Find Another MKII 6 7/8 BBL or buy a New MKIV

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It's not the barrel that is swapped, it's the entire upper assembly. Since that is the serialized part of the gun, in reality what you are doing is swapping grip modules.

Changing the barrel alone is a job for the Ruger factory.


Of course, but I take it the OP understands it to be an upper and that changing uppers is done because one desires the use of a different barrel. Good to have the correction for those who may not understand the FFL portion is the upper receiver.
 
MKII no mag disconnect safety/guts. It does that a lot better than the MKIV.
MKII no annoying, in-the-way right side thumb safety. Does this a lot better than the MKIV.
MKII way better trigger than the MKIV.
MKII mags way more reliable than the MKIV IME.
MKII looks a hell of a lot better than the MKIV.
MKII easier to fully strip and reassemble than the MKIV.
MKII no MIM. If that's a thing you care about.

A Tandemkross Kraken (Mark IV 22/45):
Eliminates the ambi-safety
Replaces the trigger with a far better than Mk II OEM and eliminates mag disconnect.
No issues with factory mags I’m aware of but could be case by case, and long term replacement cost will be cheaper for the IV
I can’t argue that in terms of traditional aesthetics the II wins but still a personal choice. I mean CZ sells that Parrot that’s just WOW.
MIM done right just isn’t an issue.

Again, simply offering the counterpoints. I paid $599 for a fully assembled and upgraded lower, another $120 total for a take off upper and bolt then purchased magazines.

Certainly more expensive but I had the freedom to chose the combination I wanted without having an entire upper sitting in a parts box. Also no need to spend more on upgrade parts, d&t for a mount, or trigger work which quickly closes that $ gap. Next “upgrade” for me is a second upper, possibly a scope.
 
I think I may have posted this upstream someplace but I'll cover it again. Normally a MKII isn't drilled for an optic mount. Mine wasn't so I sent it to Ruger (call them first) and they did the work for about $70 with rail installed. They also paid my freight with a prepaid Fed Ex ticket. Not sure if any of this is current but that was my experience about 3 years ago. My MKII now has a Vortex Venom on it and shoots 4 MOA. That would be about 1" at 25 yds. I know the competition is much better than that but I'm just a piker.
 
I'd buy the Mark II. I have a couple of Mark IVs and I like the easy take down but I have no trouble with a Mark II or III and can take the apart and re assemble them in under 5 minutes.

I have a friend with a Mark III that took it apart a month ago and hasn't been able to put it back together yet. I told him I'd fix it for him but he just wants to leave it in it's box now and shoot his Browning.

YT has several videos on how to do that. I had never broke mine down in the 20 years that I owned it. I followed the vid and had in about 30 minutes. Now down to about 10 including barrel cleaning.

My buddy has a MK IV and his magazine lips are always causing feeding problems. Never had that with my MKII.
 
MKII no mag disconnect safety/guts. It does that a lot better than the MKIV.
That can be rectified in the Mark IV by removing the offending parts, and substituting Mark II or aftermarket parts.
MKII no annoying, in-the-way right side thumb safety. Does this a lot better than the MKIV.
Ruger provides the kit to remove the right side safety, in the box with the Mark IV. Whether to use it or not is purely optional. Left-handed shooters like it.
MKII way better trigger than the MKIV.
Once the Mark IV magazine disconnector is removed, the triggers are comparable.
MKII mags way more reliable than the MKIV IME.
MKII looks a hell of a lot better than the MKIV.
These things are highly debatable.
MKII easier to fully strip and reassemble than the MKIV.
The new, easier method of disassembly is the major selling point of the Mark IV!

The Mark IV also has the 1911-style magazine release (introduced in the Mark III), which is an improvement.
 
No issues with factory mags I’m aware of but could be case by case, and long term replacement cost will be cheaper for the IV
Something that I noticed a few years ago, is that if you order all the separate parts for a magazine directly from Ruger, the total cost is less than what you would pay for a complete magazine. Assembly is a matter of a couple of minutes. If multiple magazines are involved, the savings add up.

To get this deal, I had to call Ruger Customer Service directly. You couldn't do it on their website. Maybe they changed this pricing policy more recently. It's worth checking out.

The Ruger Mark magazines are backwards-compatible. The current magazines will even work in a Mark I, if you switch the side of the follower button.
 
That can be rectified in the Mark IV by removing the offending parts, and substituting Mark II or aftermarket
Soooooo…… sounds like my point stands. You have to tear out the guts and replace them with the better MKII parts. How is this not a downside?

The new, easier method of disassembly is the major selling point of the Mark IV!

.
please read what I wrote again
 
You have to tear out the guts and replace them with the better MKII parts. How is this not a downside?
It is a downside but it's offset by the Mark IV's upsides. All the Marks are platforms for customization. The Mark IV is a better basic platform, if you're going to customize anyway.
 
The Mark IV and Mark III were recalled in 2017 and 2005 respectively.
There has never been a recall for the Mark II in it's 22 year history because they built them right the first time.
aren't they the same as the originals, but for the last round hold open? I looked and found a 2 for this reason, and the later ones just look a bit off to me, compared to the earlier ones.
 
Target Duo 01.jpg

Sorry, the only image I'm finding at the moment is one taken with my 10/22. But yeah,...the Mk IV was something I had considered, MOSTLY for the easy takedown. But I did not like the safety [which apparently can be removed] or the rather odd look of the barrel where the hing is.......and the magazine disconnect [which also apparently can be removed]. But right now, I'm good with my Mark II. If you can find a good one, go for it!
 
aren't they the same as the originals, but for the last round hold open? I looked and found a 2 for this reason, and the later ones just look a bit off to me, compared to the earlier ones.
Mark three has left side magazine thumb release button and ugly loaded chamber indicator gouge along the left side of the upper as well as a magazine disconnect safety. MKIV has the disconnect safety and the quick field strip pivot and guts.
 
MKIV has the disconnect safety and the quick field strip pivot and guts.
The Mark IV magazine disconnect is different from (and more complicated than) the Mark III magazine disconnect. That's why Ruger added a little magazine "kicker" (spring-loaded plunger) at the base of the grip, as magazines tended to stick in the mechanism. I found that if you get rid of the magazine disconnect, you can get rid of the "kicker" as well.

Another questionable item, common to the Marks III and IV, is the nub on the back of the trigger (not visible externally). This nub engages a notch on the front edge of the magazine, and acts to raise the magazine as the trigger is pulled, if the magazine is not fully seated. This has an adverse effect on the trigger pull, and the purpose of it, as far as I know, has never been explained. Aftermarket triggers don't include this nub.

The following picture shows, from left to right, the Mark IV magazine "kicker," the stock Mark IV trigger (with the nub), and the aftermarket Clark trigger (without the nub but with a backlash adjusting screw).

IMG_0224a.jpg
 
Well heck, I lost track of this thread I started. Amazing pics and excellent knowledge from y'alls. I may need another, maybe stainless.

So here we go. My buddy in Ohio offered to sell me his. Came with 3 mags and a home made holster for 4 Frankins and change! Yes, paid more than the original. But worth it.
This one is not 6 7/8 inch barrel but a 5 inch. I kinda like it more as it seems more balanced.
Made 1983, mine was made in 92.
But the old girl is in excellent shape for as old as she is.
It don't say Government on it like my old one, I think thats reserved for the longer barrels, right?
Still got the old box.

Ruger MKII 2.jpg Ruger MKII.jpg
 
Differences in magazines. These are the magazines that came originally with the guns.

From left to right:

Mark I. Follower button on the right side, chrome unmarked baseplate. Wide follower spring. The early ones had the follower-button slot only on the right side; later ones had the slot on both sides.

Mark II. Follower button moved to left side, made larger. Black plastic baseplate with inlaid silver Ruger logo with black background. Follower spring is coil type, running in a channel at the front of the magazine.

Mark III. Nub added on right front of the magazine for the 1911-style magazine release. Baseplate logo with red background.

Mark IV. Follower button has annular grooves. Notch added at the top, left front edge for the trigger "nub." Baseplate has an all-black Ruger logo.

All magazines are backwards compatible (that is, for example, a Mark IV magazine will work in a Mark I gun, if you shift the follower button to the other side). They are not forward compatible.

IMG_0226a.jpg
 
Differences in magazines. These are the magazines that came originally with the guns.

From left to right:

Mark I. Follower button on the right side, chrome unmarked baseplate. Wide follower spring. The early ones had the follower-button slot only on the right side; later ones had the slot on both sides.

Mark II. Follower button moved to left side, made larger. Black plastic baseplate with inlaid silver Ruger logo with black background. Follower spring is coil type, running in a channel at the front of the magazine.

Mark III. Nub added on right front of the magazine for the 1911-style magazine release. Baseplate logo with red background.

Mark IV. Follower button has annular grooves. Notch added at the top, left front edge for the trigger "nub." Baseplate has an all-black Ruger logo.

All magazines are backwards compatible (that is, for example, a Mark IV magazine will work in a Mark I gun, if you shift the follower button to the other side). They are not forward compatible.

View attachment 1080789
Excellent info AlexanderA. Good to know. I'll have to check the ones I got. Owner said they all work including a plastic after market one he says works the best.
I plan on taking them all apart and cleaning them.
 
From the referenced thread:
The below are a pair of Ruger Mark III 22/45 magazines that were modified to work in a Mark IV which was purchased without factory mags.
The Mark III and Mark IV magazines (either regular or 22/45, as the case may be) are completely interchangeable, if you don't have the trigger with the nub, as I described earlier. If you have a Ruger trigger with a nub (most aftermarket triggers don't have it), then you (theoretically) need a Mark IV magazine with the cutout notch, to accommodate the nub.

Now here's a strange thing: my Mark III pistol came with the trigger with the nub, yet did not come with the notched magazines. And it worked OK. So maybe the theory and the practice of this little feature are really at odds with each other? At any rate, I can't understand what Ruger was trying to do with this design.

ETA: I just noticed in the referenced thread (last picture) that the magazine in question is in fact a Mark IV (it has the cutout notch).
 
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I was working in firearms retail when the MKIII dropped. I was so unimpressed I looked over 8 years for a suitable MKII. I always wanted the Comp Target slab side but those prices got way out of hand by about year 4 of searching.

Kind of gave up and then saw the most smokingest deal of the century when this turned up at my favorite LGS for $225 OTD.

Good enough substitute for the slab side.

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I was working in firearms retail when the MKIII dropped. I was so unimpressed I looked over 8 years for a suitable MKII. I always wanted the Comp Target slab side but those prices got way out of hand by about year 4 of searching.

Kind of gave up and then saw the most smokingest deal of the century when this turned up at my favorite LGS for $225 OTD.

Good enough substitute for the slab side.

index.php
Heck of a deal!
 
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