# My new hobby



## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Bought an old Ruger Mark 1 .22 semi auto pistol.
Shoots real nice and after putting about 500 rounds through it I took it apart to clean it.
This thing looked like it hasn't Been cleaned in five years. It was filthy.
Got her all nice and shiny new and tried to put it back together.
What a nightmare!
Looked on YouTube and saw guys doing it in just a few seconds but not in my world.
I do have problems with my hands.
Carpal tunnel kind of messed them up and my dexterity is limited.
Been playing with putting this thing together for over two weeks now.
I get close, but no cigar.
Give me some encouragement.
Is there some secret I haven't discovered yet?
Everything goes great until I have to slide that little clip into the handle
Kind of know whats wrong but my hands won't do it.
Feel like an idiot taking it to the local gun shop looking for help.


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## StL.Ed (Mar 6, 2011)

I used to have occasional trouble with my Mark II, before I lost it in a boating accident. 
You have to turn the pistol upside down, and right side up, and backwards in the correct sequence while reassembling, in order for the hammer and linkage to fall in the proper location.

This video seems to be a pretty good tutorial of the sequence. The Mark I is probably similar.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

the video above is good

a couple things really help

1. a take down tool Gunsmither Pistol Pal Takedown Tool Ruger Mark I Mark II Mark III I am putting this link in so you can see what they look like in commercial form but you can take some wire and make your own also.

2 a head lamp you need the light directed down in the recess so you can line up the hammer strut. a small pic or other tool to position it also helps

3. a rubber mallet , sounds odd you use it to get the hammer in the correct position if you messed up the first time and now the bolt is in and you can't get it out again. if you can't wiggle it enough when getting the bolt out you turn it strait up hold the trigger back and bop the bolt from the back side , also to pop the upper off should you need more force like he explained. any time he says slap it you may need to bop it a little with the rubber mallet.

*it is all about getting that hammer and hammer strut in there correct in the correct position*

the MK3 adds the needing to insert an empty mag because of the Magazine disconnect safety which in my opinion is about the stupidest thing ever. well ok close to the stupidest thing ever.
A. you should never trust that a gun without a mag will not fire
B a gun with a no mag should absolutely fire yes I get this is not a combat/self defense pistol but they put a similar abomination on self defense guns
C. in all your so called wisdom to make it not fire with a mag in , you require putting an ammunition feeding device into the gun and pulling the trigger for dis-assembly.
if they had thought this through a blaze orange plastic magazine that is solid with no wat to put ammunition into it should have been supplied with the gun for disassembly but then a round in the chamber could fire with the orange mag in , can't win it just shouldn't be there.
D. the safety drags on the trigger

so rant over for now a MKII hammer bushing takes up the space of the Magazine disconnect safety and makes the trigger better the way it was before some lawyer got this "smart" idea , removes the dumb safety you can never trust in the first place and makes disassembly and reassembly easier and safer as no ammunition feeding device needs to be inserted.


the part he is struggling with for disassembly is made much easier by using a piece of wire a little network cable wire the 22ga inside wires we call them punch down wire in the phone industry we used to have spools of this all over when we punched things down now we have trimmings of the orange , blue , green, brown from the network cable instigations

about a foot of this wire twist a loop in the end leave a little space twist again , done you have your tool it is both coated and copper under the coating no way to scratch your gun slip a punch in the second loop if you have old or weak hands to aid in pulling. but that spring isn't that hard that it shouldn't really be needed.


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## Grafton County Couple (Sep 20, 2018)

I've got a Mak II that I've had for some time. Sometimes I get it on the first attempt. Sometimes I don't.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

As an aside - get surgery on your carpal tunnel! You'll be so glad you did. It's not a long, hard surgery. I had both hands done - one at a time and am so glad I did.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Did do the surgery on both hands.
Helped with the numbness and pain but I lost a lot of dexterity.
Kind of sucks. Played the banjo for over 40 years.
Not anymore.
I dud use the first video posted as a guide when I first took it apart.
One problem is that the barrel just sort of floats on TBE frame. It doesn't really attach solid.
Turning the gun upside down and such to get the hammer in the right position and the barrel slips around.
Thanks for the advice.
I have a few days off during Christmas and will attack it again.


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## StL.Ed (Mar 6, 2011)

JJ Grandits said:


> Did do the surgery on both hands.
> Helped with the numbness and pain but I lost a lot of dexterity.
> Kind of sucks. Played the banjo for over 40 years.
> Not anymore.
> ...


I would normally put the barrel on the frame, and give it a gentle slap rearwards to lock it on; but, yes, if it slides forwards again, it can pop off. 
Maybe try using a string or cord through the front of the trigger guard and around the front sight to keep the barrel back and free up a hand from having to hold it back?


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

You may need to grab the barrel stick your thumb in the trigger guard and pull forward with the thumb while you insert the bolt 

keeping it turned muzzle up until you have the bolt in then turn it muzzle down pull the trigger give it a bump on a rag on the table to move the hammer forward.

once you have the hammer strut lined up insert the back strap/ pin/ mainspring as soon as the pin is inserted nothing can come apart.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Well I played around with it and slowly made progress.
Even got the whole thing assembled but it would not cock and the barrel felt loose.
I guess that strut on the hammer was blocking where the retention spring hooked into the frame.
Kept looking at various videos and took the thing apart and tried to get it back together right a few dozen times.
Played with it today and was ready to hang it up but decided to give it one more try.
The spirit of John Browning had pity on me and BEHOLD, it all came together right.
Going to load up a magazine and go in the back yard to check it out.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

It probably sounds odd that to me the most important tool in assembling a Ruger MK 1-3 is a head lamp so I can see down in there and get the strut right.

doesn't matter if I am in the dinning room with 5 bright bulbs right over the table , it is from the wrong direction if the light comes from anywhere but over my eye.


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Definitely a head lamp!

Ran a few magazines through it and it works great.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

now all you need is 5 magazines that way you can load a box at a time , it is amazing how fast you can shoot through a box like that


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