Ruger Mk III help plz

[Matthew 25]

So I have a fairly new Ruger Mk III, bought it last summer. It has issues and I need some help.
First time out I put <20 rounds through it and it stopped firing. With a loaded round I could not pull the trigger. The trigger went further than when on safe, but not as far as it would travel after being dry-fired. Safety on/off made no difference to the feel or function.
I parked it in the safe, then messed with it (w/o taking it apart) then it seemed to work again. I took it out and put about 200 rounds through it. Then parked it. Next time out, it failed.
I sent it to Ruger. They "fixed" it and sent it back. The note said the gun had been disassembled and reassembled improperly. That was absolutely false. I had not taken it apart, at all. (I've had a Mk II for 25 years and am familiar with the wrong way to put it together...it wasn't that).
Took it to the range and it worked for 10 rounds, then back to the same failure.

I don't want to send it back to Ruger, it's been over a year anyway and they won't warranty it. There are no local pistol smiths. Do any of you have an idea what is wrong? I would be more than happy to buy new parts and just replace them. Could I just replace the trigger? is there an aftermarket trigger group? What if I put in a Volquartsen accurizing kit? Does this make the Taurus lovers happy?
Many thanks for any help.

[MtGun44]

Ruger warranty service is not time limited. Send it back.

I sent a ruger .22 Target model back when it was 25 yrs old and they replaced EVERYTHING
except the barrel and reciever tube for free. Said it was a cracked frame.

Bill

[contender1]

First, you mentioned that you are familiar with the MKII. But you also said that you haven't taken this gun apart. If you have not field stripped it at all, it'll still be "dirty" from firing.
A POLITE letter to Ruger about the issue with as much detail as possible will help.
Next, if you HAVE field stripped this gun, the MKIII is a whole 'nother animal than the MKII. It does take a different method of reassembly etc. I've owned MKI's, MKII's and a MKIII continously for over 30 yrs, and the MKIII is the most frustrating one to re-assemble.

[kelbro]

Sounds like a sear issue or the mag safety is malfunctioning, You can send it back to Ruger or you can buy a VQ sear and MKII hammer bushing and eliminate the mag safety mess. Probably around $40 and less than an hour to perform the upgrade. Improves the trigger pull too.

[Matthew 25]

Excellent, I'll try the sear and hammer bushing. And yes I can send it back to Ruger, but no there is no warranty after 1 year. I believe they used to have a great record for fixing and repairing, but just last summer I went round and round with them about a SBH. I will never send a gun back to Ruger, I'd sooner just buy a new one or pay a regular smith. The people, at least with the SBH case were so unhelpful and disorganized...just thinking about that gets my blood pressure up. Finally it was a letter sent to "management" with Postal confirmation of delivery that got the ball rolling.
Contender, I made the assumption the assembly was the same, thanks for the warning.

[wallenba]

My MK II does that sometimes. I believe it's the sear. I just push the trigger side to side and it's fine for a while. Someday I'll get around to fixin' it.

[drklynoon]

Word to the frustrations of reassembling the MKIII it drives me nuts I have out it back together wrong twice now. I think I've got it down now but it's strange. Sorry about your issue with Ruger. I was still under the assumption that they warrantied their guns. Thanks for the heads up.

[44man]

I can take a Mark I or II apart and put it together in my sleep but never seen the III yet. I don't want one with the liberal junk on it.

[Matthew 25]

I saw there are a few Mk III assembly videos on Youtube. No worries.

[kelbro]

Removing the mag safety junk makes it as easy to re-assemble as a Mark I or Mark II. Another bonus is that the mags drop out rather than having to be pulled out.

[Matthew 25]

Got the VQ accurizing kit. The Youtube videos were not so good. It took a little wiggling, but got all the parts in...AND IT WORKS!!! Good thing I took pictures during the controlled explosion on the kitchen table.

[44man]

I know all about those explosions! :mrgreen:
I took apart a cheap .22 rifle once, it had 798 springs in it and all came loose at once. :twisted:

[contender1]

I forgot to mention that Ruger doesn't have a "1 year warranty." I have seen them repair guns that were over 25 yrs old, for free. In fact, they do not put a true "warranty card" in their boxs. They DO want a safe firearm out there.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience in the past with a SBH. However, it's always easy to politely thank the person you are talking with, wait a few minutes, call back, and when you get repairs on the line, POLITELY ask for the dept supervisor all while explaining you had an issue that wasn't being resolved properly. Being polite usually gets things fixed properly, and oftentimes for free.

[ghh3rd]

I love my Ruger Mark III, except for reassembling it! I wrote down my own list of steps, and still have to follow them in order to get it back together without too many #$@! words.

One word of caution is to do it over a soft spot, since I have caught parts in mid air as they decided to come loose unexpectedly.

Randy