Dr. Bullseye's Troubleshooting page.

Phantom99 · Post by **Phantom99** » Tue Feb 17, 2015 12:58 pm

I recently purchased a Ruger Target Mark III with the bull bbl. Love the gun, very accurate, but was compelled to do the enhancements with bolt tune-up, LCI remove, new sear and hammer, remove the magazines PITA feature. We all know what fun that can be, even with the very best tutorials and youtube vids.

But I can tell you I was pretty distraught that I could not reinsert that bolt stop pin--no matter what I tried. Even completely disassembling the lower plus removing the bolt, to see what could be the hangup as I tried to install the mainspring component into a stripped lower & upper.

I beat the barrel on, beat it further to the rear, beat it forward, did everything but beat myself in the head with it. Visually both pieces appeared to be perfectly aligned, but I could tell they could be a 1/16" misalignment.

Alas, after at least ten hours, over two days, I was ready to have some face time with an experienced Ruger gunsmith. (I've discovered that every retailer of firearms is also listed under 'gunsmiths,' yeah, right.)

At any rate, I fired off an email to a gent yesterday morning, outlining my dilemma, asking if he might have a solution. Then, I decided, one more time, to try and find a solution online. Another search took me to The Firing Line site where one of the respondents mentioned Dr. Bullseye's Troubleshooting page as the go to site for all Mark III & 22/45 problems.

Reading the Dr.'s clue #5, I dug out a new 5/16" drill bit, my trusty Dremel--followed the instructions and viola, success!

I'm sharing this story as I am so thankful that if the Dr were present I'd just about get down on bended knee and kiss his backside.

Seriously: I cannot thank this forum enough for resolving my problem. It ranks right up there with a successful divorce as a stress reliever.

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Feb 17, 2015 3:27 pm

Glad to hear you found something useful on the trouble shooting page toward solving your problem. It doesn't take much of a misalignment to cause the bolt stop pin not to insert fully. Enjoy your pistol.

R,
Bullseye

ruger22 · Post by **ruger22** » Tue Feb 17, 2015 4:20 pm

Doctor Bullseye?

I always thought it was Professor Bullseye......

.......,having a Master's Degree in Ruger.

Post by **Bullseye** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 7:30 am

Dr. Bullseye is the title of the trouble shooting page because it contains the cures for what ails most Rugers when they're sick. I made that web page many years ago as I realized I was spending a large amount of time assisting folks through the gun discussion forums for basically the same things. I still get quite a few emails from people who found it useful in solving a problem, much like the one you saw above from the original poster of this thread. As a result I don't need to spend so much time scanning the forums for folks with problems because there are far fewer of them due to the self-help nature of my Dr. Bullseye's Troubleshooting Page. As always, I am glad to be of some help to folks who are having trouble enjoying their pistols. A simple fix is far better than a round-trip visit back to the factory for a minor repair.

R,
Bullseye

greener · Post by **greener** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:41 am

ruger22 wrote:Doctor Bullseye?

I always thought it was Professor Bullseye...... .......,having a Master's Degree in Ruger.

Most perfessers have a Doctor of ******* (philosopy, medicine, juris, divinity) degree. I'm sure Bullseye has performed the required work to be a Doctor of Philosopy in Ruger.

A good number of us have run into the first time Ruger assembly fun. My first time took forever and I'm sure I used enough language for a Doctor of Divinity degree. I repeated the process until I could field strip and reassemble the MKIII. Then I discovered the good Doctor's instructions and did the usual FACE PALM.

PS. The bolt stop pin, which is easier to find than a 5/16" drill, inserted from the top works well and is in the instructions.

Post by **Bullseye** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 12:05 pm

I'm sure there probably are a few around the Net that feel I too have an advanced post graduate degree in bull excrement, but those folks really didn't need to seek any of my assistance as they already "know-it-all". A few years back I stopped posting on one rimfire forum because folks were more interested in arguing amongst themselves over the fixes rather than assisting those in genuine need. I don't have time for that kind of silliness. I have plenty of patience for those who lack experience and seek to enhance their understanding of the pistol, but lack all desire to engage in debate with the self-appointed web experts.

R,
Bullseye

Phantom99 · Post by **Phantom99** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 7:06 pm

Greener; I attempted repeatedly to insert the bolt stop thru the top, to no avail manually, even with punch bodies placed across it for better leverage. It just never occurred to me to beat something with a taper on it thru the top.

Seeing that someone was able to do that without destroying something gave me the fortitude to give it a go.

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:43 pm

My MKIII when I first got it was very hard to assemble. I had to put the muzzle down on the floor and push with all my weight (holding the receiver) to get it to go on all the way on. It has since loosened up some but it still needs a firm surface to make it go on all the way. I had problem with the bolt/upper not aligning properly. I had to put the bolt in when I slide the upper on the receiver to get every thing align right.

greener · Post by **greener** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 8:18 am

David, my MKIII Hunter has been tight since day one. I suppose it might loosen up if I disassembled it frequently. It still needs a whack to move the receiver on the grip frame. I gave some one a lesson in Ruger field stripping and got the big eyes when I casually removed the receiver by striking the rear on a padded part of the table.

Maybe it's part of Ruger's mystique that they write field stripping and assembly instructions only for people who already know how to do it.

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 9:50 am

Mine still requires a blow to take it apart. I only detail clean every 2000+ rounds so it does not happen very often. And since 22 ammo is scarce I have not been shooting it as often as I did.

Something about taking a hammer to to a gun to disassemble it makes some cringe.

greener · Post by **greener** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:04 am

blue68f100 wrote:Mine still requires a blow to take it apart. I only detail clean every 2000+ rounds so it does not happen very often. And since 22 ammo is scarce I have not been shooting it as often as I did.

Something about taking a hammer to to a gun to disassemble it makes some cringe.

Or is it having a gun that needs to be beaten into submission on a regular basis?

Phantom99 · Post by **Phantom99** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:32 am

What ever Ruger's intent vis-a-vis field stripping; if you end up replacing trigger, hammer, sear, extractor, firing pin & removing the LCI & magazine interlock, you'll be an expert Mark III repairman once you figure out how to easily reinstall the mainspring housing. But a third hand would really be handy. No pun intended.

You may have a lot less hair when finished, but a thorough understanding of that pistol.

I usually have necessary tools in my range bag; for the Ruger, I'll never leave home without the two faced mallet & my 'special' 5/16" drill bit either.

Phantom99 · Post by **Phantom99** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:45 am

greener wrote:
blue68f100 wrote:Mine still requires a blow to take it apart. I only detail clean every 2000+ rounds so it does not happen very often. And since 22 ammo is scarce I have not been shooting it as often as I did.

Something about taking a hammer to to a gun to disassemble it makes some cringe.
Or is it having a gun that needs to be beaten into submission on a regular basis?

Ha Ha: There are so many segues possible in that question greener.

greener · Post by **greener** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 3:01 pm

Phantom99 wrote:What ever Ruger's intent vis-a-vis field stripping; if you end up replacing trigger, hammer, sear, extractor, firing pin & removing the LCI & magazine interlock, you'll be an expert Mark III repairman once you figure out how to easily reinstall the mainspring housing. But a third hand would really be handy. No pun intended.

You may have a lot less hair when finished, but a thorough understanding of that pistol.

I usually have necessary tools in my range bag; for the Ruger, I'll never leave home without the two faced mallet & my 'special' 5/16" drill bit either.

I'm hardly and expert. I've done 2 MKIII's, 2 MKII's and a 1973 Standard. Only one hammer. I've seen no need to replace firing pins and extractors, they all work. I've disassembled and cleaned one mainspring.

I use the tech stuff here just to remind me what I need to do.

greener · Post by **greener** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 3:02 pm

Phantom99 wrote:
greener wrote:
blue68f100 wrote:Mine still requires a blow to take it apart. I only detail clean every 2000+ rounds so it does not happen very often. And since 22 ammo is scarce I have not been shooting it as often as I did.

Something about taking a hammer to to a gun to disassemble it makes some cringe.
Or is it having a gun that needs to be beaten into submission on a regular basis?
Ha Ha: There are so many segues possible in that question greener.

I'm just saying that they shoot better when they know who is the boss.