I am considering purchase of a target 22 pistol. I have read that the Ruger's are a good choice. Would I want a Mark II or Mark III gun? Also, I read that Rugers are a PITA to disassemble. How much trouble are they to take apart and reassemble? Thank you.
Ruger competition 22 pistols
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general consensus is the Mark III has too much added junk (loaded chamber indicator, redesigned mag release) that doesn't help the pistol.
Look for a Mark II Government Target model, those things are niiiice.
As with anything, practice will help to take it apart.
Look for a Mark II Government Target model, those things are niiiice.
As with anything, practice will help to take it apart.
Frankl03
Member
I have a Mk III Hunter, there are fixes for the added safety stuff (mag safety and loaded chamber indicator). I removed the mag safety on mine. The gun runs much better with out it.
Rimfire Central is a good resource should decide to get a MK III and want to make some changes.
Here's a link: http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/index.php
Dis-assembly and reassembly is not a big deal once you get it down.
Rimfire Central is a good resource should decide to get a MK III and want to make some changes.
Here's a link: http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/index.php
Dis-assembly and reassembly is not a big deal once you get it down.
Blue68f100
Member
The Ruger MK's is a very good pistol. There are so many models to choose from you may have a hard time deciding which one. I have the MKIII SS 6 7/8" Hunter model with a Mueller Quick Shot on mine. The flutted barrel lightens the end weight up and helps with ballance. Some do not like the light tube front sight or the V rear sight other wise know as dot the eye "i" sight on the Hunter model. It is slower to align up than a std sight. The lawyer junk (mag safety) added impacted the trigger. But it's easy to convert a MKIII back to the original MKII design. The LCI, I don't not see any use for it. It's not good practice to rely on telling you whether your gun is loaded or not. I use mine as time to detail clean indicator. When it starts sticking it causes stove pipes.
As far as detail cleaning the first time will be the worst and it gets better from there. It's the only gun I know that tells you to use a soft head hammer to take it apart. I use a 1# dead blow hammer on mine. There are several U-tube videos showing the process and also a step by step picture tutorial. http://www.guntalk-online.com/service.html. Once you've done it a few times it's second nature. Don't let the dis-assembly scare you away from a good rugged gun. Separating the upper from the lower will cause the two to get loose over time and can be tightend up if this happens. This does not impact accuracy since the sights/barrel are still one. It's just best only to do a detail clean when it's needed, every 2000 - 2500 rounds.
The MKII's have the heal release magazine but does not have the added lawyer junk. Some like the heal release others do not. There are still MKII's out there at a reasonable price if you look.
As far as detail cleaning the first time will be the worst and it gets better from there. It's the only gun I know that tells you to use a soft head hammer to take it apart. I use a 1# dead blow hammer on mine. There are several U-tube videos showing the process and also a step by step picture tutorial. http://www.guntalk-online.com/service.html. Once you've done it a few times it's second nature. Don't let the dis-assembly scare you away from a good rugged gun. Separating the upper from the lower will cause the two to get loose over time and can be tightend up if this happens. This does not impact accuracy since the sights/barrel are still one. It's just best only to do a detail clean when it's needed, every 2000 - 2500 rounds.
The MKII's have the heal release magazine but does not have the added lawyer junk. Some like the heal release others do not. There are still MKII's out there at a reasonable price if you look.
I've owned my Ruger MK1 sinse 1976.Its a little tricky to take apart but read the owners manual and you'll get it right.The pistol is very accurate and points perfect with a nice trigger.I put walnut target grips on mine.Buy one and have fun. biker
Red Cent
Member
The Mark III has the controls in the correct place. 1911. All of the Marks will fit a 1911 holster limited by the barrel or optics.
There are a number of video and picture tutorials that explains the takedown of the Marks. I use a mallet made out of a piece of 2X4 and a dowel rod.
The LCI can be removed and replaced with a part from different vendors.
The magazine disconnect can be fixed with an appropriate washer or two. And a Mark II hammer bushing will accomplish the same. It will improve the trigger.
I have a 5.5" MkIII Government Target model with all the above done. Ain't as complicated and time consuming as it sounds.
Or buy a very nice used MkII.
There are a number of video and picture tutorials that explains the takedown of the Marks. I use a mallet made out of a piece of 2X4 and a dowel rod.
The LCI can be removed and replaced with a part from different vendors.
The magazine disconnect can be fixed with an appropriate washer or two. And a Mark II hammer bushing will accomplish the same. It will improve the trigger.
I have a 5.5" MkIII Government Target model with all the above done. Ain't as complicated and time consuming as it sounds.
Or buy a very nice used MkII.
I have a MK II Gov Competition. I bought it used with a 2x Leupold scope installed for $500 out the door a couple years back. Since then I've put around 30k rounds through it, and God knows how many the previous owner did. Off a bench it will still shoot a 3.5" group at 100 yards on a calm day, and I bet with more magnification I could shrink that.
They are great pistols. Consider getting the Volquartzen accurizing kit. The reduced pre- and over-travel and lightened trigger pull really do help in fast off-hand precision shooting.
They are great pistols. Consider getting the Volquartzen accurizing kit. The reduced pre- and over-travel and lightened trigger pull really do help in fast off-hand precision shooting.
Ok I've put a BUNCH of rounds through a MKII and I am the owner of a new MKIII.
1. They are not that hard to take apart. When they are new, the guns are still and you may need a punch and mallet to get the frame pin out, but they loosen up over time. They are not that hard to assemble either, you just need to remember to point the muzzle up when you put the mainspring back in.
2. IMHO, the MK2 and MK3 are about the same in terms of pro's and con's. I used a MKII hammer bushing to remove the magazine disconnect safety on the MKIII. The MKIII has a magazine release button which is in a better position than the MKII which has a latch at the bottom of the grip. On the MK2 I installed an extended mag release to make that easier. The MKIII has a loaded chamber indicator (LCI) and while some people do not like it (you can get a filler piece to remove it), I actually REALLY like the LCI because it quickly tells me in competition if I am DEFINITELY loaded or not without having to slide the bolt back slightly. Sometimes the MK pistols will not pick up the first round when you slingshot the bolt with certain mags/ammos.
3. I also put in a VQ trigger kit and VQ extractor in the MKIII. I am not very mechanical, but I was able to do all of this work on my own.
4. These pistols are very reliable and very accurate. You can't go wrong with one.
Don't be afraid of the MK's; they are not that hard to take apart and put back together. The first time will take you a little bit; it took me about two hours trying to figure out the 'tilt the muzzle up' part. But I can strip a loose MKII or MKIII and put it back together again in under a minute. Its really easy once they loosen up.
Finally, RimFireCentral is THE place for these types of questions. The guys over there have forgotten more about the MK pistols than you'll ever know.
1. They are not that hard to take apart. When they are new, the guns are still and you may need a punch and mallet to get the frame pin out, but they loosen up over time. They are not that hard to assemble either, you just need to remember to point the muzzle up when you put the mainspring back in.
2. IMHO, the MK2 and MK3 are about the same in terms of pro's and con's. I used a MKII hammer bushing to remove the magazine disconnect safety on the MKIII. The MKIII has a magazine release button which is in a better position than the MKII which has a latch at the bottom of the grip. On the MK2 I installed an extended mag release to make that easier. The MKIII has a loaded chamber indicator (LCI) and while some people do not like it (you can get a filler piece to remove it), I actually REALLY like the LCI because it quickly tells me in competition if I am DEFINITELY loaded or not without having to slide the bolt back slightly. Sometimes the MK pistols will not pick up the first round when you slingshot the bolt with certain mags/ammos.
3. I also put in a VQ trigger kit and VQ extractor in the MKIII. I am not very mechanical, but I was able to do all of this work on my own.
4. These pistols are very reliable and very accurate. You can't go wrong with one.
Don't be afraid of the MK's; they are not that hard to take apart and put back together. The first time will take you a little bit; it took me about two hours trying to figure out the 'tilt the muzzle up' part. But I can strip a loose MKII or MKIII and put it back together again in under a minute. Its really easy once they loosen up.
Finally, RimFireCentral is THE place for these types of questions. The guys over there have forgotten more about the MK pistols than you'll ever know.
Just get a MKIII and you can easily remove the LCI and magazine disconnect if you desire. Disassembly isn't that big a deal if you follow directions and removing the mag disconnect helps a lot. You don't have to clean it until you start to have problems which might be a couple thousand rounds.
I have a MKIII678 and recommend the 6 7/8" barrel for a longer sight radius, and more FPS to knock down metal targets. Buy a deluxe model that has an adjustable rear sight and is drilled and tapped for a scope base that is included. A Ruger .22 with a red dot scope is a nifty setup.
http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=10
I have a MKIII678 and recommend the 6 7/8" barrel for a longer sight radius, and more FPS to knock down metal targets. Buy a deluxe model that has an adjustable rear sight and is drilled and tapped for a scope base that is included. A Ruger .22 with a red dot scope is a nifty setup.
http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=10
todd_g
Member
Ruger MK's are awesome pistols, we had an MKII standard hidden away in my mothers closet in the late 70's and mid 80's. When I was a young boy I used to buy a couple boxes of 22lr for 50 cents per and sneak the gun out a lot to the back woods and do a little plinking, mom never knew. Years later I left for Corps and my little brother did the same thing during his youth. That pistol never saw a cleaning. When I was about 35 my mother pulled the yellow cardboard Ruger box out of the closet and gave it to me, it had a good bit of surface rust on it but it still fired just fine that day, man I love that pistol.
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