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How to remove a Mark I muzzle brake?

2K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  SGW Gunsmith 
#1 ·
As mentioned in previous happy post, I scored a Mark I with muzzle brake. Before I crank down on a 56yr old part that probably has never been removed, do I just twist it off or do I remove that steel pin first?

Just curious, as I want to accuracy test it with and w/o the brake (I'm told it may negatively affects accuracy of these. Although since the front sight is on the brake I may have a tough time testing it w/o it!)
 

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#3 ·
All depends on how it was installed in the first place. I've seen them sweat soldered in place and then pinned. I can see the pin but then if the soldering was well done it would not show either. I'd leave it in place but then that's NOT your plan or you wouldn't be asking.

Again, I don't see any reason to try removing the Brake and I can see a real good reason not to. You could damage the gun very easily.
 
#5 ·
Bob, if you really feel that you want to remove the muzzle brake, I would first suggest you soak that end of the barrel in "Kroil", for at least over-night. This is some really excellent penetrating oil, and if the verbiage on the can is to be believed, it's supposed to be able to leech into gaps as small as 2-millionths of an inch. How do they measure that? Got me!
Those muzzle brakes, at least those that I've actually seen installed, are a very tight fit, so once you drift the front sight "blade" cross-pin out of place, it make take a bit of controlled application of a copper, or brass, punch to get that brake moving forward. I've never encountered one that was hard, or soft, soldered in place, but if that truly is the case, you should be able to see a silver ring around the rear end of the brake where it meets the outside diameter of the barrel.
 
#7 ·
Thank you for the tip. I'm gonna shoot it on Wednesday, reclean everything and decide then. Last thing I want to do is screw up the gun, so we'll see. To my eye, I can't see it soldered on....don't these screw on?
No, the top of the barrel band is in the way for that sort of attachment. They actually slide on, with a rather close fit, and then, as has been posted above, the sight blade pin is what helps keep it in place.
 
#9 ·
I don't know about that one but the ones I've seen either were held in place with a pair of Allen Screws OR sweat soldered in place with maybe a pin. If the soldering was well done then I doubt you'll be able to see it.
You realise we're discussing the Ruger muzzle brakes here? The muzzle brakes were sold as an option, a separate entity that the owner could install by removing the front sight blade by drifting the sight blade pin out. Then the muzzle brake was installed by sliding it onto the front end of the barrel and then the sight blade and sight blade pin were re-installed. Fairly easy and adequate procedure.
I have never seen a Ruger pistol with the factory muzzle brake attached with two screws or soldered in place from the factory, or by any owner I've dealt with over the years.
I have pretty much ALL of the reference books available on the Ruger Mark pistols, and every one of those reference books denote that "muzzle brakes were NOT installed at the factory". That action would make the barrel length too long for the shipping boxes if the brake would have been attached. If the brake was ordered with the pistol, it was included in the box, but in its own box.

If anyone has pictures that show the Ruger "factory" muzzle brakes attached in a different manner than what I've described........PLEASE, post those up here.
 
#13 ·
:yeahthat: That's pretty much the same process that I've used over the years to get that brake off so it can have the carbon and lead cleaned from it more easily. It's meant to be a tight fit so that it aligns properly with the bore line.

It will be interesting to see how your test "with & without" turns out to be. I'm thinking the difference will be nil, but that's the sort of experimentation I like to do also.
 
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