I had pretty much unlimited access to a pair of MKII's, so held off on buying mine for a long time. When I learned of the pending release of the MKIII and how they were loading it with lawyer features, I quit procrastinating and ordered one of the last 5.5" stainless MKII bull barrels ever made. I put a SERIOUS dent in a box of Federal Auto Match with it last weekend.
I don't think Bill Ruger gets enough credit for some of the stuff he created - ESPECIALLY these things.
I'll never sneeze at a MKI, but yeah, the last shot hold-open is nice to both prevent dry fires and to simulate the big bore guns that have that feature. It's the ONLY thing lacking on my Winchester 63 - which I had to replace a broken firing pin on as soon as I got it home - - probably due to dry firing on the nonexistent 11th round. Nice thing about the Ruger firing pins though - where the Winchester firing pin is kind of like a needle, the one on the MKI/MKII kinda resemble a telephone pole.
I agree that last shot hold-open is absolutely a nice to have but I’ve never heard or experienced any firing pin damage with a Mark I and if it does happen there are scads of replacements out there. Like I said both of these were buying opportunities I could just not pass up and the timing was incredibly good so here we are 😁
That's SOOO nice!!! Great score! Love its "Luger-ish" (or "Nambu-ish" if you prefer) classic looks; and with current ammo prices & availability a .22LR is an excellent training tool, specially if it runs ok with any kind of ammo as these are supposed to. My MkIII works even with the crappy Winchester 333 or 555 rounds without a hiccup.
Have you checked the manufacturing date? will it need some upgrade like maybe an aftermarket sear to improve the trigger? will you keep it "as is" or already thinking about maybe a nice set of grips?
Mec-Gar does make excellent magazines. If they were able to build a 100% functional Luger one, they can make anything.
Just yesterday another friend of mine scored a mint-in-box pre-war Colt Police Positive Special, in .38 Special and with a 6" barrel (apparently quite uncommon; surfed the web for one like it and all those I could find in that caliber were 4" barreled ones). It even had inside the original cardboard box the factory test target & cleaning rod!.....Hope it will sooner or later "rain in my backyard" too!
Range test for that Ruger is mandatory.
The one I have is probably the most realizable feeding .22 handgun I own. it will absolutely eat ANYTHING I feed it, kind of like my son was at 12. 🤣
Wish I could say that of things like my Kimber .22 conversion that is wickedly accurate but defines finicky. I expect the “new” one to be the same. Oh well...
im leaving these the way the factory made them. They were born in 80-81 and before the lawyers got to the trigger fitters. They are SWEET! At some point I MIGHT a upgrade the triggers with units with over travel adjustment but really, I don’t need to.
BTW there is a mint 6” Colt Police positive nearby that has been getting a lot of attention from.... well... me 😁
my bet is that in his younger days Mr GunNut was in love with every pretty girl in sight. Ahh now it’s classic guns. Last week it was the WC 1911 the week before the SW 22 revolver. This week a vintage Ruger. Such a philanderer! But have to concede exquisite taste!
my bet is that in his younger days Mr GunNut was in love with every pretty girl in sight. Ahh now it’s classic guns. Last week it was the WC 1911 the week before the SW 22 revolver. This week a vintage Ruger. Such a philanderer! But have to concede exquisite taste!
Thank you! Not really in love that much but I did leave a trail of “exes” before I met my wife. I like variety and I bore easily.
Since I now have to stick to one girl I told her I will have as many guns as I can before I’m gone. Just like the old girlfriends some stay, some leave quickly, some stay only for a while. It’s all good. Unlike women guns don’t get jealous of each other and the wife approves...
I can agree that a guy has to hold onto something new and exciting once and a while. Guns are a good outlet if one is looking to avoid divorce. And if you have good in-laws its all easier.
I'm getting off track
For what it's worth, I have a old Colt Police Positive Special in the .38 spec caliber with the mundane 4" bbl. Cool little gun. Cant help but feel that if I was a police officer I'd feel a bit undergunned, even it the context of a more subdued era in their time of service. Smooooth trigger, terrible grips.
Formerly known as SmithCorona03A3, back in the old forum days
I can agree that a guy has to hold onto something new and exciting once and a while. Guns are a good outlet if one is looking to avoid divorce. And if you have good in-laws its all easier.
I'm getting off track
For what it's worth, I have a old Colt Police Positive Special in the .38 spec caliber with the mundane 4" bbl. Cool little gun. Cant help but feel that if I was a police officer I'd feel a bit undergunned, even it the context of a more subdued era in their time of service. Smooooth trigger, terrible grips.
I agree that last shot hold-open is absolutely a nice to have but I’ve never heard or experienced any firing pin damage with a Mark I and if it does happen there are scads of replacements out there. Like I said both of these were buying opportunities I could just not pass up and the timing was incredibly good so here we are 😁
I've got my share of MKI nostalgia too. My Grandma lived ultra-rural and needed a house gun of some kind. For a long time, she had an OLD top-break .38 S&W. Ammo for that was tough to find - but us kids didn't properly appreciate that and burned through more than was prudent, THEN she eventually got to the point where hand strength was a real issue for everything. My folks and I had moved out of state and I'd grown up by the time Dad's old friend got her hooked up with the MKI - a much better piece for her situation.
As the gun shop employee in the family at that time, it came down to me on my visits back to educate various family members on proper hammer strut alignment during reassembly. Good times!
I agree that last shot hold-open is absolutely a nice to have but I’ve never heard or experienced any firing pin damage with a Mark I and if it does happen there are scads of replacements out there. Like I said both of these were buying opportunities I could just not pass up and the timing was incredibly good so here we are 😁
I've got my share of MKI nostalgia too. My Grandma lived ultra-rural and needed a house gun of some kind. For a long time, she had an OLD top-break .38 S&W. Ammo for that was tough to find - but us kids didn't properly appreciate that and burned through more than was prudent, THEN she eventually got to the point where hand strength was a real issue for everything. My folks and I had moved out of state and I'd grown up by the time Dad's old friend got her hooked up with the MKI - a much better piece for her situation.
As the gun shop employee in the family at that time, it came down to me on my visits back to educate various family members on proper hammer strut alignment during reassembly. Good times!
Yeah that's a joy...
Hell I KNOW how to get it done and I still find myself cursing ol' Bill under my breath just a bit...
I've got my share of MKI nostalgia too. My Grandma lived ultra-rural and needed a house gun of some kind. . .
As the gun shop employee in the family at that time, it came down to me on my visits back to educate various family members on proper hammer strut alignment during reassembly. Good times!
Yeah that's a joy...
Hell I KNOW how to get it done and I still find myself cursing ol' Bill under my breath just a bit...
The way my goofy brain works:
"NASA rejected the Ruger .22 autoloader during the Space Force sidearm trials, stating that, "You need gravity to put it back together. We don't have that where we're going" ":D
Once I figured out that the dangly thing was a hammer strut and the gizmo in the backstrap held the mainspring that pushes on it, it got A LOT easier for me to visualize what needed to happen during reassembly.
I guess that's the one area where Bill fell short, but it's certainly not the only case of a brilliant engineer overestimating the end-user's ability to figure their design out. Bolt removal of a Winchester 52, for example. . .
I've got my share of MKI nostalgia too. My Grandma lived ultra-rural and needed a house gun of some kind. . .
As the gun shop employee in the family at that time, it came down to me on my visits back to educate various family members on proper hammer strut alignment during reassembly. Good times!
Yeah that's a joy...
Hell I KNOW how to get it done and I still find myself cursing ol' Bill under my breath just a bit...
The way my goofy brain works:
"NASA rejected the Ruger .22 autoloader during the Space Force sidearm trials, stating that, "You need gravity to put it back together. We don't have that where we're going" ":D
Once I figured out that the dangly thing was a hammer strut and the gizmo in the backstrap held the mainspring that pushes on it, it got A LOT easier for me to visualize what needed to happen during reassembly.
I guess that's the one area where Bill fell short, but it's certainly not the only case of a brilliant engineer overestimating the end-user's ability to figure their design out. Bolt removal of a Winchester 52, for example. . .
I love the NASA reference 😁 and you are correct with the key to the whole thing. Not a hard thing to do once you wrap your head around how it works but damn Bill 🤬
At least in my pre-A Winchester 52 removing the bolt isn't difficult at all. Just press the trigger hard while opening the action and pulling it rearwards and out it comes. Dunno if in later models it's more difficult to do this.
Now, taking it apart is another matter. Had to check a YouTube tutorial to learn how to do it and without a small thin washer or coin, a brass punch of the proper size and maybe a 3rd. hand or a vise to grab the bolt, it's quite a feat.
That's why I took apart my MkIII bolt only twice: For a proper cleaning/lubing after I got it from former owner and then to install an aftermarket seat to improve the trigger pull. Also needed A LOT of patience and checking a handful of video tutorials to do it properly before tossing the darned thing into the toilet!!
Never again. For cleaning I use plastic and metal dental picks to reach all possible nooks & crannies, and lots of oil and solvent. So far after 5 years of this it hasn't showed any issues at all.
I think the Ruger Mark pistols were the real reason they invented spray cleaners. Take the grips off, spray the crap out of them until brake cleaner runs clear, let it dry, lubricate and put it away in quiet shame...
I take mine down every 600 rounds for a good cleaning - and about half the time I *still* have to consult a webpage to get it back together. I'm getting better at it, but I'm a long way from being able to do it blindfolded. Heck, I even made myself a special tool that helps (some).
-Zorba, "The Veiled Male"
"If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
I take mine down every 600 rounds for a good cleaning - and about half the time I *still* have to consult a webpage to get it back together. I'm getting better at it, but I'm a long way from being able to do it blindfolded. Heck, I even made myself a special tool that helps (some).
I take mine down every 600 rounds for a good cleaning - and about half the time I *still* have to consult a webpage to get it back together. I'm getting better at it, but I'm a long way from being able to do it blindfolded. Heck, I even made myself a special tool that helps (some).
What kind of tool? Picture?
Nothing complicated - just removed part of the handle of a small Wiha flat-blade screwdriver to give it a somewhat longer shaft... Anything similar would do...
I use it to seat the hammer strut pin that goes up through the bottom of the receiver as seen in this picture that took me 1.2 forevers to find!
I also use a commercial tool, called a "Pistol Pal" to aid in disassembly. Neither tool is absolutely essential, but makes things a bit easier for me...
-Zorba, "The Veiled Male"
"If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
I think the Ruger Mark pistols were the real reason they invented spray cleaners. Take the grips off, spray the crap out of them until brake cleaner runs clear, let it dry, lubricate and put it away in quiet shame...
Lord knows I have done that before
Logistics cannot win a war, but its absence or inadequacy can cause defeat. FM100-5
At the time, I could *NOT* get that darn pin to go in, so the ability to drift it in with a few light taps was fantastic. Now that the gun is good and broken in, maybe its not needed as much...
-Zorba, "The Veiled Male"
"If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
Replies
Wish I could say that of things like my Kimber .22 conversion that is wickedly accurate but defines finicky. I expect the “new” one to be the same. Oh well...
im leaving these the way the factory made them. They were born in 80-81 and before the lawyers got to the trigger fitters. They are SWEET! At some point I MIGHT a upgrade the triggers with units with over travel adjustment but really, I don’t need to.
BTW there is a mint 6” Colt Police positive nearby that has been getting a lot of attention from.... well... me 😁
Since I now have to stick to one girl I told her I will have as many guns as I can before I’m gone. Just like the old girlfriends some stay, some leave quickly, some stay only for a while. It’s all good. Unlike women guns don’t get jealous of each other and the wife approves...
I'm getting off track
For what it's worth, I have a old Colt Police Positive Special in the .38 spec caliber with the mundane 4" bbl. Cool little gun. Cant help but feel that if I was a police officer I'd feel a bit undergunned, even it the context of a more subdued era in their time of service. Smooooth trigger, terrible grips.
As the gun shop employee in the family at that time, it came down to me on my visits back to educate various family members on proper hammer strut alignment during reassembly. Good times!
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
Hell I KNOW how to get it done and I still find myself cursing ol' Bill under my breath just a bit...
He asked me several years ago to clean it. I can't seem to remember to give it back to him.😎
"NASA rejected the Ruger .22 autoloader during the Space Force sidearm trials, stating that, "You need gravity to put it back together. We don't have that where we're going" ":D
Once I figured out that the dangly thing was a hammer strut and the gizmo in the backstrap held the mainspring that pushes on it, it got A LOT easier for me to visualize what needed to happen during reassembly.
I guess that's the one area where Bill fell short, but it's certainly not the only case of a brilliant engineer overestimating the end-user's ability to figure their design out. Bolt removal of a Winchester 52, for example. . .
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee