Ruger mkIII slide release

[EcHo]

So today I bought my first gun, a Ruger MkIII 22/45 with a 5.5" bull barrel. I have yet to shoot it, but I like it already. The one problem I have with it is the slide release. The slide release on this thing requires me to use two thumbs and push VERY hard (my thumbs both turn white from pushing so hard) to make it go down and release the slide. Is this normal for new Rugers? The guy in Four Seasons said it was fine, but I've used MkIIs before and I can easily release the slide on those with the side of one thumb. Granted they were guns that have had 20k+ rounds through them and were fully broken in, but they were much easier than the MkIII I have.

To release the side without using two thumbs and turning the gun sideways I need to pull the slide back as far as it will go, then I can push the slide release down with an acceptable amount of force. Is there a spring on the slide that needs to loosen up before the slide release works as I expect it to? Is this just how new Rugers are?

 

[jasons]

So today I bought my first gun, a Ruger MkIII 22/45 with a 5.5" bull barrel. I have yet to shoot it, but I like it already. The one problem I have with it is the slide release. The slide release on this thing requires me to use two thumbs and push VERY hard (my thumbs both turn white from pushing so hard) to make it go down and release the slide. Is this normal for new Rugers? The guy in Four Seasons said it was fine, but I've used MkIIs before and I can easily release the slide on those with the side of one thumb. Granted they were guns that have had 20k+ rounds through them and were fully broken in, but they were much easier than the MkIII I have.

To release the side without using two thumbs and turning the gun sideways I need to pull the slide back as far as it will go, then I can push the slide release down with an acceptable amount of force. Is there a spring on the slide that needs to loosen up before the slide release works as I expect it to? Is this just how new Rugers are?

Congrats on the MkIII! I have a MkI and it's one of my favorites.

Don't think of it as a slide release - think of it as a slide catch. (I guess it's technically a bolt catch on a MkIII.) To release the slide (bolt,) simply pull it back enough to disengage the catch and then let it go. This will work with the vast majority of pistols out there without needing to figure out where the catch is on the gun you happen to be holding. It's also a gross motor skill vs. a fine motor skill, so it should be easier under the stress of competition (or whatever.)

 

[eisenhow]

Jason's correct it's a bolt stop not a bolt release. (We can leave the philosophical discussions of that for another day).

1) If you use the ruger MkIII slide/bolt stop as a release you will wear it down such that the slide won't hold open after the last round is fired. I know someone who managed to do this within a few weeks and a few thousand rounds of ownership.

2) The 22/45 is different from the regular mkIII. The regular mkIII you can slingshot: ie pull the bolt back and let it go and it will chamber the round. The 22/45 has a detent ball in the slide/bolt stop that prevents this from happening so you have to pull back and push the slide/bolt stop down. There is a "slingshot mod" that removes this ball but it only works less than 50% of the time with my 22/45.