Ruger 22/45 NIB - won't chamber a round?!

[vlad1915]

A couple days ago I bought a brand new Ruger 22/45. Couldn't wait to get it to the range. Unfortunately when I loaded the magazine and released the bolt to chamber a round, the bolt moved forward but no round chambered. This happened about six or seven times. I emptied the magazine, reloaded it, and tried several times, thinking that there was something in the magazine that kept the round from feeding. No change.
The only way I could get it to shoot was to lock back the bolt, feed a round manually into the chamber, release the slide and fire.
The gunsmith who works at the store specifically told me that I did not need to clean the gun before I took it to the range.
What am I missing here? BTW, this was not lead-nosed bulk ammo. It was Winchester SuperX copper plated hollow point.

[Ivan45]

I have noticed that sometimes the magazine takes a good smack to seat all the way...

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[Retread1911]

I have two of the 22/45 LItE models and both needed some TLC and cleaning before heading to the range. I also out new trigger parts from volquertson at the same time I pulled the mag safeties.

The mags all needed cleaning as well out of the gate. I disassembled them carefully cleaning the spring then reassembling with some dry lube for good measure.

Cheers
Retread

[yuppiejr]

A couple days ago I bought a brand new Ruger 22/45. Couldn't wait to get it to the range. Unfortunately when I loaded the magazine and released the bolt to chamber a round, the bolt moved forward but no round chambered. This happened about six or seven times. I emptied the magazine, reloaded it, and tried several times, thinking that there was something in the magazine that kept the round from feeding. No change.
The only way I could get it to shoot was to lock back the bolt, feed a round manually into the chamber, release the slide and fire.
The gunsmith who works at the store specifically told me that I did not need to clean the gun before I took it to the range.
What am I missing here? BTW, this was not lead-nosed bulk ammo. It was Winchester SuperX copper plated hollow point.

Honestly it's always a good idea to clean any new to you firearm before shooting live ammo... you'd be surprised how much stuff gets left in new guns from manufacturing. How else do you know there isn't a bore obstruction from manufacturing or test firing/handling that's going to give you a bad day the first time you pull the trigger?

Don't discount lead round nose bullets, while they may not be as sexy as plated/HP stuff the rounded nose can actually aid in feed reliability versus the flat nose on a HP in some firearms. I've seen both formats in "bulk" packs (Remington Golden Bullets are plated HP, Thunderbolts are LRN - both "bulk", Federal has versions of it's blue box Champion in both HP and LRN, etc..). I'd probably take the shop from which it was purchased for a look-see by the smith and see if it's something they can sort out in the shop or if it needs to go back to Ruger for repair.

You might also double check another magazine and compare it with what you have, could be something as simple as a bad mag causing your problem.

[dtapper2]

I'm willing to bet that the mags are not seated all the way, thus not allowing a round to be stripped off the mag. I have seen dozens of 22/45's that require a good hard whack on the mag once in the gun, like someone stated above. The mags look seated, but can be pulled out without depressing the magazine release.

[shooter115]

Like others said make sure the mag is fully seated. Then.....

I can only assume the gun came with more than 1 mag, and you've already tried it with at least one different magazine....right?

And FWIW....... Winchester .22 HP ammo usually has a very square bullet design and doesn't feed very well in most semi-auto .22s. So even if you get it to pick up a round it might not run real well.

A thorough cleaning might not hurt (see below), but in your case I don't think it will help. If it won't even strip a round from the mag and you've already eliminated the possibility of an unseated or faulty mag. My guess would be the pistol is defective and something is not letting the mags fully seat. I would contact the gun store where you bought it and give them the chance to make it right. If they prove less than helpful Ruger has outstanding customer service and they will help get you going.

Warning: If you decide to break down the pistol for full cleaning Ruger Mk series rimfire pistols can be a bitch to reassemble if you don't know what you are doing and you can actually damage the pistol if you reassemble it incorrectly. Most gunsmiths out there have had numerous customers drop off the old "gun in a box" with the Mk's. I'm sure this is why the guy at the LGS told you not to take it apart. There are a number of videos on YouTube that will help guide you if you feel inclined. If you are a little unsure about it (this is what I would suggest for most people) just hose it out with Gun Scrubber.

[XDM45]

The magazines on the MKIII are fussy. It was before I installed the bushing to remove/disable the magazine disconnect, and it's still that way now afterwards, but it is a lot better... plus I can do 10+1 now = I still have to give it a whack to make sure it fully seats, but nothing crazy hard.

I do highly recommend installing the bushing from Sam Lam. I posted the info on this forum awhile ago, so just do a search for it and you'll find the old post. It's $11.00 for it. You're free to try my gun out to see if you like it or not. Heck, I'll even let ya tear my MKIII down so you can see the difference. No longer do I need to re-insert the magazine during the re-assembly process at all.

Speaking of tear down and re-assembly, the advice on YouTube videos is a good one, but better still, when you go to do it, I'd be more than happy to be there and help you out. I learned through trials of doing it myself and YouTube videos, but I didn't really see it until someone showed me; and I didn't really understand it and get it down until I did it myself a few times. Rodentman on here has suffered the MKIII curse, as have I, and a friend of mine.

I'm not sure about yours, but my MKIII will eat any .22LR ammo just fine. It's not a picky gun at all.

[RJWesleyIII]

You can add mag base extensions. It makes mag inserts a breeze. And the bushing is a must! Here is mine with the extensions.



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[Rodentman]

Once I learned to reach in the frame and press the sear down I have no issues anymore. I have a 2 piece bolt stop kit and have removed the mag disconnect hardware.