Magazine disconnect or not on Ruger Mark?

[Alfonse]

I picked up a nice stainless Mark III that will be one for my daughter to care for. The Mk IIIs have a magazine disconnect. I am on the fence about keeping it in place, or not, as this is the gun she will be mostly learning on.

I know about revolvers as great for training, but they just did not excite her.

So, part of me says that she needs to learn, regardless, that to consider the gun always loaded. She will also be cleaning it, and will learn to be expert at clearing it and making it safe.

If it was for me, I would remove the mag release. But, I am having doubts about whether having it in there is better, for whatever mistakes it could prevent from becoming worse, or having it set up like most other guns in the world, without the disconnect.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[RRP]

It's a target gun. What do you gain by altering, or disabling, the manufacturer's safety device?

[mntbikejack]

You really only need a MKII bushing to get rid of the MKIII magazine disconnect. It really makes the magazines just drop out.

Here is the link: http://http://www.midwayusa.com/product/946649/volquartsen-hammer-bushing-ruger-mark-ii-black?cm_vc=U112

If you really want to go all the way I highly recommend the accurizing kit here:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/414646/volquartsen-accurizing-kit-ruger-mark-ii-22-45-black

The MKII kit includes the MKII bushing and fits the MKIII models also.

[mntbikejack]

It's a target gun. What do you gain by altering, or disabling, the manufacturer's safety device?

Because it's a stupid California compromise and when you are shooting steel competition it helps to have the magazines drop freely and not have to yank them out.

[Alfonse]

Yes, it is easy to change the bushing. And, the magazines do drop free if you eliminate it. The bushing is something like $10. Even though I was originally looking for a Mk II, I decided the Mk III would be fine too.

It is also a matter of what creates better habits. My concern is that someone who gets used to that gun builds the habit of expecting the gun to be "safe" with the release of the magazine. That would be a bad habit to learn.

RRP, on target guns, at least many of the CZ folks, remove the firing pin blocks to get a better trigger pull. Disabling safety features is pretty common on target guns. On the Mk III, the mag disconnect can also become annoying when cleaning the gun and you have to put the magazine in a couple of times to disassemble and a couple more times to reassemble.

I will probably leave it in for now and just have a bushing laying around for if it gets annoying. My daughter won't be shooting on her own, so I should have ample opportunity to help make sure good habits are the norm.

[mntbikejack]

It is also a matter of what creates better habits. My concern is that someone who gets used to that gun builds the habit of expecting the gun to be "safe" with the release of the magazine. That would be a bad habit to learn.


I do not believe having to insert the magazine and pull the trigger to disassemble a firearm a safe or good practice. Sooner or later a round will be in the magazine and racked into the chamber. The magazine disconnect and chamber flags are "safety features" required for laws created by politicians that don't have any idea about firearm safety.
Relying on not having a magazine in the firearm to be safe is not good practice.

[yqtszhj]

I do not believe having to insert the magazine and pull the trigger to disassemble a firearm a safe or good practice.


A good point was just made. The mark III is tricky to put back together. If she's going to become the person cleaning it and she does it well your going to have a gunsmith on your hands.

My daughter loves to shoot my Mark III Hunter but at this time I end up doing the cleaning.

[getsome]

I agree that having to pull the trigger to disassemble a firearm isn't a great idea but with some firearms thats just how it is....IMHO the gun makers messed up when the went to a Magazine Disconnect system because it fixed a problem that didn't exist...I have 2 pistols with a MD and 3 that will fire without a magazine just as JMB intended...The only reason I can see for a pistol with the MD feature is for Law Enforcement and some departments like and require their duty pistols to have a MD so an officer in a fight for his gun can release the magaxine and disable it......

I got around the MD deal by teaching my son the basic rules of shooting and that all guns are 100% loaded 100% of the time no matter how many times it is chamber checked it is LOADED and will fire so if the trigger must be pulled to disassemble it he better have it pointed at something he doesn't want to kill or destroy...The rules work if they are ALWAYS followed....

I make it a policy to never disable or modify any safety feature on a firearm....If I dont like a MD or loaded chamber flag I just buy a different gun without that feature...In todays world if somebody can sue McDonalds because they tried to hold hot coffee in a paper cup between their legs and it spilled causing 2nd degree burns you can be sure somebody will sue you for any accident caused because you removed a safety feature from a gun so IMO it's better not to be sorry you did something like that....

[jocko]

It's a target gun. What do you gain by altering, or disabling, the manufacturer's safety device?

agree.leave the fokker ALONE:behindsofa:

[Bawanna]

I agree, get rid of it. For shooting and such I don't think it's that big a deal but putting the mag in and out to assemble and disassemble is wrong.

Are we helping any here ya think?

[Alfonse]

This is hilarious. I don't disagree with any of the points made. We will play with it a bit the way it comes, and decide from there.

[Bawanna]

This is hilarious. I don't disagree with any of the points made. We will play with it a bit the way it comes, and decide from there.

So? Does this mean you don't wanna be my neighbor no more?:confused:

[Popeye]

agree.leave the fokker ALONE:behindsofa:
I agree also, on a target pistol it's not a big deal.

[jeepster09]

Take it out....gun just works smoother without it. It is only there, because the government knew what was best for you. If you trust the government to think for ya...leave it in.

[Micha2u]

The magazine disconnect should be gone. Have a gun that works the way you think it needs to work.

[muggsy]

This is hilarious. I don't disagree with any of the points made. We will play with it a bit the way it comes, and decide from there.

Not to be a wet blanket, but to cover all of the bases, if you do have a negligent discharge and the safety devices have been compromised it doesn't look very good in court. If it was yours and yours alone, I'd say have at it. I removed the magazine safety from both of my Mark III's. I saved the parts in a zip lock bag in case I ever decide to sell them.

[Alfonse]

Not to be a wet blanket, but to cover all of the bases, if you do have a negligent discharge and the safety devices have been compromised it doesn't look very good in court. If it was yours and yours alone, I'd say have at it. I removed the magazine safety from both of my Mark III's. I saved the parts in a zip lock bag in case I ever decide to sell them.

I have zip lock bags with parts for several guns in them! This will just be one more.

[chuckt]

I put a speed strip kit from Majestic Arms in my Mk III. It comes with the parts to improve the trigger pull. It is much easier to strip for cleaning now, easier to reassemble, has a better trigger pull and now there is no magazine safety. Great kit.

[wyntrout]

This is a different opinion or point of view, but I think that you ought to train with the way the pistol will be configured. If you want to remove the magazine disconnect as I did, go for it and train for no disconnect. After learning that you have a magazine "safety" and training with that, it will be asking for trouble to later remove that "feature"... especially in your daughter's case.

I have the Mark III 22/45 Lite and installed the Majestic 3.5 Kit (from Midway USA... better price and shipping). This got rid of the magazine disconnect, removed over 60% of the creep or whatever in the trigger pull, improving it immensely with a crisp letoff... and now the mags fly out when the release is pushed. I also can remove the bolt without having to undo the mainspring housing lever thingy.

Wynn:)

[Alfonse]

This is a different opinion or point of view, but I think that you ought to train with the way the pistol will be configured. If you want to remove the magazine disconnect as I did, go for it and train for no disconnect. After learning that you have a magazine "safety" and training with that, it will be asking for trouble to later remove that "feature"... especially in your daughter's case.

I have the Mark III 22/45 Lite and installed the Majestic 3.5 Kit (from Midway USA... better price and shipping). This got rid of the magazine disconnect, removed over 60% of the creep or whatever in the trigger pull, improving it immensely with a crisp letoff... and now the mags fly out when the release is pushed. I also can remove the bolt without having to undo the mainspring housing lever thingy.

Wynn:)

Exactly my thinking. I take it a step further though. Since no other pistol I have has a magazine disconnect, I don't want her training with one and then using other pistols that don't have them. Training without one seems to be the best way to never have a problem.

[Alfonse]

I put a speed strip kit from Majestic Arms in my Mk III. It comes with the parts to improve the trigger pull. It is much easier to strip for cleaning now, easier to reassemble, has a better trigger pull and now there is no magazine safety. Great kit.

I have a new hammer bushing that allows the disconnect to be removed. We actually have the stripping for cleaning down pretty well at this point.

[muggsy]

This is a different opinion or point of view, but I think that you ought to train with the way the pistol will be configured. If you want to remove the magazine disconnect as I did, go for it and train for no disconnect. After learning that you have a magazine "safety" and training with that, it will be asking for trouble to later remove that "feature"... especially in your daughter's case.

I have the Mark III 22/45 Lite and installed the Majestic 3.5 Kit (from Midway USA... better price and shipping). This got rid of the magazine disconnect, removed over 60% of the creep or whatever in the trigger pull, improving it immensely with a crisp letoff... and now the mags fly out when the release is pushed. I also can remove the bolt without having to undo the mainspring housing lever thingy.

Wynn:)

I love technical terms such as, "mainspring housing lever thingy." Betcha learned that one from Bawanna. :) The Majestic 3.5 kit works beautifully for routine cleaning.

[wyntrout]

The ease of cleaning was the last of the "features" I liked. I really liked the trigger improvement, the loss of the magazine disconnect, and that the magazines now fall free! I also added the TandemKross +1 Bumpers to the magazines and also added their new compensator. I still have to test those new things.

I also didn't want to stop to look up the correct term for that "thingy"... lazy and in a hurry!

Wynn:)

[340pd]

It sounds like you have come to a conclusion. All my MK III's have the mag disconnect removed and Volquartsen sears, extractors, and triggers in them. They them become magnificent target guns and I have owned a Hammerli 280, SP20's, and a Benelli that were no better than the Ruger, but costs thousands more. Personally I believe that a good, accurate, easy to shoot first gun will promote ones desire to get deeper into the shooting sports. Give her a great experience.

That said, if the mag disconnect did anything to improve the trigger system in the gun I would have left it alone.

[Alfonse]

The rest of the parts arrived yesterday. I'll get the TandemKoss bushing, Volquartsen trigger and sear installed and we go out shooting this weekend. I gotta say, a stainless Mark is a pretty thing.

[ltxi]

Mag disconnects suck. Mag disconnects have always sucked and they will continue to suck forever. The notion of having to have a mag in a gun to release the sear is simply insane.

I accidentally bought a pistol with a mag disconnect recently...Browning 1911 22...and if I can't easily make that "feature" go away I'll dump the gun. I might anyway, simply on principle.

[muggsy]

The ease of cleaning was the last of the "features" I liked. I really liked the trigger improvement, the loss of the magazine disconnect, and that the magazines now fall free! I also added the TandemKross +1 Bumpers to the magazines and also added their new compensator. I still have to test those new things.

I also didn't want to stop to look up the correct term for that "thingy"... lazy and in a hurry!

Wynn:)

I was just teasing you, Wynn. I only kid the ones I like.

[wyntrout]

That's OK. I also keep saying 3.5 when I believe it's the 3.2 Kit. I have the Ghost 3.5 Connector in all of my 3.5 Glocks.

Wynn:D

[Bawanna]

Mag disconnects suck. Mag disconnects have always sucked and they will continue to suck forever. The notion of having to have a mag in a gun to release the sear is simply insane.

I accidentally bought a pistol with a mag disconnect recently...Browning 1911 22...and if I can't easily make that "feature" go away I'll dump the gun. I might anyway, simply on principle.

I did NOT know that about the Browning. Helps me want one less knowing that.

[ltxi]

There are folk who view this gun, btw, as overpriced nostalgia....best descriptor I could come up with off hand. In my estimation, they are quite correct.

Not worthy of the Browning I've known and loved at any price and worth maybe half to 60% of msrp with any mfg's name on it.