Mark III Magazines "Drop Free"?

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Aqualung

Blackhawk
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Messages
823
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
It's been quite a while since I've been on the forum of late...lots of things going on.

However, I was recently very fortunate to get a very good deal on a stainless Mark III Target pistol for a very good price.

I then purchased 4 new, nickel-plated Ruger magazines for it.

What's strange is that the single magazine that came with the pistol is blued (not a problem), and drops free from the gun, even though the gun still has the mag disconnect. The four new mags do not. All 5 mags look identical.

While the mag disconnect doesn't really bother me, I did purchase a hammer bushing to remove it in the future if I so desire. I do like mags to drop free, however, even if I'm not using the pistol for competition or defensive use.

I did stumble onto a YouTube video where a guy mashed down the top "fin" protrusion on the magazine, to make his mags drop free, which supports my suspicion that little protrusion is the "culprit". However, my "original" mag still has the fin.

As I'm the 3rd owner (at least) of this pistol, I don't know what the original owners may have done to this particular magazine.

So, I figured I'd ask you experts about whether my taking a file and giving the fins of my mags a bit of "heavy dressing" would enable them to drop free and if there would be any other negative repercussions from my doing so.

Thanks.

Aqualung
 

edlmann

Blackhawk
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
790
Location
lovely downtown Central Florida
Aqualung said:
I did stumble onto a YouTube video where a guy mashed down the top "fin" protrusion on the magazine, to make his mags drop free, which supports my suspicion that little protrusion is the "culprit". However, my "original" mag still has the fin.
IIRC, the poster of that video was trying to use Mark IV mags in a Mark II. The fin is what engages your mag catch.
 

SGW Gunsmith

Blackhawk
Joined
May 15, 2010
Messages
966
Location
Northwestern Wisconsin
Aqualung said:
It's been quite a while since I've been on the forum of late...lots of things going on.

However, I was recently very fortunate to get a very good deal on a stainless Mark III Target pistol for a very good price.

I then purchased 4 new, nickel-plated Ruger magazines for it.

What's strange is that the single magazine that came with the pistol is blued (not a problem), and drops free from the gun, even though the gun still has the mag disconnect. The four new mags do not. All 5 mags look identical.

While the mag disconnect doesn't really bother me, I did purchase a hammer bushing to remove it in the future if I so desire. I do like mags to drop free, however, even if I'm not using the pistol for competition or defensive use.

I did stumble onto a YouTube video where a guy mashed down the top "fin" protrusion on the magazine, to make his mags drop free, which supports my suspicion that little protrusion is the "culprit". However, my "original" mag still has the fin.

As I'm the 3rd owner (at least) of this pistol, I don't know what the original owners may have done to this particular magazine.

So, I figured I'd ask you experts about whether my taking a file and giving the fins of my mags a bit of "heavy dressing" would enable them to drop free and if there would be any other negative repercussions from my doing so.

Thanks.

Aqualung

I'm going to assume that the fin being "smashed down" is the fin on the left, upper side of the Mark III magazine? That fin is designed to match-up with the fin on the left side of the Mark III & now the Mark IV, pistol magazines. So, why is that fin there on the left side of the trigger? Because with the grand idea of having a magazine disconnect, sometimes inserting a full magazine into the grip frame, the magazine catch/release doesn't engage with the outward fin on the lower right side of the magazine. The trigger fin has the intended function to engage that upper left side fin to help lift the magazine upward so it does truly engage fully. I guess it could be considered a "magazine assist" as was included on some AR-15 versions......sorta. Here's a picture showing what I was trying to explain in words:
OkwS675.jpg

Once the magazine disconnect has been replaced with a properly fitting hammer bushing in the Mark III Rugers, there's really no need for the trigger fin, and so it can be removed, as it no longer has the magazine disconnect to deal with in those instances where there's a problem.

BTW, just for my own limited knowledge, I've switched the various versions of magazines around in the various iterations of the Ruger Mark pistols, and they actually do work, all except for the very early magazines that have the magazine follower track only on the right side of the magazines. Takes a little wiggle work and you may need to hold your tongue in exactly the right position between your lips, but the switching did work for my experimenting.
 

Byron Bay

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 2, 2022
Messages
6
Old topic now but for anyone else having this issue.
I have 3 mags with mine and could not explain why one magazine would always drop and the other 2 would stick it was getting to be a pain in competition shoots trying to get the mags out as compounding the problem were the over sized after market grips I have fitted.
I ran my calipers over the magazines and found the easy eject mag was very slightly
slimmer than the other two.
Put them in a vice and gently tightened t hey are all now perfect.
Just my opinion but hopefully it may help a future reader.
Of cause ensure that the plastic butt's of the mags are not in the vice while tightening.
 
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