The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Yet another Ruger Mk III disassembly issue

Tintop · March 15, 2009, 08:23 PM

I recently purchased a Ruger Mk III Hunter at a gun show. I was told it was in new, unfired, condition. It certainly looked to be true. Whenever I purchase a gun in this manner, I always field strip and inspect it for safety before firing it. This is when I discovered the issue. As stated in the instructions, I made sure the gun was uncocked, then used a paper clip to open the mainspring housing latch. So far so good. The problem is the housing will not swing out of the frame, moving only about 3/16" before hanging up. When it stops, it feels solid. Both before and after the attempted dissassembly (pun intended), the weapon appears to function normally. The magazine inserts smoothly without any catches, dropping free when the release is pressed. The bolt can be cocked without undue force. And the gun can be dry fired. When cocked, the safety functions normally. With an empty magazine in place, the bolt locks to the rear. When the magazine is removed, the gun will not fire. The trigger pull doesn't seem to out of line with an out-of-box .22. If anything, it seems a little light. In retrospect, the hammer doesn't seem to be striking with very much force. Could it be the hammer strut is bent, not allowing the hammer to travel forward all of the way? Does anybody have any experience with this issue?
Tintop

March 15, 2009, 08:23 PM	#1
Tintop Junior Member Join Date: March 15, 2009 Posts: 5	Yet another Ruger Mk III disassembly issue I recently purchased a Ruger Mk III Hunter at a gun show. I was told it was in new, unfired, condition. It certainly looked to be true. Whenever I purchase a gun in this manner, I always field strip and inspect it for safety before firing it. This is when I discovered the issue. As stated in the instructions, I made sure the gun was uncocked, then used a paper clip to open the mainspring housing latch. So far so good. The problem is the housing will not swing out of the frame, moving only about 3/16" before hanging up. When it stops, it feels solid. Both before and after the attempted dissassembly (pun intended), the weapon appears to function normally. The magazine inserts smoothly without any catches, dropping free when the release is pressed. The bolt can be cocked without undue force. And the gun can be dry fired. When cocked, the safety functions normally. With an empty magazine in place, the bolt locks to the rear. When the magazine is removed, the gun will not fire. The trigger pull doesn't seem to out of line with an out-of-box .22. If anything, it seems a little light. In retrospect, the hammer doesn't seem to be striking with very much force. Could it be the hammer strut is bent, not allowing the hammer to travel forward all of the way? Does anybody have any experience with this issue? Tintop