MKIII hammer pin question

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piasashooter
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MKIII hammer pin question

Post by piasashooter » Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:14 am

I had the grips off my pistol today while I was cleaning it, and noticed something that did not seem good. The hole in the right side of the grip frame that the hammer pin rests in was flared out a little on the top half of the hole , creating a small gap between the bottom half of the pin and the bottom half of the hole. The hole in the frame is now over sized in relation to the diameter of the hammer pin. I took the bolt out and pushed down on the hammer with a cleaning brush and now the hammer,hammer bushing and hammer pin have some up and down play. When I'm not pushing down on the hammer the pin seems to naturally be pushed up, the direction the hole in the frame is flared.The gun is still operating fine, but I have noticed that the trigger has some creep now. It had no creep when the trigger job was first done. Has anyone else seen this happen, is it normal? If it is not normal does anyone know why it would happen?

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blue68f100
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Post by blue68f100 » Wed Dec 15, 2010 9:10 am

It's not normal. What you describe is a wallowing from the pin being out. Have heard of this happening several times now. I would contact Ruger and describe the problem. They may want the gun back to evaluate. The only fix is to replace the frame. An over size pin and fitting would work but that means replacement parts will not be drop in. So switch out any after market parts before shipping it to Ruger, you may not get them back if you don't. If you do not have the originals, request the parts back if they replace them.
David

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piasashooter
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Post by piasashooter » Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:05 am

I have all the original parts, but the factory hammer and sear that are in the gun have been reworked by a smith. Would Ruger try to replace them since they are modified? Like you said other than replacing the frame, I also thought of having someone build a custom over sized pin, but then the hammer bushing would have to be fitted to the new pin. This would probably be costly. If Ruger would replace the frame that would be my best option. I have heard of Ruger swapping out aftermarket parts, I don't really understand why. The problem with sending my gun in would be I shoot in a Bullseye league and need my gun, I don't have a backup. I guess I will try and talk to Ruger, thanks for the reply.

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Post by Bullseye » Thu Dec 16, 2010 6:02 am

Yes, the chance of Ruger replacing your modified parts is likely if you send it in for factory repair. They have a policy that all firearms leaving their rework facility must meet factory specifications. The policy is necessary for liability reasons.

If the frame is replaced the engagement of the hammer and sear could change a little. Each specific frame's hammer and sear pin holes vary slightly due to manufacturing tolerances.

Can you post a pic of your pin hole? I would like to see if the flare goes all the way through or if it is just the outer edge of it that is flared.

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Post by piasashooter » Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:33 am

I will try to take a pic, but I don't know if my camera will really be able to get a clean shot. I have tried to take up close pictures before and I cold not get it focused well.

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Post by Bullseye » Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:24 am

Try using the "macro" feature. It should appear like a small flower icon on your digital camera screen. I also place a little piece of translucent paper over the flash lens to mute down the reflected brightness off of the gun metal.

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Post by piasashooter » Fri Dec 17, 2010 5:38 pm

I tried the macro feature and it did not work, the camera won't focus on anything within a foot. The hole in the frame is definitely flared on the inside to. Even if Ruger did replace the frame, or I had a gun smith fit a over sized hammer pin, what's stopping this from happening again. I have only had the gun three years, and I'm sure the hole started to flare out a while ago, as this is not something that just happens over night.I guess all I can do is wait to here back from Ruger, I e-mailed them three days ago and have not got a reply yet.

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Post by Bullseye » Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:59 pm

Ruger does tend to shut down over the Christmas-New Years period so hopefully you get a reply before they break for the year.

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