Ruger Standard Jams (with photos)

[wingspar]

I've posted photos of this gun recently, and been involved in several discussions on this model in different forums. (It is also my avatar) The gun was given to me by my mother just to get it out of the house after my father passed away in 1988. Till last month when I took it out to take photos, and do some research, it has been in the box since 1988. I do not remember the last time I shot it. It has probably been since the early 1980's since the gun has been fired. My father bought the gun brand new in 1950.

It is kind of like dried oil/grease around the bolt, and my intention was to clean before shooting, but I could not figure out how to get it apart with the manual, however, I found online videos of the break down process, so will clean with video in front of me. The opportunity to shoot came before cleaning. I figured it couldn't hurt. First shot empty jammed. Second shot, jam.

I'm hoping a break down and good cleaning will cure this. Am I correct in this thinking?

On the second photo, near the front of the bolt is what looks like caked on oil or grease. It is hard. My theory is to clean the insides and the bolt with some Hoppe's No. 9. That a good idea?

This is the first jam. The empty was jammed in there so tight, I had to use a screwdriver to get it out. I could not take the clip out as the next round was still being held onto by the clip. (Clip or magazine, but that's another thread) nor could I pull back on the bolt until I had pried the empty out with the screwdriver.

This is the second jam. The empty is the cartridge in back, and the live cartridge in front was partially in the chamber. No screwdriver was needed. Pulling back on the bolt finished ejecting the empty. These are the only two shots I took. Decided not to shoot again till I take it apart and clean.

This is the ammo I recently ordered online, and is the ammo I was shooting today in case the ammo could have had something to do with it.

A good macro lens shows tons of specks of dirt and stuff that just can't be seen normally. :shock:

 

[3leggeddog]

I've posted photos of this gun recently, and been involved in several discussions on this model in different forums. (It is also my avatar) The gun was given to me by my mother just to get it out of the house after my father passed away in 1988. Till last month when I took it out to take photos, and do some research, it has been in the box since 1988. I do not remember the last time I shot it. It has probably been since the early 1980's since the gun has been fired. My father bought the gun brand new in 1950.

It is kind of like dried oil/grease around the bolt, and my intention was to clean before shooting, but I could not figure out how to get it apart with the manual, however, I found online videos of the break down process, so will clean with video in front of me. The opportunity to shoot came before cleaning. I figured it couldn't hurt. First shot empty jammed. Second shot, jam.

I'm hoping a break down and good cleaning will cure this. Am I correct in this thinking?

On the second photo, near the front of the bolt is what looks like caked on oil or grease. It is hard. My theory is to clean the insides and the bolt with some Hoppe's No. 9. That a good idea?

This is the first jam. The empty was jammed in there so tight, I had to use a screwdriver to get it out. I could not take the clip out as the next round was still being held onto by the clip. (Clip or magazine, but that's another thread) nor could I pull back on the bolt until I had pried the empty out with the screwdriver.


This is the second jam. The empty is the cartridge in back, and the live cartridge in front was partially in the chamber. No screwdriver was needed. Pulling back on the bolt finished ejecting the empty. These are the only two shots I took. Decided not to shoot again till I take it apart and clean.

This is the ammo I recently ordered online, and is the ammo I was shooting today in case the ammo could have had something to do with it.

A good macro lens shows tons of specks of dirt and stuff that just can't be seen normally. :shock:

try spraying it down [Lots of] "Break Free clp" ,let it set for a hour and spray it again. Now see if it will come apart? Lets hope you didnt bend anything while prying with the screw driver? Other's here may know of a better way .

 

[Cheesewhiz]

You are going to need to clean and lube that pistol because it hasn't been shot for a long time. I would suggest using some CCI Mini-Mags thru it before trying anything else. That ammo has always been the most consistent in my .22 semi-auto's as of late.

 

[Richbaker]

Aguila is pretty good ammo.... they use Eley-primed brass, IIRC.

 

[wingspar]

try spraying it down [Lots of] "Break Free clp" ,let it set for a hour and spray it again. Now see if it will come apart? Lets hope you didnt bend anything while prying with the screw driver? Other's here may know of a better way .

Actually, I didn't touch anything but the empty shell with the screwdriver. My fingers couldn't budge it, but it came out easy with the screwdriver. Didn't do any digging around with the screwdriver. I had to Google Break Free CLP. Never heard of it. Since no one said Hoppe's #9 would not work, I'll use that for the initial cleaning since I have plenty of it on hand.

You are going to need to clean and lube that pistol because it hasn't been shot for a long time. I would suggest using some CCI Mini-Mags thru it before trying anything else. That ammo has always been the most consistent in my .22 semi-auto's as of late.

Is that just a brand name, CCI Mini-Mags, or is it like a +P load in larger cartridges? This is an old gun, and I don't need to be shooting any high pressure ammo thru it. As for CCI, there is no 22 ammo around here at all. I was stuck with ordering online, and even then it wasn't easy.

Aguila is pretty good ammo.... they use Eley-primed brass, IIRC.

I've never heard of Aquila, but I was kind of restricted as to what and where I could order, even online. I couldn't find any brands I was familiar with, and this sounded like the right ammo for this old gun, as far as pressure loads go, and when I got it, and saw that there wasn't much English on the box, I felt a little uncomfortable shooting the stuff. It shot ok in my old 22 bolt action riffle. I know the name CCI, Winchester, Remington and some others, but I've been away from guns for years, and things have really changed. Barren ammo shelves in local gun stores, and online ordering are two things that just didn't exist last time I looked at guns and ammo.

 

[rugerguy]

obviously from the pictures, with all that "gunk" in and around the extractor plunger let alone what "else" may be ANYWHERE else in the gun, no need to take it apart, just soak it in kerosene, for a while and scrub at it best you can with brushes, Q-tips, what ever and then blow it out with an air hose...spray it down with ANY good penetrating oil and then blow out that......wipe it down, swab the bore, and try it again......

who knows whats in the chamber area, and yes, you may have to try some different types of ammo....poor test of ANY gun thats been sitting for that long....and if in "doubt" take it to someone who "knows" and have them clean it.............

 

[wingspar]

Yes, the gun is pretty gunked up. The brown gunk you can see on the bolt in the second photo can be seen inside the gun, and above the clip. From what I've been reading lately, this does seem like it is most likely the problem.

Would I soak both the barrel and bolt in kerosene? What would be a good alternative to kerosene? I'm not even sure where to buy kerosene.

So, using some Hoppe's 9 wouldn't be strong enough for this kind of grime?

 

[wingspar]

I just tried some Hoppe's 9 on the visible part of the bolt, and that brown gunk came right off, but I can see there are parts of the bolt I will not be able to get to, so soaking is a good idea. Is there a good alternative to kerosene?

I'm going to start breaking the gun down in a few minutes.

 

[Leucoandro]

wingspar,

Many choices for soaking, but they tend to require more care.

For small parts I soak them in the red jar jewelry cleaner you get from walmart. It works very well, but I suggest washing all the parts in hot water after you finish soaking them, then drying them and allowing them to sit for several hours before lightly oiling them to put back into the gun.

Soapy water (add a tiny bit of Amonia if you like to further assist in cleaning) in a mixing bowl will work for the larger parts, but make sure you have plenty of q-tips to get all the water out. Canned air helps, along with some of the drying spray lubes.


Charlie

 

[toysoldier]

You can soak it in gasoline, but you can also blow up your house. :? With old, hard brown gunk, it's best to disassemble and clean thoroughly with a penetrating oil. I like to have toothpicks to dig around in corners and pry out really solid gunk. Blow it clear with an air compressor if you have one, then lube sparingly with any of several teflon-based products, like Tri-Flow or Break-free.

 

[wingspar]

I meant to take some photos after I broke the gun down, just to show the crud, and as a reminder to me what it looked like, but got distracted. Oh well.

I called the LGS and the one in the next town 30 miles away for some Break Free CLP, but none in stock. I decided since Break Free is a solvent, and after talking to the guy in the next town down, there are lots of options. I decided to head to the LGS to see what he had, and he recommended Hoppe's 9, so since I had plenty of it, and even found an aerosol can of #9 in my stash, I used it. The gun cleaned up nicely. The most difficult part of the whole process was reassembling the gun. What a pain. I had to watch a video over and over and over before I finally got it back together. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be a few days before I get to shoot it. Also, having an air compressor to blow gunk and #9 out of nooks and crannies sure helped.

Got a shock at the LGS too. He had 22 ammo in stock! He also just got a used 10/22 in for $149. He hasn't had a chance to clean it up yet, but he is supposed to call me when he has it ready. I was thinking about picking a new one up. This one is in rough shape, and has probably seen some weather, but isn't too bad. If I get it, I start out with something I don't have to worry about scratching up. He should have an SR9 in stock soon. His ammo shelves aren't as bare as they were a couple of weeks ago, but still no 9mm.

 

[Cheesewhiz]

Wingspar, you can get a standard 10/22, brand new for about $200.

 

[wingspar]

Wingspar, you can get a standard 10/22, brand new for about $200.

I looked online and found a brand new one for $160, but it was gone before I could decide whether to buy it or not. He mentioned the price would go up after cleaning.

 

[graygun]

Just thoroughly clean and lightly oil. I'm not surprised it had problems based on the pix.

 

[wingspar]

Just thoroughly clean and lightly oil. I'm not surprised it had problems based on the pix.

I was surprised at how cruddy it was inside when I took it apart. I sure wish I took some photos, cause it will Never look like that again. I did not oil the bolt or the part of the barrel the bolt slides in. My theory on that is that without the oil, there is less likelihood of gunk sticking to the gun. I know my father was adamant about keeping guns oiled, but I'm going to try it dry to see how it works. Anyone see a problem with that?

I bought some new CCI ammo yesterday, so if the gun jams using that Aguila ammo, I'll shoot some of the CCI to see if it jams. I don't expect it to jam again. I shot this gun quite a bit years ago, and don't remember ever getting a jam.

 

[graygun]

I think you should oil those areas,too...lightly. You should clean it after every time shooting to remove the residue,etc.

Let us know how it does.

 

[wingspar]

I think you should oil those areas,too...lightly. You should clean it after every time shooting to remove the residue,etc.

Let us know how it does.

It does seem like a light coating of oil would be good. Probably part of the problem was letting gun sit for 20+ years without shooting or cleaning. I'm not looking forward to taking the gun apart again, but it should get easier to put back together each time, and I am curious as to how dirty it will get in there afer putting a few rounds thru it.

I was planing on shooting it today, but we have gale force wind and horizontal rain, so not sure when I will get to shoot it, but I do plan on posting back with the results.

 

[wingspar]

Weather and time finally allowed me to take this gun out and shoot it again. First shot jammed. Just like the first photo on page one of this thread. I was using the same Aguila ammo. I emptied the magazine, and loaded it with some CCI Select that I found locally. Not a single jam. I could pull the trigger as fast as I wanted to, and not a single jam. So, this is the first and last time I will ever purchase Aguila ammo. My bolt action rifle has no problem with it, so I'll use it up in the riffle.

The gun sure was cruddy, and needed to be broken down and thoroughly cleaned, but I now have to wonder how much the ammo had to do with the gun jamming last week? My guess is that it had everything to do with it, but I guess I'll never know for sure, cause I didn't have the CCI ammo to try in it last week.

For those that have this gun, or the later Mark I, II's and III's, what is your favorite ammo? Ever shoot Aguila ammo without jams?

 

[Doble Troble]

The CCI is hotter ammo.

You may still have some crud lurking - or maybe after cleaning the lube is gone.

You've got a great old gun there - one to be cherished for many reasons.

If I were you I'd spend some more time carefully taking it down enough times that you don't worry about having to do it. I bet you'll learn fast.

I'd also recommend soaking the parts - especially the bolt - in some type of solvent - and lube it up really good. The new-fangled Glocks will run with just a mist of CLP, but real steel guns need grease .

When you get that standard velocity stuff to cycle, you'll know you've got her back in shape.

 

[nvbirdman]

Just to set your mind at ease about using "hot" ammo in an "old" gun, a Ruger is as strong as almost any gun made, and stronger than most. Strength refers to old designs and the metal alloys that were available a hundred and more years ago. I don't think I will get too much disagreement when I say that any .22 ammo that chambers in your gun is safe to fire in it.