Luger MkIII 512 - Re-assembly

[FourDown]

This was the worst experience I have had with a firearm.
Disassemble is easy.
Reassemble takes 134 hours, two bottles af aspirin, a finger splint, two quarts of 10W30motor oil, a #10 Torx screwdriver, two needle-nose plyers, two flashlights, a laptop to show the YOUtube video, another laptop showing the Luger Authorized Reassemble Video (Parts 3A thru 8J), a vacuum pump, a DirtDevil Model FY784-3 vacuum cleaner, a wire cutter, a single spool of electrical tape (black, rubberized), a rubber/plastic hammer, a paper clip, the vinal version of "In-a-gadda -da-vida", eleven rubber bands, one live chicken, Loctite (red!), two pairs of "Don Alvaso's" Tweezers, the instruction manual (in Spanish or Japanese as English version is useless), an assistant to wipe sweat from brow, a dowel, Vaseline Intensive Care Hand lotion, goggles, a half-sour pickle, small fingers, a toothbrush, some gun oil, clean rags, cotton balls, and either a small, baby Mongoose or a small (yet agile) Sloth.

 

[SheepDog_B]

Maybe because it's a Ruger and not a Luger!

 

[SheepDog_B]

On a serious note, I struggled for quite a while the first time I reassembled my MKII!
The MKII and MKIII are top-notch pistols and are a blast for anyone to shoot!

 

[bigdog]

If your still having a problem call Ruger. The customer service for the Mk111 is in Arizona and very helpful. The first time I took mine apart it was a bear to reassemble, now it takes less than a minute. It's a great gun give it a chance..

 

[wf217]

watch the Ruger videos for MKIII reassembly

http://www.ruger.com/resources/videos.html

 

[BradM]

Watch the Vid, it's easy once u see it

 

[atmay]

Bet you won't ever do that again!

I disassembled mine (including taking the fire control components out) once, and that was to remove that god-awful magazine disconnect thing.

Without such a worthy cause behind the disassembly, I won't never do it again, that's for sure.

 

[Cuda444]

Let me know (and this invite goes out to anyone) if you ever have trouble getting the stupid thing back together. I'm getting quite good at it, as I have managed to salvage several of my friends' MkIIIs, and as such, know this beast inside and out.

 

[RichM]

Same offer from me as from Cuda... I'd be glad to help others, as others have helped me when I was a newbie...

I have 3 Ruger MkIIIs (a stock 22/45, a modified 22/45, and a modified Competition slab-side), so I can assure you that I've BTDT.

 

[Stryker]

+1 that the video is very useful - needed to watch it a few times for it to make sense - once you get the hang of it not too bad.

That said I did just order the speed strip kit from majestic arms:
http://www.majesticarms.com/id10.html
That should help with the after range cleaning - look forward to putting it in.

Any one here have experience with it? I spent some time talking to the owner (who took my order) and he mentioned that they have sold just about 7,000 of these kits

 

[TBalls]

That said I did just order the speed strip kit from majestic arms:
http://www.majesticarms.com/id10.html
That should help with the after range cleaning - look forward to putting it in.

Any one here have experience with it? I spent some time talking to the owner (who took my order) and he mentioned that they have sold just about 7,000 of these kits

Be sure to let us know how it goes with the Speed Strip kit. I've yet to find much in the way of reviews, even on rimfirecentral & rugerforum.

 

[SeanT]

Yeah, took me a while (and a good amount of frustration) to get mine back together the first time I took it apart. I had the video going and the instruction book open, but couldn't get it back together. I eventually realized I was missing one tiny step.

 

[radioman]

I find it to be very easy if your not afraid to give it a good whack with a nylon hammer!! When you put the upper on you must hit it quite hard to get the pin hole to line up. If you hit it square on the end there wont be any problem, if you go and hit it off square then your going to bend something. Mine has bore several rounds of disassembly and is no worse for the ware.

 

[Keystone]

I've only field stripped mine, I have yet to work up the nerve for a detail strip. I had a rough time getting it back together, I was being too gentle in reseating the receiver - added a bit more "persuasion" with my trusty rubber mallet, and it all popped right back together.
I used this site: http://guntalk-online.com/fsprocedures.htm and some random pointers from a thread I started here after I nearly through the thing through the wall. Once you get the hang of it, it really isn't that bad.

One of these days I'm going to get some VQ parts for mine - when that happens, I'll try a detail strip. Should be entertaining....

 

[jasons]

Ruger, not Luger.

And they're not that hard once you get used to them. Throw in a VQ trigger and sear next time you take it apart - best $50 you can spend on a Mark I,II,III. (Actually I might have a spare VQ sear laying around....)

 

[meth0d]

All these horror stories have me leaning towards a S&W 22A, but I've heard resoundingly that the Ruger is a much better gun. Does anyone have experience with the S&W 22A as far as ease of assembly?

 

[SheepDog_B]

All these horror stories have me leaning towards a S&W 22A, but I've heard resoundingly that the Ruger is a much better gun. Does anyone have experience with the S&W 22A as far as ease of assembly?

No way, go with a MKII or MKIII!
These are awesome, awesome pistols!!!

 

[FourDown]

Did not mean...

I appreciate all the responses, support, and best wishes. PLEASE do not assume that my inability to put the f$*^#in thing back together is me not liking the firearm. I do like it. I would just like it better if it didn't require me to put slot A in tab B while making sure pin C is in the U shape of a moving piece of metal that if it isn't perfectly lined up with the precision whack of a plastic mallet, won't go back together. I have a S&W M&P .45 that can be taken down in the dark, cleaned & oiled and back together in about five minutes, and it doesn't require a mallet.

Did anyone mention how much better a firearm it would be if it had a smoother, lighter, trigger pull?

I looked into the "Make It Easier Next Time" conversion kit on sale from the guy in Staten Island. It looks good but "recommends" install by a professional gunsmith. I wish I knew someone who had it and reading here, no one has.

While I'm new to this forum, and I don't want to seem too negative, I'm sorry to say that maybe, just maybe, I should have done my homework better. Stories about it getting better when I've done it a few times and when I get more familiar with it are nice, but I've got this buyers remorse thing in the back of my mind. I shouldn't have to even be talking about the difficulties inherent in the design of the gun regarding the simple task of cleaning and maintaining. Sorry for the rant guys. It's late and I'm cranky.

Peace

 

[jasons]

Did anyone mention how much better a firearm it would be if it had a smoother, lighter, trigger pull?

Get one of these: http://www.rimfiresports.com/mercha...=RSC&Product_Code=VC2TS&Category_Code=VC2TPRK
And one of these: http://www.rimfiresports.com/mercha...uct_Code=VC2TT/VC3TT&Category_Code=VC2TRIGGER

 

[KMM696]

All these horror stories have me leaning towards a S&W 22A, but I've heard resoundingly that the Ruger is a much better gun. Does anyone have experience with the S&W 22A as far as ease of assembly?

22A? Easy to assemble/disassemble, has a little plastic buffer on the spring that will wear out every 10-15k rounds ($3), barrels can be swapped out, and not expensive. If your slide catch wears, you get the opportunity to chase parts all over the room. Luckily, they're big parts, and after you've done it once it's easy to avoid. The big, clunky laminated wood grips were designed for yetis and mountain gorillas - they are a nice source for material for making grips that actually fit your hand, though.

Not as good a shooter as my MkII, not supported by the aftermarket, not as nice a pistol as the Rugers. Not a terrible pistol, mind, just not as good as the MkII/III.

My opinion, of course........

 

[TBalls]

Get one of these: http://www.rimfiresports.com/mercha...=RSC&Product_Code=VC2TS&Category_Code=VC2TPRK
And one of these: http://www.rimfiresports.com/mercha...uct_Code=VC2TT/VC3TT&Category_Code=VC2TRIGGER

That's funny -- I just ordered the VQ sear and MKII bushing to remove the mag disconnect in my 22/45. I'll do the trigger later, probably after a grip mod...

 

[JimB]

Maybe because it's a Ruger and not a Luger!

you beat me to it.

 

[JimB]

This was the worst experience I have had with a firearm.
Disassemble is easy.
Reassemble takes 134 hours, two bottles af aspirin, a finger splint, two quarts of 10W30motor oil, a #10 Torx screwdriver, two needle-nose plyers, two flashlights, a laptop to show the YOUtube video, another laptop showing the Luger Authorized Reassemble Video (Parts 3A thru 8J), a vacuum pump, a DirtDevil Model FY784-3 vacuum cleaner, a wire cutter, a single spool of electrical tape (black, rubberized), a rubber/plastic hammer, a paper clip, the vinal version of "In-a-gadda -da-vida", eleven rubber bands, one live chicken, Loctite (red!), two pairs of "Don Alvaso's" Tweezers, the instruction manual (in Spanish or Japanese as English version is useless), an assistant to wipe sweat from brow, a dowel, Vaseline Intensive Care Hand lotion, goggles, a half-sour pickle, small fingers, a toothbrush, some gun oil, clean rags, cotton balls, and either a small, baby Mongoose or a small (yet agile) Sloth.

do you have a problem following directions?????

 

[atmay]

do you have a problem following directions?????

The one time I took mine down, it really was a PITFA to put back together, directions be damned.

 

[FourDown]

do you have a problem following directions?????

Thank you Sooooo much for your help and support!

4D

 

[pupchow]

Thank you Sooooo much for your help and support!

4D

If the darned thing didn't shoot so nicely... It's all about getting that hammer assembly situated in the right position at the right time. And, having the confidence to give the receiver assembly a purposeful whack from the onset to get it fully seated on the frame.

 

[Keystone]

I appreciate all the responses, support, and best wishes. PLEASE do not assume that my inability to put the f$*^#in thing back together is me not liking the firearm. I do like it. I would just like it better if it didn't require me to put slot A in tab B while making sure pin C is in the U shape of a moving piece of metal that if it isn't perfectly lined up with the precision whack of a plastic mallet, won't go back together. I have a S&W M&P .45 that can be taken down in the dark, cleaned & oiled and back together in about five minutes, and it doesn't require a mallet.

Did anyone mention how much better a firearm it would be if it had a smoother, lighter, trigger pull?

I looked into the "Make It Easier Next Time" conversion kit on sale from the guy in Staten Island. It looks good but "recommends" install by a professional gunsmith. I wish I knew someone who had it and reading here, no one has.

While I'm new to this forum, and I don't want to seem too negative, I'm sorry to say that maybe, just maybe, I should have done my homework better. Stories about it getting better when I've done it a few times and when I get more familiar with it are nice, but I've got this buyers remorse thing in the back of my mind. I shouldn't have to even be talking about the difficulties inherent in the design of the gun regarding the simple task of cleaning and maintaining. Sorry for the rant guys. It's late and I'm cranky.

Peace

Lots of people like the MkII/MkIII. Lots of people have problems putting them back together. It's pretty much accepted that they are great guns that'll run tons of ammo before requiring a cleaning, and that they are a demon to strip and reassemble. Some people with stainless guns use brake cleaner and compressed air, and don't bother breaking it down.

Whenever I get around to detail stripping mine, I'll be dropping in some volquartsen parts to make my trigger that much smoother and lighter. Doesn't cost much, especially if you have a C&R and buy from brownells/midway.

You can drop in a MkII bushing into a MkIII to rid yourself of the magazine disconnect and make reassembly a hair easier.

I felt like an idiot when I had to post my "HOW THE F#$& DO YOU PUT THIS THING BACK TOGETHER" thread. You see a lot of them. Don't fret it. Reassembling gets easier with time, both from knowing how to do it and things breaking in a little. Rid yourself of the buyer's remorse - you bought a fine gun. I don't know if I'd ever get rid of mine, it's the gun I shoot the most. I'm hoping to get a .22 revolver one of these days to supplement it, but not replace it.

The gun is a bear to put back together and tear down, but it isn't a defensive weapon, and you can do it at your leisure in the comfort of your home. I clean mine every 500-1000 rounds. You can clean yours after every trip to the range for a while, just to get the feel for it.

We'll forgive you for your rant if you go GREEN. Then, you'll be rated on whether you had a truly epic rant or not.