Mark IV magazines won't release

[buckshot]

I've been looking for a Mark IV for awhile and couldn't find one and then I ran into a decent deal for a S&W SR22 Victory, so I picked it up. Less than two weeks later I found a Ruger Mark IV Target stainless so I picked it up as well. Both guns are like new and I'm not sure if either has actually been shot. Upon inspection both were clean and lubed properly. Today I took them both shooting for the first time. My plan was to compare them side by side and decide which one I wanted to keep, as I don't know if I need two target pistols.

Well the Ruger has some issues, it would not eject the mags. I had no issues at home when trying them out before shooting, but as soon as I emptied the first mag it wouldn't release it. The mag release won't even press in at all. If I remove the upper receiver I can eventually get the mag to release. I have five Ruger mags and they all have the same issue. The mags look new and appear clean and lubed. Needless to say, I am frustrated with my new pistol. Any Ideas on what may be causing the issues? Do I need to send it to Ruger?

I am typically a Ruger guy, but the S&W shot flawless today and actually impressed me. I was mentally prepared to love the Ruger and feel so so about the S&W. I figured after today's outing I would be ready to sell the S&W to fund another Ruger, but that's not what happened.

 

[Dan in MI]

I don’t play with MK-IV’s but my first question is factory grips/screws?

 

[buckshot]

The pistol is 100% factory.

 

[Mobuck]

There's a difference between 'release' and 'eject'.
If the mag release won't 'press in' there must be interference somewhere. I'm not a MK-IV fan either but haven't seen this problem with various other Ruger 22 pistols.

 

[john guedry]

Mine works "right".

 

[Huskerguy72]

I do not have a MK IV but shoot a MK III in steel plate challenges. The three factory mags I purchased when it was new work perfectly. About a year ago I happened across a bunch of NOS Ruger mags and purchased 7. Everyone would not work correctly. Ruger said I could send them to the factory and they would fix them. I was messing around with them and all I did was file just a little bit off of the lug that catches on the mag release. They shoved up in there so tight, they were hard to release, IF I could get them to catch. That fixed them all.

Again, this was with a MK III so it may be different.

 

[contender]

A polite call to Ruger is in order. You'll likely get a prepaid shipping label to send it back. Every mechanical object made can have a flaw from the factory. Give them a chance to fix it & THEN do a comparison.
Yes,, it can be a hassle, sorta,, but it may well be worth it.

 

[Olgason]

I recently purchased a new MK IV Standard after a 25-30 year hiatus from a MK II. After firing 10 or 12 magazines through it I noticed that one was a bit stubborn to release. Then, after a few more, the other mag had the same issue. My first thought: manufacturing flaw. Bought two more brand new magazines and same thing.

Long story short, I did a thorough, and I mean THOROUGH, cleaning of every nook and cranny of the entire pistol; including the frame. Problem solved and I gained valuable knowledge about how everything works and one ammo to avoid.

 

[elmo123]

I had the same thing happen when my Mark IV was new. The carbon/residue gets in between the magazine release button and the frame and seizes it up. I sprayed the magazine release with brake cleaner and when it dried I put a drop of oil on it. I had to do this several times until the parts wore in and haven't had any problems since them.

 

[Durango Dave]

I recently fixed my Mark IV that had this problem. It's like what elmo123 was saying but I found it necessary to remove the mag ejection button. The issue is grit gets in between the button and the frame. The grit prevents you from pressing the button far enough.

Remove the screw next to the ejection button. Then remove the button and clean where the button goes through the frame. It's most important to clean inside the frame, not the side that is shown in this picture. That button bottoms out on the frame. If there is any grit in there you are unable to press the button far enough to eject the magazine.

I've had this problem for quite a while. I've cleaned it many time. I never really solved the problem until I knew exactly what needed to be cleaned. It's important to remove that button to do this right.

 

[Olgason]

Exactly what DD said. I, being the kid that took apart wind-up alarm clocks and reassembled them before I was a teen, detected early that the problem was dirt (a foreign substance) and like any mechanical thing, likely to eventually cause issues.

 

[bittereinder]

I recently fixed my Mark IV that had this problem. It's like what elmo123 was saying but I found it necessary to remove the mag ejection button. The issue is grit gets in between the button and the frame. The grit prevents you from pressing the button far enough.
View attachment 78396

Remove the screw next to the ejection button. Then remove the button and clean where the button goes through the frame. It's most important to clean inside the frame, not the side that is shown in this picture. That button bottoms out on the frame. If there is any grit in there you are unable to press the button far enough to eject the magazine.

I've had this problem for quite a while. I've cleaned it many time. I never really solved the problem until I knew exactly what needed to be cleaned. It's important to remove that button to do this right.

I had a similar problem and this fixed it. I had no idea how stuff would build up inside the mag release! This was easy to do and mags eject very easily now. Thanks!