Bolt does not lock back

xrtguy

xrtguy

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Hi folks,

I have a 1-year-old Ruger Mark III "Competition Target Model" .22 pistol that shoots great except for one thing: lately, the bolt hasn't been locking back when I shoot the last round. If I manually pull the bolt back on an empty magazine then the bolt will lock back, so that tells me the bolt is not recoiling as far as it needs to.

Any suggestions as to what I should look at? (Yes, the thing has been cleaned numerous times, and no, I haven't loaded it up with grease.) Maybe this is one for the gunsmith? The owner's manual is no help at all.

Thanks for any advice that you can offer!
 
I don't think that I am, but now that you mention it, I'm not absolutely sure. I'll make a point of checking when I go to the range; I held it in my hand just now to see if it's possible (it is) but it's quite a stretch for my thumb.

Thanks for the suggestion!
 
gunasauras said:
Check your mag as well. Could be a weak mag spring, or crud built up around the bolt hold open....
Click to expand...
+1

Strip the mags and give them a good cleaing. Also give the gun a good cleaning up and around the slide lock, q-tips work well for this.

Try some different ammo as well. Maybe some new mags might be in order.
 
What kind of ammunition are you using? Some target loads are loaded to lower pressure levels and if your pistol is getting dirty, it may be enough to slow the slide down. Give her a good bath and try high velocity rather then target speed ammo. (not the hyper speed stuff like stinger, it'll work but your accuracy ussually suffers)
 
Gunasauras and Nine: I'll pay particular attention to cleaning the mags and the area around the locking mechanism. My last carton of ammo may have had something to do with the issue (see next comment).

Cocked&Locked: I've been shooting Federal's American Eagle ammo (dirty stuff, in my opinion) and I switched to Winchester Wildcat after I started having some problems with the bolt staying open. I'll try a couple of Mini Mags just to see what happens; I'll try them (and watching where my thumb is) before I scrub the innards; that way I'll know what variable I'm testing.

Good suggestions, all. Thanks for the advice! I'll let you know what happens after I visit the range again.
 
Problem solved!

I took the darn thing apart (again) and gave it another scrubbing, but when I operated the slide release this time it seemed to me that it felt a little gritty. I ran some heavy paper between it and the frame until the paper came out clean, then I sprayed the mechanism with some spray-bomb-type oil.

When I finally made it to the range tonight it worked like a charm; turns out that powder residue from the dirty AE ammo gummed up the works. Who'd a thunk it?

Thanks for all your help, folks!
 
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