Last shot hold open Ruger mk1

B

Buzzard Bait

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Is it possible and or practical to convert a mk1 Ruger to have the last shot hold open of the mk. 2 ? I saw a article where some one had made a notched mag follower it seemed to work but was sort of Rube Goldberg can you convert to a more or less factory type set up? I have to admit I have never seen inside a mk 2

BB
 
I suspect the cost of the conversion will exceed the cost of a good MkII, even if it is possible. There is also the matter of how modifications diminish collector value.

The people to ask are gunsmiths who do such work.
 
Someone once made followers that held the bolt open when the last round was fired, but they never caught on. Like all other holdopens of that type, Unless the bolt is pulled back further and the safety holdopen engaged, the bolt will closed when the magazine is removed.

Installing a factory type holdopen on a Mk I might be possible, but would be too costly to be feasible, and (IMHO) there would be a considerable risk of ruining the gun.

Jim
 
From the Ruger Mark I Parts manual:
Note on older model Grip Frame and Magazine: The grip frame for all models of the Ruger Mark I .22 caliber pistol was changed in 1971. Grip frames produced prior to this change are part number “A-108”. These frames have a long slot on the right side of the frame (with pistol pointed in a firing position) to accommodate the magazine follower button. The frames produced after the change in 1971 are part number “A-100” and have the long slot on the left side of the frame.
Click to expand...

If your Mark I was made after 1971, it will fit, if before 1971, it will fit unless the magazine follower button is switched from one side to the other.
 
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Every once in a while I say something is not feasible, like making a blowback vest pocket pistol in .50 BMG, only to have someone tell me that he does it all the time. But, until I hear from someone who installs a bolt holdopen on those older guns at less than the cost of a new gun, I will continue to say it is not feasible.

Jim
 
It's been done

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/gunsmither/library/MKI%20Hold%20Open?sort=3&page=1

I did several of them for my own curiosity. They worked fine. One I copied Rugers method, and the other I made a simple spring to operate the hold open. The above photo's show what I did. Some other's have mentioned doing this too.

This link http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=527443 talks about it also.

If you can do the work yourself, it's feasible. To pay a gunsmith or machinist to do it would probably not be worth it.
 
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