Love my Ruger Mark II....until I have to clean it.

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I took mine apart twice and went thru hell and back putting it back together. I just don't shoot it anymore. It's been permanently retired. I imagine that a you tube video might've helped. But I'm done.
 
A toothbrush, some pipe cleaners and Q Tips will let you clean and lubricate almost every nook and cranny on any Ruger .22 auto. I've competed in a lot of Bullseye matches with my MK I and IIs over the years and needing to field-strip the pistols have been rare occurrences. However, it never fails that when someone complains about the relative difficulty (certainly when compared to most other modern .22 autos) it is to field-strip a Ruger MK I,II or III pistol, there will always be that guy who must tell you how simple and easy it really is.

There are some people who are blessed with a certain ingenuity when it comes to things that are mechanical. Many of us aren't and never will be. For those fortunate souls who can tear a MK I,II or III pistol apart and put it back together blindfolded, while changing the baby's diaper; good on you. Count your blessings.
 
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I fall somewhere in the middle--
Yes, I have owned two MKIIs for years and don't shoot either one enough to make frequent disassembly necessary; as such, I am not proficient and must check a YouTube vid when I want to disassemble one (about once every three years or so)...It's really not a big deal.

I gave one of them (the stainless one) to my nephew last Christmas so now I'm down to one (the blued one). Maybe I'll need to disassemble it once every 18 months and maybe will become proficient; if not Youtube will be there and I'll figure it out.

Had a MkIV Target for a short bit but could not get used to the "new-and-improved" lawyer bits so sold it on. Guess I'd rather deal with the devil I know...
 
orionengnr said:
Had a MkIV Target for a short bit but could not get used to the "new-and-improved" lawyer bits so sold it on. Guess I'd rather deal with the devil I know...
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I agree, I removed my magazine disconnect, was simple and cheap to do.
 
Has anyone ever bought one of those hammer strut assembly aids for the early Mk pistols? They’re advertised for about 17 bucks in several gun magazines but I’ve never read where anyone has ever used one. If they’re worth the $$ and make reassembly easy I may try them out.

I must admit that my 4 3/4” Standard and 6,5” Mk II Govt. Target don’t get shot near as much as the Mk IV does now that I bought it. (Yeah, I hate breaking down and reassembling these two as well.)

I added Volquartsen innards and wooden thumbrest grips that make it a dream to shoot, plus I can go from a 10” to a 5.5” bull barrel in a few seconds so it’s bringing along two guns in one. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
Riomouse911 said:
Has anyone ever bought one of those hammer strut assembly aids for the early Mk pistols? They’re advertised for about 17 bucks in several gun magazines but I’ve never read where anyone has ever used one. If they’re worth the $$ and make reassembly easy I may try them out.

I must admit that my 4 3/4” Standard and 6,5” Mk II Govt. Target don’t get shot near as much as the Mk IV does now that I bought it. (Yeah, I hate breaking down and reassembling these two as well.)

I added Volquartsen innards and wooden thumbrest grips that make it a dream to shoot, plus I can go from a 10” to a 5.5” bull barrel in a few seconds so it’s bringing along two guns in one. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
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The ones that act as a spacer to keep the hammer strut from getting stuck?

A MKII I bought had one in it from the previous owner, I didn't really notice it making a difference but then again I usually don't have problems taking MKIIs down or reassembling them. It does take more thought than it should but compared to the inspiration for the design (Nambu*) it's a delight.

BSW

*about 6 minutes in.
 
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Mark IV pistols have the magazine disconnect??

As for my Mark II, I may just take out that "quick takedown kit".
 
I've stuck with the MK1 series all these years since 60s . One is done up by Clark , 40+ years ago, others I added Clark parts and had Metalifed and one is an "as New in box" 50s Standard Pistol. . I have quite a few magazines. All are reliable but did have to replace and extractor and springs on the high round count ones. Yes it's the angle of the dangle for a full strip , after MANY rounds !.
 
Orion8472 said:
Mark IV pistols have the magazine disconnect??

As for my Mark II, I may just take out that "quick takedown kit".
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Yes, they do. It's a cheap and easy fix with a $20 part from Tandemkross
https://www.tandemkross.com/Blast-Shield-Magazine-Disconnect-for-Ruger®-MKIV™-2245™_p_444.html

The other thing I did to mine was delete the right side safety selector (it comes from factory ambi), didn't like how it dug into my strong hand. Ruger included the delete kit with the MKIV.

I've done a few other minor things to it, but the two things above were the first things I did.
 
The Glockodile said:
I actually kept mine in place due to the fear of damaging the firing pin / dinging the barrel in the absence of a chambered round.
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That's a good point, all these new rimfire guns it seems say they are safe to dry fire, but that has not been my experience. I've seen dinged chamber edges on a "safe to dry fire" firearm.
 
I dipped into the .22LR world with a Ruger Mark IV Competition, Smith & Wesson Victory, Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 Performance Center, and this compact version of an M&P pistol that I can't really remember.

I got a whole gaggle of them!

I really like how the new Ruger disassembles.
 
I have owned and shot MK II and III pistols for years. As long as you are willing to keep the manual handy, they aren’t difficult to deal with.

Granted, I did pick up a MK IV Tactical recently, and it’s definitely a change for the better in terms of cleaning, if not in balance, due to its lighter aluminum lower frame.
 
BreechFace said:
That's a good point, all these new rimfire guns it seems say they are safe to dry fire, but that has not been my experience. I've seen dinged chamber edges on a "safe to dry fire" firearm.
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They probably are, and I would venture a guess that it's cheap and easy to make really hard, high - quality firing pins...

But even the best .22LR barrels have historically been made of rather soft steel.

I never had the gumption to test said theory...
 
With that said, you need to know the firing pin stop is in your pistol's bolt and not damaged and that your firing pin hole the stop goes through has not been damaged or became elongated. Either of those could let the firing pin contact the breech face.

Some people advocate using a piece of spent brass or a dry wall screw to avoid any possibility of the pin hitting the breech face. I never have done it, though.

From Rugers FAQ page:

Screenshot_20220103-161148_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
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I've never bothered to disassemble my MKI. Instead, every 5k rounds I remove the grip panels, clean what I can with a toothbrush and qtips, then hold it over a trash can and spray the **** out of it with brake parts cleaner and then relube. I do the same with my Buckmark and never had an issue with either.
 
Never had one but I'm glad my MkIV is simple to take down, I've heard the earlier versions were not so easy.
 
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