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I purchased this gun last week and WOW what a beautiful looking gun! I am so rooting for this gun to be a winner it's not even funny.

Yesterday was an extremely trying day as I thought hmmm... I'll just take it out to the range (brand spankin' new) and field strip, clean, lube, and reassemble. Couldn't even get the mainspring housing out. I took it home and tapped out the mainspring housing, disassembled, cleaned and embarked on getting it back together. 5 hours later, manual read and reread, youtube videos watched umpteen times, I finally got it back together.

While I had it apart I noticed that the bolt release pressed on the magazine and unseated the mag. After I got the gun back together and went for a test drive on the range, I've had problems with the mags don't seem to want to seat correctly. Most times I can firmly seat the mag and just pull it back out w/o pressing the mag release button. The bolt release seems to dislodge the mag as well. On many of the mags I shot it was one shot and click. Mag is not seated and I can pull it out of the magwell w/o releasing the magazine with the mag release.

I'm already smitten with this gun. If I can get it running good it will probably get the most use. I'm frustrated with it so far, but I'm willing to find the solution.

Help would be appreciated! Also, if anyone knows... what is Ruger's policy with new guns and service for issues.

Thanks in advance....

Mike

Welcome to the Forum.
If you aren't familiar with Ruger 22 semi's in taking them apart & re-assembling them, the MKIII can be very frustrating. I've had more than one MK series bought new, and had the owners beat the guns trying to force them back together. It just doesn't work that way. There are assembly tricks to each model, and the more you do it, the easier it becomes. The biggest problem is that they come apart easier than they go back together. (Isn't that the way it always is?)
Patience, study, following the manuel, looking at the videos etc all BEFORE you disassemble the gun will help in the process.
Now, I'm not exactly sure of what you issues are being caused by, but before I'd spend $$ shipping it back to Ruger, I'd tryly study the workings of that gun, and see if you can get it apart & re-assembled correctly first. Also study the parts schematic. It can show you the relationship of parts as they go together.
Next, finding a gunsmith, or local gunshop that is knowledgable about them might be cheaper & easier than a trip back to Ruger.
BTW; Ruger will stand behind their products.

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I think I would have shot the gun first to see if everything was working right. At this point you don't know if you did something wrong or it was a factory thing. Good luck....

Thanks for the replies.

I thought I'd give a short update.

I just took the Mark III out for another trip to the range. I tested a couple of mags by seating them and was still able to pull them out w/o using the mag release. Bummer. I thought well... I'll still going to run a few rounds through it. By my second mag, the mags were locking in place and not unseating while I was shooting. I ran 10 mags worth through it flawlessly. I'd seat the mag, test with a slight pull, and shoot.

I don't know if there was something gummed up that needed to work out or some sharp burrs that needed to wear down or what. Needless to say, I am thrilled and hope this means that my issue is behind me. This is now my second favorite handgun and I'm going to shoot it A LOT!! I've been working on some transitions drills between targets and this will allow me to practice much more often and much more cheaply.

When you reassemble the receiver has to be ALL THE WAY BACK or the magazine won't seat properly.. Tap it into place with a soft hammer.

Ok.. new gun
first 100 or so rounds OK

then stovepipe and misfeeds and stove pipe

Called customer service..
they got me to tech... he listened ... had thoughts..

he said ship bak they would fix.. I said let me look at it first..

fifteen minutes later and call back to ruger had them send a label and back it went...

today got it back (ten days round trip) and 20 rounds two clips it is what I expected a Mark III to be

stove pipe? SEND IT BACK LET THEM FIX IT!!!

if you make the changes every one talks about ... and then send it in they will charge you to replace the parts back to factory..

so if you mod your mag.. they will sell you a new one..

Let them fix it.. It seems they fixed mine...(for the moment)

YMMV

just put 4 mags thru it...

(they indicated they had put 40 rounds thru it with no problems....)


first 37 shells worked great

38th stovepipe.......

call in to Ruger as I am typing ... waiting for tech to call me back..

I was smiling for first 37.... but now....


GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

YMMV

I had continual problems with jamming of a new MK III. Changed to CCI Minimags which helped a great deal but was still getting at least 5-10/100 rounds jams. I was very close to returning the gun to the factory but....
The real deal fix was to remove the small metal tab from the LCI ( loaded chamber indicator) which, apparently, puts just enough drag on the spent casings to cause stovepipes and other jams. Now...never a jam in well over 500 rounds even with rapid fire. I got the fix on this forum....Very easy!
1. Field strip
2. Locate the retention pin for the LCI on the underside of the receiver
3. Tap near the pin with a non-marring mallet with light finger pressure on the LCI with the receiver held sights up. The pin should either fall out or come out enough to grab with a needle nose pliers
4. Remove the LCI with its little tiny spring
5. Remove the small metal tab that drags on youir spent casings. It just comes right off.
6. Replace the LDI with the spring and then replace the retention pin.
You now have disabled the LCI with no cosmetic changes.
Try this fix...you'll like it!!
Please report back with results.

300 more rounds today and NO malfunctions since I removed the LCI tab. This is 5-600 rounds since I did it. This gun would jam routinely before.

Simple solution.... glad it works. Optional cure... sell Mark III to somebody you don't like and buy clean used MarkII.

In my neck of the woods, a minty Mark II is going for more than a NIB Mark III.

Does the MK II havethat LCI unit? If not, I'll bet that's the reason they function better.

changed out the extractor....

with 300 rounds thru it i have had 2 pipes...

interesting... need to push another 500-600 rounds thru it before i am convinced

the metal protion of the lci i am considering removing as long as the remaining plastic piece does not "over rotate" and interrupt loading

Jupiter
This is such a simple, effective and easily rescindable fix. Just try it and replace the idiot piece if it makes no difference. As far as far as I'm concerned, I have a brand new gun. PERFECT.
The remaining plastic piece does NOT do a thing without the metal tab.

I think you guys are trying to analyze this pistol too much... I'd venture to say 90+% of the time when a round stove pipes, fails to eject or what ever on a 22lr any 22gun... it is the AMMO.

My MKIII does this every 25 to 100 rounds and I've never thought about blaming the pistol.... even when a 22lr is working perfectly and say you are shooting federal bulk back... listen to the rounds going off and every 5 to 20 will sound different.. most 22lr ammo is just plain cheap ass crap... and that is 'okay' it's 22lr and it's what I expect.