Ruger Mark III Stovepipe/FtE Fix

1-UP · June 15, 2009, 09:02 AM

Just did this with my 5.5 Bull Barrel and I'm so pleased I thought I'd share!

My Mark III handled pretty much any ammunition extremely well the first 1000 rounds or so. After that it started having problems with jamming - stovepipes, FtEs, whatever you want to call it. It would only do it with the bulk ammo so I just figured I got one of the specimens that was picky regarding ammo. It would happen every 3-4 magazines and I sort of figured it was just a price I'd have to pay for using cheap bullets. As I started reading more and more boards though I found out that the extractor Ruger uses is prone to failure, often very early in the gun's life. An awful lot of folks switched over to the Volquartsen "Exact Edge" extractor.

https://www.volquartsen.com/products...ctor-mkiimkiii

I've seen 3-4 different places carrying it (Midway, Rimfire Sports, etc) and they all run about $10-$12, give or take. I figured it's only $10, I'll give it a try.

All I can say is "Wow!"

The difference in extractors was astonishing. While they had the same overall shape, the Volquartsen was much, much "Sharper". Every single edge looked like it could cut you. The ruger extractor was very rounded on one side, like somebody had sanded down all of the sharp edges on the top half. Additionally, the "Hook" portion of the extractor looked like a dull pencil lead. I could immediately see where it would have problems grabbing the rim of spent cartridges.

I've NEVER done work on a gun before. Heck, I've never even detail stripped one - only field stripped for cleaning. Thankfully, swapping the part is very, very easy. I'll add the disclaimer and say that I am somewhat mechanically inclined, but I think this is in the reach of anybody. It's not quite "Change the lightbulb" easy, but I'd say changing the brakes on your car is more difficult by an order of magnitude. Whole process took me about 20 minutes, mostly because of this wonderful step by step tutorial.

http://guntalk-online.com/detailstrip.htm

There are a few things that would have been nice to know before starting though.

1. I used the following tools:

90 Degree Dental Pick - was perfect for pressing down the plunger. The one I used was a "Mechanic's Pick" from Sears (got a set as a gift years ago, dang useful little tools). There's probably a number of other things that would work great, but that 90 degree pick worked so well I'd hate to imagine using anything else.

Roll Pin Punch - I had to actually go pick up a set (again from Sears, set of 6 for $20 - only place that had them) because I broke the Pin Punch that would have fit. The Roll Pin Punches are slightly different from a pin punch - they have nubs on the end where a pin punch would be flat. This seats inside of the roll pin and helps prevent damage. I probably wouldn't be scared of using a regular pin punch, but I also like to make sure I use the right tool for the job.

Rubber/Plastic Hammer

2. The link above says to knock out the roll pin about 1/3 - 1/2 of the way out. Anything more than 1/3 and the firing pin is going to fall out. It's not a big deal, but it made me go "Oh hell" when the pin, a small spring, and a small tab dropped out onto the table. Basically you want the roll pin out of the way of the plunger so you can push it down enough to yank the extractor. The firing pin, spring, and tab are all very easy to replace, although I did look at the parts diagram in the manual to make sure I had it aligned correctly. No big if it falls out, might be good to drop it all so you make sure your plunger is going to clear the pin.

3. BIG WARNING!!! When you pull out the extractor itself, you need to realize that the plunger is spring loaded. When I pulled my dental pick, the plunger literally rocketed out of the bolt. Thankfully, my hand JUST HAPPENED to be in the way of it and I knocked it right down to the table. If it wasn't there it probably would have ended up 3 rooms away. That sucker was screamin'. Just make sure you have your hand or something to catch the plunger OR better still, gently release the pressure on the pin as opposed to just yanking it out.

4. Don't forget to put the recoil spring back in when you reassemble the pistol

I ran through 700 rounds of Federals, Wildcats, and some mystery stuff from a can this weekend, not one single jam.

I guess I'm trying to say don't put up with a finicky Mark III. For $10 and 20 minutes of puttering, you'll have one of the "eats anything" guns

Really though, if you're good enough to field strip this pistol, I can't see why you can't replace this extractor.

MrBorland · June 15, 2009, 09:24 AM

Thanks for this info.

I just bought a 5.5" Bull Barrel MkIII myself and it had it's share of hiccups on its first and so far only trial run. Too early to assign the problem to the extractor, but I was going to order a VQ trigger & sear today anyway, so I'll spend a few extra bucks for the extractor.

Citizen Carrier · June 15, 2009, 09:41 AM

Sometimes the extractor swap is all that is needed to fix "the Ruger stovepipe".

The Ruger Stovepipe is when a spent case is stuck in the action, rimmed end inside the pistol, open end sticking out.

The Cause If you watch closely while slowly retracting the bolt with a case in the chamber, you'll see the rim of the cartridge case comes into contact with the magazine lip before it hits the ejector stud. This causes the magazine lip to act as the ejector, and it does a poor job of it. The spent case will tumble in the action and cause the jam.

The Solution What I find works best is to file or dremel down that magazine lip. Just remove a bit of metal at a time until you can see the case will always hit the ejector, not the magazine lip. And removing enough metal to accomplish this will not compromise the magazine's ability to retain cartridges.

midiwall · June 15, 2009, 01:13 PM

Thanks for the details!

My MK III 678 has always been picky about ammo - it definitely hates unjacketed rounds.

I too have seen the Volquartsen extractor been talked about as a fix, but just haven't gotten around to doing it. It's always good to hear one more success story.

Time to do this I guess!

Laker · June 15, 2009, 04:49 PM

I don't have a Ruger, but i solved all FTF (feed not fire) FTE problems with my Buckmark and P22 by placing a very small drop of oil on the first round of each mag. Keeps everything lubed nicely. No problems with either gun since I started doing this, no matter what the ammo.

June 15, 2009, 09:02 AM	#1
1-UP Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Southern MI Posts: 250	Ruger Mark III Stovepipe/FtE Fix Just did this with my 5.5 Bull Barrel and I'm so pleased I thought I'd share! My Mark III handled pretty much any ammunition extremely well the first 1000 rounds or so. After that it started having problems with jamming - stovepipes, FtEs, whatever you want to call it. It would only do it with the bulk ammo so I just figured I got one of the specimens that was picky regarding ammo. It would happen every 3-4 magazines and I sort of figured it was just a price I'd have to pay for using cheap bullets. As I started reading more and more boards though I found out that the extractor Ruger uses is prone to failure, often very early in the gun's life. An awful lot of folks switched over to the Volquartsen "Exact Edge" extractor. https://www.volquartsen.com/products...ctor-mkiimkiii I've seen 3-4 different places carrying it (Midway, Rimfire Sports, etc) and they all run about $10-$12, give or take. I figured it's only $10, I'll give it a try. All I can say is "Wow!" The difference in extractors was astonishing. While they had the same overall shape, the Volquartsen was much, much "Sharper". Every single edge looked like it could cut you. The ruger extractor was very rounded on one side, like somebody had sanded down all of the sharp edges on the top half. Additionally, the "Hook" portion of the extractor looked like a dull pencil lead. I could immediately see where it would have problems grabbing the rim of spent cartridges. I've NEVER done work on a gun before. Heck, I've never even detail stripped one - only field stripped for cleaning. Thankfully, swapping the part is very, very easy. I'll add the disclaimer and say that I am somewhat mechanically inclined, but I think this is in the reach of anybody. It's not quite "Change the lightbulb" easy, but I'd say changing the brakes on your car is more difficult by an order of magnitude. Whole process took me about 20 minutes, mostly because of this wonderful step by step tutorial. http://guntalk-online.com/detailstrip.htm There are a few things that would have been nice to know before starting though. 1. I used the following tools: 90 Degree Dental Pick - was perfect for pressing down the plunger. The one I used was a "Mechanic's Pick" from Sears (got a set as a gift years ago, dang useful little tools). There's probably a number of other things that would work great, but that 90 degree pick worked so well I'd hate to imagine using anything else. Roll Pin Punch - I had to actually go pick up a set (again from Sears, set of 6 for $20 - only place that had them) because I broke the Pin Punch that would have fit. The Roll Pin Punches are slightly different from a pin punch - they have nubs on the end where a pin punch would be flat. This seats inside of the roll pin and helps prevent damage. I probably wouldn't be scared of using a regular pin punch, but I also like to make sure I use the right tool for the job. Rubber/Plastic Hammer 2. The link above says to knock out the roll pin about 1/3 - 1/2 of the way out. Anything more than 1/3 and the firing pin is going to fall out. It's not a big deal, but it made me go "Oh hell" when the pin, a small spring, and a small tab dropped out onto the table. Basically you want the roll pin out of the way of the plunger so you can push it down enough to yank the extractor. The firing pin, spring, and tab are all very easy to replace, although I did look at the parts diagram in the manual to make sure I had it aligned correctly. No big if it falls out, might be good to drop it all so you make sure your plunger is going to clear the pin. 3. BIG WARNING!!! When you pull out the extractor itself, you need to realize that the plunger is spring loaded. When I pulled my dental pick, the plunger literally rocketed out of the bolt. Thankfully, my hand JUST HAPPENED to be in the way of it and I knocked it right down to the table. If it wasn't there it probably would have ended up 3 rooms away. That sucker was screamin'. Just make sure you have your hand or something to catch the plunger OR better still, gently release the pressure on the pin as opposed to just yanking it out. 4. Don't forget to put the recoil spring back in when you reassemble the pistol I ran through 700 rounds of Federals, Wildcats, and some mystery stuff from a can this weekend, not one single jam. I guess I'm trying to say don't put up with a finicky Mark III. For $10 and 20 minutes of puttering, you'll have one of the "eats anything" guns Really though, if you're good enough to field strip this pistol, I can't see why you can't replace this extractor.

June 15, 2009, 09:41 AM	#3
Citizen Carrier Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2008 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 671	Sometimes the extractor swap is all that is needed to fix "the Ruger stovepipe". The Ruger Stovepipe is when a spent case is stuck in the action, rimmed end inside the pistol, open end sticking out. The Cause If you watch closely while slowly retracting the bolt with a case in the chamber, you'll see the rim of the cartridge case comes into contact with the magazine lip before it hits the ejector stud. This causes the magazine lip to act as the ejector, and it does a poor job of it. The spent case will tumble in the action and cause the jam. The Solution What I find works best is to file or dremel down that magazine lip. Just remove a bit of metal at a time until you can see the case will always hit the ejector, not the magazine lip. And removing enough metal to accomplish this will not compromise the magazine's ability to retain cartridges. __________________ Once you've got your sights adjusted to the ammunition you have, step away from the bench. In competition or the field...there are no benches.

June 15, 2009, 01:13 PM	#4
midiwall Senior Member Join Date: April 1, 2009 Location: Seattleish, WA Posts: 169	Thanks for the details! My MK III 678 has always been picky about ammo - it definitely hates unjacketed rounds. I too have seen the Volquartsen extractor been talked about as a fix, but just haven't gotten around to doing it. It's always good to hear one more success story. Time to do this I guess! __________________ :: Mark

June 15, 2009, 09:24 AM	#2
MrBorland Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 2,614	Thanks for this info. I just bought a 5.5" Bull Barrel MkIII myself and it had it's share of hiccups on its first and so far only trial run. Too early to assign the problem to the extractor, but I was going to order a VQ trigger & sear today anyway, so I'll spend a few extra bucks for the extractor.

June 15, 2009, 04:49 PM	#5
Laker Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2008 Location: NW Ohio Posts: 367	I don't have a Ruger, but i solved all FTF (feed not fire) FTE problems with my Buckmark and P22 by placing a very small drop of oil on the first round of each mag. Keeps everything lubed nicely. No problems with either gun since I started doing this, no matter what the ammo.