2) Remove the magazine from the pistol and release the bolt by pulling it
back and releasing it (using the bolt stop to release it may eventually
wear it to the point of it not locking the bolt back). Now point the
pistol in a safe direction and pull the trigger (dry fire is ok with
this pistol, even without a snap cap, according to Ruger). The main
spring housing will not come out if the pistol remains cocked, so you
must pull the trigger.
3) I use a large paper clip to catch the point on the main spring housing
(a screw driver may also be used but could slip off and scratch the gun).
Pull out the pointed tab on the rear of the main spring housing.
This unlocks the bottom of it. Then swing out the housing, and
pull it down. The grip shown in the pic to pull it down will
give you good leverage for stubborn (new) ones that may be tight.
If it still refuses to budge, pick it up and go to a wood counter
and while pulling, push on the top button (red arrow) to help get it out.
4) Now you can slide the receiver forward and off the frame. On new guns
this may be tight but will loosen up. If it is tight it may require you
to support the rear of the receiver (be careful if you point the gun up
the bolt may fall right out, you may want to remove it first) and tap on
the front of the frame with a rubber or wooden mallet, although I can
generally do it on mine with just forward pressure with my thumb (like
in the pic) and pulling on the barrel with my other hand.
5) Now slide the bolt back and out of the receiver.
Inserting the On Target
Guns trigger shield
(On target has gone out of business, but people have made similar shields from soda or beer cans)
6) With the receiver off, start the tabbed end of the shield into the opening
forward of the chamber on the underside of the receiver. With a twisting
motion insert it all the way insuring that the rear of it sits flush on the
receiver (the extra crease in mine is from my first try of inserting it
incorrectly). I had to bend back the tab that goes into the mag slot a
bit as shown in the pic to get the top portion to stay flush with the
receiver during assembly. When assembling the receiver and frame slide
the bottom tab into the mag well and make sure that the top portion
stays flush with the receiver.
7) First make sure you still have this pin in place in the bolt (red arrow)!!
It is the firing pin stop pin and if the pistol is fired without it, it
will damage your receiver. Now slide the bolt into the receiver making
sure it goes all the way in.
8) Slide the bolt into the receiver making
sure it goes all the way in.
9) Now place the receiver on top of the frame and slide the receiver to the
rear. If it is tight you may need to use the rubber mallet again to get
it fully locked into place.
10) This is how the hammer, hammer strut and main spring fit together in the gun
(first pic). Notice that the strut goes into the cup in the main spring
housing.
11) Look at the hammer and hammer strut from the back of the pistol. The
hammer is probably still in the cocked position and the strut resting on
the cross pin (as in the first pic). With the barrel of the
pistol pointed down pull the trigger and with a small screwdriver push
the hammer forward. If your hammer is forward the hammer strut will be
above that little cross pin. It may also just fall forward with gravity
if you hold it barrel down and pull the trigger.
12) With the barrel still pointing down now insert the main spring housing and
push it up locking it into place. If it does not want to go all the way
up into place wiggle things around a bit (push the bolt forward a bit)
and push kinda hard, it will pop into place, and should be sticking up
like a button above the top of the receiver when it is in all the way.
If it refuseses to go up remove it and make sure that the hammer strut
is out of the way.
13)
Now to get that hammer strut to engage the main spring housing correctly
you have to point the barrel in the air. This causes the hammer strut to
rest on the main spring housing (red arrow). If when you point the pistol
straight up, the hammer strut does not fall and come to rest on the main
spring housing, you will have to stick something up in there and pull the
hammer strut down (it might stick or something, a dental pic or small
screw driver works well).
Now swing the main spring housing
closed and there should be some spring tension (you can press it in and it
will go flush but pop back up when you release pressure) just before it goes
flush with
the grip (second pic). If it goes completely flush with the grip(third pic)
the hammer strut
is not engaging the spring housing correctly. Swing the main spring housing
out and point
it up and close it again to try to line everything up.
Then slide the locking tab up on the main spring and you are done!!
Pull back on the bolt, let it slide forward, while pointing in a safe
direction, pull the trigger and you should hear/feel the click.
