ruger SR40 problem, please advise

JackBeQuick · February 10, 2013, 02:22 PM

I have a ruger SR40 which is my first hand gun. My son and I shot 41 rounds and then it would not fire. It loads a shell in the chamber fine but when you pull the trigger it will not fire.

does anyone have any ideas what might be the problem?

**Spats McGee** · February 10, 2013, 02:25 PM

Not a clue as to what the problem is, but I'll go ahead and ask a question that I know is coming: Have you called Ruger about this? If so, what did they say?

Dragline45 · February 10, 2013, 02:36 PM

Quote:

It loads a shell in the chamber fine but when you pull the trigger it will not fire.

Check the round in the chamber that you tried to fire, is there an indentation on the primer? If there is a dimple in the primer chances are it was a dud primer which can happen from time to time, or you are experiencing light primer strikes. If there is no indentation chances are the problem is with the firing pin.

Did you try chambering a different round? Also what kind of ammo are you shooting? Some ammunition have harder primers than other, most notably military surplus ammunition.

K_Mac · February 10, 2013, 02:36 PM

I think Spats asks the right question, but I will ask a couple more so we have more to go on. Is the safety off? Do you have a magazine properly seated in the pistol? Does the striker release when you pull the trigger; that is, does it "click" when the trigger is pulled? Is the primer of the cartridge that was in the chamber when the trigger was pulled have an indent indicating the firing pin struck the primer?

tahunua001 · February 10, 2013, 02:41 PM

did you clean it before hand? ruger packs a great deal of grease in their guns to preserve them during long storage but it does not lend itself to proper lubrication. the striker/firing pin spring may be crammed full of gunk. another problem is the magazine disconnect safety may be crammed full of gunk and wont fully depress so the safety is preventing the gun from firing.

for either problem I would recommend a full disassembly of the gun, clean thoroughly and lube with breakfree CLP or other comparable product. I had real problems with light strikes with my SR9C the first 25 rounds I put through it so I took it apart and removed the magazine disconnect safety and have never had a failure since. I also ran it through the first 500 rounds before cleaning it so I really can't say for certain what your problem may be.

another possibility may be your magazine itself may not be disengaging the mag disconnect, does your gun malfunction with both of the magazines provided or just with one magazine?

JackBeQuick · February 10, 2013, 02:50 PM

Have you called Ruger about this? If so, what did they say?

No I have not.

Check the round in the chamber that you tried to fire, is there an indentation on the primer? If there is a dimple in the primer chances are it was a dud primer which can happen from time to time, or you are experiencing light primer strikes. If there is no indentation chances are the problem is with the firing pin.

Did you try chambering a different round? Also what kind of ammo are you shooting? Some ammunition have harder primers than other, most notably military surplus ammunition.

I did not look at the amo from the chamber but I can go look to see if i see anything. I did try another round and it did not fire. It apeared to me the firing pin did not atempt to fire. Independence was the brand.

Dragline45 · February 10, 2013, 02:57 PM

Watch this video, it not only tells you how to remove the magazine disconnect, but it tells you how to remove the striker/firing pin so you can give it a good cleaning and once over. It's very simple to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dHXND_9-bE

By the way, the gun will function fine without the magazine disconnect, Ruger actually designed to be removed easily if one wished to.

Also, with the magazine disconnect in the gun, Ruger says NOT to dry fire without a magazine in the pistol as it can damage the striker. This alone is a good reason to remove it.

JackBeQuick · February 10, 2013, 02:58 PM

Is the safety off? Do you have a magazine properly seated in the pistol? Does the striker release when you pull the trigger; that is, does it "click" when the trigger is pulled? Is the primer of the cartridge that was in the chamber when the trigger was pulled have an indent indicating the firing pin struck the primer?

safety was off and it happened while firing the current magazine. he got about halfway through the mag when it failed. It does not click when pull the trigger.

did you clean it before hand? ruger packs a great deal of grease in their guns to preserve them during long storage but it does not lend itself to proper lubrication. the striker/firing pin spring may be crammed full of gunk. another problem is the magazine disconnect safety may be crammed full of gunk and wont fully depress so the safety is preventing the gun from firing.

for either problem I would recommend a full disassembly of the gun, clean thoroughly and lube with breakfree CLP or other comparable product. I had real problems with light strikes with my SR9C the first 25 rounds I put through it so I took it apart and removed the magazine disconnect safety and have never had a failure since. I also ran it through the first 500 rounds before cleaning it so I really can't say for certain what your problem may be.

another possibility may be your magazine itself may not be disengaging the mag disconnect, does your gun malfunction with both of the magazines provided or just with one magazine?

I bought the gun at a dealer but it was used. he said was not fired a lot and i ffear this is why someone traded it in. he said it was traded on a higher end pistol. when i bought it i asked the dealer how to clean it so we went through cleaning process before i took it hime.

I did not try the other mag. I wish i had

chris in va · February 10, 2013, 02:59 PM

Beat me to it.

Make sure the magazine is fully seated. If it's not, the gun just goes 'click'.

tahunua001 · February 10, 2013, 03:20 PM

the video posted in comment 7 is a very good instructional video. when I was trying to remove my mag disconnect I watched a different vid where the guy moved way too quick, didn't have steady hands and didn't have the best camera angle so I had to rewind and watch a few times but this one is fast, to the point and actually shows you how to put it back in if you so choose. the cleaning that most people show you in the shop is just a basic field strip and normally do not go all the way into removing the striker and cleaning the striker channel. when I did mine I used a pencil and a bent paperclip.

JackBeQuick · February 10, 2013, 08:31 PM

Watch this video, it not only tells you how to remove the magazine disconnect, but it tells you how to remove the striker/firing pin so you can give it a good cleaning and once over. It's very simple to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dHXND_9-bE

By the way, the gun will function fine without the magazine disconnect, Ruger actually designed to be removed easily if one wished to.

Also, with the magazine disconnect in the gun, Ruger says NOT to dry fire without a magazine in the pistol as it can damage the striker. This alone is a good reason to remove it.

do you mean remove and leave it out or just remove to clean it?

Dragline45 · February 10, 2013, 09:48 PM

Quote:

do you mean remove and leave it out or just remove to clean it?

Remove it and leave it out, it's an unnecessary feature. The magazine disconnect prevents you from firing the gun when there is no magazine in the gun. In the event that a magazine fails on you, and you don't have a spare, the magazine disconnect would prevent you from single loading the gun and firing it with no magazine. Another scenario where the magazine disconnect could prove fatal is this. Say you are in a struggle and the mag release button is accidently hit dropping your magazine, your pistol would be rendered inoperable. If you remove the magazine disconnect you would at least be able to get off the round that is in the chamber in the event that the magazine was dropped. I removed mine from my SR9C the first day I bought it.

bedbugbilly · February 10, 2013, 10:11 PM

All good advice that has been given and good questions. If you still are having problems, give Ruger a call. They have very good customer service.

I don't have a SR40 but I do have a SR9 - it functions perfectly and will eat whatever I feed it. Your SR40 should be the same way - don't give up on it . . . you'll get it fixed. Good luck!

tahunua001 · February 11, 2013, 12:33 PM

jack be quick, the movie in post 7 shows how to put it back together with or without the magazine disconnect.

mes228 · February 11, 2013, 01:22 PM

I had a new Ruger SR9 C that had a "reset" problem. A new pistol, it would reset every time when hand cycled. But had about a 10-20% failure to reset on firing. I was so disgusted with it I sold it to a shooter at the range. He shot the pistol, knew of the problem and wanted it anyway. He did not mind sending it back to Ruger for repair. I have no idea what the problem was. I just knew I did not wish to fool with it.

LockedBreech · February 11, 2013, 04:30 PM

Re: The magazine disconnect

Keep in mind that removing a safety feature that the gun cannot be purchased without could have potential legal consequences if used in self-defense.

Not very likely, but not impossible if the prosecutor decides to paint you as a reckless individual who removes safety devices.

Dragline45 · February 11, 2013, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Keep in mind that removing a safety feature that the gun cannot be purchased without could have potential legal consequences if used in self-defense

I'll take my chances. Especially since a majority of the guns on the market do not have a magazine disconnect. Cant see how it would have any bearing on a self defense shooting.

Would also like to point out I have never seen an example of when this actually happened.

tahunua001 · February 11, 2013, 06:23 PM

legal discussions should be relegated to another thread, this is getting off topic, I see both sides of that particular argument and both make good points but anything that a prosecutor can twist to his favor, a advocate can twist just as easily. I'll leave it at that, lets continue to focus on helping the OP troubleshoot his gun.

stantheman1976 · February 11, 2013, 08:48 PM

I don't think it wise to instruct what may likely be an inexperienced shooter to remove a factory included safety feature on his pistol. The disconnect safety is there for a reason and some people appreciate it being there. It would be wiser to tell him what it does and suggest he decide for himself whether he wants the safety in or not.

Dragline45 · February 11, 2013, 10:49 PM

Quote:

I don't think it wise to instruct what may likely be an inexperienced shooter to remove a factory included safety feature on his pistol. The disconnect safety is there for a reason

The magazine disconnect does not make a pistol any safer. The only reason a magazine disconnect is put in pistols is to please liberals, and allow them to be sold in liberal states like California and Massachusetts. The magazine disconnect is a relatively new phenomenon, people got along fine without them for decades. These companies are being pressured to put them in their pistols by anti-gun lobbyists. They don't necessarily put them in the guns because they think that's what the people want, because the majority don't, and many wont even own a pistol with a magazine disconnect.

It is the responsibility of a gun owner to practice safe gun handling, not to rely on mechanical devices. A magazine disconnect if anything makes pistol handling unsafe. You don't want to get into the habit of thinking a pistol cant fire without the magazine, because more often than not most pistols on the market will fire without the magazine.

breakingcontact · February 12, 2013, 12:21 AM

Is the gun "clicking", just not touching off the round?

Could be the striker channel is full of gunk/brass shavings.

tahunua001 · February 12, 2013, 12:26 AM

stan the man, it has already been mentioned more than once what the mag disconnect does. it inhibits the striker from moving forward if the magazine is not properly in place but a number of situations can occur such as improperly seated magazine, accidental mag dump, or dirt in the slide assembly preventing the disconnect from traveling to the fully disengaged location which can lead to light strikes and fail to fires.

now can we PLEASE get back to the original discussion? if you have questions of reservations about the legal, ethical or mechanical ramifications of these troubleshooting suggestions, please feel free to start a new thread.

breakingcontact · February 12, 2013, 10:39 AM

I addressed the OPs issue. But I agree on not removing mag disconnects. I even more strongly on not buying guns with mag disconnects.

JackBeQuick · February 17, 2013, 06:09 PM

Thanks everyone for the input. Here is a update. I watched the vidoe and took it completely apart cleaning everything but I did put the maag disconnect back in for now at least.

I was finally able to take it out today for a bit and shot just 4 rounds just to verify it was working. 2 rounds out of each mag to rule out one mag giving me issues. Hopfully soon can take it out and shoot it more but at least i know it is functioning properly now.

Again thanks for all the input.

JackBeQuick · February 17, 2013, 06:11 PM

side note, does anyone know if it is possible to get extra mag's for it and if so where?

February 10, 2013, 02:22 PM	#1
JackBeQuick Member Join Date: January 6, 2013 Posts: 25	ruger SR40 problem, please advise I have a ruger SR40 which is my first hand gun. My son and I shot 41 rounds and then it would not fire. It loads a shell in the chamber fine but when you pull the trigger it will not fire. does anyone have any ideas what might be the problem?

February 10, 2013, 02:25 PM	#2
Spats McGee Staff Join Date: July 28, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 8,821	Not a clue as to what the problem is, but I'll go ahead and ask a question that I know is coming: Have you called Ruger about this? If so, what did they say? __________________ I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.

February 10, 2013, 02:36 PM	#4
K_Mac Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2010 Posts: 1,850	I think Spats asks the right question, but I will ask a couple more so we have more to go on. Is the safety off? Do you have a magazine properly seated in the pistol? Does the striker release when you pull the trigger; that is, does it "click" when the trigger is pulled? Is the primer of the cartridge that was in the chamber when the trigger was pulled have an indent indicating the firing pin struck the primer? __________________ "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Benjamin Franklin

February 10, 2013, 02:41 PM	#5
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	did you clean it before hand? ruger packs a great deal of grease in their guns to preserve them during long storage but it does not lend itself to proper lubrication. the striker/firing pin spring may be crammed full of gunk. another problem is the magazine disconnect safety may be crammed full of gunk and wont fully depress so the safety is preventing the gun from firing. for either problem I would recommend a full disassembly of the gun, clean thoroughly and lube with breakfree CLP or other comparable product. I had real problems with light strikes with my SR9C the first 25 rounds I put through it so I took it apart and removed the magazine disconnect safety and have never had a failure since. I also ran it through the first 500 rounds before cleaning it so I really can't say for certain what your problem may be. another possibility may be your magazine itself may not be disengaging the mag disconnect, does your gun malfunction with both of the magazines provided or just with one magazine? __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

February 10, 2013, 02:57 PM	#7
Dragline45 Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2010 Posts: 3,513	Watch this video, it not only tells you how to remove the magazine disconnect, but it tells you how to remove the striker/firing pin so you can give it a good cleaning and once over. It's very simple to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dHXND_9-bE By the way, the gun will function fine without the magazine disconnect, Ruger actually designed to be removed easily if one wished to. Also, with the magazine disconnect in the gun, Ruger says NOT to dry fire without a magazine in the pistol as it can damage the striker. This alone is a good reason to remove it. Last edited by Dragline45; February 10, 2013 at 03:02 PM.

February 10, 2013, 02:50 PM	#6
JackBeQuick Member Join Date: January 6, 2013 Posts: 25	Have you called Ruger about this? If so, what did they say? No I have not. Check the round in the chamber that you tried to fire, is there an indentation on the primer? If there is a dimple in the primer chances are it was a dud primer which can happen from time to time, or you are experiencing light primer strikes. If there is no indentation chances are the problem is with the firing pin. Did you try chambering a different round? Also what kind of ammo are you shooting? Some ammunition have harder primers than other, most notably military surplus ammunition. I did not look at the amo from the chamber but I can go look to see if i see anything. I did try another round and it did not fire. It apeared to me the firing pin did not atempt to fire. Independence was the brand.

February 10, 2013, 02:58 PM	#8
JackBeQuick Member Join Date: January 6, 2013 Posts: 25	Is the safety off? Do you have a magazine properly seated in the pistol? Does the striker release when you pull the trigger; that is, does it "click" when the trigger is pulled? Is the primer of the cartridge that was in the chamber when the trigger was pulled have an indent indicating the firing pin struck the primer? safety was off and it happened while firing the current magazine. he got about halfway through the mag when it failed. It does not click when pull the trigger. did you clean it before hand? ruger packs a great deal of grease in their guns to preserve them during long storage but it does not lend itself to proper lubrication. the striker/firing pin spring may be crammed full of gunk. another problem is the magazine disconnect safety may be crammed full of gunk and wont fully depress so the safety is preventing the gun from firing. for either problem I would recommend a full disassembly of the gun, clean thoroughly and lube with breakfree CLP or other comparable product. I had real problems with light strikes with my SR9C the first 25 rounds I put through it so I took it apart and removed the magazine disconnect safety and have never had a failure since. I also ran it through the first 500 rounds before cleaning it so I really can't say for certain what your problem may be. another possibility may be your magazine itself may not be disengaging the mag disconnect, does your gun malfunction with both of the magazines provided or just with one magazine? I bought the gun at a dealer but it was used. he said was not fired a lot and i ffear this is why someone traded it in. he said it was traded on a higher end pistol. when i bought it i asked the dealer how to clean it so we went through cleaning process before i took it hime. I did not try the other mag. I wish i had

February 10, 2013, 02:59 PM	#9
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Beat me to it. Make sure the magazine is fully seated. If it's not, the gun just goes 'click'.

February 10, 2013, 03:20 PM	#10
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	the video posted in comment 7 is a very good instructional video. when I was trying to remove my mag disconnect I watched a different vid where the guy moved way too quick, didn't have steady hands and didn't have the best camera angle so I had to rewind and watch a few times but this one is fast, to the point and actually shows you how to put it back in if you so choose. the cleaning that most people show you in the shop is just a basic field strip and normally do not go all the way into removing the striker and cleaning the striker channel. when I did mine I used a pencil and a bent paperclip. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

February 10, 2013, 08:31 PM	#11
JackBeQuick Member Join Date: January 6, 2013 Posts: 25	Watch this video, it not only tells you how to remove the magazine disconnect, but it tells you how to remove the striker/firing pin so you can give it a good cleaning and once over. It's very simple to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dHXND_9-bE By the way, the gun will function fine without the magazine disconnect, Ruger actually designed to be removed easily if one wished to. Also, with the magazine disconnect in the gun, Ruger says NOT to dry fire without a magazine in the pistol as it can damage the striker. This alone is a good reason to remove it. do you mean remove and leave it out or just remove to clean it?

February 10, 2013, 10:11 PM	#13
bedbugbilly Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2009 Posts: 3,287	All good advice that has been given and good questions. If you still are having problems, give Ruger a call. They have very good customer service. I don't have a SR40 but I do have a SR9 - it functions perfectly and will eat whatever I feed it. Your SR40 should be the same way - don't give up on it . . . you'll get it fixed. Good luck! __________________ If a pair of '51 Navies were good enough for Billy Hickok, then a single Navy on my right hip is good enough for me . . . besides . . . I'm probably only half as good as he was anyways. Hiram's Rangers Badge #63

February 11, 2013, 12:33 PM	#14
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	jack be quick, the movie in post 7 shows how to put it back together with or without the magazine disconnect. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

February 11, 2013, 01:22 PM	#15
mes228 Senior Member Join Date: July 19, 2005 Posts: 628	Ruger I had a new Ruger SR9 C that had a "reset" problem. A new pistol, it would reset every time when hand cycled. But had about a 10-20% failure to reset on firing. I was so disgusted with it I sold it to a shooter at the range. He shot the pistol, knew of the problem and wanted it anyway. He did not mind sending it back to Ruger for repair. I have no idea what the problem was. I just knew I did not wish to fool with it.

February 11, 2013, 04:30 PM	#16
LockedBreech Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 2009 Location: Rocky Mountain West Posts: 3,395	Re: The magazine disconnect Keep in mind that removing a safety feature that the gun cannot be purchased without could have potential legal consequences if used in self-defense. Not very likely, but not impossible if the prosecutor decides to paint you as a reckless individual who removes safety devices. __________________ 16 Pistols, 5 Rifles, 1 Shotgun, no time to shoot them

February 11, 2013, 06:23 PM	#18
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	legal discussions should be relegated to another thread, this is getting off topic, I see both sides of that particular argument and both make good points but anything that a prosecutor can twist to his favor, a advocate can twist just as easily. I'll leave it at that, lets continue to focus on helping the OP troubleshoot his gun. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

February 11, 2013, 08:48 PM	#19
stantheman1976 Member Join Date: March 8, 2012 Location: Gautier, MS Posts: 92	I don't think it wise to instruct what may likely be an inexperienced shooter to remove a factory included safety feature on his pistol. The disconnect safety is there for a reason and some people appreciate it being there. It would be wiser to tell him what it does and suggest he decide for himself whether he wants the safety in or not.

February 12, 2013, 12:21 AM	#21
breakingcontact Junior member Join Date: October 25, 2012 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 736	Is the gun "clicking", just not touching off the round? Could be the striker channel is full of gunk/brass shavings.

February 12, 2013, 12:26 AM	#22
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	stan the man, it has already been mentioned more than once what the mag disconnect does. it inhibits the striker from moving forward if the magazine is not properly in place but a number of situations can occur such as improperly seated magazine, accidental mag dump, or dirt in the slide assembly preventing the disconnect from traveling to the fully disengaged location which can lead to light strikes and fail to fires. now can we PLEASE get back to the original discussion? if you have questions of reservations about the legal, ethical or mechanical ramifications of these troubleshooting suggestions, please feel free to start a new thread. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

February 12, 2013, 10:39 AM	#23
breakingcontact Junior member Join Date: October 25, 2012 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 736	I addressed the OPs issue. But I agree on not removing mag disconnects. I even more strongly on not buying guns with mag disconnects.

February 17, 2013, 06:09 PM	#24
JackBeQuick Member Join Date: January 6, 2013 Posts: 25	Thanks everyone for the input. Here is a update. I watched the vidoe and took it completely apart cleaning everything but I did put the maag disconnect back in for now at least. I was finally able to take it out today for a bit and shot just 4 rounds just to verify it was working. 2 rounds out of each mag to rule out one mag giving me issues. Hopfully soon can take it out and shoot it more but at least i know it is functioning properly now. Again thanks for all the input.

February 17, 2013, 06:11 PM	#25
JackBeQuick Member Join Date: January 6, 2013 Posts: 25	side note, does anyone know if it is possible to get extra mag's for it and if so where?