Ruger 22/45 Lite 3906, breech face dents

[1022Good]

Brand new 22/45 Lite Model 3906. Noticed 9-10 very distinct dents in the breech face when cleaning after I shot it the first time. Shot about 100-150 rounds with one FTE. Everything went well. The gun seemed to work just fine and paired nicely with the AAC Element 2. It took me a few seconds to clear the FTE getting used to a magazine that would not drop free by design. I did not examine the breech face closely before shooting, but didn't notice any damage being there. I am wondering if the FTE was enough to cause the damage? Any 22/45 Lite owners that could weigh in on what you see on yours and if this is normal or not? Thanks.

Pictures:
Breech from bolt end:

Breech from ejection port:

Bolt:

3906 w AAC Element 2:

 

[1022Good]

Ok, I just stopped by my local gun store. They took a pristine Lite model, breech pristine, opened and slammed home the bolt about 10 times and were able to reproduce these marks although not quite as bad. Curious if any other 22/45 owners see these marks on the breech? Thanks.

 

[Kevin]

Do you think the dents had anything to do with the FTE? One failure in 150 rounds isn't too bad really. Especially for a .22. Have to played around to see if you can cause more dents or do you think this is the extent of them? Do they cause any problems with accuracy or extraction or anything? I might call Ruger but I'd probably shoot the gun a bit more to see if it gets worse. Or if there is no problem, I might be just tempted to ignore them. It is a 22/45 and meant to be shot afterall.

 

[1022Good]

My first thought was the FTE caused the dents although it would be surprising to me that brass would dent the surface of the chamber/breech area and that these 10 or so dents would have been caused by one FTE. After seeing the guy at the gun store cause some lighter, but similar, marks on a new one by operating the bolt, I think it may be the bolt making the marks. Not sure. I definitely plan to shoot it more, but wanted to call Ruger first to see what they think.

 

[FiremanBob]

I'd call Ruger, but the dings don't look like they would interfere with function at all. That said, I've never seen such marks before. Perhaps some manufacturing schmutz was on the bolt? I always disassemble and thoroughly clean newly acquired firearms, whether new or used.

 

[1022Good]

Talked to Ruger. After seeing the pictures, they said the marks may be caused by the bolt hitting the breech face. They provided a shipping label for me to send it in for evaluation. I'll post an update when I hear something.

 

[1022Good]

Update and good news. The technician at Ruger deemed the firearm unrepairable, due to too tight of an LCI pin causing issues with disassembly. Since it affects the barrel, a serialized component, they are replacing the entire firearm. Initially, no further explanation was provided about the dents. I asked if there was any explanation for the cause the pitting. They said that normally they would say the bolt, but because there was not anything on the bolt that would have appeared to caused the pitting they were not sure. I have to say that their customer service has been top-notch, very friendly, quick and responsive throughout the process. I am happy to have a new firearm in route to my FFL. I will keep a close eye on the breech/chamber area before and after use of the new one.

 

[9x19]

Hmm... at this point we can only speculate, but it sure looks like something (harder than the aluminum of the barrel shroud) got between the bolt and breech.

I'm always happy to hear it when Ruger takes such good care of their customers.

 

[1022Good]

Do you know for a fact that the barrel shroud is aluminum? I thought it may be, but wasn't sure. I've seen post in other forums where aftermarket aluminum barrels had issues with the brass casings causing damage. I only had the one FTE with this gun and would be surprised that all of those dents were cause by it, but who knows. If that is the case, I would think a lot of other LITE owners would see this for the same reason.

 

[FiremanBob]

Am glad that Ruger gave good service. I also had a good CS experience when the firing pin stop pin on a MkIII 22/45 broke into three pieces, causing the FP to put a deep ding in the breech.

I still wonder if there were pieces of machined steel swarf or maybe some blast media stuck in the receiver, which caught between the bolt and barrel when it was first cycled. That's all I can think of.

 

[1022Good]

Good point Bob. I will clean the new one prior to first use. Thanks.

 

[1022Good]

I'd really like to see some examples of the breech face on other LITE's after some use. Anyone willing to post pics and estimate of rounds fired?

 

[talon1961]

No pictures, but just checked mine after reading the post. Mine seems to be fine and no dents/pitting after a couple hundred rounds. One FTE so far and that was on the first magazine full at the range. After the first hundred rounds, the pistol worked perfectly without a hiccup! Shooting CCI regular velocity, Velocitors, and Mini Mags. Nice gun for sure.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Perhaps some manufacturing schmutz was on the bolt? I always disassemble and thoroughly clean newly acquired firearms, whether new or used.

Hi,

Suggest we all learn to follow Bob's lead. And perhaps this is a good time to revisit my old gunsmith boss, going back 30 yrs or more:

"Ruger doesn't have any trash cans in their factory. So when the janitors sweep the floors, they just empty the dust pans into the nearest gun being assembled. NEVER fire a new Ruger until you've field stripped it as far as practical, fully cleaned out all the crud, blown it clear with your air gun, and oiled it properly." Sometimes he'd add that we probably had more air guns and oil in the shop than Ruger did.

He was not kind in his comments about Ruger's QC or assembly processes... sounds like little has changed! Unfortunately, his advice on an initial cleaning has become good advice for many other brands, as well.

Rick C

 

[1022Good]

Update: Ruger sent the new LITE to my FFL. My FFL gave me the option to swap, so I went with the 10150 and he threw in an extra mag. Looking forward to giving it a try! Here it is with the AAC Element 2.