard to say for me. If I'm taking my time and shooting slowly, after a range trip the bore looks shiny like if it was just cleaned. Sometimes if I'm just goofing around and shooting a lot of rounds though, the waxed/unplated bullets start to leave lead flakes inside the barrel that I have to brush out (Could be heat / wax residue in the rifling? I've got no clue). It's happened a few times, but generally that's after about 400-500 rounds in a couple of hours. Having lots of spare mags and a magazine loader is adding to the problem I think :/ It doesn't jam, but it has caused a few bullets to keyhole.
 
I have the mk3 stainless target, had it for a couple years, first time out after about 250 rounds it started missing the sear or something, 3 trigger squeezes for one round fired. I took it home and put it away till I had time to work on it stripped it down , cleaned it and took it to the range, ,same thing right away, stripped it again and couldn't see anything so put it back together and noticed the cross pin that is just above/ behind the grip was in on one side and had slipped from the frame. This caused the trigger group or sear to #### sideways just enough to miss fire. I put the pin back in which seemed a bit loose for the job it does and went to the range. Once again it took about 10 mags before missfiring once again, I looked at the pin and sure enough it had slipped sideways again! I will be emailing ruger to see if they know how to fix this, not sure if the frame was punched too wide or the Pin needs to be peened. When it is working it is fun to shoot and quite accurate!
 
I guess I got a lemon. I took a 22/45 Lite brand new, never fired, in a trade recently based largely on it's reputation for cycling any ammo you care to feed it. The only brand it'll run without problems is CCi Mini mags. I've cleaned it within an inch of it's life and last weekend installed a Volquartson extractor. Just came back from the range now totally frustrated. Still runs Mini mags fine but malfunctions with Federal, American Eagle and three different kinds of Winchester. I've sent an e-mail to Location Snapshot, the Ruger warranty operator for Canada, and will give them a call tomorrow.
 
skookumchuck said:
I guess I got a lemon. Still runs Mini mags fine but malfunctions with Federal, American Eagle and three different kinds of Winchester.
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Malfunction, what sort of malfunction? Feeding, firing, extracting, ejecting, particulars?

This is what somebody suggested to me long ago: you use a needle oiler and put a quarter of a drop on the case of the top round in a loaded magazine. See if it runs now. Might need to do that every five mag.s or so until it breaks in.

The purported reasoning is lubrication aiding in chambering and extraction, but what is actually occurring is that the brass cannot grip the chamber walls as it's expanding, and thrusts back on the bolt with greater force. You don't want to use such an oiled round in most firearms, particularly a locked breech centre fire (unless you're proving it), but in this case of a straight blow-back rim fire it seems to do the trick.
 
I have several 22/45 lites (bought them for wife and kids too). All of them run great with all ammo so far. I put vq triggers and slingshot mods etc in all of them.

Taking them apart isn't really all that bad.
 
NVShooter said:
Some of you may know that there is a little gizmo you can purchase that makes the tear-down and reassembly -way- easier. I'll see if I can locate a link to it, others may chime in. Was going to get one for my wife to put on her Mark III 22/45 but she said not to waste my money as she has no problem with it.
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You're thinking of the "Majestic Speed Strip Kit":

http://majesticarms.com/id10.html

Looks like a nice bit of kit. I considered getting one, but I already have a very nice trigger on my Mk. 1, and I don't want to futz with it.
 
You may want to check the orientation of the pin. They have a groove on one end that one of the legs of the torsion springs will sit in to retain the pin. If the pin is in the wrong way, or you miss the leg of the torsion spring it will work fora while, but then eventually slip and disable your trigger group - found this out the hard way lol

Here's a good video of the strip down and re-assembly.

bobdbldr said:
I have the mk3 stainless target, had it for a couple years, first time out after about 250 rounds it started missing the sear or something, 3 trigger squeezes for one round fired. I took it home and put it away till I had time to work on it stripped it down , cleaned it and took it to the range, ,same thing right away, stripped it again and couldn't see anything so put it back together and noticed the cross pin that is just above/ behind the grip was in on one side and had slipped from the frame. This caused the trigger group or sear to #### sideways just enough to miss fire. I put the pin back in which seemed a bit loose for the job it does and went to the range. Once again it took about 10 mags before missfiring once again, I looked at the pin and sure enough it had slipped sideways again! I will be emailing ruger to see if they know how to fix this, not sure if the frame was punched too wide or the Pin needs to be peened. When it is working it is fun to shoot and quite accurate!
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VanMan said:
You may want to check the orientation of the pin. They have a groove on one end that one of the legs of the torsion springs will sit in to retain the pin. If the pin is in the wrong way, or you miss the leg of the torsion spring it will work fora while, but then eventually slip and disable your trigger group - found this out the hard way lol

Here's a good video of the strip down and re-assembly.
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I will look but it would have come from the factory that way as I hadn't stripped it before the first range trip! Still could be it!
 
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