Broken recoil spring in a Ruger Mk II.

J

Japle

New member
Yesterday at the range, my Ruger Mk II .22 pistol jammed. I mean it really jammed. It wasn’t loaded, but the bolt wouldn’t move at all.

At home, after much work with the barrel assy in a big padded vice, using an aluminum punch and a hammer (and much swearing and sweating), I got it apart. The recoil spring had broken in the middle and the ends rolled over the adjacent coils, binding the whole business tight. I unwound part of the spring to get a short broken piece out.



I couldn’t even guess how many tens of thousands of rounds I’ve put through this little gun. It’s surprising (and a credit to Ruger engineering) that nothing’s broken before now.

A call to Ruger customer support this morning got me immediately connected to a nice lady who told me a new recoil spring/guide assembly would be shipped out tomorrow, free, of course.

Ruger has a reputation for excellent CS and it’s well deserved.

 
D

DaleA

New member
That is one serious looking Ruger .22.

Wouldn't happen to have any old examples of targets it's shot?
 
H

Hal

New member
My Mark II .22/45 has well over 100,000 rounds through it with nothing being broken or replaced.

My Mark II "Slabside" has, at best, 1000 rounds through it and it has a broken safety, broken firing pin spring and a broken ejector.

I'd say it qualifies as a "lemon".

The Slabside still works BTW. Since it's a range only gun, the broken safety isn't an issue.
 
H

Hal

New member
Eventually I'll fix it.
Just out of morbid curiosity though, I'd like to see just what it takes to stop the thing.
Despite having three pretty important parts broken, the gun still functions 100%.
 
W

Wyosmith

New member
I have been a gunsmith for a few decades now, and I have never seen this before. To my way of thinking, the Ruger is about the best semi-auto 22 pistol made.

Ruger will send you a new spring for free I am sure.
 
G

g.willikers

New member
A course, that's nothing that couldn't be fixed with a hacksaw, a soldering iron and a couple of coil springs from an old ball point pen, ya' know. :p
 
S

Sharkbite

New member
Just bought one...

Im glad to hear all the positive comments about the Ruger .22s.

I just picked one up with a threaded barrel. Should be fun with a can on it.
 
J

Japle

New member
Wyosmith, I agree about the Ruger .22s.
There's a good reason you see the vast majority of competitors at steel and other "action" matches shooting Rugers. They're very reliable (depending on the ammo being used) and very seldom break.

Add in the fact that there are a zillion aftermarket parts and accessories available and there's no way you can beat these guns.

It's fun tricking them out.

 
S

spacecoast

New member
I bought a 22/45 with one of the "ears" broken off the recoil spring assembly. I guess I made a mistake by shelling out $ to buy a replacement. :rolleyes:
 
J

James K

Member In Memoriam
I have never seen the spring break that way. I have seen a couple of cases of an "ear" breaking off the rear of the spring guide and one case of the front part coming loose from the rod. None stopped the gun; the breakage was discovered in routine cleaning.

Jim
 
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