Should my Ruger Mark III look like this?

View · by **mc762x54R** on Sat Feb 08, 2014 3:34 pm

I'm not sure is this is normal or not, can anyone with a MKii / MKiii take a look at theirs and see what it looks like?
I've read on other forums that the bolt is harder than the chamber, and that its normal, but I've also seen a forum where a chamber looked like this and Ruger replaced the whole gun.

There is also a small dent from the guide rod that I just noticed too...

View · by **centermass40** on Sat Feb 08, 2014 3:42 pm

You are missing the loaded chamber indicator. The rest of it looks normal.

View · by **Sigfan220** on Sat Feb 08, 2014 10:28 pm

It looks cosmetic to me, I'd keep shooting it. I know mine have that pattern but yours seems to have developed a bit of a indent. I'd have to check when I get back to Minnesota in a week.

View · by **PhilaBOR** on Sun Feb 09, 2014 7:34 am

Doesn't look right to me. Way too clean. No hard to remove stains from 200 round range sessions.

View · by **floydster** on Sun Feb 09, 2014 9:59 am

My Mark III Hunter looks exactly the same--have about 5,000 rounds thru it.

I don't see a prob.

View · by **Nougat** on Sun Feb 09, 2014 12:12 pm

couldn't that bit folding in there cause an issue?

View · by **mc762x54R** on Mon Feb 10, 2014 10:36 pm

Nougat wrote:
couldn't that bit folding in there cause an issue?

folding? what do you mean exactly?

View · by **Nougat** on Mon Feb 10, 2014 11:02 pm

mc762x54R wrote:
Nougat wrote:
couldn't that bit folding in there cause an issue?

folding? what do you mean exactly?

the part on the chamber opening that he took the picture because of where its being hit by the bolt? 2 O'clock looking straight down the barrel with sights at 12?

I hope I got my terms right!

whats peening?

edit: well he says guide rod, since I have no idea what that means and no idea in general I suppose I should probably be more quiet?!

View · by **GeekyGunman** on Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:23 am

Looks immaculate to me. The bolt pattern on the face is normal due to minor peening.

If you want to keep on the lookout, the damage that will cause you issues is firing pin dents at the 12 o clock on the chamber edge and potentially the extractor slot at the 3 o clock.
(The firing pin stop is supposed to stop chamber face hits, but it can break or be missing when dry firing.)
This causes issue with chambering and can make you missfeed.

View · by **mc762x54R** on Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:52 pm

This is what they had to say:

Thank you for sending in photos of the issue you are having with your firearm, The face has a rough surface and will collect lots of grime, nothing to worry about and the guide rod tip was just a little long but again nothing to worry about, it shouldn’t get any worse and as long as the firearm is cycling and functioning properly you are good to go.

Hope this was helpful.

View · by **FJ540** on Fri Feb 14, 2014 11:57 pm

Looks perfectly normal to me too.

They rebate the firing pin so that it doesn't impact the edge of the chamber (where the slight chamfer is) which is what used to happen when the original guns were dry fired (thus the warnings never to dry fire them - it would flare the edge and cause feeding problems). Now the firing pin still hits the barrel, but the chamber is protected by that extra space. The peening (where your barrel is now flat instead of the rougher surface around it) is normal and won't get any worse over time.