cleaning the ^&#&@$% MKII

[wild billz]

When you all clean your MKII do you remove the frame and barrel adn receiver or just the bolt? I have a new MKII, shot twice and have around 400 rounds through it in two range sessions. I have just removed the bolt and cleaned the chamber, bolt, firing pin, and ran a patch through the bore. It being difficult enough to reassemble how oftern do you go all the way in stripping it. A friend of mine who \has had one for 10 years has never taken it down that far. ANother question is how often to clean a .22, some threads say pretty rarely. Input?

 

[tc300mag1]

I strip mine everytinme i shoot over 500 rounds mine doesnt like to be dirty starts jamming... it gets easyer to take apart and put back together the more ya do it even with red dot i have no prob lineing barrel and frame back up.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I always clean every gun after I come home from the range.

I always remove the barrel and upper receiver from my Ruger Mark II before cleaning, since it's impossible to clean around the breach otherwise. Half the reason I don't shoot the gun very often is that it's such a wretched @#$%^&! to reassemble.

I'll never buy another Ruger anything.

 

[R.H. Lee]

I clean my MKII with q-tips dipped in Hoppe's after each range session. That is enough to keep it going. The only real grunge is in the breech and the q-tips get it all. I don't use any oil or lube on the pistol, and rarely completely disassemble it, but it is not a big deal to reassemble after you've done it a couple of times.

 

[Sactown]

I take it apart and clean everything but the barrel. My two rugers grouped better with fouled barrels. The groups got tighter after I fired several rounds through it. If I ever clean the barrel, I use the Patchworm from 20/20 Concepts (your basic weedwacker plastic). If you have a set of nylon picks, it goes a long ways toward cleaning teh gun without removing the upper receiver. Also, look at getting a trigger shield. The trigger shield reduces teh amount of cleaning as well. The rugers are a pain to take apart, but after you've taken them apart a coupla times, the guns is easier to disassemble.

 

[HSMITH]

Sell it and buy a Buckmark. Clean your Buckmark every 5000 rounds whether it needs it or not, put a drop of oil on the rails every time you go shooting and call it good.

Life is too short to own a Ruger 22 lr handgun.

 

[JohnKSa]

I quit cleaning the barrels in my rimfire guns a couple of years ago and have yet to see any problems.

I do brush out the action every so often to keep it from gumming up. Every 500 to a thousand rounds, or when I get the urge to pull one of them apart...

The MK IIs are easy to get apart. There's one spot in the reassembly that's a bit tedious, but it's just a matter of doing it a couple of times until you get it right. I adjusted the trigger overtravel for a guy on his dining room table in about 15 minutes using only tools I had in my pockets and an allen wrench that he lent me. That requires further disassembly than is recommended in the manual.

What part of the disassembly/reassembly are you having problems with?

 

[Badger Arms]

I usually take the bolt out and clean around the firing pin and extractors pretty good. That seems to give it the most problems. I DO clean the barrel after each range session but I use aluminum cleaning rods from the breech and only swab, never brush. Seems to work fine.

 

[andrew17]

Try this link : http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/field_strip.htm
Very clear and detailed instructions on feild stripping the MKII.
I printed these out and set down with mine and in 30 secs I had it apart. The first time it took about 2 min to put back togeather. Now, 30sec to strip, 30 sec to put back togeather.
Its a snap after the first time.

 

[wild billz]

Ruger help

thanks for the input, especially the link to the site with the pics Andrew. I will probably take it all the down tonight to clean and practice puttingit back together a few times.

I also receive my HiViz front sight today, so I am looking forward to that as well.

 

[Penforhire]

It does get easier with practice. My times are probably close to Andrew's. I still need to look up the "speed strip" kits to see if they're worth it.

I don't think cleaning the barrel is that important but the bolt/breech area has to be kept clean.

 

[444]

My dad bought me my first Ruger Standard Model when I was nine years old. After reading the manual, I was able to field strip it without a problem. I have owned one ever since. I currently own two Mk.IIs. Over the past 33 years it hasn't gotten any more difficult to strip, however I hardly every do it. If it starts to malfunction, I strip it and clean it. As long as it is running ok, I don't clean it in any way. I find that I can easily get several thousand rounds between cleanings.

 

[MoNsTeR]

When it starts jamming I wipe out the feed area and oil the bolt a little bit. That seems to be all it needs.

And honestly, it's not that hard to field strip, guys.

 

[andrew17]

I've found that a rubber mallet really helps when removing the barrel assy from the lower reciever expecially on new guns. Just a tap and it comes right off.

Heres what I do:

Remove magazine, check chamber for safe.

pull trigger

hook paperclip around the clip on the mainspring housing and pull it out/down.

swing the mainspring housing outward.

pull the mainspring housing downward to remove the recoil pin (probably kinda stiff)

tilt the muzzle upward and slide the bolt out. (carefull ya dont drop the bolt)

tap on the back of the barrel assy with rubber mallet to remove upper from lower.

Tada!

puttin it back together:

slide barrel assy on to lower reciever and tap it to get the recoil pin hole lined up pretty close.(that hole behind the rear sight)

tlit barrel upward (to get hammer to flop back) and slide bolt in.

tilt barrel downward and pull trigger(to get hammer to fall forward )

push recoil bolt up through the reciever

tilt barrel upward and swing mainspring housing into position.
on the back of the hammer is the hammer strut the reason you tilt the barrel upward at this point is to get the strut to go into the recess in the back of the mainspring housing as you seat it.

If you get the gun back together and cant cock the bolt, the hammer strut didnt go in the MSH recess. at this point swing the MSH out, tilt the barrel upward and swing the MSH into the gun again.


HTH

 

[Dave Sample]

Interesting. I just gave my Grandson a brand new one. He is 7 and has to wait until he is 12 to shoot it. I have had a dozen of these and have no trouble cleaning them and taking them apart. I got rid of them because shooting .22's is so boring. I got him one of the NRA/Bill Ruger one's with the white grips. serial number ##05. Now he is telling all the little kids around him that he has a real gun! He really has two. I also gave him a .22 Colt Frontier 6 Shooter that is a collectors item. My son started packin one just like it when he was about 8 or 9. He also has the old belt and holster that my son wore way back then at the Ranch.

 

[Arub]

Welcome to the downside of MarkII ownership. Field stripping becomes easier over time as you discover the 'little' things that make reassembly easier (like downing a six pack or two in preparation).

The inherent accuracy and reliability makes up for the initial frustration of coping of cleaning it. It will 'grow' on you over time and the cleaning ritual will become second nature.

Lots of luck.

 

[bountyhunter]

I always remove the barrel and upper receiver from my Ruger Mark II before cleaning, since it's impossible to clean around the breach otherwise. Half the reason I don't shoot the gun very often is that it's such a wretched @#$%^&! to reassemble.

Once you learn the secret it's a snap: the hammer strut is always in the wrong postion and you have to flip it forward or back.

 

[hillst1]

Use a rubber mallet amd wear leather gloves when you separate the barrel /reciever from the grip the first time you disassemble it. The fit is very tight. I spent 5 hours in the emergency room with a cut hand after trying to disassemble the darn gun. Eight stiches later I have learned my lesson: only take it apart when it starts acting up.

 

[Bill B.]

Each I am sure has their story to tell on the Ruger Mark I & II. From the ones I have owned; close to 10, I have yet to see why you are having to take them down for a cleaning so often. Generally after a range session of about 500 rounds I will run a patch with Hoppe's down the barrel and follow that with a clean dry one. I then spray the gun off with Rem oil and wipe it down. It is also easier to use compressed air to blow particles or powder residue from around the bolt without a complete takedown. Of all the Rugers I have owned I have never had one malfunction from a lack of cleaning. I did have one government Mark II that Ruger had to replace the mag. to get it to function but Rugers have ran as trouble free for me as any makers guns for thousands of .22 rounds over a span of 30 odd years.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Once you learn the secret it's a snap: the hammer strut is always in the wrong postion and you have to flip it forward or back.

Not one, but two gunsmiths have said my Ruger Mark II is more difficult to reassemble than most. Frankly, I think it's just an extremely sloppy design.

 

[444]

"Frankly, I think it's just an extremely sloppy design."

Oh well, it is the design of one of the most popular handguns of the last 50 years, if you call that sloppy then I guess you are right.

"Not one, but two gunsmiths have said my Ruger Mark II is more difficult to reassemble than most. "

So compared to "most" it is difficult. Where does that put it on the broad scale of difficulty. Harder than riding a bike for the first time ? I don't think so. Harder than sharpening a knife for the first time ? I don't think so. What about compared to other guns ? Is it more difficult than stripping an M1 ? I don't think so.
It appears to me that many people find this task difficult based on reading threads on on-line gun boards. I have a very low opinion of my own mechanical ability. I wouldn't think of touching a Dremel tool. I can't change the brake shoes on my pickup without taking the other side apart to see how it goes together. Yet, as a child not yet in junior high school I was able to figure out how to strip a Mk.II. Maybe I am too hard on myself.

 

[wild billz]

lots of debate and some bashing

so far the hardest part about taking it apart and puttingit together is the lack of experience I have in doing it, adn the tight tolerances to force parts out, otherwise it isn't that hard of a concept to do, and with practice I have gotten better. It wa only the first time that i didn;t get the bolt to open, took it apart and retried.

I have to admit iwan't going to get a Ruger based on people saying it is hard to take down, but practice will make it easier, and take down is a small part of it, look at how easy it is to accessories, plus it shoots well (better than me), and is solid.

 

[andrew17]

and with practice I have gotten better.

Excellent! Glad ya got 'er apart and back again!

This past Sunday mine printed a .29 ctc group for 10 shots@25yds.
The gun will do better than this with a better shooter I'm sure.
Sloppy? eh well I never would have considered a gun that shoots like these to be described as sloppy. Yeah theres a lot of stamped parts inside and some of 'em arent quite a machined fit but they seem to have "it" where it counts though.

 

[mete]

Normally Rugers are not hard to take apart. One I worked on though,must have been assembled by a gorilla since I had to pound off the barrel with a large hammer. I then did some work with a file so the owner could take it apart without a hammer.

 

[bountyhunter]

Not one, but two gunsmiths have said my Ruger Mark II is more difficult to reassemble than most.

They're just jealous of my prowess as a gunsmith.

The part of taking the barrel of off the frame: I have a wooden work table. I put the end of the barrel section on it and then lean straight down on the hand grip and it pops right off. never needed a hammer even when new.

Now you want to talk gunsmith nightmares... there is that CZ-85 trigger spring, the HI-power hammer spring, the trigger/sear assembly on a Para LDA... give me a good old SW wheelgun any day.