Ruger Mark II 50th Anniversary

T

toolmaan

New member
I recently got through a trade deal a new never fired in the box Ruger Mark II anniversary edition. Man this is a sweet looking gun. I was looking for a Ruger Mark series pistol because I was able to shoot a couple of different ones awhile back and they are the best shooting .22 pistol I have ever shot.
I was not looking for a brand new one it kinda fell in my lap. Now I am at a dilemma, so do I keep it as a safe queen and never shoot it and look for another, or do I just shoot it and enjoy it? Is it worth more unfired? I have no plans to sell but you never know.
 
Unless it is a limited production run... I doubt it will be worth much more than a standard version set up in a similar maner. Unfired will mean a high side of used sale price... Fired will be dependent on condition.

So you don't really gain much by not firing it unless it is limited production. Too many of them will exist for it to fetch pricing due to scarcity. As someone who babies their firearms can have a fired example in very good shape, and there will be many like that.
 
I bought mine new in June '99 for $239.95. I have been shooting it since I first took it home. I take good care of it and don't put it in a holster or bang it around, but I shoot it. So, it's a shooter that I take care of like a safe queen.

It depends on what will give you the most satisfaction - using it for what it's intended for, or showing it off as unfired condition. I have seen them offered for sale as high as $650 and I saw one last year at a gun show for $250, unfired. They seem to be easy to find around $300.

This one is mine and it's not going anywhere until it passes to my daughter. Congratulations on getting one of the most fun to shoot pistols ever made.

Here is a photo with an older MK I Standard, which ironically is probably worth more than as much as the 50th Anniversary.

Edit: I took this photo about 10 years ago and forgot which pistols I had posed. Didn't look at it too closely before posting and incorrectly recalled it was my MK I. Thanks Wil for clarifying, sorry for the confusion!

Rugermkiii.jpg
 
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Ruger MK II

I bought my Mark II over 20 years ago. Still my favorite .22
I have the blued version with 4" bull barrel. They are classics.
 
I would consider keeping it in it's unfired condition and buying another used mark II to shoot. I would think 25 years from now an unfired 50th anniversary will be worth a fair amount more than a regular used mark II. It might only be $100 or $200 more... but everyone likes the mark II and an unfired 50th anniversary could only go up in value over the years.
 
They weren't really a limited edition. An unfired one might be worth more in the future, but not much more than an unfired non 50th.

Either way, you're not going to put your kid though college with it. I'd probably just take good care of it. I wouldn't take it out on the trapline or anything, but I'd shoot it.

Word of warning. If you're going to keep it in that nice plastic box, keep something between the gun and the box. That plastic box can damage the finish where it rubs the gun, if you don't. I used to just put a piece of paper towel between them. Ruger puts them in a plastic bag when they ship them, but they also cover them with grease.
 
The Ruger MKII 50tH YEAR COMMEMORATIVE 22 PISTOL is pehaps the finest singular group/lot of their 22 pistols ever manufactured by SR&INC. BOth of mine are superb even if I did have to pay $159.00 and the other $194.00. the first one has 20,000 rounds through it, the second 300 so far.
The SR&INC 6" pistol in the photo above is NOT---NOT!!!---a MKI, it is a regular good ol' SR&INC STANDARD model 22 pistol and both of mine, an original and a MKII 6", are among the best 22 pistols I ever shot, and both shot dead-on-the-sights out to fifty meters. Won a LOT of money with 'em and sold the original for what I'd paid for it brand new in 1962, $37.50.
 
According to the Fjestad Blue Book, there were at least 35,000 of the MK 50th Anniversary Models produced in 1999; The FBB values one in 100% condition at $350. That's only a general guide, and some sell for more or less in different parts of the country. Fjestad says the MSRP was $287

The guy who bought it originally for $287 and sold it for $350 may think he's made money, but hasn't. To buy something today that cost $287 in 1999, you'd have to shell out $407 in today's dollars, all other things being equal. (That's according the the government's CPI inflation calculator which is based on actual, observed inflation -- but probably, because of how they calculate [which changes] is low.) That model and most other handguns, haven't really even kept up with inflation. Inflation sucks.

(If you, like WIL TERRY, above, spent $194 to buy yours in 1999, you'd have to sell it for $267 today to just break even in terms of "buying power.")

It's hard to say with certainty whether the value of that model will increase over time but generally, except for very special guns (and guns generally produced in much lower numbers), you're probably better off buying a couple of mutual fund shares as an investment.

I'd shoot/use it....
 
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According to the Fjestad Blue Book, there were at least 35,000 of the MK 50th Anniversary Models produced in 1999; The FBB values one in 100% condition at $350. That's only a general guide, and some sell for more or less in different parts of the country. Fjestad says the MSRP was $287

The guy who bought it originally for $287 and sold it for $350 may think he's made money, but hasn't. To buy something today that cost $287 in 1999, you'd have to shell out $407 in today's dollars, all other things being equal. (That's according the the government's CPI inflation calculator which is based on actual, observed inflation -- but probably, because of how they calculate [which changes] is low.) That model and most other handguns, haven't really even kept up with inflation. Inflation sucks.

(If you, like WIL TERRY, above, spent $194 to buy yours in 1999, you'd have to sell it for $267 today to just break even in terms of "buying power.")

It's hard to say with certainty whether the value of that model will increase over time but generally, except for very special guns (and guns generally produced in much lower numbers), you're probably better off buying a couple of mutual fund shares as an investment.
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Great points.
 
Every dog deserves on good bight !!!

They weren't really a limited edition. An unfired one might be worth more in the future, but not much more than an unfired non 50th.
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True !!!
It will be a long time before these are worth that much more than the standard. It will make a difference, just not much. ... ;)
Suggest;
If you have another, shoot that and if you don't, go ahead and shoot it at least one mag full. .... ;)

Enjoy and;
Be Safe !!!
 
Well, despite my previous post... I can't argue with Walt Sherrill. I wouldn't expect that you would make enough money on it in the future that you would have a good reason to not shoot it now. But I still like the idea of hanging on to it unfired, simply because one day there wont be many left in that condition, and that just gives it a factor of cool that I think is really neat. :cool: to me it would be like owning a gen 2 Glock 17 that was never fired and still new in the box... I guess I just have a soft spot for old stuff that is still new, even if it's not particularly valuable. You could really make someone's Christmas with something like that!:)
 
mellow_c said:
... But I still like the idea of hanging on to it unfired, simply because one day there wont be many left in that condition, and that just gives it a factor of cool that I think is really neat.
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I can understand and appreciate that reasoning.

I have a S&W Model 17 in it's original box with papers. Never fired, with just a light ring barely visible on the cylinder from working the action. It's gorgeous. I also have what appears to be an unfired Nylon 66 that is as bright and shiney as a new penny; no original box. Not a scratch to be seen. I'd love to shoot them both, and may eventually do just that.

I doubt that I can live long enough to make them paying investments, and I suspect anyone who inherits them will have different values and priorities.

There is a sort of value associated with having an unfired (semi-collectible) gun, but there's a similar value associated with having a well-maintained gun that still looks and shoots well, but that you can use at the range and let friends shoot, too. Bragging rights come in different forms.:rolleyes: Otherwise, it seems a bit like having a library of fine collectible books, that you don't dare open or read. I guess that's why I generally buy paperbacks.

Those two guns are still in my gun safe, but... It's a hard choice.
 
Well I haven't shot it yet and now that it is hunting season I really doubt I get it out in the next month or so. I am on the lookout for another if I find one great if not I plan on breaking this one in. Thanks for the input!
 
Shoot it. I don't see Mark IIs ever becoming very collectible, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Ruger makes good firearms for shooting, but I don't see any of the Ruger models becoming highly collectible.
 
If it's never sold, or traded what difference does a few $$$ in price make?
The value is in having a gun you enjoy using.
Shoot, and enjoy! :D
 
A few years back, I was looking for a standard MKIII but had to settle for a MKIII Target with the bull barrel. Can't speak about MKIIs but my MKIII is one of the best 22 pistols I've ever shot - very accurate and no problems with it at all. Unfortunately, it's remained "parked" the last couple of years due to the shortage and/or price of 22 ammo. I really have never heard anyone who has owned a MKI, II or III who was dissatisfied with it. I think Ruger did a great job with those models. Enjoy your new one! It will certainly last you a lifetime and probably a few more! Enjoy! :)
 
... I really have never heard anyone who has owned a MKI, II or III who was dissatisfied with it.
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I have, but mostly because the difficulty they hand in reassembling the gun after field stripping and cleaning. Once you've learned the trick (getting that hammer strut right), it's easy. Some people never learn. Several dealers I've talked with says they come back to the shop in pieces, for reassembly, with some frequency.

I had a long-barreled stainless, slab-sided Government model. It was beautiful and shot well.. but I traded it for a Witness Sport Long Slide (.45) after I got a CZ Kadet Kit to go with my CZs. The Kadet Kit shot right with the Government model when mounted on my 85 Combat. I still have a blued MKII with the 6" barrel, however.
 
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