Ruger Mark III Warning

[Shootinjh]

Link Removed

Yesterday a student had a problem while shooting one of my Mark III's, which had just been returned from the factory after a servicing about two weeks ago. As he performed a "Tap, Rack" drill, he mentioned that the slide would not cycle. He held the pistol in his strong hand while I pulled the slide back with greater force. I noticed that his finger was NOT on the trigger.

As the slide began to move backward, thcartridgege discharged, breaking several internal gun parts, but fortunately did noseriouslyly injure either of us.

I own 3 Mark III's and have had many problems with them. They cycle much better with CCI mini Mags, but one of benefitsfits of having a 22 is the low cost ammo... I think it might be time to sell the Mark III's and go for a Browning Buckmark.

 

[rifleshooter474]

I would be getting rid of them firearms, and quickly.

 

[cawpin]

A few things...

First, thankfully nobody was hurt because you were following the rules of gun safety. Good job!

Second, I haven't a much experience with the Mark IIIs but do have 2 Mark IIs that have been nothing but reliable. Call Ruger again and explain the situation to them and they should fix or replace the guns. I have heard of people having problems with the loaded chamber indicator on early ones but they have since corrected the problem I believe.

Third, and this may get sticky when you talk to Ruger, don't ever do a Tap-Rack-Bang with a .22, pistol or rifle. Every .22 I've ever shot has had some sort of warning that says it may not extract loaded ammo reliably. This is because they are mostly dependent on the pressure from discharge to push the case out and the extractor is just kind of there to hold it to the bolt until it hits the ejector.

 

[willyNH]

Just serviced?

Why had you sent the gun to Ruger before? I subject my mk3 to terrible conditions when running a silencer, and I can keep it running smoothly way beyond dirty with a little clp on the bolt.

Something isn't right (obviously), but it could be a hangfire as much as a mechanical malfunction with the info you've given so far.

Good luck!

-Matt

 

[gpennycuff]

Glad you're all safe, and can't believe the troubles you're having! My Mk III eats anything I've ever fed it, including some junk Rem bulk pack that none of my others would run. Hope there is a solution/resolution to this, and repost to let us know (if you don't just unload 'em.)

 

[Razgriz]

When I took my CCW training in Cheyenne earlier this year, the MK III 22/45 gave so much trouble. Jamming, reassembly, sight breakage etc. I love Ruger firearms but that gun was an absolute pain. Ended up selling it but have since purchased other Ruger guns I'm very happy with!

 

[Shootinjh]

Thanks for info!

Yep, I keep thinking it must be something I am doing ... I always hear great things about the Mark series. In the year I have been using my 3 Mark III's, I have had to repeatedly send them in for servicing, the company has always been very helpful, though it is bad for my business for me to have the gun gone for 21 days... they have always treated me great ... except all I really want is a .22 pistol as reliable as their 10-22's!

Best I can figure, the pressure of pulling the slide back forcefully must have pinched the rim enough for it to discharge. Because all of the Mark III's jam so frequently, I would have to own 25 or more of them to be able to ship them to the factory each time there is a jam...

Thanks cawpin for the great advice!

Willy I cant figure it out... maybe it is the Wyoming air...lol. i sent it in last time because of failure to feeds, seems to me a $450 gun should eat junk food without having a heart attack every magazine... but it seems not so with mine. I hope that one of these times they will fix it up nicely. If not, I might have to just do things right and get a CZ-USA Kadet... at least I would know reliablelaible, even if it costs more...

 

[RobertW]

Best I can figure, the pressure of pulling the slide back forcefully must have pinched the rim enough for it to discharge. Because all of the Mark III's jam so frequently, I would have to own 25 or more of them to be able to ship them to the factory each time there is a jam...

I put 250 rounds thru a Mark III every week without much trouble at all my biggest problem is the bolt won't stay open after the last round fired being I have put so many rounds thru it...you have to keep them clean clean I run mine a little "wetter" than they recommend it's way more accurate than the Beretta Neos that I own, also I have had two "AD's" with the Neos due to the design of the firing pin.
when you get a little carbon debris in the bolt the pin can jam in there misfire, drop the mag slid the bolt back to eject the unspent round it doesn't pull it out I let go of the bolt it fired the round....finger off the trigger,safety on,mag out....bullet goes downrange....the one thing I can say is I would not buy one for a youth....always always be safe.
But for the Mark III have you deburred it? I shoot the Federal ammo in it with very few problems.

 

[Mobuck]

I have both MK3 and MK3 22/45 and neither have been a problem. I've had a few feeding failures but honestly have to say they are more likely ammo generated than firearm related. There are dogs or lemons in every production product line so I really don't think a blanket denigration of the Ruger MK3 is justified.

 

[willyNH]

...you have to keep them clean clean I run mine a little "wetter" than they recommend [/QUOTE]
I agree. I drip some CLP all over the bolt including the slot. Especially when running cheap and dirty ammo or when running a silencer.

-Matt

 

[CapGun]

I have a Mark III Hunter. This is one of the best looking guns out there. Love shooting .22's. No recoil to speak of.
I don't shoot this accurate gun as much as I should or would like to. Why? Because of the many stove pipes. Clearing the gun and also removing the now damaged round that was trying to load. It has been happening less and less the more rounds I put through it. Less then 700 so far. When I asked some of the guys that work at the range they looked to see if it was clean. Pain in the neck to strip this gun to clean but I do it and it was clean when they looked at it. I use the CCI best ammo. Now I make sure I do run it a little wet. That seems to help. Just wish I could go through one or two hundred rounds without any problems.
It's the only .22 I have and I was even wondering if this is a common problem with that caliber handgun or is it the Mark III itself.
Just thought I'd mention my experience.

 

[echoawake]

Have two MK lll 45/22. One stainless barrel and one blued. Shoot them couple times a week and seldom have a problem. Use Federal bulk and only problem is a spent case doesn't clear before trying to chamber another round. Need to take out magazine and lock bolt open to clear it. This only happens occasionally. Doesn't happen with CCI but that is more expensive to shoot.

 

[EATIII]

you guys should try FrogLube. Your guns will run smother than they ever had and for that matter, smother than any other CLP on the market. After your gun is treated, carbon just wipes off,cleaning is a snap. There is no need to run your gun "wet" with FrogLube. Lube is released when your gun gets hot.

FrogLube is a totally green product and dissolves carbon on contact. It also prevents rust, even when your gun is exposed to harsh conditions for long periods of time. After you try FL you will throw all of your other cleaning supply's away.

 

[RUGER FREAK]

I'm a Ruger SR series collector and getting ready to buy a mark III but most of you have some of the same problems with jamming hang ups that are really related in some ways Through History I have learned the Magazine and Ammo is the problem every time,,If two or three of you will buy top of the line high dollar Magazines and the very best Ammo I bet you will never have this problem again..Like I said I'm buying one next week and the first think I will do is get the very best magazines and cci's top of the line Ammo and I will run the whole box through it and let you know what if anything goes wrong..

 

[Shootinjh]

There are dogs or lemons in every production product line so I really don't think a blanket denigration of the Ruger MK3 is justified.

I agree. Out of thousands made, I only own 3, and even though I have a "problem rate" of 100%, three guns is a very small portion of all guns made.

 

[Evosil98]

Thanks for the warning.

I have a 22/45 and shot probably several thousand rounds and can't remember the last time I had any type of failure or problem.

 

[2Awarrior]

Is it common practice during range instruction for one individual to hold a weapon while another individual racks the slide? It would seem to me that you would retrieve the weapon and perform the procedure entirely by yourself, so that "noticing" the student's finger was off the trigger would not be necessary... I think I'm misunderstanding this account.

PS - I hasten to add I do not own any of the mentioned weapons...

 

[ToolmanJoe]

I have a MarkIII 22/45 Lite. Frankly, I'm not at all impressed with it and may sell it.

1) The magazines are very stiff going in and out. I have to fiddle with them a lot to remove them.

2) One magazine jams about every 3rd round. The gun fails to eject the spent cartridge. It only happens with one magazine. It is one of the two that came with the gun.

3) After shooting my first 100 rounds, the front sight was loose. I tightened it up and after shooting another 100 rounds it was so loose it turned 90° while I was shooting. I removed it, applied loctite and re-tightened.

4) The magazines are very cheaply constructed in my opinion. Cheap stamped steel and crappy welds.

For a $400 gun, I'd expect way more. Comparing the 22/45 to my Glock is like comparing a Yugo to a Mercedes.

Joe

I'm a Ruger SR series collector and getting ready to buy a mark III but most of you have some of the same problems with jamming hang ups that are really related in some ways Through History I have learned the Magazine and Ammo is the problem every time,,If two or three of you will buy top of the line high dollar Magazines and the very best Ammo I bet you will never have this problem again..Like I said I'm buying one next week and the first think I will do is get the very best magazines and cci's top of the line Ammo and I will run the whole box through it and let you know what if anything goes wrong..