Cleaning Ruger Mk III 22/45

Mearlin · Post by **Mearlin** » Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:28 pm

So, I have one coming for Christmas, and have been able to shoot a friends. Getting the thing apart is not easy, and I've had 1911's, various rifles, and a few revolvers over the years.

What does not get cleaned on this weapon, if one were to not take the receiver/ barrel off the grip frame? Or perhaps a regime of say (how many numbered) rounds do a "top" clean and 3x or 4x pull the thing down??

Or, if the consensus is field-strip each cleaning, how frequent? 500, 750, 1000 rounds?

Good shooting gun. The one I shot, no mis-fires, FTE, nothing. Just bang! The owner did remove the loaded chamber indicator, said that stopped some failure to eject issues he had early on. Otherwise no mods to the weapon.

I'm contemplating the magazine safety situation.. but will run it "stock" for a 1000 or 2000 rounds before deciding to do anything, once Santa makes deliveries

Post by **Bullseye** » Fri Dec 09, 2011 7:12 pm

First Welcome to Guntalk-Online!

Next you will enjoy your new pistol when it arrives. Taking it apart and cleaning out all the shipping preservative is a good idea. You can wipe it out with some Hoppes on a clean rag. Field stripping and taking the receiver and bolt off of the pistol should do the trick. Sounds as if you have someone near that can give you some personal instruction on disassembly/reassembly and that is good. If not you can go to my web help maintenance page and see all the steps for dis/re assembly. http://www.guntalk-online.com/2245detailstripping.htm Each thumbnail picture is a hotlink and can be opened in a larger format.

As for frequency it depends. 500, a thousand rounds, basically when you start seeing misfires or functioning issues.

R,
Bullseye

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Fri Dec 09, 2011 8:33 pm

Welcome to GTO

Doing a detail cleaning is a good idea and the only way to get the heavy packing grease out. You do not need to fully break the lower if you have some spray cleaner to wash out the heavy oil. The guide Bullseye referenced to is what I used. The use of a 2 lb dead blow hammer works great to separate the halves. The use of a little grease on the front lug helps.

I still have the LCI in my MKIII. I use it as a time to detail clean again which is normally in the 2000-2500 rounds count. I do remove the bolt and clean it and receiver area after every outing. The only time I clean the barrel is when accuracy drops off.

You don't want to separate the halves any more than necessary or the fit will loosen up. If it does it does not impact accuracy since the upper house the sights.

Mearlin · Post by **Mearlin** » Fri Dec 09, 2011 9:17 pm

What tool(s) and cleaner/solvent do you use to clean the bolt/chamber area?

Post by **Bullseye** » Sat Dec 10, 2011 4:12 am

A little Hoppes #9 solvent and some clean cloth patches work wonders for cleaning the bolt and surface areas of the pistol's internals. Afterwards I place a few drops of oil on a clean cloth and wipe the surfaces to place a very thin coat of oil on the surface of the metal.

R,
Bullseye

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Sat Dec 10, 2011 9:46 am

I don't recall if the 22/45's are dripping in oil like the steel frames are. If it is you will need to remove the hammer to clean under the disconnector. If not just a general wipe down of the internals is all that's required. As far as tools go, a small pair of tweezers/forceps are handy for handling the small parts. Other than that a small 1/16" or 3/32" to push the pins out. I mentioned a dead blow hammer in my earlier post but any soft head hammer (rubber/plastic) will do.

Post by **Bullseye** » Sat Dec 10, 2011 10:16 am

The shipping preservative is not a thick liquid but rather a rusty colored oily liquid. Many folks think that the pistol has had corrosion while in storage but it is actually just the liquid preservative. The problem is many don't clean out this liquid because it looks like lubricant, but the liquid will thicken over time and cause functioning problems. Try not to have any "wet" lubricant inside the pistol as this will attract powder residue and gum up your pistol's functioning. 22 rimfire ammo is notoriously dirty with lots of blow-back and this is what causes most of the functioning issues.

R,
Bullseye