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Ruger .44 Carbine Problem- Updated- See Post #17

RobertJ.

RobertJ.

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I recently inherited a Ruger .44 Carbine. It was made in 1964, and looked like it had been left outside all that time. Thankfully, the bore is good.

We recently went on vacation, and before we left, I took it to my LGS to have it dura-coated. After we got home, I went to retrieve it. It looks great, I couldn't be more pleased with how it looks. However, when the owner (who does all the work) re-assembled it, it cycled fine until he pulled the trigger to lower the hammer. Now the action won't open. The bolt will move backward not quite one-half inch and then stop. This also keeps the barreled action from being removed from the stock. I'm not holding the owner responsible, as I know these can be tricky to work on.

Does anyone here have any experience dealing with this problem? And, if I can't remedy it myself, can anyone recommend a good gunsmith who specializes in Ruger rifles?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 

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Ruger 44 mag carbine

The Ruger factory will not work on them any more. They say that they don't have anybody working for them that is old enough to remember how to work on them. True story!
 
It may be in the feed system. Maybe manipulating some of the parts in the loading port may unlock it.

An internet search may provide some answers.
 
6string said:
Why not just read the manual that Ruger has posted on their website???

Hope this helps!
Jim
Click to expand...


Thanks, but the manual doesn't state how to remove the barrel and action if the bolt can't be pulled to the rear.

The rifle is still at the shop, and the owner and I are both scouring the internet trying to figure this out. I'm most likely going to send it to some gunsmith who specializes in that particular rifle.
 
I haven't had to repair a Ruger 44 carbine but have had several apart for
failure to cycle. Always plugged up port or rusted up slide assembly. Since it functioned fine before trigger was pulled seems like a good chance it's the Lifter that is locking it up. I would push bolt all the way forward and hook carrier with a heavy piece of wire and pull it to low position and try to lift gun out of stock. There has to be a part protruding out of the trigger housing to prevent gun from being removed from stock. If it was mine I would remove stock bolt / block & barrel band and start holding the gun in different positions while thumping stock with heel of my hand. Not very technical but may work.
 
I haven't had a 44Carbine apart in ages. All I can think of is possibly the cross bolt safety is not in properly.
Does the Safety 'click' when pushed side to side and does the correct red colored ring show on the left side when the gun is 'off safe'?

Can you turn the safety/rotate it in the hole in the trigger group? You shouldn't be able to.

Another thought is the cartridge guide plate. Earlier guns have them, later don't. I don't know when they changed.

The guide is in the inside roof of the recv'r just behind the breech of the bbl. It does exctly what it says, guides the cartridge into the chamber by glancing the nose of the bullet downward and into the chamber.

Earliest guns have the part attached with 2 screws from outside the recv'r.
If the guide is loose, or the screws are the wrong one(s) and may be too long, the bolt may be hanging up on that.
The next generation of guide was attached by riviting it into position,,I think those guides are alloy instead of steel as in the early guides. Nothing to tighten or see from the outside of the gun.
The last generation rifles had a investment cast in-place guide.

Also try pushing the magazine follower back into the mag tube a ways hold it there and then pull the bolt open.
The follower may be hanging out of the tube a bit too far and interupting the carrier from functioning,,than also stops the bolt cycle function right there.

About all I can think of quickly..
 
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RobertJ. said:
I recently inherited a Ruger .44 Carbine. It was made in 1964, and looked like it had been left outside all that time. I took it to my LGS to have it dura-coated. * I'm not holding the owner responsible *, as I know these can be tricky to work on. help!
Click to expand...

WHY NOT hold the LGS owner responsible? :confused: Is he a gunsmith, or someone who does finishes? IF the gun was that bad off mechanically, why throw good money after bad & coating a gun that may be too far gone to ever work right? I THINK the honest thing for him to have done would be to tell you to check it out mechanically prior to spending more $ if he was not able to do so. Good luck. :) Pretty much everyone I know that owned one of those older carbines, loved them.
 
Whatever it is minor PIA. I wouldn't be sending it away any spending money on it. Take your time, look into loading port and see if you can spot a problem. Walk away from it for awhile. Use pop sickle sticks if you are going to do any prying. A vexing problem but I'm sure it's simple.
 
I’d guess that the rifle was re-assembled incorrectly. I would try to manually cock the hammer by going in thru the bolt handle cut in the receiver with a dental probe or thin bar of steel. If you can get the hammer cocked, you may be able to pull the bolt back and disassemble the rifle.

It’s a stab in the dark, but it’s worth a try. If you get it apart, follow the Gun Digest book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part IV to re-assemble it. I don’t know about current editions, but the 1980 edition covers the Ruger 44 Carbine. If you can’t locate a copy, PM me and I’ll scan and forward it.
 
nachogrande said:
WHY NOT hold the LGS owner responsible? :confused: Is he a gunsmith, or someone who does finishes?
Click to expand...

He isn't a gunsmith. He's a gun dealer who refinishes. It's not like he handed the gun back to me and told me it's not my problem now, he's pretty concerned about it, too. I've bought guns from this guy for ten years now, and I have a good relationship with him, and I trust him to help me make this right.
 
SEEMS TO ME

As him being a LGS owner I have to assume he has some gun experience. If the gun was in as bad a shape as you described, making sure it functioned BEFORE finishing it would seem to make sense. Was it working before he disassembled it? If he disassembled it, it should be HIS responsibility to re-assemble it correctly seeing as you are paying him to do a job. IF YOU told him to go ahead & do the work after he pointed that out, then that is on you. MAYBE it is a simple matter of not re-assembling it correctly, at least I hope so. It's a shame some people let guns get in extremely poor condition. I traveled almost 2 hours for a Winchester 94 XTR 22M & found it in a garage sitting in a puddle of transmission fluid covered in surface rust. Some people need a good slap upside the head. :confused:
 
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nachogrande said:
If the gun was in as bad a shape as you described, making sure it functioned BEFORE finishing it would seem to make sense.
Click to expand...

Yes, that would have been the wise thing to do!

This was my FIL's rifle, and all I know is that he killed an elk with it once. It never occurred to me that it might not work properly. Hindsight!

However, I'm pretty certain that it will be a functioning rifle once again. This is just a little hurdle.
 
Problem Found!

Okay, I finally found a decent gunsmith, and took the .44 Carbine to him. He lives in Tillamook (yes, the same place the ice cream is made) about an hour south of here.

He looked at it, and explained it was broken. The front flange on the trigger assembly had broken off, and it was his guess that it happened quite a while back. While it can be re-assembled like this, it keeps it from operating properly. The photo I included is somewhat blurry, but you get the idea.

So, now I'm going to patiently wait until I see an old style trigger assembly on ebay or at Gun Parts Corp.

I could sell it as parts to recoup the $125 I paid for the duracoat, but I'd rather just hang onto it for a future project, as it belonged my FIL. And they're just cool little rifles.

But next time I get an unfamiliar gun refinished, I'll shoot it first!
 

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Sorry that it’s a broken part after all. Maybe the part will show up somewhere. Like you said and you’re experiencing, parting it out is an option. I needed the stock after mine was crushed in shipment.
Good luck with it and I hope you get it shooting again!
 
I like your plan . A persistent search will turn up the part you need and then your 44 carbine will be back in shape.

I used the net to locate a trigger guard assembly for a 20 ga. High Standard Flite King Deluxe Pump . My uncle gave me the old gun with the cracked trigger guard and I loved it , the walnut stock and fore end were too beautiful not to repair .... a bit of poking around and I found one . Put the old trigger assembly in the new trigger guard and we had the lovely lady functional again. My favorite shotgun bar none .
Gary
 
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