Ruger Mk III PSA

**PennsyPlinker** · July 8th, 2012, 06:16 PM

I haunt the forums over on rimfirecentral.com from time to time, and came across a post today from one of the more respected members over there who does some gunsmith work. He has encountered several Ruger Mk III pistols (earlier versions I believe) which have a roll pin instead of a solid steel pin for the firing pin stop. If that roll pin breaks, it can allow the firing pin to peen the chamber of the gun, making a real mess of things.

I know how much people love taking these things apart, but look at it this way. It is good practice, and it could save you some money. I've already had my Mk III 22/45 apart to check.

**PisnNapalm** · July 8th, 2012, 07:03 PM

Thanks Pennsy. That's good info to know.

**rmagill** · July 8th, 2012, 07:41 PM

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll be getting mine out to check.

**twency** · July 8th, 2012, 10:17 PM

Originally Posted by PennsyPlinker

I haunt the forums over on rimfirecentral.com from time to time, and came across a post today from one of the more respected members over there who does some gunsmith work. He has encountered several Ruger Mk III pistols (earlier versions I believe) which have a roll pin instead of a solid steel pin for the firing pin stop. If that roll pin breaks, it can allow the firing pin to peen the chamber of the gun, making a real mess of things.

I know how much people love taking these things apart, but look at it this way. It is good practice, and it could save you some money. I've already had my Mk III 22/45 apart to check.

Any word of this having happened with the Mark II, or is this limited to some early Mark IIIs as far as is known?

**PennsyPlinker** · July 9th, 2012, 07:08 AM

Originally Posted by twency

Any word of this having happened with the Mark II, or is this limited to some early Mark IIIs as far as is known?

From what I know, it is only a Mk III problem, but it is easy enough to check. Just pull the bolt and look on the side. If there is a solid pin there, you are good to go. If it is a roll pin, you should see about a solid one. I do not have a source, but I suspect Ruger would be the place to start.

**Zeeba** · July 9th, 2012, 07:57 AM

I think a roll pin is a better choice for use as a firing pin stop.
For one thing, as you're probably aware, a solid pin won't stay in place unless it's pressed in. Ruger has a caveat in the manual about checking if the pin hasn't fallen out.
More importantly, small diameter solid pins are usually case-hardened and will break much easier than a roll-pin, which has the ability to bend a little. My money would be on the roll-pin.

**PennsyPlinker** · July 9th, 2012, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by Zeeba

I think a roll pin is a better choice for use as a firing pin stop.
For one thing, as you're probably aware, a solid pin won't stay in place unless it's pressed in. Ruger has a caveat in the manual about checking if the pin hasn't fallen out.
More importantly, small diameter solid pins are usually case-hardened and will break much easier than a roll-pin, which has the ability to bend a little. My money would be on the roll-pin.

I suspect that the pin will not fall out in use, since it is completely contained within the receiver of the gun. Even if it were to break, it would still be contained. I don't know how one could assume that because some solid pins are case hardened, all pins, or at least these specific pins are case hardened. Besides, case hardening hardens only the outside, not the entire piece. If the above were true regarding roll pins, why would Ruger use solid pins for most of their Mk series guns?

Finally, if you go to

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums...d.php?t=456556

and scroll down to post #4, you will see a picture of a bent roll pin, and the damage caused as a result.