Ruger Mark III Target...

[blade0414]

So, a few years ago my dad bought me a Ruger Mk. 3 to train with. The philosophy of cheap ammo, low recoil, and loads of fun to get down the basics of handgun firing. He and my brother have mk. 3s as well and had no problems whatsoever. However mine was a bit different.

After running a few mags through her, she started to frequently jam. We tried a few different ammos, and it would still jam. My dad was mad that he spent his hard earned money on a gun not working properly so we sent it back to Ruger. They said there were no problems with it when they shot a certain amount of rounds through it.

So when we got it back we went back to the range and shot it again. We had the same problem. So I sent it back a 2nd time. This time they told me that my issues are from using the slide release when I insert a new mag. I had never heard of this excuse before. Again they returned it.

Fast forward a year and a half to last night. I haven't shot it in a while because of the drama with it and of course it acts up again. Now I'm just mad.

It seems to me that it's an extractor issue, because the spent brass gets caught behind/beside the new round going into the breach. I could be wrong though, I don't know everything about the insides of guns. Yet.

I've done some research and found that many problems could be due to low grade ammo. Could that be the problem I am facing now?

[Xringshooter]

Not trying to be obnoxious or anything just a few comments and suggestions.

Is the spent brass being pulled out of thechamber and just not being ejected? If so, it would be an ejection problem not an extraction probem.

What type(s) of ammo are you shooting? Many semi auot .22s "like" certain types of ammo better than other types.

Did you strip the MK III down and thoroughly clean it when it was first bought? It could have gunk from the factory in it that is hampering the action.

Have you stripped it down recently and given it a good cleaning?

If you manually cycle the action with a full magazine in place, does it extract and eject the rounds correctly?

Does it malfunction with different people shooting it?

[Neko456]

So, a few years ago my dad bought me a Ruger Mk. 3 to train with. The philosophy of cheap ammo, low recoil, and loads of fun to get down the basics of handgun firing. He and my brother have mk. 3s as well and had no problems whatsoever. However mine was a bit different.

After running a few mags through her, she started to frequently jam. We tried a few different ammos, and it would still jam. My dad was mad that he spent his hard earned money on a gun not working properly so we sent it back to Ruger. They said there were no problems with it when they shot a certain amount of rounds through it.

So when we got it back we went back to the range and shot it again. We had the same problem. So I sent it back a 2nd time. This time they told me that my issues are from using the slide release when I insert a new mag. I had never heard of this excuse before. Again they returned it.

Fast forward a year and a half to last night. I haven't shot it in a while because of the drama with it and of course it acts up again. Now I'm just mad.

It seems to me that it's an extractor issue, because the spent brass gets caught behind/beside the new round going into the breach. I could be wrong though, I don't know everything about the insides of guns. Yet.

I've done some research and found that many problems could be due to low grade ammo. Could that be the problem I am facing now?

456 - RUGER MK III TARGET has a reputation of a very durable and reliable gun. Out of the 3 22LR guns that I have it is the most reliable it shoots anything and is pretty darn accurate. Could be a gun made on Monday could need cleaning but usually a little oil and it shoots anyway.

[blade0414]

Not trying to be obnoxious or anything just a few comments and suggestions.

Is the spent brass being pulled out of thechamber and just not being ejected? If so, it would be an ejection problem not an extraction probem.

What type(s) of ammo are you shooting? Many semi auot .22s "like" certain types of ammo better than other types.

Did you strip the MK III down and thoroughly clean it when it was first bought? It could have gunk from the factory in it that is hampering the action.

Have you stripped it down recently and given it a good cleaning?

If you manually cycle the action with a full magazine in place, does it extract and eject the rounds correctly?

Does it malfunction with different people shooting it?

1. The spent brass is being pulled out, just not ejected properly, so you are probably correct in it being an ejector issue.

2. I was using cheap thunderbolt ammo, and maybe one other brand and that's it. This weekend I am going to try out some higher end ammo, see if that makes a difference.

3. Did not strip or clean it. Only due to the fact that the other 2 Mark III's we've had had no necessary need to be cleaned. And to be honest, I doubt my father has cleaned his more than 3 times in the past 10 years. Still shoots like a champ. I did do a thorough examination and there was no excessive "gunk" or grease/lube from the factory.

4. Not 100% sure on the manual cycling of the round. I have do not have any .22 ammo with me now.

5. Yes, it malfunctions while other shoot it as well. 2-3 other shooter had the same issue as well.

[Rimfire]

Try using Winchester Wildcat 40 Grn. They are still inexpensive but out of 500 rounds I only had to FTF's and no FTE's in my Ruger

[Arrdy]

Clean the snot out of the chamber! Some Rugers just like clean chambers more then others. My P90 I actually polished the chamber ... helped but still wants to be pampered with a through cleaning.

[redeye202]

Just buy a box of CCI mini-mags and shoot.

[EandGWZ]

If I was you, I'd get CCI or Federal Target and shoot, shoot, shoot. I had the same problem with my mk3, after a few hundred rounds and a complete cleaning (removing factory grease)....no more

[vjb.knife]

I have had Ruger MK1's, II's and currently have the MKIII Hunter with the 6.88" flutted barrel. I have had no problems with any ammo cheap or match grade in this pistol.

I was thinking it could be a problem with the magazine. Have you tried using other magazines (from your Fathers pistol perhaps) to see if that makes a difference. If that does not work I would consider sending it to a pistolsmith who specializes in that brand like Volquartsen or others.

[blade0414]

I have tried different mags. Still the same results. I even marked which ones it happened to, and it ended happening to almost all of them. I'll definitely try higher grade ammo first. If that don't work I'll send her back again