New MkIII Target Jamming Annoying!

[Kman]

Thanks mate, yeah our firearm laws are particularly rigid. Fortunately our state Govt has recently changed to a more conservative party and looks like the same will happen Federally very soon too.

 

[Donaldjr1969]

Kwala, glad it all worked out for ya. As a 22/45 MkIII owner (very similar disassembly/reassembly procedures), I know how frustrating it could be. But as others have said, it will get easier to reassemble in time as things loosen. My first time, I swore so much I bet you could hear me all the way down in Brisbane!

I remember how, thanks to the actions of just one individual, John Howard banned pump action shotguns. And from what little bit I know of Oz, it seems that both the libs and the ALP seem to share the same views, sadly, on firearms ownership.

 

[Kman]

Mate, not just the shotguns...if you ever can't get to sleep one night have a read of handgun requirements for Queensland shooters. Applies pretty much nation wide.
Fortunately our new state Police Minister is an ex-cop and rumoured to be a shooter too. Federally Bob Katter is out only hope of positive firearm reform, however I can't see him holding the balance of power considering his other policies.

 

[pooch692000]

I was getting FTF's yesterday a lot. Didnt have one FTF after 433 rounds until yesterday so decided to re-read manual as I was using same ammo (winchester 333 white box HP's for first 33s rounds, then cci mini mags for last 100.

I did notice in the manual the steps to load:
1) take out mag
2) pull bolt all the way rearward and then release(cocks hammer)
3) engage Safety
4) insert loaded magazine
5) Pull bolt back all the way and release (slingshot)
6) safety to fire and fire

I was doing it a little different for first 433 rounds and it seemed to work fine. But didn't work all the time yesterday. I had been Pulling bolt back with out mag inserted or after 10 rnds shot(bolt remaining open), inserting mag and then engaging bolt stop lever to chamber round. No fire when trigger pulled and no trigger movement a few times yesterday. That way seemed to work fine for first 433 rounds, not sure why not for now. Maybe too much lube, not sure why so finicky yesterday. Gun was cleaned after first 333 rds, then after 100 more. Will try the way manual says, but seems wierd that after firing a clip, with bolt staying open after mag shot empty, inserting the next mag, engaging bolt release and firing worked the first 433 rds and not so much the last box yesterday.

I've put 10's of thousands of rounds of cheap ammo through my MKIII and I can count the number of FTE's & FTFs on one hand. They have a reputation for eating anything. However, Ruger's mechanical design often depends on parts wearing against each other during use to form good mating surfaces so they can be a bit funky till broken in.

The following conditions are necessary for the hammer to drop

Safety off.
Mag fully inserted.
Hammer cocked. (Bolt has been racked)

To fire a round, there must of course be a round in the chamber. The indicator will tell you if you have successfully chamber a round.

Assuming you have all that in place, I agree with the cleaning idea. I would take an agressive solvent like acetone or carb cleaner and wash down the whole gun including the bolt. (Be sure to take the grips off first and if you have non metallic sights i.e. fiber optic keep the solven away from those. Then lubricate all the moving parts with a light gun oil.

Guns are often packed with cosmoline or some heavy gunk and who knows, on the trip to Australia or during storage it might have caked up or mixed with dust.

Finally, Ruger Customer Service is ... well ... fantastic... just no other word for it. They are very accessible on the phone. It might be worth a call to the US if they don't have a service center in the Southern Hemisphere.

The MK xxx is a wonderful gun. It has a solid rep for ruggedness, reliability and deadly accuracy. I hope you get yours working properly. You will love it.

 

[Richbaker]

Dropping the bolt with the bolt stop lever is a good way to wear the lever out prematurely.... Slingshot is the factory-recommended method for a reason.