The Ruger MK1 Takedown Page

1st make sure pistol is void of rounds and magazine is removed,clear action 7 times to make sure.
2nd dry fire the mk1 with an empty casing or snap cap preferably, if none is available just dry fire it after doing step 1 above for safety reasons
3rd now that the pistol is in the fired position you may proceed by lifting the latch on the grip handle upwards.
4th now pull the takedown latch away and then down from the frame.some rugers are tight sometimes so u may have to tap it with a plastic mallet to get the pin down thru the reciever and pulled out by hand the rest of the way.
5th now the bolt can be removed and the bore and reciever cleaned out.
6th for further disassembly these are the steps to take to remove the upper reciever from the frame,take the plastic mallet while holding the barrel and tap the front of the frame above the trigger gaurd,do not tap on the trigger gaurd!,one may also tap the rear of the reciever with the rawhide or plastic mallet to achieve removal as well.
7th this is as far as you need go.take a Qtip or a bore swab with a patch etc. and clean out the stuff that has accumulated.if one chooses they may take the plastic grips off ,step out side and spray it down with carb cleaner and its high pressure tube that comes with it,sometimes i use gumout c.c. in this method when being lazy flushing it well and setting it aside after i wipe as much as possible out and off the frame.then i use clp spray in a light coat to prevent rust in the inside of it.reinsert the bolt now.
8th now for reassembly.this is the part that drives most people to sell theyre rugers in a fit of haste for an easier to clean pistol.after a few times of doing this you will know how to do it and then it will seem all too easy.put the upper reciever after cleaning on the frame and push it back but make sure that the hammer is down in the locked position first.the trigger and sear will hold it in place.now take the mallet and tap the receiever back on the frame making a note of where the lip was on the back to the frame.on mine the bevel's bottom edge on the back of the reciever likes to be even with the frame so the takedown latch pin can slide in and then be pushed up easily thru the reciever.that being done we are reddy for the next step
9th looking in the slot for the takedown lever the hammer stut should be down and laying against the frame,pointing the pistol barrel downwards will insure it is down against the frame,now push the lever down and make sure the pin is still thru the reciever,hold in the trigger all the way back as well to help guide the takedown latch in and also so the pin thru the reciever doesnt come down and out on you.
10th With the trigger held back all the way, the hammer will uncock and the mainspring housing will go in freely enabling the takedown/mainspring lever to go in and down freely.now point the muzzle up skywards so the hammer strut sits in the mainspring notch dont close the latch fully until the hammer struts in place.
11th close the mainspring housing into the frame and look at it. if it sits flush with the frame pull it back out and try again as its not in,thats the first giveaway. It should stick out about a quarter inch that how you can tell if the hammer strut is in the notch on the mainspring housing and that it has tension on it.now just close the latch and your done.
12th if you try to pull the bolt and it only goes back an inch and it halts that means that the hammer spur is not in the slot on the mainspring housing. all you have to do is open the latch and hold the pistol muzzle skywards and guide it in again and close it.always remember to point the pistol muzzle down and hold the trigger back on the mk1 when closing the takedown some before pointing it up.this will insure the hammer strut is against the frame and not caught laying in the latch, you will know this when you try to close it,it just wont work no matter what.

NOW WAS'NT THAT JUST TOO EASY TO DO ????
I KNOW ITS HARD AT FIRST TO GET USED TO BUT WHEN YOU DO IT A FEW TIMES IT WILL COME NATURAL AND BREAKDOWN SHOWN IN THE PIC ABOVE CAN BE DONE IN A MINUTE OR LESS............................................