Ruger Mark III jamming? This might help...

[WyoGunner]

For everyone experiencing excessive jamming with their Ruger MK III, here are some ideas:

1) Install a Volquartsen extractor. This significantly reduced the number of stovepipes that I experienced. It is much sharper and has a better shape which prevents the shell from being dropped prematurely. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=363360

2) Check the height of your magazine when it is seated in your pistol. It may be too high causing the the round to hit it before reaching the ejector. This is a really good article on the matter by Bullseye: http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18

3) Don't forget that you are shooting crappy rimfire ammo produced with very high quality tolerances. It may be your ammo and not the gun. If the bullet is significantly smaller than most, such as Aguila, it may be prone to hitting the bottom of the feed ramp. Save it for your rifle and shoot a larger grain bullet. Also, if the round doesn't have enough umph to move the slide, it may result in a jam.

All in all, these are great pistols. I absolutely love mine now that I have worked out some of the kinks. Good luck and feel free to ask questions. My knowledge is not vast, but someone in this forum will have the answer.

 

[mattsbox99]

Good tips, I'll just add that a few pistols are finicky for a few hundred rounds as things get broken in, and a thorough cleaning will often help. I always put a drop of light oil on the bolt before shooting and after owning several other MKs, my MKIIIs are the most reliable of them all.

 

[il Padrino]

I have a similar issue with a MKII, I noticed that I do not have a 1/16" clearance between the magazine the ejector. They are practically touching. Any idea how to fix it to get the desired 1/16" clearance?
I don't want to modify the magazine since I have another MKII that I interchange magazines with, and the other MKII does have a 1/16" clearance.

 

[Bullseye57]

You can adjust the top edge of the magazine release button. There is a picture (drawing) of the button and how to adjust the height of the mag in the first post of this thread: http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18 Some of the buttons have rough edges or production flash on top which can be cleaned up with a few strokes of a file.

R,
Bullseye

 

[fallujah]

My ruger MK3 will NOT FEED wide mouthed hollowpoint 22lr ammo like for example, remington game load 22's or armscor hollow points. Everything else works fine.

 

[mopac]

My Mklll has the required 1/16" difference between the top of the rear mag lip and the ejector-but-on my Mklll 22/45 the bottom of the ejector is within the distance of a piece of copy paper on all 5 of my mags. Should I be looking for the 1/16" distance? There is negligable movement when I push upward on the bottom of the mag as it's obviously just touching the bottom of the ejector. I have just recently installed a VQ extractor but haven't shot it yet-would this extractor make the 1/16" distance unecessary?

 

[snobord99]

I have about the same gap between my mkiii 22/45 as you do. I installed the VQ extractor and it hasn't stovepiped on me in the over 1000 rounds since. Try the extractor before you make any changes to the gap.

 

[Milly]

My ruger MK3 will NOT FEED wide mouthed hollowpoint 22lr ammo like for example, remington game load 22's or armscor hollow points. Everything else works fine.

Ditto!

 

[DooneBug]

What's the trick for getting the original extractor out of the bolt?

I can't seem to pull the little spring loaded plug back far enough to rotate the extractor out. I'm using a tiny flat screwdriver.

What kind of tool is required?

 

[HammerMTB]

What's the trick for getting the original extractor out of the bolt?

I can't seem to pull the little spring loaded plug back far enough to rotate the extractor out. I'm using a tiny flat screwdriver.

What kind of tool is required?

you need to remove the firing pin before you remove the extractor spring, guide, and extractor. The tiny flat blade screwdriver will work once that is done.

 

[DooneBug]

hmmmm. Yeah I've tried removing the firing pin stop and firing pin.

I guess that I'm on the right track. I'll keep trying. Thanks

 

[DUNTOV]

What's the trick for getting the original extractor out of the bolt?

I can't seem to pull the little spring loaded plug back far enough to rotate the extractor out. I'm using a tiny flat screwdriver.

What kind of tool is required?

Remove the firing pin retainer pin that goes through the bolt, or the plug wont go back far enough, a crochet hook works good to pull the plug back

 

[Mtn Biker]

Also the extractor comes out of the bolt at a weird angle. You cant just tip it outwards at the hook end and get it to release. If I remember correctly you have to slide it out rearwards/sideways. (hope that makes sense).

VL

 

[EdalinC3]

Firing pin can we get online??

 

[COLT_45]

Sorry, but I haven't experienced any extraction problems or stovepipes in my stock Mark III hunter after 5 bricks of stingers yesterday . Must be the Fastfire III optic I mounted on the stock rail. I did however loosen my front site screw. Do I need a modified extractor or maybe just clean and lub my stock one. Hmmmmmmm....Maybe I'll just leave it in my Ruger display case so I don't worry about breaking my extractor in the future cause maybe Ruger will run out of them with so many broken ones being replaced by the factory.....

Edit: Deleted My Personal Photo

 

[contender]

My MK III's must be broken. None have stovepipe issues, or feeding issues. Same thing with my MK II's & MK I's. Maybe I need to send all 16 of ours back to Ruger to make them jam or stovepipe. Then I can work on them to make them right.

Ok, sarcasm off. Not all guns, no matter the make or model need work to make them run. Some do need a little tweaking, or switching of ammo, but this design wouldn't have built a multi-million dollar company if it didn't work. Millions & millions of the MK series guns work just fine.

 

[COLT_45]

Exactly....want 100% extraction....Here's a mod....run a few HV CCI's. Love those mini mags and velocitizers and there easy to install and use

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

My MK III's must be broken. None have stovepipe issues, or feeding issues. Same thing with my MK II's & MK I's. Maybe I need to send all 16 of ours back to Ruger to make them jam or stovepipe. Then I can work on them to make them right.

Ok, sarcasm off. Not all guns, no matter the make or model need work to make them run. Some do need a little tweaking, or switching of ammo, but this design wouldn't have built a multi-million dollar company if it didn't work. Millions & millions of the MK series guns work just fine.

That's funny, and AMEN to your second, accurate, statement! I don't have any issues with my personal array of Ruger Standards, Mark I's, II's, III's or 22/45 pistols either. And since 1971, when I started my shop, I haven't seen where stove-pipes were not easily fixed without much hoopla. What are we doing wrong? :lol: I do tune (tweak) and smooth every magazine that's used in each of these pistols. And pray tell, WHY? Mainly because they are folded and seam welded stampings. The follower button slots have sharp edges and feel rough when the follower button is pushed down, the feed lips can get distorted and I feel they improve by being polished until they're smooth. I also feel that the as-provided Ruger stamped extractor is a very poor representative of an important part of the bolt. Ever wonder why there are at least 6 makers of aftermarket extractors for these pistols, Chargers and 10/22 rifles? Keep your chamber clean and carbon free and that will always help with smooth extraction of spent cases. So, I like a little sarcasm, especially when it makes a very pertinent point.

 

[TomV]

I bought a new Ruger Mk III Hunter ($530) a few months ago and began having extraction problems after only a couple of hundred rounds. I installed a Volquartsen Exact Edge Extractor, and not one problem since. It is a shame to have to do that on a new pistol, but now I look forward to decades of trouble free operation (I hope). I really like the pistol: so very accurate and easy to shoot. Overall, I am still very pleased and would do it again.

 

[Mark II]

My Dad bought a new Mark III 22/45 last year and has had constant problems with stovepiping (happens at a rate of 25 to 50%). We tried multiple brands and types and velocities of ammunition and get the same results each time. Has anyone here sent their Mark III back to Ruger to correct this type of issue? If so, did it help? I recommended he contact them about the issue before doing any home gunsmithing, but, I think he just stuck it in the safe and never looked into it...