Ruger Mark I Target Pistol Trigger/Hammer Malfunction

[SirJOW]

In the last year I inherited my father's Ruger Mark I Target Pistol (long tapered barrel) - He does not shoot anymore. It has barely been used since purchased in the early 70's so it was in near flawless condition. The first time I went to the pistol range the gun failed to fire after about 49 rounds. It was like the hammer would not drop regardless.

The gun was clean and apparently well maintained. I took this nightmare of a weapon apart (in both the dis-assembly and re-assembly departments) and found nothing apparently wrong or particularly dirty...still did not solve the problem. Called Ruger and they asked me to pay $30.00 to send back to them. About a week later I get it back with a note saying they replaced the entire receiver (why?) The additional cost to repair or return? $0.00. I was sold on Ruger! Still, it would have been nice to know what exactly happened. Thoughts?

I posted the above on the "intros" board but someone suggested I post this here to see if anyone had any ideas.

Thanks!

 

[Galaxiedan]

Initial disassembly pictures would give a much better guess to what might have been the problem. Glad Ruger fixed it for you though

 

[SirJOW]

Great point. I would not have noticed anything, but I don't have a trained eye.

Oh well, too late. To the next time in hope it will never happen again.

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum!
Without pics, or more details,,, it'd be hard to figure out what happened. Since it's already been resolved,,, it'll be even harder to figure it out.
But, Ruger does stand behind it's products quite well.

I have a question.
Since they replaced the receiver, did they mark it with the original serial number or give you a new serial number?

 

[SirJOW]

Hahaha...great question! I DREAD answering it. This is a beast to take apart and I'm assuming the receiver serial is inside. Will definitely look on my next (soon) adventure.

 

[Galaxiedan]

I'm pretty sure contender is referring to the actual serial number of the gun. Its marked on the ejection side of the receiver.

 

[contender]

Galaxiedan is correct. The receiver serial number is on the outside!
As for dis-assembly,, it's easy,,, it's the re-assembly that some folks have issues with.
Call Ruger, or get on-line, get a manual!!!!!!!!
It's not as hard once you understand that the hammer strut must be in the groove of the take down lever, & the hammer must be forward for this to happen.

 

[Galaxiedan]

I own 5 or 6 Mark series pistol, I have one I picked up at a pawnshop for a great deal that looks likes someone took a hammer to it to put it back together. Fortunately its stainless and I was able to clean it up some, so I understand the difficulty some have with reassembly.
YouTube is your friend here.
Watch and rewatch at least a few of the many videos that are posted and take your time. Once you figure out the little tricks to putting one back together you will find its rather simpl.

 

[Bullseye57]

In the last year I inherited my father's Ruger Mark I Target Pistol (long tapered barrel) - He does not shoot anymore. It has barely been used since purchased in the early 70's so it was in near flawless condition. The first time I went to the pistol range the gun failed to fire after about 49 rounds. It was like the hammer would not drop regardless.

What you are describing is typically a disconnect failure. This is a situation where the trigger is not connected to the sear and therefore cannot release the hammer when the trigger is pulled by the operator. To the shooter it would feel as if the trigger simply was not connected to anything, and pulling the trigger would have no effect on the pistol. The cause of this problem can be at three points inside the pistol: one the trigger return plunger and spring had insufficient tension to raise up the disconnector lever and engage the sear- usually caused by residue build-up inside the trigger plunger hole, two the disconnector lever had some dirt or grit gummed up behind it and was adding drag to the lever to the point of overwhelming the tension of the trigger return plunger and spring, three the bolt was not in the proper position to allow the disconnector lever top to clear and raise up the lever- basically an open bolt situation. Another possible cause is the receiver was interfering with the disconnector lever's movement. This can happen since there is little clearance between the edge of the receiver and the side of the hammer. Since Ruger replaced the pistol's receiver, one of the latter two could have been the overall cause, although they may have found another "out of specification" reason to replace the receiver as they do a full functional factory check on the pistol when you return it for service.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

 

[The Blackhawk Kid]

JMHO, but I had a similar issue and found I didn't cock the hammer fully when reassembling the Booger. Also, I use a rawhide mallet to aid in reassembling this masterpiece of Injuneering. This works for me. I already know ALL the cuss words! BhK

 

[Enigma]

I own 5 or 6 Mark series pistol, I have one I picked up at a pawnshop for a great deal that looks likes someone took a hammer to it to put it back together. Fortunately its stainless and I was able to clean it up some, so I understand the difficulty some have with reassembly.
YouTube is your friend here.
Watch and rewatch at least a few of the many videos that are posted and take your time. Once you figure out the little tricks to putting one back together you will find its rather simpl.

^^This^^. First thing I do when I need to disassemble a new-to-me gun is hit YouTube. Granted, there's a lot of disinformation on there, but if you sift through all the chaff, sometimes you can find some pretty good 'wheat.'