From Russ Chastain,
Your Guide to Hunting / Shooting.
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"Hello Russ,
"I have always admired the Ruger 44 carbine and have a question about it. When I stripped it down & cleaned it, everything went back together fine but to get the action to fit back into the stock there is a preload, that is I have to push the action down and fit the barrel band. If i let it go the action & barrel spring up out of the stock a small amount, is this normal?"

A. Howdy,

No, that doesn't sound right. Check the hooked lug at the rear of the receiver which engages with the metal receptacle on the stock. Make sure that it and the hole in the metal piece that it mates with are both free of obstructions. There may be a burr someplace, or some wood shavings behind the receptacle piece or something like that. It's also possible that the receptacle was installed improperly at the factory. Stranger things have happened with Rugers.

Also, as general 44 carbine advice, keep an eye out for sloppy-fitting pins - sometimes they will walk sideways out of their holes in the receiver, and can hose your stock if you try to cram the action into the stock with a pin hanging out to one side. I speak from experience.

Once the action is in the stock, the stock itself acts as retainer for pins by keeping them from moving sideways.

You might just be able to "play with" the engagement between the receiver and the receptacle and get it right. Sometimes it takes a bit of wiggling to get it lined up just right.

Also, the action should be locked open while you are putting it into the stock. Take care not to release it early! Allowing the action to slam shut when the gun's not loaded is bad for the gun (as it is for amy semi-auto), not to mention being bad for fingers that get caught by slamming bolts and such.

Good luck. If it proves to be too much trouble, you can always send it to me and I promise to give it a loving home!

-Russ Chastain