Post by TMan on Mar 25, 2004 9:25:15 GMT -5
I had a bad experience with the Ruger 22/45 and swore I'd never buy another Ruger, but since I didn't have my hand on the Bible... I've heard so many positive things said about the Mark II that I had to have one. Guess what? I love it. You guys are great. The only thing I don't care much for are the grips and I'll probably change them. Since it has the 10" barrel this is probably the closest I'll ever get to a rifle. Here is a picture of it:
I've shot 400 rounds through it without any problems. It was cleaned before going to the range the first time and again after 200 rounds. I had forgotten the problems I'd had getting the 22/45 reassembled. This time I decided that I really needed to understand what was going on internally and why sometimes I couldn't retract the bolt and had to take it all apart again. So here is my explanation along with some pictures that I took:
Here the hammer is shown in the cocked position. After the mainspring assembly is removed (and Ruger is right a paperclip works well in removing it), the hammer can flop around from the cocked to uncocked postion and back by pulling the trigger and pointing the gun down and up.
The hammer in its uncocked position is when it is vertical:
This next picture shows the portion of the bolt where the hammer comes up to hit the firing pin.
Now if for some reason the hammer was uncocked and you couldn't move the hammer, it is easy to see why you couldn't pull the bolt back all the way. This brings us to that little demon hammer strut, which connects the hammer to the mainspring.
This little hammer strut can go several places that it doesn't belong and that is why you have problems getting it back together. Where it belongs is on the top of the mainspring plunger, which is on top of the spring that you can't see because it is totally contained in the housing.
Notice the hook that is on the top of the mainspring housing.
When you insert the mainspring housing you don't want to capture the hammer strut or you could end up with this:
This next picture shows where the hammer strut belongs after you have put the mainspring housing in properly (of course you can't see it in your gun because the bolt is in the way) It is kind of blurry because I'm focused on the hammer strut/detent ball juncture.
So, after inserting the bolt stop pin you should be able to look in and see the hammer strut as shown (I have the hammer cocked here so you can see it better):
It is still possible to trap the strut behind the housing, it has to drop into that recessed area to be on top of the detent ball. As long as you saw the strut when you closed it i.e. it isn't up top, if you close the housing and can't retract the bolt, just open the housing and try again. There is no need to pull the bolt stop pin out.
Once you understand how it works, the instructions supplied by Ruger make a lot more sense. However, you won't need them anymore because you know how it works.
I now have a greater appreciation for the way this thing was designed.
There is one other little problem area - removing the barrel/receiver from the frame. The tighter the fit the better off you are, but it will necessitate hitting it with a hammer. Before doing so notice how far it protrudes behind the frame to give you an idea how it should look when you hammer it back on. If it fits too loosely, you can tighten the frame slightly by squeezing it in a vise, but be careful just a little nudge at a time.
Should you ever find that you are pounding away with the hammer and just can't get the barrel off, it means that you are a moron too - you forgot to remove the magazine. (It doesn't appear I did any damage, but if I find out that I did, I'll let you know)
In retrospect, I would highly recommend the Ruger MKII.
I've shot 400 rounds through it without any problems. It was cleaned before going to the range the first time and again after 200 rounds. I had forgotten the problems I'd had getting the 22/45 reassembled. This time I decided that I really needed to understand what was going on internally and why sometimes I couldn't retract the bolt and had to take it all apart again. So here is my explanation along with some pictures that I took:
Here the hammer is shown in the cocked position. After the mainspring assembly is removed (and Ruger is right a paperclip works well in removing it), the hammer can flop around from the cocked to uncocked postion and back by pulling the trigger and pointing the gun down and up.
The hammer in its uncocked position is when it is vertical:
This next picture shows the portion of the bolt where the hammer comes up to hit the firing pin.
Now if for some reason the hammer was uncocked and you couldn't move the hammer, it is easy to see why you couldn't pull the bolt back all the way. This brings us to that little demon hammer strut, which connects the hammer to the mainspring.
This little hammer strut can go several places that it doesn't belong and that is why you have problems getting it back together. Where it belongs is on the top of the mainspring plunger, which is on top of the spring that you can't see because it is totally contained in the housing.
Notice the hook that is on the top of the mainspring housing.
When you insert the mainspring housing you don't want to capture the hammer strut or you could end up with this:
This next picture shows where the hammer strut belongs after you have put the mainspring housing in properly (of course you can't see it in your gun because the bolt is in the way) It is kind of blurry because I'm focused on the hammer strut/detent ball juncture.
So, after inserting the bolt stop pin you should be able to look in and see the hammer strut as shown (I have the hammer cocked here so you can see it better):
It is still possible to trap the strut behind the housing, it has to drop into that recessed area to be on top of the detent ball. As long as you saw the strut when you closed it i.e. it isn't up top, if you close the housing and can't retract the bolt, just open the housing and try again. There is no need to pull the bolt stop pin out.
Once you understand how it works, the instructions supplied by Ruger make a lot more sense. However, you won't need them anymore because you know how it works.
I now have a greater appreciation for the way this thing was designed.
There is one other little problem area - removing the barrel/receiver from the frame. The tighter the fit the better off you are, but it will necessitate hitting it with a hammer. Before doing so notice how far it protrudes behind the frame to give you an idea how it should look when you hammer it back on. If it fits too loosely, you can tighten the frame slightly by squeezing it in a vise, but be careful just a little nudge at a time.
Should you ever find that you are pounding away with the hammer and just can't get the barrel off, it means that you are a moron too - you forgot to remove the magazine. (It doesn't appear I did any damage, but if I find out that I did, I'll let you know)
In retrospect, I would highly recommend the Ruger MKII.