[TimN]

My restored Ruger Mark I works chambers rounds and shoots flawlessly with a new magazine I purchased. The problem is I have the original A54 Ruger magazine and it will not function properly with more than three or four rounds in it. I believe the problem is either the follower or the spring. The spring seems to be plenty stiff. The follower on the other hand has a piece broken out part of the thickness near the end at the top of the magazine. Also when the follower is pushed very lightly down toward the bottom block the followers top edge easily pivots down about a 1/4 inch.

I made a new follower using the original as a pattern except I made the area that is broken on the original full thickness. The new follower functions just as the old one did. It also pivoted down easily as the original did.

The ruger parts list does not show a follower that resembles the one I have.

I have several new magazine but since this one is original to the gun I would love to have it repaired.

Has anybody else has this problem?

Do you think it is the follower or the spring. The actual magazine seems to be in perfect condition.

Help Please!

Timn

 

[hbrigiii]

Why dont you either take the guts out of one of your spare magazines and install that into your old origional or better yet, why not just buy a new mag. from Ruger ???????

 

[TimN]

I thought of changing parts from a newer mag. Problem is the parts are very different. The new spring is entirely different and the newer follower is much looser than the original one. The new mags are much more compact than the old chrome bottomed original. I have bought new mags but I would still like to fix the one that has been with the gun the longest. I know it sounds silly but I like to fix old things and hate to just send it to junk.

 

[jaxrider14]

I have a Mark I. I've noticed with the original magazine it is important that I load each round carefully, not just push the follower down to the bottom and dump the rounds into the mag. They really need to be lined up top to bottom.

I lower the follower just enough to drop in a round or two, lower the follower more and add another round, etc. When they are all in the mag I tip the mag back to make sure they are lined up as I release the follower.

I've also read that the lips at the top of the mag get bent or worn and don't release the rounds properly.

http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/stovepipe.htm

 

[anita]

mags

My two nine round mags that came with my new 1981 standard were a source of anguish for 30 years, I thought the gun was junk.
tried every ammo type there was then gave up.
then on a whim bought new mags from ruger.com & now it runs like a new
sewing machine.

 

[North country gal]

In addition to some of the above, hints, inspect the lips of the original magazine, closely, by comparing them to the replacement. I had one original magazine on one of my A54s that needed to have the rear corner pulled out a bit before it would function at all. It's now perfect, however. The position of the lips on the magazine is every bit as important as the spring and follower. If either side at the top of the mag is off to one side or the other, too tight or too loose, you will have feed problems.

As has been said, pull the follower down just enough to seat each round, rather than pull the follower all the way to the bottom, a la the MKII or III mags. Those old 9 shot mags have a tendency to jumble up the rounds when you hold the follower all the way to the bottom.