Ruger MK II Target disassembly question

When I shot my Mark II .22/45 several times a week and cleaned it after each session, I got to where I could take it down and reassemble it three times in under 60 seconds.

It isn't at all difficult when you get the hang of if.

I haven't fired that gun - or any other Mark II for 20 years so - I have no ideal how long it would take me now.
Probably the same miserable curse filled hour it takes everyone else .

It’s the MkIII’s without the Disconnect Deletes which really drive me nuts for takedown. Out of principle driven habit, I separate mags from pistols whenever I’m doing any work, and with MkIII’s, I always have to go back to the box and dig out a mag to release the action for disassembly… but it made us safer…

HollowDawg said:

... Once you get it down and really think thru how it all works, you'll be amused at all the "Ruger Mark*" disassembly/assembly horror stories. It is a very clever design!

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Yes, so clever that Ruger redesigned it (and created the Mark IV) because of all the complaints from frustrated owners who couldn't get their pistols back together....

I could see a guy having trouble getting a pre-Mark IV back together if he didn't read the owners manual or have the internet to go by. Once you've done it a time or two, it's no big deal.

R_P_K said:

My mark 2 is stainless I've only completely taken it down one time for the initial cleaning I usually just blast the receiver out really well it's run for years without any issues

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Same here. I clean it the best I can and shoot it, if it stops functioning I'll take it apart again or take it to a smith. I took it apart once and that was enough to know I wasn't going to be breaking it down again unless I had to.

Varminterror said:

Before reinserting the pin, use a tight fitting drill bit, turned by hand, to “ream” the fit between the upper and lower, so the pin will no longer bind so tightly. You can also hand fit the upper to the lower at the forward lug and the side rails, which makes a HUGE difference in the tension in the fitment between the two.

Doing this will ensure the pistol comes apart easily and quickly in the future.

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Absolutely do not do this drill bit suggestion

Jamie B said:

Absolutely do not do this drill bit suggestion

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How do you think Ruger made those holes?

The pin bores have to have aligned within a fractional thousandths to accept the pin at all, but even the slightest interference from misalignment creates a ton of resistance. Reaming with a drill bit turned between fingers - doesn’t remove much material, because it can’t; again, fractional thousandths of an inch to CORRECT either malformed or misaligned bores.

Most Mark Series pistols aren’t out of tolerance and the pins fit fine or loosen sufficiently in time to allow easy takedown, as designed. But some ARE out of tolerance, and fitting the receivers and reaming the bores to CORRECT the upper to lower fit is a straight forward, non-critical job. The pin is a retainer, and is not load bearing except for stopping the bolt, which it will do whether it is extremely tight or sloppy loose.

If you ream it out and for some reason you need to send it back to Ruger they likely won't work on your pistol. I've sent a few firearms back to Ruger for repair and if they determine parts have been changed or the firearm was modified in any way no service for you Joe.

Having said that do whatever you feel you need to do.

CoalTrain49 said:

If you ream it out and for some reason you need to send it back to Ruger they likely won't work on your pistol. I've sent a few firearms back to Ruger for repair and if they determine parts have been changed or the firearm was modified in any way no service for you Joe.

Having said that do whatever you feel you need to do.

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you can take burrs out of the pin hole, with a small round file. put some oil on it, and you can't miss the rough spots once you move it around they'll stand out like a sore thump. My pin had some gunked up metal I stoned off.

I have two Mk III's and one of them was very tight. I ended up getting it out with sufficient force. After that it began disassembling a little more smoothly, but still sufficiently snug in general.

Speaking of which, ran across an old work bud last week and he showed me his brand new Mk IV. Based on internet critique I thought it would look ungainly with its front hinge, but actually it looked great.

CoalTrain49 said:

If you ream it out and for some reason you need to send it back to Ruger they likely won't work on your pistol. I've sent a few firearms back to Ruger for repair and if they determine parts have been changed or the firearm was modified in any way no service for you Joe.

Having said that do whatever you feel you need to do.

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Exactly

HollowDawg said:

Have the same pistol. Was a bit stiff the first few times but loosened after several cleanings. I always grease it well before re-inserting and that helped. Once you get it down and really think thru how it all works, you'll be amused at all the "Ruger Mark*" disassembly/assembly horror stories. It is a very clever design!

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Yep. ↑ Now it is easy.

Last time I took mine apart, it wouldn't come apart. I finally used a hammer and punch from the top to get it out. It finally came out, but it was broken. Not from hammering, as it cracked from the side. After all these years, it had finally broke from recoil, it seems. Had to order a new one from Ruger. Now it's not reliably extracting; maybe the claws are worn out. Heck, maybe it's just going to be one thing after another from now and and I should get a new one? I see they make the Mk. IV target with a 10" bull barrel, and that it has been made easier to disassemble...

I definitely find the mkII's takedown and reassembly to be very cumbersome. At this point I haven't cleaned it in a few years and don't bother much unless it starts malfunctioning. Then there's the youtube videos.

When pre-4 Mark Series pistols are properly fit, takedown is easy. Cumbersome in the Mark III’s with their magazine disconnect, but still easy.

Too many folks disregard that many, many Mark Series pistols leave the mothership without proper fit. They go together once - many of which we can only assume involved the use of a mallet or press - and then never want to come apart or go together again. Hence the market asked for things like the Majestic Arms Speed Strip kit, the Tandemkross Gunsmither Punch, and the Right Tool Co Pistol Pal - and now finally the Ruger Mark IV… all of which were born out of necessity because not all Ruger Mark Series pistols are mated to fit properly at the factory.

I'm having flashbacks to when I field stripped my Mark III. My thumb was swollen for 3 days. I also had to send it to Ruger. They fixed it for me for free and had it back in my hands in like 8 days? I think I broke the firing pin spring retainer.
Never again did I do a complete field strip. Just cleaned it with gun scrubber, Q-tips, bore snake and air compressor.
Then, I bought a Mark IV.

I'll put my two cents in as far as pin fit based on my years of experience as a machinist/tool and die maker.

YES you want the pins to be a slip fit. For smaller pins (depending on actual diameter) the slip fit tolerances is between 0.001" and 0.002". This means that you want the female hole to be between 0.001" and .0002" bigger than the pin that goes into the hole. As you get into larger pins then the slip fit goes to 0.0015"

For a press fit, the hole is usually undersized by 0.0005".

Here is an example. For a 1/4" pin which is 0.250" diameter, you want the corresponding hole to be reamed out to 0.2495" for a press fit and you want it reamed out to 0.252" + 0.0005" for a slip fit.

So unless you have drill bits that are the correct size and only 0.001" to 0.002" bigger than the pin or you have precision reamers, then I suggest that you do NOT just open up the pin holes with a drill bit.

Now yo can always use a drill bit that is the exact same size as the pin to clean the hole out. But I suggest using a pin vice or T Handle tap wrench to turn the bit by hand only. Just grabbing the next size bit form your standard fractional drill bit set will make the holes way over sized and lead to problems.

I had a friend send a MKII/45 home with me to reassemble. I'd heard they were tough but someone always chimed in and said that with the right instructions and a little practice, it wasn't that big of a deal.

After three videos, two manuals, and about an hour, it finally went back together.

He traded it after that and when I wanted something similar, the Mark IV Standard was my choice. Comes part with the push of a button and pivot of a pin.

12Bravo20 said:

yo can always use a drill bit that is the exact same size as the pin to clean the hole out. But I suggest using a pin vice or T Handle tap wrench to turn the bit by hand only.

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Blasphemy…

Varminterror said:

use a tight fitting drill bit, turned by hand, to “ream” the fit

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Varminterror said:

Blasphemy…

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While you have more experience with long range shooting, my area of expertise is machining and manufacturing. I will stand by what I stated above considering I have 30 + years as a journeyman machinist/tool and die maker.

And we all know most people will only have fractional drill bit sets. And the next size up fractional drill bit (1/32) will definitely open up the pin hole too much.

12Bravo20 said:

While you have more experience with long range shooting, my area of expertise is machining and manufacturing. I will stand by what I stated above considering I have 30 + years as a journeyman machinist/tool and die maker.

And we all know most people will only have fractional drill bit sets. And the next size up fractional drill bit (1/32) will definitely open up the pin hole too much.

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I was largely busting your balls. I chose to give a quick response originally reflecting the exact same sentiment - to correct the takedown pin bores - several Fudds acted like I suggested skeletonizing the receiver and drilling holes in the chamber section of the tenon of a 20mm howitzer.

Doesn’t take 30 years behind a spindle to understand holes should be round, burr free, and with proper clearance for the pin meant to pass through them (and I’m 20yrs gunsmithing on Mark Series pistols this fall, although it’s been about 12yrs since I quit running a machine and fabrication floor). When pins don’t slip fit, something is awry, and fixing it can be ridiculously simple. Usually doesn’t even need a T handle, just spinning with fingertips to turn a Mark I/II/III from a bear to takedown and reassemble into a pussycat that slips in and out the way Bill intended.