That damn Ruger pin

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dfletcher

Blackhawk
Joined
Sep 14, 2006
Messages
921
Location
Leaving California .....
When Smith went from "real steel" parts to MIM they changed the hand spring from being attached to the trigger to not being attached. It of course went flying and took me hours to find the damn thing. Then more hours to figure out how it went on to the trigger. That was the hard part.

Sometimes I think I'd rather hear that pump shotgun being racked noise than having a partially disassembled gun in my hand and hearing "ping"
 

CoyoteHunter_

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 31, 2015
Messages
85
Location
Indiana
I agree with you 100% about the little takedown pin that Ruger uses in the LC9S Pro which I own. It's a real pain to take the slide off. I have to get that slide back just a wee bit in order to get the pin to push out. PITA. Why can't they make the gun like a Walther or a Glock which are much easier to disassemble without any tools.

Ruger knows how to do things right with certain guns. My Mark IV is a dream to take apart for cleaning, so much easier than the Browning Buckmark I sold after buying the Mark IV. But pushing out little pins or similar items when other makers have found ways to avoid that step is a frustration with the LC9s.[/quote]
 

Clovishound

Blackhawk
Joined
Jan 3, 2012
Messages
802
Location
Summerville SC
vito said:
Glock seemed to figure out how to make cleaning and re-assembly as simple as possible. Maybe the next generation Rugers will as well.

Except for that safety issue of having to dry fire to remove the slide. Yes, if you make sure it is unloaded before dry firing, it won't go off. Still a very bad design IMO. Stuff happens. Lots of incidents of NDs from this, often from highly trained folks.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
3,951
Location
Northern Illinois
Personally I don't think there is ever an excuse for thinking a gun is unloaded when it isn't. Even on guns that I have put away in my safe unloaded, after cleaning, I rack the slide to check it as soon as I remove it from the safe. At the range, after shooting, I rack the slide several times, just to be sure. I no more would leave a round in the chamber than I would point a loaded gun at something or someone I did not intend shooting. I would trade the Ruger system for taking a handgun apart for the Glock system in a heartbeat.
 

Clovishound

Blackhawk
Joined
Jan 3, 2012
Messages
802
Location
Summerville SC
vito said:
Personally I don't think there is ever an excuse for thinking a gun is unloaded when it isn't. Even on guns that I have put away in my safe unloaded, after cleaning, I rack the slide to check it as soon as I remove it from the safe. At the range, after shooting, I rack the slide several times, just to be sure. I no more would leave a round in the chamber than I would point a loaded gun at something or someone I did not intend shooting. I would trade the Ruger system for taking a handgun apart for the Glock system in a heartbeat.

I agree that there is never an excuse for ignoring safety procedures. Having said that, people aren't machines and sometimes do things that they never thought they would ever do. I don't believe that technology should be over engineered for unnecessary safety mechanisms. However, when there are simple, effective designs that help prevent serious accidents when people have one of those moments, I believe that is good engineering.
 

5of7

Hunter
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
2,296
Location
SW. LOWER MICHIGAN
I keep one of those magnets that are attached to a telescoping rod for this sort of thing. Also, whenever I have to do a disassembly, I have a cookie sheet with a 3/4" high lip around the edge of it. If I drop anything is is usually still on the cookie sheet, if not, I use the telescoping magnet. Works for me.....
 

blammer

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
283
Location
Nebraska
WAYNO said:
I'm a notorious pin-loser.

I've found a pin-block to be sometimes useful. It's soft, and doesn't damage a gun, and the free pin sticks to the internal magnet. :mrgreen:



Very nice. Another gadget to put on my long list of 'must haves'. The bright color and soft (assume grippy) and magnet are better than the solid plastic one I have.
 

blammer

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
283
Location
Nebraska
5of7 said:
I keep one of those magnets that are attached to a telescoping rod for this sort of thing. Also, whenever I have to do a disassembly, I have a cookie sheet with a 3/4" high lip around the edge of it. If I drop anything is is usually still on the cookie sheet, if not, I use the telescoping magnet. Works for me.....
Have one of those, but also bought a big 2inch x 1 inch magnet mounted on a metal frame with a big hook on the top. I tied a string on the hook and then I can just drag it along on the floor without having to bend down. Only problem is cleaning all the metal filings it seems to find in some parts of the basement.
 

blammer

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
283
Location
Nebraska
blammer said:
WAYNO said:
I'm a notorious pin-loser.

I've found a pin-block to be sometimes useful. It's soft, and doesn't damage a gun, and the free pin sticks to the internal magnet. :mrgreen:



Very nice. Another gadget to put on my long list of 'must haves'. The bright color and soft (assume grippy) and magnet are better than the solid plastic one I have.

Found it: Real Avid smart bench block.
 

mpalm

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 2, 2016
Messages
165
Location
massachusetts
I read all the posts. Thanks to all for the helpful tips!
Some great new products out there should help me next time I take something apart.
 

indiobravo

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 13, 2021
Messages
3
I just added an EC9S to my batch - i love the gun, great shooting, great edc size and feel, but that pin just bites. little parts that will get lost. i am planning on just ordering a few extra right away before the inevitable happens. :?
 

langenc

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
471
Location
Lewiston, MI USA
SamV said:
Unfortunately, sometimes those small parts never make it to a magnetic tray. They fly away quickly. I will try the mesh lingerie laundry bag trick. I am sure my wife won't mind.
What happens when you can't find your magnetic tray? Mine disappears frequently, sometimes with important parts still in it. My son is always tinkering with electronics and often walks off with my tray sometimes in mid-project. He has caused several duplicate tool purchases.
There are several tiny springs and parts somewhere in my basement, probably sucked into a missing dryer sock black hole.
Maybe an extra magnetic tray for son in a Christmas stocking will help..
 

blammer

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
283
Location
Nebraska
langenc said:
SamV said:
Unfortunately, sometimes those small parts never make it to a magnetic tray. They fly away quickly. I will try the mesh lingerie laundry bag trick. I am sure my wife won't mind.
What happens when you can't find your magnetic tray? Mine disappears frequently, sometimes with important parts still in it. My son is always tinkering with electronics and often walks off with my tray sometimes in mid-project. He has caused several duplicate tool purchases.
There are several tiny springs and parts somewhere in my basement, probably sucked into a missing dryer sock black hole.
Maybe an extra magnetic tray for son in a Christmas stocking will help..
Or put it in a large clear bag (like ziploc) during this part of disassembly. I've never had the pin go very far as it is fairly dense. Remove it over a towel and it won't bounce on table as much.

Yes, it is a minor pain. On mine, the little covering window is also tough to lower to get to the pin.

But it doesn't effect function when shooting and is a pain only when cleaning. If it saved a few bucks on the manufacture and kept the gun small, then I figure it's worth the slight aggravation.
 

blue2golf

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Messages
31
Location
Indiana
My Ruger LC9 came with a little takedown "key", stamped with a Ruger emblem, to push the pin out of the frame. Works very well.

My LC9s didn't come with the key and I can't figure out why, still gotta push out the pin.
 

GypsmJim

Single-Sixer
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
373
vito said:
Glock seemed to figure out how to make cleaning and re-assembly as simple as possible. Maybe the next generation Rugers will as well.

Well, I resemble that remark. All my Rugers are a walk in the park. I service everything on my bench with a gun rug on top. The little Ruger pin hits the rug and its there for my reassembly.

OTOH, those pesky Glocks have 2 finicky levers to puish down at the same time and if its not in perfect harmony I spend (no WASTE) a lot of time getting the stupid slide off.
 

boxersdrule

Bearcat
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
2
The cover that blocks the pin flops around & won't stay in any position. When firing it sometimes gets stuck at an angle stopping the slide. Very annoying & a red flag for a carry gun. Considering removing that part altogether or should I contact Ruger?
 

HoosierBilly1

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 24, 2015
Messages
37
I don't believe that my Rugers are unique. I have an old LC9 and also the Ruger MAX 9 that are disassembled the same way. I don't need any tool nor do I need to struggle to take the disassembly pin off. All I do is push the slide backwards enough to line the pin up with the hole in the frame and then I flip the gun down, making the pin fall off on its own due to gravity. I have never lost any pin, and disassembly doesn't seem to take longer nor more difficult of that on the glock. Sure it would be nice to have a glock style disassembly so to not worry about an extra part, but so far in 11 years I have had no problems.
 

pyth0n

Buckeye
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
1,362
Location
Florida
Today after returning home from the range I had three guns to clean. One is a S&W revolver, nothing to take apart, just swing open the cylinder. The next was my Glock 17. Easy to take apart, no small pieces, no tools needed. The third is my everyday carry, an LC9s. So many things I like about this gun, but taking it apart does require a tool or paper clip or something to push out the pin, and the damn pin itself is a problem (at least it was today for me). After I removed it from the gun it rolled off my work bench, bouncing on the concrete floor and rolling who knows where. For the next 20 minutes I was down on my knees, or my back, using a powerful flashlight, looking under the work bench (amazing how many screws, nails, washers, nuts and other debris I found under there), under two different cabinets, around the hot water heater and behind a pile of old lumber. I finally found it, all the while searching thinking that maybe its time to switch my EDC to a Glock 26 and never think about the damn pin again.

Ruger knows how to do things right with certain guns. My Mark IV is a dream to take apart for cleaning, so much easier than the Browning Buckmark I sold after buying the Mark IV. But pushing out little pins or similar items when other makers have found ways to avoid that step is a frustration with the LC9s.
I keep a telescoping magnet & magnetic bowl handy when I strip any firearm. Cuts down the search time for most metal parts dropped.
 
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