MK 1 barrel repair

[X-Rap]

Can a ruger MK 1 barrel be unscrewed from the reciever? My dad has had the inevitable happen when you buy, sell, and trade a lot of guns, he got smoked.
The gun is in very good shape but the roll pin holding the firing pin was not in place and the over travel has hammered a nice notch in the top of the chamber. The gun will not cycle and blows a hole in the case where the pin hits.
I guess I want to know if the notch can be welded up and the chamber cleaned of burrs and put it back in business. It seems the work would be easier if the barrel could be unscrewed.

 

[Sheldon]

Clark Custom Guns and Volquartsen both can swap the barrel out so I do know it's possible, but I haven't heard of home gunsmith's doing it. I know it is on there really tight and a proper fitting fixture is needed to prevent torquing the receiver tube. Clark Custom sells the take-off barrels for conversions they do on factory guns, so you can get a replacement barrel cheap enough. They currently charge $125 labor to do a barrel swap on your pistol. The added shipping charges really makes it not worth the while in my book for the Rugers as a nice used one can still be bought relatively cheap when compared to the costs of having a barrel swap done for you.

Here's the link to the take-off parts page of Clark Custom:
http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/takeoffs.htm

 

[oldgold]

Menck Chamber Ironing Tool 22 Rimfire #777-754

Midwayusa.com

Might be worth a try. It's meant for the problem you have..>$25

 

[X-Rap]

I checked the chamber tool and I don't think it will do. This has a real gouge take out and god knows how many times the hammer has struck the pin with nothing to stop it but the rim of shell and edge of chamber. I will take it to the local smith and see what he says, maybe it is a cnadidate for a .17 barrel. What do you folks have to say about that conversion?

 

[Owen]

i agree with X-rap. if the gouge is deep enough to cause case ruptures and punctures, then its probably too deep to be ironed out. it's amazing you can even get rounds to chamber

 

[Sunray]

"...if the notch can be welded up and the chamber cleaned of burrs and put it back in business..." No. The Menck Chamber Ironing Tool is for removing burrs caused by dry firing a .22. It won't fix a notch.
You're going to have to find a barrel. Ruger no longer has 'em for a Mk I. Gunparts doesn't have any either.
Clark or Volquartsen may be your best bet. Clark 5.5" blued Bull barrel with a front sight runs $200. Without the sight it's $150. These are Walther premium barrels. .22 LR only.
Volquartsen starts at $267.90.

 

[FN5.7shooter]

Ruger MK barrels are on very tight and take special tools to screw in or out. To unscrew the barrel you need some special tools. First the reciever must not be bent during barrel removal so an action wrench that is made just to properly support the reciever is about 150.00. Next would be a good barrel vise you don't care about the barrel coming off but you don't want to bugger up the replacement. The vise on the barrel must be hell for tight I use a 10 ton press to clamp mine. You will be clamping a tapered barrel so a custom oak insert for the barrel vise is needed. Barrel vise 80.00 and an afternoon with some wood files. Next you will be wanting to put on the new barrel. I have purchased used take off barrels from Clark when they have them they are a great source. There ain't a big cheap source for new barrels because you can see this barrel changing is getting very expensive for the DIYer. On the replacement barrel the shoulder that stops against the reciever must be timed even if just removing and replaceing the same barrel, the threads stretch, you will need a lathe your call but expect with tooling about 1800.00. You cut the shoulder back enough so that when it is as tight as you can get it, with a 3' solid bar extension on the action wrench you just purchased to do this one barrel, the front sight is 12:00 and the extraction notch is correct. Oh and just a little too much off the first time and you have to cut enough to come around again you can only do this about twice before the shoulder is gone and you need a another barrel.
Send it to Clark they are nice people and will put on a good stock barrel for as little as anyone.

 

[X-Rap]

So FN you are saying you would not recomend a repair to existing barrel? Our local smith down in the Grand Junction area has a pretty well equiped shop and I was headed to town tomorrow I will see if he has the proper tools. The .17 conversions are kind of interesting to, what do you think of them?

 

[FN5.7shooter]

If your going down that way why not get it checked by a smith. I paid a bunch for the tools but I already had a lathe and press. He will have a good barrel vise but I doubt he will have a action wrench and they are on tight. I can buy a factory barrel for 25.00 so it is worth it for me to buy a 4" gun and convert it to 7".
No .17 for me. To expensive I'll stick to 22lr.