I have one that has had 10 of thousands of rounds through it.For awhile it was my only 22 pistol. Like everyone else has said a bit of a pain in the butt to disassemble in the beginning but after a few times its easy. The trigger is also an issue. I had it worked on and its still not Target grade, although the gun can deliver some pretty impressive accuracy results with the right kind of ammo. If your looking for a plinker or General purpose 22 it will fill the role. If you want to compete or if accuracy is a priority to you then either get a 41 or get it worked on. Vosquartson does some nice work on these guns. I went with a nelson conversion on a worked on 1911 frame and now have a true target pistol with an outstanding trigger.but I can't depart with my Ruger. Looking to put a dot on it now to increase its versatility. Chances are your going to have more than one 22 pistol or even rifle. The caliber is addicting. Good Luck
Ruger mkll...yay or nay
- Thread starter Cowboyfromhell
- Start date
I too have a Mkll Standard with the skinny bbl. and really like it. It's heavy enough for stability while shooting but still light enough to carry all day long in an OWB holster. I also have a M41 Smith that I shot Bullseye competition during the late 70's through 1987. It was and still is, superbly accurate and with an outstanding trigger.
But I've got to say that for two-handed use I'm equally accurate with the Mkll Ruger as I am with the M41. Any .22 pistol I've owned over the years has preferences as to what brand of ammunition shoots the best. Both my Ruger Mkll and the M41 are no exception. For the Ruger, Federal Auto-Match is every bit as good as Eley or Wolf Match. Groups, two-handed from a rest are well below 1-1/2" at 25 yds. And that's the limit of my aging eyesight.
I'd say you're well served getting the Ruger for any thing except blue ribbon Bullseye matches where a better trigger would help with one-handed shooting.
YMMv, Rod
But I've got to say that for two-handed use I'm equally accurate with the Mkll Ruger as I am with the M41. Any .22 pistol I've owned over the years has preferences as to what brand of ammunition shoots the best. Both my Ruger Mkll and the M41 are no exception. For the Ruger, Federal Auto-Match is every bit as good as Eley or Wolf Match. Groups, two-handed from a rest are well below 1-1/2" at 25 yds. And that's the limit of my aging eyesight.
I'd say you're well served getting the Ruger for any thing except blue ribbon Bullseye matches where a better trigger would help with one-handed shooting.
YMMv, Rod
I got a Mk I in the early 80s, and 'fell into" a MK II a half dozen years later. THe Mk I has the long barrel and adj, sights, which I like, and the Mk II had a bull barrel which I didn't. I did like the slide stop of the Mk II (which the Mk I lacks) but not enough to keep the gun and traded it off after a while. Still have the Mk I and its not going anywhere.
As to the "too difficult" to take down and reassemble there is a very simple solution. Don't.
The Ruger Mark pistol can be cleaned and kept running for decades without any need to take it apart.
As to the "too difficult" to take down and reassemble there is a very simple solution. Don't.
The Ruger Mark pistol can be cleaned and kept running for decades without any need to take it apart.
Cheapshooter
New member
No "flaming" here! Truer words have never been spoken.
silvermane_1
New member
Buy it!
I have a Mark II - .22/45 with well in excess of 100,000 rounds through it n the first year I owned it.
Other than a very tiny wear mark it the muzzle, it looks like it's brand new.
I cleaned it after every session - took the magazines apart and cleaned them also.
The gun is still accurate & reliable.
My Mark II - "Slabside"...not so much. The safety broke, the firing pin spring is broken into two pieces and the extractor broke off - all within the first few months I owned it & at probably less than 2,000 rounds - if that.
The gun is still 100% functional though.
One of these days I'll contact Ruger and see what they can do about it.
Other than a very tiny wear mark it the muzzle, it looks like it's brand new.
I cleaned it after every session - took the magazines apart and cleaned them also.
The gun is still accurate & reliable.
My Mark II - "Slabside"...not so much. The safety broke, the firing pin spring is broken into two pieces and the extractor broke off - all within the first few months I owned it & at probably less than 2,000 rounds - if that.
The gun is still 100% functional though.
One of these days I'll contact Ruger and see what they can do about it.
I've had all the "Marks" at one time or another, but the Mark ll are the only ones I hang on to. I've had both the "Government" and the "Competition" slabside, but my best shooters tend to be the 5.5" bull barrel models, both the Target and the 22/45. They've all had VQ triggers and Williams Fire sights, and are a joy to shoot. And don't worry about assembly issues, as it's not all that hard once you get the process down.
SGW Gunsmith
Moderator
You won't regret that purchase. I have way more of the Mark II's than the Mark I, III, 22/45 and Mark IV pistols, mainly because there was more of a variety involved with that version.
The Mark IV seems to have satisfied those who didn't like the process involved with the dis and then re assembly process. If Ruger ever does go with a Mark V, it will hard to imagine what the upgrade would involve. Maybe laser guided bullets?
223 shooter
New member
Wow , that would be averaging over 1900 rounds a week! I thought I fired my 1994 MKII a lot within the first few years I had it - over 30,000 rounds - you left me in the dust!
Great advice. After a shoot, I hose mine down with some solvent, use a tooth brush to get at the obvious and easily accessed areas and wipe and blow off the excess; put a dab of lube on parts that run against each other and wipe it down with a preservative. I shoot the gun until the gook builds up enough to cause malfunctions (generally, this takes many hundreds of rounds using quality ammunition), at which time the pistol is field-stripped and given a more thorough cleaning.
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I've had every Mark except the Mk IV and after. I still have a MkII 22/45, 4 3/4" barrel. It likes Federal Am Eagle bulk the most, shoots it best and this is the cheaper LR Federal seems to have always offered.
I used to disassemble to clean it after every shoot but not any more. I will take a tooth type gun brush and clean the extractor, bolt face, etc. and wipe what I can without field stripping.
Massad Ayoob wrote in one of his books about a Ruger that I think was a Mark I, Standard, 6" that had over 10,000 rounds through her without ever being cleaned at all let alone field stripped! Hope someone can corroborate this.
I used to disassemble to clean it after every shoot but not any more. I will take a tooth type gun brush and clean the extractor, bolt face, etc. and wipe what I can without field stripping.
Massad Ayoob wrote in one of his books about a Ruger that I think was a Mark I, Standard, 6" that had over 10,000 rounds through her without ever being cleaned at all let alone field stripped! Hope someone can corroborate this.
Sorry, can't verify if Mas wrote about that, but it doesn't seem impossible, or even improbable.
I've had a Mk I Target (6 7/8" barrel adj sights) since about 1983, and the gun has been taken apart, twice. Once by me, when I was young and dumb(er) shortly after I got it, and once around 18 years ago, or so, by my (now ex-) son in law who borrowed it, and was expressly told NOT to take it apart. (that kind of behavior is one of the reasons he is now my ex-son-in-law, daughter finally wised up...
)I ran a Ruger 10/22 for over a decade, DELIBERATELY not cleaning it, more than I could wipe out with a patch on my finger. Never had any issues at all. When I did finally decide it needed a deep clean found powder residue 1/4" thick and more everywhere except where the bolt ran. And the bolt wasn't even getting "sluggish"...
Point here is that SPORTING firearms, which are not designed for constant stripping and reassembling simply shouldn't be. Nearly all can be kept clean enough to run well for generations, without being torn down for cleaning over and over.
Military arms, and those designed for such kind of use are another matter. The Ruger Mark series are not and were not designed for that. The Mark IV was redesigned to make stripping simpler, because of the fact that despite they fact that they don't need to, people are doing it anyway, and many have the thought in their heads to buy something they can do that to, so Ruger finally changed some things to make them more appealing to those people.
The rule for .22 pistol enthusiasts is that if you see a used Ruger Mark II, you BUY IT!
The Mark II lacks the Loaded Chamber Indicator that a lot of the fellows hate, and does not have a magazine well safety -- another feature of the Mark III that a lot of folks dislike. The early Mark IIs are not drilled and tapped for a picatinny rail; the later ones are.
My Mark II that I found on a consignment shelf. I immediately snapped it up and I've never regretted it.
The Mark II lacks the Loaded Chamber Indicator that a lot of the fellows hate, and does not have a magazine well safety -- another feature of the Mark III that a lot of folks dislike. The early Mark IIs are not drilled and tapped for a picatinny rail; the later ones are.
My Mark II that I found on a consignment shelf. I immediately snapped it up and I've never regretted it.
Schlitz 45
New member
I have zero experience with Mk3 & 4's but plenty with the old standard & MK II's. I currently only have one that I bought new & have done a few minor upgrades on & it's a great one for the field or range & has harvested a lot of cottontails & grouse over the years. I had a blued 10" bull barrel MkII that I let go & see they're commanding top dollar now if you even see one-like to get one again now.
I have a standard with a 4" barrel. It is an excellent shooter and very nice for just bumming around and plinking. As others have said, if you clean it without disassembly after every shooting session, it will shoot many hundreds or thousands of rounds before you need to field strip it.
My FiL has a Mark II with adjustable sights and a very long barrel... maybe around 8"? It is some kind of fancy model. The trigger is excellent and it's absurdly accurate. He bought it NiB in the mid or late 80's.
My FiL has a Mark II with adjustable sights and a very long barrel... maybe around 8"? It is some kind of fancy model. The trigger is excellent and it's absurdly accurate. He bought it NiB in the mid or late 80's.