357smallbore
Member
I own what I believe is Rugers best semi-auto in a .22 lr. As for the MK series, I certainly believe it's the best. The MK II does have one flaw. It's not the easiest to take down and clean.
Ruger MKII vs all other MK's
- Thread starter 357smallbore
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357smallbore
Member
Mine is the 6in govt.
nettlle
Contributing Member
I have a MKII stainless target. As good as it gets. Never really understood why such a fuss on taking the MKII's down for cleaning. They are not all that hard to clean.
ColtPythonElite
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- Jan 8, 2011
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- 10,473
A MKII is very easy to break down and reassemble once you learn the proper angle of the dangle of the hammer strut .
bannockburn
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- Apr 24, 2007
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- 26,297
Love my MK.II and while I can see the ease of taking down the Mk.IV I still wouldn't trade my Mk.II for any other Ruger Mk. .22 pistol.
nettlle
Contributing Member
Ease of cleaning is pretty low on my priority list when it comes to purchasing a gun.
edwardware
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- Feb 23, 2010
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- 4,424
I like my MkIIs, and wouldn't trade for any of the newer models as they're answers to questions I didn't ask.
Reading the directions, just once, is all that's necessary. Once you notice the hammer strut, assembly is trivial.
Reading the directions, just once, is all that's necessary. Once you notice the hammer strut, assembly is trivial.
I recently installed one of these Hammer Support Systems (HSS) in both of my MKII's. It is a great idea and I don't have to find a pick to dislodge the hammer strut when it gets stuck behind the sear spring pin. Even so, getting that hammer strut to align with the mainspring is a frustrating trial and error process.The disassembly sequence on a Ruger MKI, MKII, or MKIII is blind. You cannot see the direction to drift the barrel off and if you don't do it often, you forget. The bolt stop pin on the mainspring housing is always difficult to insert, I have had to use rubber face mallets to get the thing going. Then of course, getting the hammer strut to align, and it is blind as you close the mainspring housing, is very frustrating. It is try, try, again.
My S&W M46 is so much easier to disassemble and reassemble.
Just today at a match, I talked to a gentleman about how I installed a Volquartsen trigger in my Mk II's. I recommended that he lay a large white sheet on the ground and sit down over the sheet, not stand over the sheet, to completely disassemble a Ruger MKII. I also mentioned I held my MkII's over a 12 inch square magnetic plate as I disassembled and assembled the things. I could not have re assembled the pistols without You Tube. I watched this video.
The basic purpose of the white sheet was to reveal the springs that take off, and by sitting on the ground, they don't fly as far if you were standing up. I had already lost the safety indent on my stainless MKII. I was surprised to find that Ruger did not make that a captive unit and I have no idea where the thing went. This was before the white sheet idea. Luckily I found an indent ball bearing that fit and I am using that. But there are several parts that take off, being over a large white sheet helped find them, and many times they fell into the magnetic tray after shaking the lower housing. In many way, a detail strip below a field strip is a three or more hand exercise. I think it took at least three hours the first time to install a Volquartsen trigger. I was much faster installing the Volquartsen trigger, sear, hammer set, but the time it took still was in hours. I had much trouble with my extended Volquarsten safety, the safety plunger would not go in by itself. The safety hole has sharp coroners and the plunger was squared edged also. Pressing in the hammer pin caused the safety to move out of position and eject the plunger and spring. Very frustrating.
I don't recommend the Volquartsen hammer and sear if you already have a good factory trigger. I have creep in mine, and I spent hours taking the thing out, reducing the sear notch, and reinstalling. I finally got so tired and frustrated that I just accepted a little creep. The factory hammer and sear surfaces on my stainless MKII give me a crisper trigger than the Volquartsen set I installed in the other MKII.
The Volquartsen trigger with its adjustable take up and over travel is a winner though. So is the extended safety and the extended magazine release.
The Volquartsen grips are deeply beveled and the extended magazine release makes it very easy to release the magazine.
The MKIII was such an abomination that Ruger finally had to do a redesign. Having a magazine disconnect when you have to pull the trigger multiple times to get that stupid hammer strutt to move forward made for a very poor and confusing reassembly procedure. The early chamber indicator was positively dangerous and caused malfunctions. It rested directly on the rim, if you dropped the pistol on the indicator the force to the rim would/could cause the round to fire. And then, the indicator would knock the fired round off the bolt face, as the bolt went rear ward, causing multiple stove pipe malfunctions in each magazine. Ruger did something to the chamber indicator, but if you notice, all the additional parts of the MKIII make the reassembly much more difficult in the attached video.
My Buds who have MKIV's are very happy. I don't have one and probably won't. Based on what users tell me, it is a better mousetrap.
AlexanderA
Member
I have all the Marks -- I, II, III, and IV. Each iteration had improvements over the previous one, but, especially in the Marks III and IV, each also had some steps backwards. The beauty of the Ruger design is that you can substitute earlier parts, and aftermarket parts, to correct the deficiencies. Delete the magazine disconnect and tune up the trigger, and then the Mark IV is probably the best of the lot.
mgmorden
Member
I don't have a Mk II but I do have a Mk I so same takedown, and honestly it's never bothered me. After you do it a few times it isn't bad at all, and honestly it's not like you're doing it "on the clock" where it needs to be fast anyways.
To me though I like my Mk I, the MK II is indeed the peak of Ruger's .22 pistol series. It's basically just the MK I with a bolt hold open feature added (and 1 more round in the magazine, though you can just use MK II mags in the MK I and get the same capacity).
The Mk III added too many lawyer features and the MK IV still has the magazine disconnect (and though the easier takedown may be nice, I think the required modifications to the frame make it look a little uglier).
To me though I like my Mk I, the MK II is indeed the peak of Ruger's .22 pistol series. It's basically just the MK I with a bolt hold open feature added (and 1 more round in the magazine, though you can just use MK II mags in the MK I and get the same capacity).
The Mk III added too many lawyer features and the MK IV still has the magazine disconnect (and though the easier takedown may be nice, I think the required modifications to the frame make it look a little uglier).
whatnickname
Member
Agree completely. Hold the barrel up at 45 degrees with the hammer forward against the bolt and pivot the take-down assembly into the grip frame. You will feel the strut compress the hammer spring as you push in on the take-down assembly. Then close the latch lever. Really pretty simple. I never have understood what all the whining has been about.
Armored farmer
Member
I had never considered a gun as a wedding gift, but it's an interesting idea.
Duster340
Member
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2015
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- 850
Yep, my groomsmen were also my hunting, shooting and fishing buddies. They all chipped in and gave it to my wife and I at the rehearsal dinner. Probably the only gift we still have and use! LOL!
Armored farmer
Member
Every household should have one!
ThomasT
Member
bought my first Ruger auto used way back in early 1982. It was my first auto pistol and only the fifth handun I owned. No internet way back then. I studied it for a couple of minutes and then had it apart. Putting it back together did take me a couple of minutes longer but I figured it out. I never have understood all the puzzlement about such a simple design?
MedWheeler
Member
A Mk-II Standard (4.75-inch tapered barrel, fixed sights) was my second handgun, purchased new in 1987 just weeks after learning how expensive my first handgun, a revolver in .357, was to feed. I still have it, and have never "taken it down" for cleaning.
I also have a second now, a 5.5-inch Target model but, admittedly, I have yet to shoot it.
I also have a second now, a 5.5-inch Target model but, admittedly, I have yet to shoot it.
SwampWolf
Member
I think it should be noted, it's not necessary to field-strip the Ruger .22 auto every time you shoot it; no matter the "Mark" status. I'm an old-time Bullseye shooter and I never stripped any of my Ruger .22 auto pistols until they started to function less than completely reliably-generally, at the 800 to 1,000 round count. Too, you can get to a lot of nooks and crannies in these pistols without having to gut them completely for cleaning.
Garandimal
member
AlexanderA
Member
The magazine disconnect is one of the things that causes the atrocious out-of-the-box trigger pull on Mark III and IV pistols. It also complicates disassembly.
I am happy with the trigger on mine.
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