[chaim]

Finally, two months after turning over my money, I have my Ruger .22 pistol. I have long postponed this purchase, and I was obviously in no hurry to pick it up (though it had something to do with an internet purchase that ended up going south, being in MD, a one a month state, I wanted to pick them up together as that is one loophole in our one a month law- you can have the paperwork done on two handguns at the same time and pick them up together and then you have a 60 day instead of 30 day wait for your next gun).

Anyway, I have not taken it apart (with all the horror stories I think I'll just "squirt" some Remington Dry Lube on the bolt and run a bore snake through it as needed and wait until it can't operate reliably before I take it apart). But I have dry fired it and given it as much of an inspection as possible without taking it apart.

I am impressed, pretty nice for such an inexpensive gun. The bluing is decent. Nothing to write home about, but not bad and I have seen some Ruger blue jobs that look purple so that is a pleasant surprise. Everything seems nice and tight, but nothing is difficult or sticking. The gun, with the unusual grip angle (for modern pistols anyway), is incredibly confortable to hold and point. The SA trigger, while not great, is fairly nice.

It just feels like a well made gun. I can almost see it becoming one of my favorites.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to shoot it yet. I picked it up on Friday, just a few hours before shabbos (the sabbath) started so I didn't have time to shoot it. Shabbos ended tonight after the ranges were all closed. I can't get there tomorrow either (I have to do something with my brother). Man, the anticipation is getting to me. I really can't wait to see what it can do. I don't know when I'll make it next week either, I have jury duty.:banghead:

[Hal]

First Ruger Mark X?


Best advice I can give you is to jump right in with both feet and field strip that sucka. Put it back together, and repeat as often as it takes to get comfortable doing it.

By your first trip (from the sounds of it) to the range, you should be able to take it down/put it back together in ~ 180 seconds.

By this time next year, take down/reassembly should take you about 45 seconds if you push it. <-- ~ how long it takes me to do my Slabside. (Mark II) My .22/45 is ~ 30 seconds down/back together.

[Pilot]

Yes, please field strip, clean and lube via the instructions before you shoot it. This will insure the best reliability. If you have problems putting it back together, post here and we will walk you throuhg it. Also, here's a link to better dissasembly/reassembly instructions, althought the manual is quite good. Enjoy your Ruger, they are great .22's for the money. I have two MK II's and a 22/45 and love them.

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

[10-Ring]

Congrats! I'm sure it will be a fun addition to your collection!

[chaim]

So far as not wanting to take it apart until it no longer can function properly...that has a little to do with a gun mag article where they walked you through take down and reassembly of MkIIs and 22/45s and the directions included the use of a rubber mallet to take apart (possibly needed) and to put it back together (required). No way I'm playing with that unless absolutely needed.


Anyway, I went to the range today and put 550 rounds from the .22lr bricks that were on sale at Walmart last time I was there (Remington). The gun is accurate, as a matter of fact it was some of my best shooting ever, and it has been nearly 2 months since I was last at the range- the last MD shoot was the last time I made it. Reliability is decent but not great. 550 rounds and I had 4 FTF (fire) which could have easily been the ammo, and 4 FTE (could have been the ammo or my failure to disassemble and fully clean before shooting, I won't yet blame the gun). My biggest beef is that after 3-4 mags the bluing on the blued parts of the bolt and the rear sight turned to the Ruger purple that often happens to their bluing (luckily the blue on the rest of the gun looks right).

Overall, I'd say I'm happy with it. Seems like a decent gun and it was a lot of fun. Now I'm thinking that my next gun just might be another .22lr, most likely a revolver (maybe a .22lr snub).

[Mal H]

Congratulations! You're going to get years of fun out of the gun. Don't wait to take it apart until "absolutely needed". You're going to have to do it sometime, might as well practice and join the group that say "it isn't really hard at all".

Four FTF's out of 550 Remington 22's isn't bad at all. I usually average 1 to 2 per hundred. I have done some post mortems on a few that failed to fire. Some have incomplete rings of priming compound and some have none at all. Remington's process doesn't seem to be as good as most other manufacturers.

[Standing Wolf]

I turned mine over to my friendly local gunsmith this afternoon. In and of itself, I can truthfully tell you it's not a very impressive gun, and if I'd known how wretched the reassembly nightmare really is, I wouldn't have bought it. Replacing the barrel, guts, cheap plastic grip panels, and sights may turn it into a good shooter, or I may just have thrown good money after bad: time will tell.

[Jim K]

Hi, Standing Wolf,

Sounds like you expected a $3000 Hammerli for the price of a $300 Ruger.

If you can bring yourself to accept the Ruger for what it is and spend a few minutes reading the manual, you might like the gun. No one had that much trouble taking them down until a couple of gun writers jumped on Ruger while promoting another gun (I never said "payoff", did I?).

New guns are a bit tight, but after a couple of times, dis- and re-assembly is easy. And no, you don't need a mallet, rubber or otherwise. Or a sledge hammer.

BTW, don't use a steel screwdriver on the latch; an empty .223 case works best.

As to failures to fire, the gun could be at fault, but all that promotional ammo is churned out as fast as possible and goofs are not uncommon. So, incidentally are miscounts; some folks have complained about getting less than the right count with Winchester promo ammo, while others say they have gotten more. I guess it balances out.

Jim

[Prodigalshooter]

I am no rocket scientist (ask my wife) and I can take one down and reassemble, so don't worry too much, you absolutely don't need a mallet!

[chaim]

OK, maybe I'll try taking it down. Not tonight because I'm going to sleep in a few minutes but I'll give it a go.

As to failures to fire, the gun could be at fault, but all that promotional ammo is churned out as fast as possible and goofs are not uncommon. The FTE I'm right now attributing to the ammo (the cheap stuff is inconsistent and the ones that didn't extract could have been undercharged). The FTFs are definately the ammo. All had good strong indents from the firing pin and a few I rotated (so the pin would hit a different part of the primer) and tried a few more times without it firing (but the new tries had good deep indents as well).

[Sheldon]

Chaim, here are a site that might have some useful hints to help with the Ruger MKII. RimfireCentral.com thread about Ruger MKII. (http://rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=34945)

[yzguy]

it is not that hard!!

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

strip and reassemble in 30 seconds (same movie 2 formats, also on the page linked to above):
http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/FieldStripRuger.mpg
http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/FieldStripRuger.avi

it MAY take some additional persuasion to move the receiver/barrel off of the frame the first few times, but after you do it a couple of times, it loosens up and can be done easily by hand (as shown in the video).

[BamBam]

In and of itself, I can truthfully tell you it's not a very impressive gun, and if I'd known how wretched the reassembly nightmare really is, I wouldn't have bought it.
Standing Wolf,
With all due respect, I strongly disagree with your opinion of the MK II. I've had mine for 19 years and it's been a faithful weapon. I've replaced the extractor once...that's it.

BamBam

[Pilot]

I can dissasemble and reassemble my Ruger MK II's blindfolded and asleep. If I can do it anybody can. You don't need to remove the barrel from the frame for normal cleanings which is why you might need a rubber mallet the first few times if its tight. I got my barrel seperated from the fram the first time by tapping it on a carpet covered step. It came right apart. To get back together I did the same thing and everything lines up fine.

As to the Rugers not being shooters, I would have to wholeheartedly disagree. Mine has one mod, a Volquartsen trigger. Its shoots great with cheap or expensive ammo. Yes I have more expensive .22's, a Benelli MP95, but the Ruger is close and for the money its superb.

[gharsh]

I would like to know what constitutes a good .22lr? I also have a Ruger MKII, 5.5 bull barrel. It has been great. I use mostly Federal bulk ammo from Wal-Mart and have great success with it. I usually shoot bowling pins with it and do quite well there also. I have also used it to shoot steel plates with and have done well there also.

Last night I put on a Weingard (sp) scope mount and red dot scope just to make it more challenging. It went on easily, even if they did not include the allen wrench needed to tighten the screws.

Without the scope, I could shoot out the center of a target at 45-50 feet. I can't wait to see what a scope adds. :) Why spend more money when this gun seems to work great. Actually, the only gun that I've had to do nothing to and would not consider trading. The only thing, and I mean only thing, I would consider changing is the way to release magazines. I've gotten used to it, but it took some time. Now the 22/45 fixes that problem, but I do not like the looks of those and I shoot 1911's often so I'd think I'd like the idea of the same grip angle,but I just don't like those.

To each his/her own. Just my .02

[DontShootMe]

Well, let me add my 2¢

Takedown -

If the gun is used, you DO NOT need a mallet to perform a takedown.
Also, if you're like most of us, the first time you take it down and put it back together you'll be like, that's it? ...but then the trigger will not work.

There is only really ONE THING to pay close attention to during re-assembly, it's all about pointing the barrel towards the sky to let this little 'hanging thing' fall into a slot. Once that's done, and you realize what you did to make it happen, you will never have any more problems.

I also got a few FTE's until I switched to the Federal 500 ct. Bricks - 7.95 @ Wally World. Flawless operation since.

I was so happy once I figured out the takedown, I spent nearly two hours taking it down and putting it back together about 100 times.

All the while I kept thinking, OMG, people actually RETURNED or SOLD these guns because of a little 'hanging thing' that they did not have the patience to let swing back into it's groove.

*smug laughter*


:cool:

Oh yeah, it's a very very very accurate gun! I can blow out the CENTER of 1" sticker-dots at 18 yards all day long, offhand.

[Jim K]

The "little hanging thing" is the hammer strut, and it has to fit into the mainspring cap.

Actually, the Ruger takedown system is not completely original, though its method of manufacture is. But the old Colt Woodsman had the same basic system, although the entire backstrap had to come out, not just the little housing that comes out on the Ruger. And yes, the Woodsman had a "little hanging thing" too, and it had to go in the hole.

Jim

[Stevie-Ray]

Take it apart a bunch of times. In no time at all, you'll be a master and wonder what all the fuss is about. I love both of mine and never had a failure of any kind with either, other than with an aftermarket magazine in one.

[lee n. field]

I turned mine over to my friendly local gunsmith this afternoon. In and of itself, I can truthfully tell you it's not a very impressive gun, and if I'd known how wretched the reassembly nightmare really is, I wouldn't have bought it.

Hey, I'll give you $50 for it. :D

(I always say that when I "hear" someone grumbling about a gun. Someday I'll get lucky.)

[Khornet]

don't do something you'll regret!

My MkII with tapered 6 7/8" bbl purchased 1982 is a gem.

A good smith can clean up the trigger easily. Mine also added a sear engagement screw accessible from outside without disassembly, and a sinple overtravel stop consisting of a small hex screw in the rear of the trigger guard. Cost: $70 in 1996. That's all I had to do to it, and I didn't NEED to do it, having done just fine in matches before, but the club smith just couldn't keep his hands off it.

I've never changed the barrel because it's been very accurate as is.

I did put on a Pachmayr neoprene wraparound grip, I think it was $15.

The thing shoots fabuluosly. I maintain that it is every bit as accurate as a $3000 Hammerli and every bit as reliable. It just doesn't have all the fancy ergonomics and the sexy European cachet. Don't get rid of it yet!

[Mastrogiacomo]

You've GOT to keep me posted when you finally do take it apart. I'd love one myself but really fear cleaning it....:p

[JH22]

Don't worry about the field strip. I bought a KMK678GC (the slab side target model) about 4 months ago.

Dissassembly is SIMPLE!. I use a paper clip to hook the "pointy thing" (don't be put off, it's a technical term...) on the back of the handle. That's the only tricky part for dissasembly. My barrel came right off the handle pretty easily, even the first time I dissassembled it. No hammer necessary.

Re-assembling it, as others have mentioned, is simple once you know how. The only tricky thing there is realizing where the hammer strut has to be when you close it up.

I found the instructions that came with the gun to be the best instructions. Follow the reassembly instructions EXACTLY the first few times, just for your own peace of mind. I've field stripped it now maybe 10 times, and I don't look at the instructions anymore.

A month from now, you'll be a pro at it and wondering why you were worried about it.

[williamcrane]

With a new Ruger Mark II (like the WRB NRA I just got) things will be tight and you might need a plastic / nylon mallet to help. But I agree with most of the other posters here: Follow the manual to the letter and you won't have any trouble. Also, after doing this about ten times or so, and then running 100 rds through it, things will loosen up and you won't neet any tools, except for a paper clip to grasp the take down lever.