Rugers Mark l - ll - lll Disassembly

Help Support Ruger Forum:

What's your experience with this?

  • I've never taken mine apart (and never will)

    Votes: 6 6.1%
  • I broke something and it still doesn't work right

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Had No Problems

    Votes: 41 41.8%
  • Nothing short of a nightmare

    Votes: 4 4.1%
  • Much easier than I expected

    Votes: 8 8.2%
  • Had to take it to a gunsmith in a bucket for reassembly

    Votes: 2 2.0%
  • Took longer than I thought but, eventually figured it out

    Votes: 37 37.8%
  • When I finished, there was a part laying on the table

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    98

CCW

Bearcat
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
63
Location
South Florida
I just disassembled a Ruger Mark lll by watching a You Tube video and it took under two minutes, reassembly about the same. Why do I see so many horror stories about this?
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
9,675
Location
Dallas, TX
The instructions are clearly spelled out in the owners manual. Just read through them before starting and keep them handy during the whole process. I've done it a few times.
 

contender

Ruger Guru
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
25,138
Location
Lake Lure NC USA
I agree that you needed another category,, such as; "Had no problems." I bought MKI's back before the MKII came out,,, and had them apart,, and along came the MKII & again, a non-issue for me, as I RTFM. When the MKIII came along,,, all I did was RTFM! Still no problems.
 

JFB

Hunter
Joined
Sep 7, 2005
Messages
2,091
Location
Eastern Piedmont NC
My MIII 22/45 fit of the barrel is my problem. I have to "hammer" it on and off. Given I don't take it apart often, I do have to refer to the manual to get the sequence correct. Being it is so hard to get the barrel far enough on, when I do make a mistake with the catch orentation, it is hard to know as it could just be the barrel fit holding things up
 
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
10,430
Location
Greenville, SC: USA
I voted: "Took longer than I thought but, eventually figured it out"

It's been a while since I took my MKIII down for the second time... probably 4 years ago and 3,000 rounds.... everybody says read the instructions, and maybe that works for most.. but I think the problem for me was my short attention span mixed with the long detailed instructions.... both times I tended to miss the part about the internal hammer may not fall into the right place on its own and you will need a thin piece of metal to slip in there and push it into the right position....
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
9,810
Location
Woodbury, Tn
After 200 rounds I took my Mark ll apart. It just wouldn't go back together. I took it to the gun shop where I bought it to be reassembled, with me watching. I took it apart a couple of months later, and got it back together with difficulty. It hasn't been apart since! Yes, I have read the manual, many times. Each time merely reaffirms my desire to leave the gun alone. If it didn't shoot so good, I would sell it.
I have no problems taking apart and putting back together a S&W 439, 4506, Keltec P-32, P-11, Ruger LCP etc.
gramps
 
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
1,781
Location
NH: LIVE FREE OR DIE
gramps said:
After 200 rounds I took my Mark ll apart. It just wouldn't go back together. I took it to the gun shop where I bought it to be reassembled, with me watching. I took it apart a couple of months later, and got it back together with difficulty. It hasn't been apart since! Yes, I have read the manual, many times. Each time merely reaffirms my desire to leave the gun alone. If it didn't shoot so good, I would sell it.
I have no problems taking apart and putting back together a S&W 439, 4506, Keltec P-32, P-11, Ruger LCP etc.
gramps

Gramps
That is what friends are for, I have been doing it for 40 years or so and don't have a problem..I offer to clean others Mk pistols because I want them to own them!

And I enjoy it...
 

Coop

Blackhawk
Joined
Jan 24, 2001
Messages
607
Location
Mt. Lebanon, PA USA
My first Ruger is a Mark II Stainless Bull Barrel Govt model purchased new in January 1995. Before I shot it, I read the manual cover to cover, and left the section on disassembly/assembly opened up when I cleaned it. Disassembly and reassembly - no problem then, still no problem now - I always clean it after shooting it. Probably 10K+ rounds thru it, to date.

READ THE MANUAL - according to my wife, the manual is well written, and she used to be a tech writer.
 

Cholo

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Messages
8,207
Location
Georgia
When I got my 1st MKll, I disassembled/assembled it between 10-15 X's. No problem. Last weekend I broke down a different MKll and that last step was a bugger. Somehow I misplaced my manual :( Youtube wasn't any help until I found a guy who could do it from assembled to disassembled to assembled in about a minute. For the life of me I can't find it now... :?
 

m657

Buckeye
Joined
Dec 1, 2007
Messages
1,419
Location
sunny Orygun territory
Reviewing the you tube stuff helps refresh my technique, as I don't do it often. Each time though, makes it easier the next time.

I managed to tear down & rebuild a new 22/45LITE with new parts, and eventually get it running without the box-to-the-smith choice.

I like getting to learn what the design pieces do, and what order to remove/replace them.
 

gtxmonte

Buckeye
Joined
Feb 1, 2014
Messages
1,073
Location
Alabama
Boils down to some people are mechanically inclined.......some are NOT. Everybody knows how to drive a nail, some can't do it though to save their life
 
Joined
May 16, 2008
Messages
1,296
Location
NC
I have no idea how many times I've disassembled a Mark pistol to clean, repair or upgrade. I never look at a manual or video because I know what has to be done. But guess what, most of the time there is some issue. I have to drive the bolt stop pin out. I have to drive the bolt stop pin in. I have to drive the receiver off the frame. I have to drive the receiver on to the frame. The hammer strut won't go where I want it to go. The strut get stuck behind the sear spring stop pin. The hammer won't go all the way down. The firing pin stop slips out when you're not looking at it. And my favorite, the bolt won't go all the way in for some unknown reason. There are endless variations.

However all these are easily overcome with a little patience. So I guess I need a category for "No real problems but usually a source of some level of entertainment".
 
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
10,430
Location
Greenville, SC: USA
I get the feeling that there are some differences not only between the Is &IIs and IIIs but also between various pistols... on mine it is a joke to point it up or down, the internal hammer will never fall in the right position on its own.
 

pharmer

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 13, 2011
Messages
116
Location
ST Cloud Fla
CCW said:
Why do I see so many horror stories about this?

It is not an "intuitive" process. If you don't have the manual with the gun You Tube will save you today. 30 years ago, not so much. Joe
 

wwb

Hunter
Joined
Nov 18, 2004
Messages
2,867
Location
wisconsin
Jeepnik said:
One observation. There are some folks I wouldn't trust to put air in my tires. There are some folks who can't be trusted to reassemble a Ruger Mk series pistol correctly. I suspect there is some cross over in the two groups.

One of the best descriptions of lack of mechanical ability I've ever heard:

"That guy is so bad, he could cross-thread a fire hydrant."
 

TomV

Bearcat
Joined
Sep 24, 2014
Messages
97
Location
Florida
FYI:
I have a patent pending that will end all this trouble of reassembling the Ruger Mark III pistols (not the 22/45) and probably the Mark II and Mark I. I have made working prototypes and am awaiting a second batch of pre-production prototypes from the manufacturer. In a few months, I may have production items for sale: low cost, simple one-time installation. After that, pistol bolt and remaining reassembly should take less than a minute and prohibit errors. I might market the item on this website if there should be an interest in this, or through major gun/parts companies, etc.
 

Fackler Rebel

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
31
I don't have any problem, other than having to use a plastic mallet on the upper and lower. Takes me about three minutes to disassemble and reassemble it.
 

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