I’m an idiot—Ruger MKIV trigger work

[Scott Tschirhart]

I ordered a Ruger MK IV trigger upgrade for a .45/22 that had a challenging trigger.

No instructions in the package. But there were instructional videos on YouTube. So I watched a couple of them.

I spent the next three hours working on installation and frustration. I dropped small, hard to see parts so many times that I had to get a magnet out. Fingers are too big so I had to make a trip to the hardware store to get a pair of needle nose pliers.

Finally, I realized that I was trying to install the trigger bar on the wrong side of the frame!

Now I have a light (probably 2 pounds) crisp and useable trigger. And I can probably install the next one in five minutes.

[bmtshooter]

What good would instructions have done?

We don't read them anyway.

[Bill in Oregon]

Don't be too hard on yourself, Scott. I put a Volquartsen kit in a Mark IV a couple of years ago and there was a lot of frustration and a lot of swearing ...

[AJMD429]

.
I have a Ruger Mark 3/45 that has decided that it doesn’t want to cock consistently. I stripped off the optics and stuff and was preparing to send it back to Ruger. This makes me wonder if I should just consider upgrading and replacing some parts and see if that solves the issue….

Anybody have a similar issue with that particular firearm…?

[Walt]

I have a Ruger MKIII and a MKIV on which I did the Volquartsen upgrades as well as put a Tandemkross trigger on the MKIV. I followed the youtube videos too and the conversions worked out quite well. Both triggers are good but not as good as my High Standard Supermatic Trophy.

[GunnyMack]

Scott, get yourself a big fluffy white towel. Any parts dropped will stand out and the fluffyness will help capture stuff.
Also anything that hits the floor can be seen with a bright flashlight. I've heard of some guys building a plexiglass box with arm holes to put over the gun and just let stuff fly!

The Ruger Mk guns can be a real PITA!

[jeepnik]

The Ruger Mk guns can be a real PITA!

It's got to be all of the improved MK II's, III's & IV's that are so hard for mere mortals to work on. And it seems they all need aftermarket parts, triggers in particular. The MK I's don't have that many parts, and go together in what's called an intuitive way these days.

[GunnyMack]

Jeep, I have a Mk ll that I did extensive work on, trigger, springs, integral muzzle break, scope mounts. It's a 10" barrel.
I think the biggest issue is that people don't take them apart often enough and the muscle memory/ reinstallation of the main spring housing. It's been a long time since I had mine apart, anyhow getting everything just right is what frustrates folks.
Needless to say they are great guns!

[stretch]

I think the biggest issue is that people don't take them apart often enough and the muscle memory/ reinstallation of the main spring housing.

THIS!!!

-Stretch

[Ysabel Kid]

What good would instructions have done?

We don't read them anyway.

Things come with instructions? What kind of new-fangled malarky is that?!?

[Bill in Oregon]

No instructions supplied. You have to take picture of the dang QR code ...

[GunnyMack]

No instructions supplied. You have to take picture of the dang QR code ...

Bill the QR codes are getting out of hand! We are doing a deck job and the municipality does not have inspectors, we have to use the state inspection service. The paperwork has a QR that you have to open, fill out and submit. It's a joke! They paid some outfit to set up the website, new software for the office just so no one has to answer the phone. Buried in the paperwork is a phone number, guess what- someone answered!

[Scott Tschirhart]

The trigger seems to work fine and the gun shoots very well.

BUT it doesn’t always cock the hammer on the last round in the magazine.

Anybody have an idea of what is happening?

It feeds the last round but the trigger is dead and I have to pull the bolt back to cock it before it would fire.

[GunnyMack]

Seems like it's got enough energy to get it to cycle, strip the last round off the mag but not quite enough to get the hammer all the way back. Try different ammo, HV for a couple mags to see if still does it.
Or try load an HV second( to last) in mag then SV to fill and see if it will run the whole mag.

How many rounds do you have through this? Could just use some break in.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Seems like it's got enough energy to get it to cycle, strip the last round off the mag but not quite enough to get the hammer all the way back. Try different ammo, HV for a couple mags to see if still does it.
Or try load an HV second( to last) in mag then SV to fill and see if it will run the whole mag.

How many rounds do you have through this? Could just use some break in.

This sounds plausible but I wonder if something else is going on? I don’t have to pull the bolt back to the point that the lead part of the bullet leaves the chamber in order to cock the hammer. You know that bolt had to go back further than that to pick up and chamber the last round…..

[GunnyMack]

Im with you there, but without seeing exactly what's going on I'm taking a WAG. I cant say my MKII ever did this but it's also been years since I took it out and plinked a bunch with it.
Normally with rimfire malfunctions it is a problem with ammunition so always make a change and try again. If it does the same with another brand, speed, bullet shape then suspect the gun if not you know it's the ammo .
I've not handled a 22/45, did they change the mag angle to follow the grip angle? Might be the follower is not presenting the last round correctly...
Did it do this before you did the trigger work? If not then you know ( probably)it's a result of the new parts, if it did then I am thinking magazine follower and or ammo related.
Does it do the same with different mags?
Much to consider when trying to diagnose- especially halfway across the country!

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’ll experiment more this morning. This one is a head scratcher.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’ll experiment more this morning. This one is a head scratcher.

No joy. High velocity, standard velocity, different magazine, it doesn’t matter.

The last round in the magazine chambers but the trigger is dead.

I wonder if this isn’t a disconnector issue??

[GunnyMack]

Ok, good. Now we know it's not an ammo issue. Disconnector is where I would start. Did you change that? If so change it back and test. If not new then I'd get to looking inside for anything out of the ordinary.
Still doesn't make sense that it is only the last round...

[Scott Tschirhart]

It’s fixing to make less sense.

If I hold down the slide lock while shooting, it fires the last round in the magazine just fine.

So, there is something that involves the magazine as the follower rises.

I took it apart and put it back together again last night but I saw nothing that would cause any trouble.

[GunnyMack]

Try pushing up on the magfor last shot, then pull down on the mag for last shot, see if the mag position affects it.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Took it apart and reassembled and it works perfectly.

[GunnyMack]

Ya gotta love it when something doesn't work, then take it apart and put it back together and it's fixed!
Glad you got it squared away.

[Scott Tschirhart]

What’s bad is that I don’t know what I did wrong so I can avoid it in the future!

[GunnyMack]

What’s bad is that I don’t know what I did wrong so I can avoid it in the future!

That is the JOYS of the MK series !