Ruger mags in the cold problems

[Solid Hit]

I've got a Mark 3 Hunter that I bought used. Worked perfectly in the indoor range that I used to sight it in the other day but when I took it out squirrel hunting in the cold, the magazines (any of the 3) stopped functioning. The spring slowed down so much that the gun would not cycle. I took them apart to clean them but it didn't help. They will work with 5 rounds but not 6 or above.

I called Ruger tech support and they basically told me that there was nothing they could do. I'm ready to sell the gun since I bought it to compete with and the range (a different one) that I went to today was really cold (inside) and the problem happened again.

Ideas?

 

[Snyper]

Try using some Teflon lube inside

What bullets are you using?

 

[Solid Hit]

I used both Armscor and Aguila Super Extra. The problem, according to Ruger, is coming from the steel mags contracting in the cold!!!

 

[smee78]

How cold is cold? Any item can contract and expand due to weather. Also what lube were you using? Did the mags have any on it or were they dry? Did the gun come with all 3 mags or are they new? The mags could just have weak springs from being old.

 

[Durnitz579]

Yeah, I gotta ask how cold are we talking here? Because I shoot my Mk III Target all year long. It's been getting down below twenty degrees, and they operate flawlessly.

Assuming that there is no wax build-up in the mags for the follower to "freeze up" on, one of two things is happening. Either the spring is no longer strong enough to overcome the shrinkage due to the cold, or it's just too darned cold to shoot!. On a related note, if it's cold enough to stop a Ruger mag up, it's cold enough to stop just about any other similar mag as well, so if you sell it and buy something else, there is a distinct possibility it will happen again.

As stated above, try some dry lube of some type to slick the sliding surfaces up. Maybe that'll work.

 

[rocket12]

after you cleaned them, did you lub the mag or spring?? I would not use any lube as the cold temp could make it sluggish

 

[ninjarealist]

I came in here to complain about all the magazine issues I've had with Ruger Pistols (my only complaint with the Ruger guns I've owned) but the issues I've had are completely different and I'm guessing that the magazine assembly on a rimfire pistol like the Mark 3 is a lot different than the magazine assemblies on their single-stack kel-tec style pistols.

 

[Solid Hit]

Temp was about 45 or so. The mags were cleaned and not lubed after cleaning.

I'm pretty upset with Ruger's attitude about my problem.

 

[Woodsman60]

I wouldn't think 45 degrees is so cold it should mess up a mag feeding.

 

[Snyper]

Temp was about 45 or so. The mags were cleaned and not lubed after cleaning.

I'm pretty upset with Ruger's attitude about my problem.

45 isn't "cold" and shouldn't affect your magazines at all

I suspect it's the lube on the bullets causing the problems.

If a LOT of people were having problems, Ruger would respond, but there are a lot of variables that can affect perfomance, and the design of the magazines is pretty much proven to work

 

[Solid Hit]

The lube on the bullet could be a factor but why only in the Ruger but not in either Smiths (41 or 22a) or my friend's Browning? Why with 6 or more bullets when 5 work fine.

The Mark 3 uses a different mag then the 2 or 1.

 

[hartcreek]

Solid Hit Ruger is not at fault. If you had done a cold weather and firearms search you would have found plenty of threads. The manufacturer is not at fault for oil and junk that you have in the mag. Pull the mags apart and clean them. Since you are having cold weather feed problems put the mags in the freezer overnight and see how they work the next day. If the mags are still not feeding polish the followers to remove burs and then lub with graphite and try again.

I am going through the same thing with mags for my Star. Just purchased five from ebay and I am polishing the followers with a fine wett stone on each. It just aint that big a deal.

 

[Hammerhead]

45º should have little effect on the magazine, but it might be slowing down your ammo just a bit, causing the bolt to short stroke. If the bolt doesn't come back far enough, the rounds in the mag don't have time to get up to the feed lips in time. More rounds in the mag require more time to reach the top.
This isn't uncommon with new guns.
Shoot the hottest ammo you can find and use only light oil, preferably synthetic.
My Mark III Hunter and my Mark II had no problems in Minnesota winters with Mini Mags in temperatures far colder than 45º.

 

[Venom1956]

ruger mags function fine in -20 below I can verify that. I think your issue lies elsewhere. Perhaps overlubed gun?

 

[Solid Hit]

Sorry if I didn't mention this but it can't be the gun because I can use the button on the mag to lower the bullets and it takes forever for the stack to reach the top (outside the gun). I did take the mags apart and cleaned all components but maybe I didn't do a good enough job.

 

[ATPBULLETS]

what ammo did you range test it with that it worked with when sighting in?

 

[Don P]

I'm pretty upset with Ruger's attitude about my problem

Operator error???

Sorry if I didn't mention this but it can't be the gun because I can use the button on the mag to lower the bullets and it takes forever for the stack to reach the top (outside the gun). I did take the mags apart and cleaned all components but maybe I didn't do a good enough job.

Bingo, I believe my observation is correct.

 

[Solid Hit]

Alright. This morning I stripped the mags, used some Hoppes #9 to clean them then sprayed Ballistol lubricant (that I got at the hardware store this morning on the suggestion of one of their helpers). I reassembled the mags, loaded them, then put them in the freezer for ~15 min. They function perfectly. I think the problem came from the bullet lube and dirty mags. I had given them a cursory cleaning before but went at them with the Hoppes and a brush this time.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

 

[TunnelRat]

I think the problem came from the bullet lube and dirty mags.

Bingo.

And I wished I lived someplace right now where 45 degrees was cold. More like -3, and the Mk III still plugs along.

 

[herdman]

45 degrees is not very cold. Plus, your magazines are likely in a pocket or something protecting them from the elements. So they are likely a little warmer. My guess is over lubrication. Saw that in the military a few times when it was really cold.