Mark I/Standard bolt not locking back?

[Jason280_2]

I just picked up a Mark I/Standard, and having difficulty getting the slide to lock back. The safety selector moves easily up/down with the bolt forward, but is quite difficult to switch to "SAFE" to hold the slide back once pulled completely to the rear. I suspect it just needs to be stripped down and cleaned, but not sure if this is a common issue or not. Thanks!

 

[Jeepnik]

Clean first. And when you are doing so get a good light and if necessary magnifying glass and look at the parts real close. Might be a burr or even some debris stuck where it shouldn't be.

MKI's are old and heaven only knows what use/abuse it's seen. Enjoy the best .22 semi auto pistol model Ruger ever made. As I say all of the later MK's were (to steal from Jeff) a solution in search of a problem.

 

[Jason280_2]

I detail stripped it, but still can't find anything obvious. I pulled the hammer and safety, but its still hanging up when you try to lock the slide back. Works perfectly as a safety though, just doesn't want to go all the way to the "SAFE" position with the slide all the way back.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

I detail stripped it, but still can't find anything obvious. I pulled the hammer and safety, but its still hanging up when you try to lock the slide back. Works perfectly as a safety though, just doesn't want to go all the way to the "SAFE" position with the slide all the way back.

The Mark I pistols do NOT have the bolt hold back parts as the Ruger Mark II does. The only way you can hold the bolt back is to pull it back and then engage the safety. The bolt itself has two cuts in the left side of it whereby the safety can hold the bolt back.

 

[Jason280_2]

The Mark I pistols do NOT have the bolt hold back parts as the Ruger Mark II does. The only way you can hold the bolt back is to pull it back and then engage the safety.

I am aware of this.

Regardless, something is causing the safety to hang up, but only when the slide is pulled back. I may try calling Ruger, but they usually won't troubleshoot a whole lot over the phone.

 

[rugerguy]

make sure there is a notch in the bottom left side of the bolt to even allow the "locking back in place" ,,,,someone may have swapped out the bolt for a newer one???

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

The above suggestion is a very good possibility.

 

[Jason280_2]

I checked that, it definitely has a notch.

 

[Highstandardguy]

Seems to me that the bolt is not where it should be; either too far back or not far enough back, or the hold open tang on the safety is not where the bolt expects it to be. Is it possible that the recoil spring assembly is hanging up and not allowing the bolt to go back far enough or something is so worn that the bolt is going back too far? Did you try to move the bolt back and forth to see it there is a "sweet spot" where the safety will work?

Do you or a friend have another pistol that functions correctly that you could swap parts from to help identify the offending part? It might also be helpful to compare safety tangs.

Just some thoughts.....