[Doboy]

I own a Ruger MK 1 and we have used it For 20 Years +. We went through many cases of shells instructing our clubs First Time Youth Shooters. It performed flawlessly, has been EXTREMELY accurate, and it has been taken apart and cleaned hundreds of times. BY HAND IN THE FIELD!!

I recently purchased a Ruger MK111 for my daughter.

WARNING,,, DO NOT PURCHASE A MK111 UNLESS YOU SEE THE DEALER TAKE IT APART AND PUT IT BACK TOGETHER BY HAND!!
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TAKE THIS MK111 APART IN THE FIELD WITHOUT A HAMMER!!

THE DIRECTIONS SAY TO HIT THE BARREL WITH A PLASTIC/RUBBER HAMMER TO GET IT APART! YOU ALSO NEED TO HIT THE BOLT STOP PIN WITH A WOODEN DOWEL AND HAMMER.
WHY ISN'T THERE A HAMMER SOLD WITH THIS PRODUCT???

I HAD TO PUT THE TRIGGER GUARD ON THE EDGE OF A WOODEN WORK BENCH AND HIT THE BARREL 3 TO 4 TIMES WITH A HARD RUBBER HAMMER TO GET THE BARREL OFF!!
I Had to HIT THE BARREL MUCH HARDER, TO GET IT BACK IN POSITION FAR ENOUGH, TO GET THE BOLT STOP PIN BACK IN.
(I had to hit the pin in with the hammer also)

THERE IS NO WAY TO GET A MK111 APART IF YOU MOUNT A SCOPE!! EVEN A SHORT "RED DOT" WOULD STICK OUT PASSED THE BACK OF THE BARREL, MAKING THE BARREL IMPOSSIBLE TO HIT WITH A HAMMER.

I SENT THIS RUGER MK111 BACK TO THE FACTORY FOR REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT.
IT CAME BACK IN THE SAME CONDITION.
WE CANNOT GET THE BARREL OFF WITH OUT A HAMMER.

EVIDENTLY "FIT AND FINNISH" AT RUGER IS NO MORE!

WELL WHAT SHOULD I DO,,, SELL IT TO ANOTHER SUCKER WHO WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET IT APART AT THE RANGE, WITHOUT A HAMMER?

 

[wwb]

Sell it, take your beating, and shop around for a used Mark II Target model. Be aware up front that the used Mark II (if it is in near perfect condition) will probably cost more than a new Mark III.

You are not the first to have complaints about the Mark III..... hence the rise in prices on used Mark II models.

 

[Roadkill Bill]

Could be time for a S&W 617! A great .22 revolver solves a lot of problems people have with automatics! (Boy am I biased!)

At the very least consider the Browning Buckmark. I have never heard of anyone having a problem disassembling and reassembling them.

 

[billt]

I have owned 2 Ruger semi auto .22's for well over a decade and I see absolutely zero need to take the pistol apart ever. After several hundred rounds of shooting I give the gun a good wet cleaning with a stiff bristled paint brush and a coffee can full of clean WD-40, (you can purchase it by the gallon from Home Depot or Lowes very reasonable). Afterward I blow it completely dry with compressed air, then oil it completely. The gun comes out every time cleaner than when it left the factory. I clean all the bolts of my bolt action rifles much the same way and have never had the need to disassemble a bolt in my entire life. The same goes for magazines. All of this disassembly causes problems that never existed in the first place. I see no need to do it except for semi auto actions the come apart, and go together easily like AR-15's, Glock's, 1911's and semi auto shotguns. Bill T.

 

[blunt]

I have had a Mark III for a little while now, and it definitely gets easier to take apart over time. I can disassemble it now with a quick, sharp blow from the heel of my palm instead of the mallet I had to use when it was new.

However, I have learned not to take it apart as much as with other guns. If you oil it up well, it doesn't seem to need the maintenance and cleaning of other pistols.