Two MkIIs

[John_R]

I still don't have any Mk II's (it's IMHO the best of the series though)

As someone who is thinking of acquiring a Mark of some sort, what makes the Mk II the best?

 

[mgmorden]

As someone who is thinking of acquiring a Mark of some sort, what makes the Mk II the best?

Both the Mark 1 and Mark 2 are pre lawyer features, but the Mark 2 adds last round hold open which IMHO is a welcome feature.

I don't find the reassembly nearly as bad as it's made out to be so the Mark 4's easier takedown isn't that much of an attraction. Plus you can get a speed strip kit that allows for pretty quick disassembly if it really bothers you.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Both the Mark 1 and Mark 2 are pre lawyer features, but the Mark 2 adds last round hold open which IMHO is a welcome feature.

I don't find the reassembly nearly as bad as it's made out to be so the Mark 4's easier takedown isn't that much of an attraction. Plus you can get a speed strip kit that allows for pretty quick disassembly if it really bothers you.

One of my friends stopped by a little earlier. While we were shooting the bull in my shop he said he was fed up with trying to get his MkII back together. I pulled a MkII out of the safe and showed him how to take it apart and put it back together. He was amazing at how easy it was after I showed him how.

 

[Rockyriver]

I had one Mark II.
I had several Mark III’s and wanted all the mags to be the same.
I sold the Mark II to my nephew.
It irk’ed me everytime i grabbed the wrong mag for either of the Marks. So one series of Mark had to go.
Now i own several Mark IV’s with Volquartson trigger kits installed and i have found pure perfection.
The only thing making me keep the Mark III hunter i own is sentimental value from killing so many coons and opussums with it.
But since buying the Mark IV’s i can’t even imagine going back to an older version of the Mark’s.

 

[bannockburn]

John_R

Had quite a few Standard (also referred to as the Mk.I), and Mk.II Rugers, usually with the 5 1/2" bull barrel. Liked the bolt hold open device on the Mk.II and when I came across a limited edition model with it's polished blued finish receiver and it's polished stainless steel grip frame I knew I had to have it. If I were starting over again I would most likely get a new Mk.IV Target with my favorite barrel length and all stainless steel construction.

 

[Kookla]

Just picked up a Mark II, 6 7/8" target (tapered bull) and what look like nice walnut aftermarket target grips (thumbrest- just pulled them and they are Eagle grips) for a hair over $240 out the door. Years ago I had a Mark II with a 5 1/4" tapered bull barrel that I traded in an all too often moment of stupidity.

 

[bannockburn]

Kookla

Nice find and at a great price! Had a couple of Mk.II Target models over the years with the 6 7/8" tapered barrel. Both were decent enough guns but just always found myself gravitating back to my favorite 5 1/2" bull barrel model.

 

[Kookla]

Bannock, thanks. The manager behind the counter gave me a surprise discount- very cool of him to do so, wasn't expecting it. Have been going to that store for about 20 years- good people there.

There were a couple of other Mark II's there, one with the 5 1/2" bull(think it was a MkII), and one Standard model where the previous owner put a set of adjustable sights on it. That one called me pretty hard, but in the end I went with the one I did and was happy.

One thing about the Ruger Mark series- I can't really think of another firearm off the top of my head that are as classy, durable, reliable and affordable as these pistols. They are world class pistols that are within reach of most.

 

[AlexanderA]

As someone who is thinking of acquiring a Mark of some sort, what makes the Mk II the best?

It was the last version before the misbegotten magazine disconnect. Partly as the result of that, the Mark II has a better trigger pull out of the box than the later Marks. However, there's a lot of backwards compatibility in the series, and, for example, you can easily take a Mark IV (with its easier takedown) and retrofit it with a Mark II hammer, sear, etc. Besides that, there's a whole cottage industry with aftermarket parts. People tend to buy the latest version and then remove the lawyer-mandated parts.

 

[bannockburn]

Kookla

Back in the day High Standard .22s and the S&W Model 41 pretty much ruled the roost when it came to competition target shooting around where I lived at the time. Nice guns and all but way out of my price range and so the Ruger Mk.II Target models made for a very good choice with their decent triggers right out of the box, adjustable rear sight, quality construction; all at a very reasonable price.