But I can tell you I was pretty distraught that I could not reinsert that bolt stop pin--no matter what I tried. Even completely disassembling the lower plus removing the bolt, to see what could be the hangup as I tried to install the mainspring component into a stripped lower & upper.
I beat the barrel on, beat it further to the rear, beat it forward, did everything but beat myself in the head with it. Visually both pieces appeared to be perfectly aligned, but I could tell they could be a 1/16" misalignment.
Alas, after at least ten hours, over two days, I was ready to have some face time with an experienced Ruger gunsmith. (I've discovered that every retailer of firearms is also listed under 'gunsmiths,' yeah, right.)
At any rate, I fired off an email to a gent yesterday morning, outlining my dilemma, asking if he might have a solution. Then, I decided, one more time, to try and find a solution online. Another search took me to The Firing Line site where one of the respondents mentioned Dr. Bullseye's Troubleshooting page as the go to site for all Mark III & 22/45 problems.
Reading the Dr.'s clue #5, I dug out a new 5/16" drill bit, my trusty Dremel--followed the instructions and viola, success!
I'm sharing this story as I am so thankful that if the Dr were present I'd just about get down on bended knee and kiss his backside.
Seriously: I cannot thank this forum enough for resolving my problem. It ranks right up there with a successful divorce as a stress reliever.
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)