Got out with the Mark 2 today

I have a 4 5/8” Standard, a Mk II Govt Model Target 6.5”BB, and a Mk IV that came with a 10” BB.

The Standard is a good gun, the fixed sights are super simple and the gun is reliable. As the others said the bolt closes on the last round, and the original mag is a 9-rounder, other than that it shoots as smoothly as my Mk II does.

The Mk II is a great gun, super accurate and recoil-free. The trigger is very nice, the weight and balance of the 6.5” bull barrel is easy to handle and the sight picture is very crisp.

Both of the above have the heel magazine release, which isn’t that big a deal for me as these aren’t combat guns. They are a PITA for me to take down for a thorough cleaning. (Others may find them easy.)

The Mk IV needed help out of the box. The trigger was not as nice as either of the others, so Volquartsen parts went in and now it is better than the other two. It has the thumb magazine release, but I have thumb rest grips on the gun so it is difficult to use without moving my hand to hit the button.

Best part of the Mk IV is I have three upper units, the original 10” and two 5.5” that I got from Volquartsen for cheap. One 5.5” wears a red dot, the other is open sighted. Takedown for cleaning, or an upper swap, takes about 30 seconds.

(I do not have any experience with a Mk III, so I can’t comment on those compared to the others. )

The Mk series, IMHO, is a great .22 auto no matter what version. Each have plusses and minuses, and their cheerleaders and detractors, so it really is a subjective thing between the various versions that affects each shooter as individuals.

Stay safe.
 
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James K2020 said:
Would the Ruger experts go for a nice used Mark II over a NIB Mark IV? Have several Ruger wheel guns that I like very much but no autos. Have a Buckmark, Woodsman, and a couple of Hi-Standards. Should get a Ruger too, just don't know which is the right one.
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Bone stock? Yes.

Of my 4, my "beater" Mk2 gets shot the most, but my '76 Mk1 is my favorite. I can live without the LRBHO and the release lever is a bit of a cludge, IMO- though you'll hopefully never really need to disassemble it.
 
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James K2020 said:
Would the Ruger experts go for a nice used Mark II over a NIB Mark IV? Have several Ruger wheel guns that I like very much but no autos. Have a Buckmark, Woodsman, and a couple of Hi-Standards. Should get a Ruger too, just don't know which is the right one.
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Not a Ruger expert here, but I'll say this: I like my Mark IVs a lot, but the Mark II is very popular among Mark enthusiasts, as far as I can tell.
 
I bought this KMK-514 (5¼" heavy tapered barrel) in Jan of 1990 and have since shot about a million rounds through it (ok, I'm exaggerating but not by that much)

20220715_161958.jpg
Supposed to have been a limited run of this barrel configuration for a firearm retailer like Lipseys or something like that (memory is a little fuzzy on a name)

Even have the plain cardboard shipping box that the Ruger box was in.

To say this thing is a tackdriver is an understatement; back in my prime I could regularly put 9 out of 10 Remington Thunderbolts on a paper plate standing at 100 yards.

Never gonna sell this one.
 
Y-T71 said:
I bought this KMK-514 (5¼" heavy tapered barrel) in Jan of 1990 and have since shot about a million rounds through it (ok, I'm exaggerating but not by that much)

View attachment 1202058
Supposed to have been a limited run of this barrel configuration for a firearm retailer like Lipseys or something like that (memory is a little fuzzy on a name)

Even have the plain cardboard shipping box that the Ruger box was in.

To say this thing is a tackdriver is an understatement; back in my prime I could regularly put 9 out of 10 Remington Thunderbolts on a paper plate standing at 100 yards.

Never gonna sell this one.
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Very jealous. Heavy tapered barrel is on the top of my gun bucket list. Never seen a stainless one before.
 
I'm guessing 50/50 on RFC. Like seems to be about the same for each. Most MK II admirers point out a better trigger as being the main thing. I have a MK IV Target and can say that the factory trigger leaves a LOT lacking. A Volquartson trigger kit takes care of this. Some do not like the trigger curvature and substitute a Kidd trigger to be happy. I am one who likes the Volquartson trigger and wouldn't think of changing. Some much more expensive guns than the Ruger may be just a tiny bit more accurate but I would bet the average shooter will never notice the difference.
 
After I bought my Mark 2 I never had a need to look for a better 22 caliber pistol. They stainless models are pretty rugged. I've gotten them wet and frozen and beat them up in ATV compartments. Sights have never had to be adjusted.

205LPtpl.jpg
 
doubleh said:
I have a MK IV Target and can say that the factory trigger leaves a LOT lacking. A Volquartson trigger kit takes care of this.
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In this design, the trigger does not directly release the hammer. There's a linkage bar between the trigger and the sear. The sear / hammer interface is the all-important factor influencing the trigger pull.

The trigger itself is of secondary importance. Reasons for replacing the trigger are reducing the wiggle (side-to-side play), possibly a nicer aesthetic profile, and possibly adding a backlash adjusting screw. None of these things will actually reduce the weight of the trigger pull.

The most cost-effective modification is to remove the magazine disconnect assembly, while at the same time installing an aftermarket sear (the Volquartsen one is available separately) and a Mark II hammer.
 
AlexanderA said:
In this design, the trigger does not directly release the hammer. There's a linkage bar between the trigger and the sear. The sear / hammer interface is the all-important factor influencing the trigger pull.

The trigger itself is of secondary importance. Reasons for replacing the trigger are reducing the wiggle (side-to-side play), possibly a nicer aesthetic profile, and possibly adding a backlash adjusting screw. None of these things will actually reduce the weight of the trigger pull.

The most cost-effective modification is to remove the magazine disconnect assembly, while at the same time installing an aftermarket sear (the Volquartsen one is available separately) and a Mark II hammer.
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The Voquartson kit does all that with one small bag of parts. At the time I did mine it cost $85 with free shipping. I am quite happy with my 2# trigger with no side slop or overtravel. I am not highly concerned with how the hammer is released, only that it is a light and smooth system.. I did my MK III with hunting up separate parts including a Volquartson sear. Less money but much more time spent searching for parts and having to pay shipping. It is as good as my MK IV.
 
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The factory MKIV triggers are trash. It's frustrating paying for an already relatively expensive 22LR and then having to drop another $150 in innards to make it shootable. Sometimes I wish I hadn't cut my teeth on a Ruger Mark gun and wax nostogically when I hold and shoot mine...

Rodfac said:
I'm not a fan of Ruger triggers as a general rule
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zeke said:
Like my Mark IV's better, but only after replacing the triggers. Just as accurate, and SO much easier to reassemble for this old boy.
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doubleh said:
I have a MK IV Target and can say that the factory trigger leaves a LOT lacking.
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Ruger MKIV Hunter 221022.jpg



The Victory out of the box experience is superb...no need to spend more money for a shootable trigger.
LV Gun said:
but have thought about getting the new Ruger Mark 4 Competition model. A friend of mine told me to get the S&W Victory don’t know much about them.
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Not an expert, but I do have a skinny/pencil barrel MK3. Here are some of the things that are derided about it compared to the MK2, to my knowledge:

° Mag disconnect affects trigger; can be addressed somewhat with aftermarket​
° Mag release is the wrong style​
° The Dreaded LCI​

MK4 is regarded to largely have the same issues - but at least has the easy takedown...



I suspect these things wouldn't matter to the average casual user, especially if they knew absolutely nothing about the MK2. Mine shoots better than I do.
 
Don't know anything about the Victory except I see quite a few problems with them posted on that 22 rimfire forum. One that stands out in my mind is titled "Why does the Victory hate us so much?". My personal opinion is that I don't care for it's grips and there is little or nothing to be done about it.

I am quite pleased with both my MK III and IV after the addition of Volquartson trigger parts. The LCI is said to be problematic with the III. If mine ever does act up I will simply replace it.
 
My old mk2. I've shot it enough that the bolt stop pin broke. It was originally a government target model with the 6 and 7/8ths barrel with adjustable sights. Several shooters complained that it was too heavy. So I got the tactical solutions upper for it. I have to say it balances better now. Next up it will get an RDS. Old eyes and irons are not a match made in heaven. 20240401_194502.jpg 20240401_194455.jpg
 
doubleh said:
The LCI is said to be problematic with the III. If mine ever does act up I will simply replace it.
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The original LCI for the Mark III was a safety issue -- a sharp blow on it could set off a round. Ruger issued a recall and replaced the original LCI with a design that wouldn't transmit the blow. Still ugly and unnecessary. It's telling that this feature was not included in the Mark IV.

I replaced the LCI on mine with a sleek filler piece. I got the filler piece from Bruce Patza over on RimfireCentral.com. Later, Volquartsen also made them, but I understand they're now discontinued. You can find them on ebay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/324492023234

DSC_0206a.jpg
 
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A big mystery about the Marks III and IV is the hump on the back of the trigger. This engages a slot on the top front of the magazine, and as far as I can tell, raises the magazine as the trigger is pulled, if the magazine is not fully seated. This, needless to say, has a detrimental effect on the trigger pull. The question is, why?
 
AlexanderA said:
The original LCI for the Mark III was a safety issue -- a sharp blow on it could set off a round. Ruger issued a recall and replaced the original LCI with a design that wouldn't transmit the blow. Still ugly and unnecessary. It's telling that this feature was not included in the Mark IV.

I replaced the LCI on mine with a sleek filler piece. I got the filler piece from Bruce Patza over on RimfireCentral.com. Later, Volquartsen also made them, but I understand they're now discontinued. You can find them on ebay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/324492023234

View attachment 1202783
Click to expand...

My III is one of the very last ones made. The LCI has never been a problem and I don't even notice it. The gun is a range toy, loaded, shot till empty each time until finished with it, and then put away. If the LCI ever breaks or causes a problem then I will replace it.
 
i replaced my mark 2 with a mark 4 competition last summer. overall, i liked the mark 4 though the trigger felt "floppy" on reset. the target grips looked great but not so good for 2 handed shooting. the right safety lever hits my knuckle. i replaced the grips with a hogue rubber grip, put in a volquartsen accurizing kit and took off the right safety. the extractor slot got a chip after slingshotting it to test for function after replacing the extractor. it is mild and doesn't affect function. i have a red dot mount available but it shoots well right now i am holding off on it. i had no problems with the mark 2 but i always disliked the heel release and i only disassembled it once and did my cleaning with otis pullthrough patches and a boresnake and a toothbrush for the boltface. the mark 4 is so much easier to clean. 20230630_072834.jpg 20240405_083033.jpg here's before and after.
 
I've had atleast ten of the mark 2s.
I kept two of them, a stainless 10 inch and the identical pistol the Op has pictured.
That is stainless as well.
I gave a stainless ten inch mark 2 to my oldest son a few years ago.
They are built like a tank.
 
Recently acquired Mark II SST slabside and am bidding on the extra mongo Mark II 10" bull barrel... Odd and unusual for the win...
 
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