A few years back, I picked up a Ruger LCP II in .380 ACP on the cheap for use as a very discreet carry gun.  It was my daily carry for a while until it was replaced with a compact 9mm handgun.  The LCP II had picked up a little surface rust on the extractor side, probably from some stray rain drops in the frequent FL thunderstorms.   This was cleaned off, and the LCP II had a light coat of oil on it to keep it rust free in storage.

Fast forward to last week - went to grab the LCP III and load it, but no joy.  Long story short, the extractor appears to be frozen in place and will not move.  No visible rust on the extractor, the spaces around it, or in the pin hole that is used to depress the extractor spring for maintenance.  I have soaked the extractor area in penetrating oil several times to no avail; the extractor is frozen and I cannot get it out or get it to move.  Incoming rounds cannot slip under the extractor and get fed into the chamber.  I suspect there is some hidden rust in the extractor spring channel and the plunger/spring are rusted in place.  Florida is rough on guns.

Questions:
1. Any other thoughts on possible steps to unfreeze the extractor?  Submerge it in penetrating oil overnight?
2. Since this is a relatively inexpensive firearm, I would rather not spend a bunch of money fixing it.  Does not seem reasonable to spend ~$100 at a gunsmith to fix a gun that only cost a tick over $200.  I have found a few replacement slides on line.  Can I swap them out myself or is fitting required?
3. If repair is not cost effective, can anyone recommend a suitable replacement of similar size?

Thanks!

Easiest way, call or email Ruger and send it back to them.

+1 Ruger will take care of you.

Call Ruger. They will take care of you.

River or Ruger...whatever it takes.

Get a dummy cartridge and keep trying to rack the slide and chamber it.  The repeated sharp impact on the extractor might get it freed up.

Soak the whole slide in some oil for a few days?

Eventually it should work its way into the extractor area and allow it to free up some.

Seeing a trend here.  I will call Ruger and send it in.  Hopefully shipping costs are sensible.  

Thanks!

Pull the extractor and clean it.  This is LCP, I assume LCP II is the same

Here is a video, it looks straight forward

Attached File


Penetrates to 1 millionth of an inch. Can’t hurt to give it a soak.

What part of Florida? If you’re nearby I could give it a squirt for you.

Call Ruger

They will most likely pay for shipping both ways and fix it.

I had my LCP Custom rear sight fly off and vanish lmao. They sent me a prepaid label and made thing rights in less than 2 weeks. It didn't cost me a penny really.

One other time My 1022 threads stripped out. Sent it back on their dime and got a brand new rifle.

My other experience was a 1022 where the trigger wasn't resetting

All 3 times they paid for shipping. Rugers CS is amazing and they take care of you even if YOU caused the issue.

Kroil is good stuff! If that doesn't do it then guess gotta ship it out.

Question when it comes back will they ship it to the house or have to go to a FFL?

Unless it's a new gun, they ship it back to your home

Tried that.  Cannot depress the extractor to get the plunger out of the way so I can remove the extractor; it is locked tight.  I am pretty handy and do most of my own gunsmithing, but this one is beyond my skill.

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If you ship ElsiePea naked, ie no factory box or case, you may get both back from Ruger.

Just get a hold of customer service and explain the issue. Don't tell them you left it exposed to rain and never cleaned it either

This or PB Blaster.  I know Ruger would be more than happy to repair it, but you can probably take care of it yourself in a few hours.

If ruger CS gives you no love, try gunbroker or eBay for a slide assembly.
Iirc they run $60-100.

Yep

If for some reason you don't want to send it in, use a brass punch and a small hammer and give the rear of the extractor a few taps to free it up.

Update for those still following:

Emailed Ruger customer support, got a response with a case number and a number to call.  Called Ruger a few days later.  Within five minutes, I had a pre-paid shipping label and an RMA for the pistol in my email inbox.  Shipped pistol 1/29, it arrived at the repair depot on 2/1, and it returned to me repaired today - 2/8.  Ruger replaced the slide and barrel assembly.  Total cost to me - $0.  

This is why I am a repeat Ruger customer.

Thanks for the update.

Ruger does have an excellent CS reputation for a reason.