10/22 issues

[RugerRyan]

Hey everybody,

Got a problem with my new 10/22. Took it out and fired and all was fine. Brought it home and field stripped it as I have other 10/22's I have owned. When I put the trigger group back into the receiver and tried to pull the bolt back and it would virtually would not move.

I took the trigger assembly back out and checked the bolt and it was in correctly but I took it out and put it back in just for good measure. The problem persisted and I took the gun back apart.

While the gun was apart this time the trigger was pulled which disengaged the hammer from the cocked position. I manually re-cocked the hammer and now the trigger will not depress the pin behind it and the hammer will not drop.

So I have 2 problems

1. I could not cycle the gun when I put it back together.
2. Now the trigger will not move the pin behind it / drop the hammer

Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

[9x19]

It's hard to diagnose sight unseen, but...

All cross-pins are in place in the trigger group?

Safety is free to move and is fully in the "off" position?

 

[MikeJinVT]

Check to make sure that the ejector is in the slot where it should be. I had one recently that slipped out of its slot when it was disassembled and it bound up the bolt when I tried to cycle the action.

Mike

 

[RugerRyan]

Im pretty sure the ejector was not in its slot (and that caused my original issue).

But now my main problem is the trigger will not depress.

When I had the trigger assembly out I released the hammer and then recocked it. Now the hammer is in the cocked position but pulling the trigger does not release the hammer.

Any ideas on what would be keeping the trigger from releasing the hammer?

 

[9x19]

Hold down/back on the hammer and push out the hammer pin... remove the hammer and take a look at the sear/disconnector/spring in the trigger assembly.

 

[RugerRyan]

Any flying parts or anything I should watch out for when I try that? Also, what am I looking for when I get it apart?

 

[Bullseye57]

Your safety button may have rotated during disassembly of the stock and receiver. Try sliding the safety button to the mid-point, like if you're taking the receiver out of the stock, and then rotate the safety button about 180°. When the button is fully left or right it has a safety detent plunger that keeps it from turning (rotation). Mid-way the plunger will allow the button to turn. You may have to try it a few times because your button may not have made a complete half rotation which is preventing the hammer release.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

 

[RugerRyan]

Bullseye the more I read this seems to be likely the problem. Any tips for turning the safety or do I just need to grip with my fingers and try to turn and try the trigger and repeat? Would it be a bad idea to grab the safety with a pair of pliers with it not in the middle position and turn it?

 

[RugerRyan]

I managed to turn the safety with my fingers. Now the safety doesnt feel 'clicky' like it does when its working normally. I am going to keep trying to turn a little bit and try to fire and see what happens.

I just noticed that I can actually see the safety and what is visible to me are the 2 triangle grooves (best way I can describe them). I can turn the safety some but at a certain point it gets really hard to turn by finger.

 

[Bullseye57]

The "click" of normal safety button operation is that safety plunger's operational purpose. It will engage in two positions, the right one where the flat spot is facing up, and 180° out where the rounded side is facing up. You may have your safety selector button somewhere in between those two positions and that is why it is not making that positive "click" sound. If you can drop the hammer then you can take out the trigger components and ensure the flat side of the button is facing upwards.

You can use some pliers to assist with turning the safety selector button but be sure to pad the jaws with some generous loops of tape to prevent marring the button with the grasping tool.

If it still won't turn, try pushing down on the back end of the hammer while you turn with the tool. The disconnector may be preventing the sear from moving enough to fully rotating the safety button. Pushing back the hammer, like cocking the it, will disengage the disconnector.

R,
Bullseye

 

[RugerRyan]

I am almost sure you are describing my issue exactly. I think it had rotated 180 degrees and now ive managed to rotate it a little but no the full 180 degrees to get it back into the correct position. I noticed pushing the hammer lifted some pressure off of it, I may have to get a friend over to help out with this.

Right now the 2 grooves (detents) are facing forward (towards the barrel). Where are they supposed to end up being (ie facing down, backwarads, etc)?

 

[Bullseye57]

Yes the two safety detent grooves need to face downward and a little toward the rear of the trigger group. Where they are now is why you don't hear any clicking noises. When the grooves are facing downward the flat portion of the safety button is up. This flat portion is what provides clearance for the sear to travel downward and allows it to release the hammer. In the safe position a rounded edge is presented to the sear and it cannot travel downward when the trigger is pulled thereby keeping the hammer from falling.

You have to find the "sweet spot" between those two grooves by moving safety button inward just far enough to rotate the trigger button under normal conditions. Otherwise the the safety button plunger will prevent the safety button from rotating. Right now the plunger may be hanging up in the flat side of the safety button preventing rotation. If you end up removing the safety lever later be sure to take care as the plunger and spring will shoot out with some force from the trigger housing.

R,
Bullseye

 

[Bullseye57]

There is another way to take this trigger assembly apart while the hammer is in the cocked position. I tested this procedure personally so you could use it on your stuck trigger housing. Once you remove the innards you can readjust/orient your safety button.

1. Use a 3/32" pin punch and remove the crosspin that holds the ejector assembly in place - take care as there is a spring under tension on the right hand side of the assembly. Remove the pin and the ejector, set them aside. 2. Place your thumb down on the cocked hammer and depress it into the trigger housing slightly. (this step is to take pressure off of the hammer from the mainspring so you can remove the hammer pivot pin) Using your punch, press the hammer pivot pin from the housing all while keeping your hand and thumb pressing on the hammer to relieve the pressure) Push the pin punch all the way through the trigger assembly until the hammer crosspin is completely removed from the trigger housing. 3. While still maintaining your pressure on the hammer retract the pin punch back and remove it from the trigger housing. Now your hammer is free, remove it, and you can strip the trigger assembly as you normally would. Once stripped use a jewler's screwdriver to push in the safety detent plunger, on the rear side of the button, and rotate the button barrel so the grooves are facing toward the rear in line with the plunger. You should also note that the flat side of the safety lever is now facing upwards as it should be. Reassemble the trigger housing and you should be good to go.

Here is a good link for a step-by step disassembly and reassembly of the 10/22 trigger housing - 10/22 trigger dis/reassembly

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

 

[blume357]

You need a 2nd 10/22 to compare with... that is the simplest way to solve the problem.... I was thinking it was the little flippy thing on top left of the trigger group is not sitting right or put back right.

 

[RugerRyan]

Bullseye thanks a ton for your help. I am going to wait until I have a friend over to try to get the safety rolled back around before taking the trigger assembly apart. Honestly I am trying to avoid taking it apart because it is more than I want to get into if I can help it. I am hoping with an extra set of hands available one of us can focus on turning the safety while the other holds the assembly and presses on the hammer. I will post back with my results as soon as I get the extra pair of hands on board.

 

[Bullseye57]

I understand you have to go with what you're comfortable with experience-wise on your trigger assembly. The easier way is to disassemble the trigger. These are not all that complicated, especially with the web guide link I posted for you. If your friend has experience with disassembling these triggers then present this option to him. When you're pressing down on the hammer it in the center of the part to relieve the mainspring pressure so you can remove the pivot pin. It is not the top part of the hammer, as if to cock it back farther, because this type of action will not relieve the force of the mainspring which is being applied to the center of the hammer.

A couple of words of caution. When turning the safety button do not force it. That plunger may be now sticking into the flat side of the safety button which means it may now need to be pushed down before you can rotate the button. Since it is located down in the bottom of the trigger assembly it is difficult to see clearly how the plunger is positioned. By removing the hammer, then the sear and disconnector you'll have a better vantage point to assess it. You will also have access to the rear area behind the button, where the plunger is located, and can insert a tool to push the plunger downward into the housing to turn the safety. If you decide for some reason to remove the safety from the trigger housing, take care as that plunger and spring will shoot out with some force and both are small enough to easily get lost. Reinserting the plunger and safety button can be a challenge so I don't recommend you attempt this with the level of ability you've expressed thus far.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

 

[RugerRyan]

We can't get the safety to turn back to its proper position with finger force. I am afraid of forcing it and breaking something if we use pliers.

I thought about just sending it in to ruger for warranty service but it looks like they charge $30.00 to ship a gun back to you? If so thats nuts!

Any tips beyond taking the assembly apart or paying for repair? After watching videos of people struggling to get the trigger assembly back together I am ever more afraid of taking it apart.

 

[Jim Puke]

We can't get the safety to turn back to its proper position with finger force. I am afraid of forcing it and breaking something if we use pliers.

I thought about just sending it in to ruger for warranty service but it looks like they charge $30.00 to ship a gun back to you? If so thats nuts!

Any tips beyond taking the assembly apart or paying for repair? After watching videos of people struggling to get the trigger assembly back together I am ever more afraid of taking it apart.

And, this doesn't appear to be a warranty issue.

 

[Bullseye57]

RugerRyan,

Check your PM box.

R,
Bullseye

 

[RugerRyan]

We have the trigger assembly apart now but trying to get a tool to depress the spring and then rotate the safety is proving to be impossible right now....

 

[RugerRyan]

GOT IT FIXED! THANKS SO MUCH BULLSEYE!

I am posting this from a tablet. I will get back on my computer and tell you exactly how we did it. A word of caution everyone be careful when putting the safety in the middle position to disassemble your gun. Immediately return the safety back to one side or the other!

 

[Bullseye57]

Great to hear this news! I'm glad you got through it.

As far as the safety button, you just have to be careful of the plunger and spring. Once that plunger cap clears the hole in the trigger housing you can have a difficult time getting the plunger cap back down far enough to reinsert the safety to its rightful position. If I've removed the safety button completely, I use a 5/16ths inch wooden dowel rod with a 1/8th inch hole drilled through it to assist me with seating the safety plunger. Once the plunger is pushed down into the trigger housing with a pin punch I rotate the rod so the dowel hole is 90° away from the plunger. The dowel rod now acts like a slave pin holding the safety plunger down into the housing as I insert the safety button, with the flat side up, into the housing from the left. The button pushes out the dowel and every thing's good to go.

R,
Bullseye

 

[RugerRyan]

I am glad we did not take the safety out. We were on the verge of taking it out at one point.

We followed your takedown instructions for the trigger assembly. Then we used a very small screw driver to depress the safety plunger while the other rotated the safety back around to its proper position. After many many tries we got it spun back around.

It seems like a really finnicky set up for a safety and its a real pain in the butt to deal with. I wonder how often this happens to people because this 10/22 is brand new and this was its first take down and nothing was done to provoke this happening other than leaving the safety in the middle position.

Anywhoo, it seems to be functioning fine now and I will take it to the range soon for a test. Thanks again Bullseye.

 

[Precision32]

The only time the safety has to be in a middle position is when removing the receiver/barrel from the stock.

A simple tool for replacing the safety detent plunger is a short piece of 1/8" brass tubing about 5" long. Put the spring then detent plunger into the hole and press into place using the end of the tubing. The tubing slips over the end of the detent enough to help hold it in place and allows you to push it out of the way when you press the safety button home.