Tips for new owners of Ruger Mark III and Mark III 22/45's

[greener]

Unless it is working on copper, nitrates or lead oxide, I didn't think ammonia would do much with elemental lead. Most lead removers seem to be some combination of oils and sufactants. I'll keep the ammonia in mind if I get a lead problem.

[Bullseye]

Amonia is a good copper fouling cleaner and is a primary ingredient in bore cleaners that remove copper, like Sweets 7.62 solvent.

A 50/50 mix of Hydrogen Peroxide (3% common drugstore topical variety) and white vinegar is a good solution for removing lead build-up, but should not be left inside the barrel for more than a few minutes. Care should also be taken with blued surfaces as these two mild acids are not kind to this type of finish. Be sure to remove the mixture and clean the treated area immediately with cleaning/preservative solutions to prevent any corrosion of the metal surfaces.

R,
Bullseye

[toyfj40]

oops. forgot my chemistry... thanks for the lesson.

[greener]

Converting it to lead acetate would work. How much pitting do you get if you leave it in too long?

[steve-o5]

I have to say to all new Ruger Mark III Owners, read, read, and then read again and learn something from this forum! My new pistol is only 10 days old, and because of information gathered here, I now have a Ruger Mark III 22/45 that field strips easily, and is minus the mag safety! I've "saved" the mag disconnector and spring in the same place that I keep those "never to be used again" Remington Golden Bullets. They deserve to be together. Thanks again for all the info, and I'll keep visiting to learn more. I spent $1.80 on a package of 50 stainless #10 washers. I still have 48 left, so I may have to get more Mark III's.

[toyfj40]

I may have to get more Mark III's.

keep your eyes-open for the MK2...

[Bullseye]

One has to remove the lead acetate quickly, after more than a few minutes you can get etching in the barrel, longer and it will definitely turn to pitting.

R,
Bullseye

[steve-o5]

With all the discussion about leaded up barrels, and pitting, etc, I'm happy to say that, partly because my pistol is brand new, after thoroughly cleaning my barrel, it is still in perfect condition. Now that I know better, I plan to keep it that way. If I had an old slightly pitted or etched barrel, it would be much more prone to get further damaged by a session with bad ammo. We all wish that they still made the Mark II, but they don't. I just can't be comfortable spending more for a used gun than less for a new gun that can be modified to erase the unwanted features (the mag safety, to be exact). I think the other added features of the Mark III are a non-issue. Having an accurate gun is a big one. I could have lived with the mag safety, but because I was patient enough, I didn't have to. I think new buyers should seriously consider getting a new one instead of a used Mark II. Or at least, really scope out the barrel on used guns. I suspect that it is much easier to keep a perfect barrel in perfect condition than an etched one. I always clean my guns after shooting them, and I try to avoid corrosive chemicals that may pit or otherwise damage the barrel. And of course, I'll use better ammo!

[toyfj40]

With all the discussion about leaded up barrels,

my prior story about the S&W-22A1 and the Rem-TBolts...
the pistol was brand-spanking-new-outta-the-box...
first 30-40 shots... lead-coated the bore...

[greener]

First 500 rounds out of my 22A were Tbolts. Didn't have the leading problem you had, but they certainly got the pistol dirty and made up for crudding up the pistol by not feeding well and not shooting well. Believe that was the last time I've shot any tbolts.

[wlambert]

First of all, I have to express my thanks to Bullseye for the excellent job of explaining the field strip procedures of my new pistol. As a new owner of a Mark III 22/45, I have to say that it put to rest any second thoughts I had about buying one. I heard many times that is is a PITA to field strip. I can say that to those of us that can read and follow directions, that is a myth.

It is definately not a myth. I have owned my MKII for about six years. It is my Bullseye backup now and has been replaced it with a Marvel conversion. I used to shoot and clean it every week. It always required a mallet to get apart and back together. The only gun I have owned that you routinely beat with a hammer. It has never loosened up. Always a pain.

Don't get me wrong, the Mark series are excellent pistols, accurate and reliable. But, some are definately a pain to clean. Not a myth.......

wlambert

[steve-o5]

Once again, we're all here to learn. Maybe I was luckier because the RGB's I tried were the copper plated ones, not the lead round nose hi-velocity Thunderbolts. Regardless, I value the opinions of those more experienced, and I'll stay away from all Remington rimfire ammo. After all, even the CCI mini-mags are around $5.00 for a box of 100 at Wal-mart. With today's prices for gas and everything else, I've resigned myself to go with the better quality ammo and spend a few bucks more for a day of shooting. Even at a nickel a round it's still 1/3 of cost the 9mm Winchester ammo I shoot in my Glock. The cost of any 22 ammo doesn't really add up to much in the overall scheme of things. Let's face it, shooting a 22 is just too much fun!

[greener]

First of all, I have to express my thanks to Bullseye for the excellent job of explaining the field strip procedures of my new pistol. As a new owner of a Mark III 22/45, I have to say that it put to rest any second thoughts I had about buying one. I heard many times that is is a PITA to field strip. I can say that to those of us that can read and follow directions, that is a myth.

It is definately not a myth. I have owned my MKII for about six years. It is my Bullseye backup now and has been replaced it with a Marvel conversion. I used to shoot and clean it every week. It always required a mallet to get apart and back together. The only gun I have owned that you routinely beat with a hammer. It has never loosened up. Always a pain.

Don't get me wrong, the Mark series are excellent pistols, accurate and reliable. But, some are definately a pain to clean. Not a myth.......

wlambert

Look at the bright side, if it doesn't shoot well you get to take it home and whale on it with a hammer (er, rubber mallet, 2x4, whatever).

It took my Hunter a dozen or so times to loosen up to the point that it wasn't a case of trying to move it the last nanometer to line up properly. Also, I started bringing the bolt stop pin in from the top and applying a bit of pressure as I tap. Makes lining it up easy. I believe I picked the tip up on this site. Also, I recall something about taping a twist drill and using it to line up the bolt stop pin holes. However, I was never that mechanically adept.

[greener]

Couple of guys at the range today saw my 22/45 and I got the tales of so difficult most folks carry a box of parts to a gunsmith. Said I had visions of that the first time I took down a Ruger but it got easier with a little practice. After a couple of minutes of contradictory comments, I field stripped and reassembled the pistol while I was talking to them. Told them there was a trick to it and did it again slowly to show them the "trick." Now I'll just have to figure out what the "trick" is other than a few repititions of doing this.

[f.2]

Brand new 22/45 MK III picked up yesterday afternoon. First thing I did was to take it apart (in front of the computer with Bullseye's tutorial loaded up - thanks for that buddy). The mainspring housing was hard to come apart, but it did. Getting it back together was a bear. I could not get the msh tab to set above the receiver. After almost causing blisters, I did get it together so I took it apart to try again. After several times I took a break. This morning I took it apart and cleaned everything with Hoppes #9 and then applied some Slip 2000 over the bolt and a few drops of FP-10 into the action and also ran a few patches of #9 through the bore. After the solvent evaporated I ran a final patch with CLP through the bore. I did run the msh tab through the bolt and then the frame to see if I could detect any binding and also to run it through several times to maybe smooth out any rough spots. I put it together and it snapped into place with a satisfying "click"! Man that was nice.