[DontShootMe]

Hi there! I recently bought a used Ruger MK II stainless target pistol, and I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction to learn the takedown/reassembly of this thing.

There seems to be a lever on the back of the grip, but it doesn't move with ease, and I surely dont want to break anything.

any suggestions?

thanks in advance... :D

[Dorrin79]

do a search - some idiot (er, me!) couldn't figure out how to reassemble his MKII and several people posted helpful links and hints.

:o

but you're on the right track - that lever should be pulled down, then you can remove the MSH, then the bolt, then the barrel from the frame.

Putting it back together is a PITA, I've found, but is doable as long as you're patient

Good luck!

:cool:

[Chugach]

Go here, and download the instruction manual!

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/SE-InstructManualsP.html

[Meowhead]

www.ontargetguns.com has some notes on the Ruger Mk.II. Their very useful guide to field stripping and reassembling the gun is located here: http://www.ontargetguns.com/rtips.html

Hope this helps.

[DontShootMe]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

:D

[Sunray]

Those things are a nightmare to work on. Once you do get it apart there is no guarantee you'll be able put it together again. The posted article is good. Except when he says use a mallet, he should have said a great big mallet. And if that doesn't work get a bigger one. Cause it doesn't just slide off. You have to hammer it off and back on again.

[10-Ring]

It's really not bad once you learn the process & then can do it a few times...it's just the first couple times that are really frustrating. I learned how to take down my Ruger by asking an old timer at the range. after he was through laughing at me, he taught me step by step how to do it :) The online instructions will avoid all the embarassment! ;)

[AZ Jeff]

Disassembly is pretty straightforward, and Ruger's instructions are clear enough, but bear repeating:
1. Be sure pistol is unloaded, and magazine is removed.

2. Dry fire pistol while pointed in safe direction.

3. On the backstrap of the grip frame, there is a small lever in a recess. Using a fingernail, paperclip, etc., pull this lever all the way out, like unfolding a jackknife. This unlatches the mainspring housing.

4. Pivot the mainspring housing out of the frame. The mainstpring housing is attached to the bolt stop pin in the upper revceiver. Pull DOWN on the mainspring housing to remove the bolt stop pin in the receiver.

5. Pull the bolt out of the rear of the receiver.

6. Push the barrel/receiver assembly forward on the grip frame, and lift the assembly off.

Here is MY method for reassembling a Ruger .22 auto (all models). I find it EASIER for a newbie to follow this method that the arcane instructions in the Ruger factory manual:

Here is what I do:
1. Reinstall bolt into receiver while receiver is off frame.

2. Pull trigger, and manually pull hammer up to it's "Fired" position, with it's front face vertical and perpendicular to the top of the grip frame. (Sear pressure on front of hammer should keep it in place pretty securely, once you release the trigger.)

Now that you have the hammer in the "fired" position, DO NOT TOUCH THE TRIGGER until the pistol is reassembled. It's key that the hammer must stay in this "fired" position for the following steps. If you end up touching the trigger, the sear pressure against the hammer will be lost, and the hammer may move to the "cocked" position.

3. Hold grip frame with magazine opening facing down. Carefully lower barrel/receiver assy (with bolt installed) over hammer and onto grip frame. The slot in the bottom of the bolt should be guided down over the hammer. Push rearward to lock barrel/receiver assy onto lug in front of grip frame in the normal manner. DO NOT allow hammer to be bumped back to "cocked" position while doing this. If it does, go back to step 2.

4. Place pistol on it's side, with mag opening nearest yourself, and barrel pointing right or left, parallel to the width of your torso. Install the boltstop pin (attached to mainspring housing) all the way up into receiver while keeping pistol oriented this way.

5. With bolt stop pin fully inserted, but mainspring housing fully pivoted OUT of the grip frame, flip the pistol so the grip frame is facing with the magazine opening UP. (Basically you are rotating the pistol about the axis of the barrel, moving the mag opening from towards your chest, to straight up.) The pistol should now be upside down, facing sideways in front of you.

6. While holding the pistol upside down and sideways across you, tip the muzzle slightly UPWARD (no more than 30 degrees should do it). Holding in this position, close the mainspring housing.

Check for proper operation by pulling the bolt back. If it goes all the way back you did it right. If not, take it apart and do it again.

The whole objective of orienting the pistol in the ways I do in the steps above is to keep the hammer uncocked at all times. Doing that keeps the hammer strut free to flop over to join the mainspring housing when you close it.

Most persons get bamboozled when the hammer strut gets stuck behind the pin in the frame, and won't flop out to join the mainspring housing. The only way the strut will get stuck like that is if the hammer falls back towards the cocked position while doing the reassembly.

As usual, describing this process is a LOT more complicated than doing it. I can actually perform these steps on my .22/45 in about 45 seconds, if I don't let the hammer drop to the cocked position while doing it.

[MeekandMild]

Good luck. Step 6A is "using a medium cutting head on an acetylene torch, carefully reduce the entire pistol to 1/2 inch slices in a manner similar to slicing a pickle, being careful to not burn your hands." :fire:

The first ten years or so I had mine I had to pry open the lever with a screwdrive then when all was cleaned had to use a red wooden mallet to reassemble. Its gotten looser with age and I've gotten less worried about it with age. Now we field strip it about every 300 rounds, when it starts to gum up, but otherwise just clean the bore. :neener:

[bountyhunter]

It's finally been proven scientifically after years of research:

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

Just kidding. There is an old saying that a dog will ALWAYS be standing on the wrond side of the glass door.

Same thing applies to the little strut that hangs down from the hammer block. That SOB is always forward when it needs to be rearward or vice-versa. Sometimes it flips forward and wedges into the frame and I have to reach in and pop it out.

Once you learn to keep that sucker free and leaning the right way, all is easy.

[OneShot]

Some of you left out a very important re assembly step...

Throw pistol across room once properly frustrated at trying to re assemble it!!

This is the only gun that I have ever felt like throwing across the room while trying to put back together.

After spending about two hours getting it put back together, I forced myself to take it apart again and do it over till I had it down. This was followed by more cursing and repeated urges to throw it off of a cliff.

On the bright side, I am now quite good at putting one back together-Oneshot

[Kruzr]

The best site for learning how to take your Mark 2 apart. Pics, movies, most common errors.....the whole shebang.

http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/index.htm

Thanks to yzguy!

[Doug S]

I agree with many of the above posts. The Ruger Mark II is not as bad to takedown as you may have heard. Just make sure you follow the step by step directions. It does get easier the more often you do it. Also the gun seems to loosen up a little after you've done this a few times which makes it a bit easier. I was pleasantly surprised & relieved the first time I was brave enough to completely disassemble my Ruger, I'd heard so many horror stories. I've even heard of people taking the gun back to the dealer to have it put back together when they could not. Again, just make sure you pay attention to the details given in the instructions (especially the hammer strut mentioned).

[cordex]

Really not that hard. Just takes practice.

Doesn't need to be done very often, either. I've probably got somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 rounds through mine since last I took it apart. Still chugs along with anything that even looks like a .22LR.

[twency]

Maybe they just aren't making them like they used to? My wife recently purchased a Mark II 6 7/8" Government model for target practice (she doesn't like the grip on the Glock). She got it after trying a female friend's similar model. Both of these (recently purchased) Mark IIs pull apart and go back together without any need for a mallet or other violence or angst. As she put it: "It's four parts! How hard can it be? If I can do it, anybody can."

Her friend has apparently awed "the old guys" at her range by the ease with which she dis- and re-assembles it. Now I read a bunch of complaints about problems with them here. Maybe Ruger has changed the tolerances on how the pieces fit together? Maybe others are using shorter barrels, so less leverage? Maybe these are just particularly "loose" models (certainly don't feel loose when assembled)?

Really not that hard. Just takes practice.

What he said. Maybe.

[larryw]

Follow directions and its a breeze. ll I can say to those who have problems putting a Mk II back together is I hope you don't reload your own ammo. :neener:

[Kalos]

Now that I've found something I can feed it without a single jam or misfire (in 200 rounds, at least--a far cry from 10 or 20 in the same amount), I love my MK II. But it's still no fun to put together.

The thing is, I have problems someplace else entirely--the whole hammer-strut issue never has bothered me. Nor has getting the barrel/receiver on/off the frame--I can push it on with my hand, and a few whacks of the mallet take it off (mostly because I've not figured out any way to hold it that provides decent leverage for that). My problem is getting the bolt stop pin into the receiver/through the bolt. :P Sometimes it slips in with no complaint. More often than not I have to take a break at that point and walk around the house to calm down before coming back to finish the job...

[leper65]

Here's a good site for the MK II

http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/index.htm

[RUT]

Very informative site. Thanks for the "heads up".

===RUT===

[Bainx]

Lord help, people, get a grip.
If you follow the instructions and still can't deal with it, you need to hire a personal gunsmith to do your cleaning.

[OneShot]

By the way, the one I was talking about was a very old Pre Mk1 Standard issue Ruger that had never been taken apart. I literally had to beat the lever out of the grip due to the amount of crap that had built up in the gun.

I do reload my own ammo by the way so bite me!!:evil: :evil: :evil: --Oneshot

[Edward429451]

AHA I DID IT!! Well sort of. I got it apart (first time ever) and its about to get the first real cleaning she's ever had, poor thing...:D

Now if it'll just go back together after cleaning. Sure is cruddy in there. :p :D

[Kruzr]

The Trigger Shield from Ontargetguns.com will keep the crud and grit out of the trigger area. Well worth the $7.95

http://www.ontargetguns.com/ottsinst.html

[yzguy]

just for all the poeple who say it is hard:

http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/field_strip.htm

this is my site, there are detailed illustrated instructions on diss/re-assembly, as well as a short video of me doing both in under 30 seconds!! it is not hard, just takes knowing what to do. Th only 2 issues are knowing where the hammer strut is, where it is supposed to be, and getting the reciever to slide on the frame (which will lossen up after doing it a couple of times.)

[larryw]

Oneshot, if you shoot at Reeds in Santa Clara on Monday or Wednesday mornings, please warn me before you go. :neener:

[BevrFevr]

once you've tried to put and AMT .22 back together. :banghead:

I don't ever recommend taking one of them apart. Of course I wouldn't recommend one of those for anything other than turning into a cigarette lighter.

back on subject, A ruger just takes practice. It is my least favorite gun to reassemble.

Good Luck -bevr

[Brad Johnson]

DontShootMe,

Congrats on your purchase. Your little Ruger should last you several lifetimes, and Lord knows they sure are fun (and cheap) to shoot. I've got a 5" heavy barrel 22/45 with a little over 21,000 rounds through it with nary a hitch (that's "no problems" for you youngsters and northern types :D ).

Enjoy!

Brad

[bountyhunter]

My problem is getting the bolt stop pin into the receiver/through the bolt. :P Sometimes it slips in with no complaint. More often than not I have to take a break at that point and walk around the house to calm down before coming back to finish the job...

If it won't go in, it means the hammer is blocking it. You have to make sure it's forward out of the way. I think you just put the muzzle nose down and pull the trigger. However, if the hammer strut is stuck you have to reach in with a screwdriver and free it so the hammer will fall forward.

[larryw]

That also happens if the frame and receiver aren't properly lined up; that's actually a good problem to have, you want these two parts to fit tightly together. ;)

[jrhines]

Some questions are as perennial as the grass. I think these instructions should be gathered up in one place and given a forum of their own, like "Field Stripping/Assembly of the MK II". Or put in the FAQs.

[tex_n_cal]

I concluded that S&W, Beretta, Browning, Colt, and High Standard were the best answers for disassembly of a Ruger.

The grip angle is wrong, and it's a pain to clean. No interest here.

[DontShootMe]

Welp, after about 2 hours of messing around, I got my MKII fully dis-assembled, cleaned, and re-assembled.

Then the slide wouldn't slide back.

I then re-read the instructions again and finally got a clue about catching that little 'hanging thing' into the groove by pointing the gun nearly straight up, and after that it was all cake.

Of course, after that I just had to take it apart and put it back together like 20 times just because I could. Such a good feeling!

Thanks alot guys, you have made my week.

:D

[AZ Jeff]

The "hanging thing" is the hammer strut. It's seemingly recalcitrant behavior is the SINGLE BIGGEST reason that people report that the Ruger pistols are "impossible to reassemble".

For those of you who feel this way, I have one remark:

You obviously have not studied the mechanics of this firearm sufficiently so as to understand the physical relationship of the parts, and how YOU CAN CONTROL the interaction of those pieces.

Then again, I am a mechanical engineer, and complicated mechanical assemblies are fascinating to me.:D

[Edward429451]

I got mine all cleaned up but reassembly is giving me a problem and I don't know whats up. I have little prob getting bolt stop in etc., but once the mainspring is bach in it I have no trigger function. The bolt will cycle but it wont drop the hammer and the safety wont function. Like the trigger isn't connected.

I didn't disassemble the frame. I was carful in disassembly, I'm pretty positive that nothing went boing or fell out, so whats up with it? I didn't even remove the grip panels.

[45auto]

Luckily, it's a reliable handgun that doesn't really need to be taken apart much.
;)

[Kruzr]

I got mine all cleaned up but reassembly is giving me a problem and I don't know whats up. I have little prob getting bolt stop in etc., but once the mainspring is bach in it I have no trigger function. The bolt will cycle but it wont drop the hammer and the safety wont function. Like the trigger isn't connected.

I didn't disassemble the frame. I was carful in disassembly, I'm pretty positive that nothing went boing or fell out, so whats up with it? I didn't even remove the grip panels.

You didn't line up the hammer strut with the mainspring. Go to yzguy's website and carefully follow the instructions. Watch the video. To get the boltstop in, push the hamer forward so the strut is out of the way. After its in, hold the gun with the muzzle up and close the mainspring housing while still holding the muzzle straight up.


http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/field_strip.htm

[Kalos]

If it won't go in, it means the hammer is blocking it. You have to make sure it's forward out of the way. I think you just put the muzzle nose down and pull the trigger. However, if the hammer strut is stuck you have to reach in with a screwdriver and free it so the hammer will fall forward.

Nope nope! I can hold the gun upside down and see the through the hole. It generally just takes a little bit of work--and I check regularly to see if the hangythingy hammer strut gizmo is in its proper place. (I'm still enough of a gun noob to not be all complacent yet :D) It doesn't worry me--what does sorta worry is that there's now a visible/palpable valley on one side of the bolt stop pin. This after... oh, 2-3k....

Of course, the really fun part will be putting the Volq trigger kit in this weekend... :evil:

[AZ Jeff]

If the bolt is making grooves in the side of the bolt stop pin, I would not be too worried. After all, the bolt is ultimately constrained by the receiver body, and the not bolt stop pin, for lateral position. Thus, the bolt will make grooves in the bolt stop pin only until it starts contacting the inside wall of the receiver tube, and then the grooves can get no deeper.

Now as far as LONGITUDINAL position, the bolt stop pin DOES control the rearward limit of the bolt. I suspect that pin is way overdesigned for the job, and some grooves on one side or the other will have minimal effect on the strength of the pin.:D

[bountyhunter]

Then again, I am a mechanical engineer, and complicated mechanical assemblies are fascinating to me.

I have degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering (and education), and I've come to the conclusion that the designers were sadists.:fire:

[bountyhunter]

If the bolt is making grooves in the side of the bolt stop pin, I would not be too worried. After all, the bolt is ultimately constrained by the receiver body, and the not bolt stop pin, for lateral position. Thus, the bolt will make grooves in the bolt stop pin only until it starts contacting the inside wall of the receiver tube, and then the grooves can get no deeper.

CAUTION: some bolt stop pins were released which were defective, because I got one in my MkII slabside I bought new about a year ago. The rearward movement of the bolt was curving the stop pin into the shape of a question mark. I called Ruger and they sent me a new one (no questions asked). The fellow said it sounded like one of the ones that had not been "hardened". He was right: it was about as soft as a lead fishing weight.

[Kalos]

Hmm. I believe I'll take a pic before bed tonight and post about it in a new thread tomorrow, just to get some opinions.

[Edward429451]

You didn't line up the hammer strut with the mainspring. Go to yzguy's website and carefully follow the instructions. Watch the video. To get the boltstop in, push the hamer forward so the strut is out of the way. After its in, hold the gun with the muzzle up and close the mainspring housing while still holding the muzzle straight up.

I still can't get it together right. I dont think lining up the strut is my problem. As you hold the frame in a fring grip, on the left side is the safety which hooks over a piece of metal that I presume to be the sear, left of the hammer looking down. What is happening is when I have the barrel on and bolt in, I pull the trigger and flip the hammer up so I can insert the bolt pin/ mainspring, and then the trigger will not reset and when I disassemble it again, I find the safety hook off of the sear and the sear must bu nudged back into engagement with the safetyu hook, which I nudge down into full engagement. What is supposed to reset the sear? I'm thinking that I must have lost some small part, but I can't see where it would go...I didn't disassemble the frame...:confused:

Help!

[RUT]

I'm beginning to regret ordering one of these things (KMK678GC) today!:(

[tex_n_cal]

I am also a mechanical engineer, and I still think the damn things are a pain in the butt. A pox on them.

[yzguy]

Edward429451,
I can almost guarantee you the problem has something to do with the hammer strut....

if you point the gun at the ground, pull the trigger (after of course making sure it is empty) and only unlatch the main spring housing (don't swing it out) does it pop up a little like this (under spring pressure, if you push it in, it should pop back out):

http://www.1bad69.com/gallery/GunStuff/Ruger/disassembly/dcp02452.jpg

or stay flush with the frame like this:

http://www.1bad69.com/gallery/GunStuff/Ruger/disassembly/dcp02453.jpg

if it statys flush, Carefully read and follow steps 11 to the end:
http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/field_strip.htm#11

[Edward429451]

yzguy, I'm getting about half the distance shown in your top pic. Not flush, and when pushed in flush, it does pop back out when released. Just tried it again and no dice.

:banghead: :D

On the plus side, I'm getting real good at all the other steps!

[Edward429451]

I tried again last night several times, until it was either stop or risk a chunk out of the wall.

What keeps tension on the sear? Hard to see down there but I think it must get tension from a spring on the bottom part of sear. At this point I'm certain the strut is not the problem. When I said I get half the distance of mainspring housing protrusion like in your top pic, thats with fingers holding it to where the bigger resistance is encountered. When at rest it looks just like your top pic.

Something is not resetting the sear, or allowing it to go further than its supposed to. The big frustration is having to completely dis/reassemble it between tries.

(That gun is over engineered, IMO)

[Brad Johnson]

Follow the instructions TO THE LETTER, including the part about depressing the trigger when you flip the pistol forward. It will allow the hammer block to fall forward and puts the hammer strut in the proper position to slide into the receiver notch in the mainspring housing. Without this step you will never get the gun back together properly.

Brad

[bountyhunter]

But if the hammer strut has snagged on the frame, it won't let the hammer go forward. You have to reach in with a screwdriver tip and release it (happened to me many times). Once the hammer is forward, proceed to assemble.

[Kruzr]

Edward, I'd suggest you go through yzguy's website and pay particular attention to the detailed disassembly/reassembly to see how everything functions. There are pics to show the relationship of the various parts. The sear has its own two legged spring under it that tensions it. The disconnector bar on the right side of the frame prevents it from breaking if out of battery. The safety fits over it to keep it from moving when the safety is engaged. It still sounds like you don't have the hammer strut lined up properly.

[Edward429451]

I appreciate all the help you all is trying to give me...Here's where I am with it today.

I assembled the mainspring into the gun without the barrel installed so I could cycle the hammer and watch the relationship of the parts and how they work together...

The strut is not a problem at this point. I nudged the sear into place, safety functions, hammer locks at full cock, trigger function is there for one cycle. I support the hammer with my thumb so it wont freefall and pull trigger, hammer releases as it should. Then I cycle the hammer back with my thumb as the bolt would cycle it and it wont catch on the sear b/c the sear will not reset on its own. I can nudge the sear into place with a brass punch or a finger at this point and it resets for one more shot. Its acting exactly like it does when its assembled. The bolt will cycle with it assembled but the hammer musty be following the bolt forward when it fails to catch the sear.

The sear must move forward for the hammer to have clearance to fall. The sear must also reset to the rear position to allow the hammer to catch at cocked position. This is what is not happening.

What am I missing?:banghead:

Its probably something simple. I'm off to reread yzguys stuff (again!)...

[B27]

You can also just take the cowards way out like me...

www.majesticarms.com

http://www.fototime.com/FE1F11D6B30FE09/standard.jpg

[Kruzr]

The sear isn't resetting because there is no bolt to push down on the disconnector which pushes the sear back down as the bolt cocks the hammer. If you are getting the trigger to function without the receiver on, then the strut is lined up this way. Before, you had said the trigger wouldn't function which indicates the strut isn't being tensioned.

Take a good look at the mainspring housing behind the frame hook and look at the top of the mainspring cap. That's where the strut must line up when you close the housing. I know this sounds redundant but once you get it, it will seem simple. Next time you reassemble, after the bolt is all the way in.....it should protrude a little on the top, Tilt the gun up not at 45 degrees. If the hammer strut hits the hook on the housing, then the bolt stop isn't fully in. The hammer strut will be lined up and close it while still holding the muzzle up.

[RUT]

Damn, it's a good thing I live in New Hampshire, as I just picked up a new "slab side" a couple of days ago. So, if I end up having *this* much trouble reassembling it I can just jump in the car and bring it back to the factory for a tutorial!!!:D

[Chugach]

Mark II's are wonderful pistols. I've owned one for over 20 years. They just take practice to reassemble.

After a long break in shooting mine, and being in a spot where I couldn't get ANY instructions, it took me about an hour of patient fiddling until I relearned/remembered what to do.

My hangup at that time was doing what I would normally never do...pull the trigger of a firearm not on target. I have a strong aversion to doing that even if the firearm is disassembled (for muscle memory safety reasons, but others as well).

Then, the hammer strut would bind.

OTOH, I can not shoot to the pistol's accuracy potential. I've proven it to myself many times off the bench.

Absolutely one of my all time favorites, but admittedly a PITA for most people to learn to reassemble.

Edward, how ya doin' with that thing?

[Edward429451]

Before, you had said the trigger wouldn't function which indicates the strut isn't being tensioned.

I didn't have trigger function when I reassembled it b/c I had to pull the trigger to flip the hammer forward to get the mainspring in, even with the bolt in it wasn't resetting the sear to its rearward position...

I printed out yzguys internals instructions last night and detail stripped the frame and the problem was immediately obvious...a bent sear pin. It came out easy enough but it sure won't go back in now. I'm not sure how I could go from a functional dirty pistol to a non functional pistol with a bent sear pin without pulling the pin or forcing anything, but I did.

I'm inclined to beleive that I bent it somehow b/c it worked before, but I dont understand what it is that I could've done to it...:confused:

I didn't really notice how the pin was oriented in the frame when it came out, just that it was bent. So I'm thinkin it was bowed towards the front of the gun and let the sear rest just a little farther forward than usual and wouldn't let it reset back the last little nth to where it would catch the hammer.

yzguys instructions are top notch but it just wouldn't work with a bent pin! Suddenly it doesn't seem that bad or over engineered at all, I would've been done days ago if the pin was in specs. Actually, its encouragin to know that it was a bad part rather than just a huge pita. I'm sittin here wonderin if I should just send it to Ruger and let them do it, or aquire a pin a do it myself.

I appreciate all you guys efforts to help and I'm sorry you couldn't see my bent pin thru the computer!:D

Any theories on why the pin bent? It doesn't seem to be a part that is stressed at all to where it would bend...I didn't force anything, yet it worked before. Steel pins shouldn't bend with out WAYYY too much force.

Whew.

[Kruzr]

Glad you found it and I hope that solves the problem you were having. If I were you, now that you have all this experience ;) , I'd call Ruger and have them send you a new sear pin. That way you can have a working pistol in less than a week. When you put the sear spring back in, the long leg goes under the frame pin.

[Edward429451]

now that you have all this experience

:D A crash course!