Got a new MK II...now what?

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Norton

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Just picked up a beautiful new Ruger Mark II from the store today and I'm making plans to take it to the range within the next day or so. :D

This gun's very different from my USP in the disassembly department.....any hints or things to watch out for when I go to clean it?

Also, does the gun need to be field stripped before I take it out? Didn't seem to be a problem with either the USP or my revolver, but this gun seems a little bit more particular in it's care and feeding. ;)
 
Go through the instructions very carefully. It seems like the planets have to be in line to get it back together the first time through but it's not hard once you get used to the tricks. Check out the .pdf manual for it on Ruger's site and see if the instructions are more detailed in that. I was looking at it recently and it's much better than the manual I have. Mine is over 10 years old though.
 
It seems like the planets have to be in line to get it back together the first time through but it's not hard once you get used to the tricks.
Click to expand...

You might also need a dead chicken to wave over your head & some eyes of newt just to get some good mojo going ;) Seriously, just be patient the first time you disassemble/re-assemble it and you'll be fine!

Congrats, now go get it dirty!
 
I've got the incense ready and a few kharmic chants to help with the reassembly:D

Makes me appreciate the simplicity of cleaning a combat handgun like the USP...

I saw the ontarget site and printed out the steps.....I'll also print the pdf file from Ruger so I don't mess up the manual.
 
I've had a Mark II for about 2 years.

It's sweet-shooting...I always begin and end my time at the range with it so that I can begin and end on a positive note. I've been buying boxes of Remington (525 in a box) from Dick's for $8, too---lots of shooting for a low price.

On cleaning it, BE PATIENT! And follow the reassembly instructions carefully. When the manual tells you to hold it in a certain way, do it! I used to get very frustrated and even considered trading it, but determined not to let it get the best of me. Now I reassemble it pretty quickly.

Enjoy!
Becky
 
The main reason I got this gun was that it's so cheap to shoot.....at Wal-Mart the Federal 550 box is $6.75 as opposed to $10.95 per 100 or 9mm. I'll actually pay for this gun by not shooting the USP quite as much. Sounds like win/win situation to me......get to satisfy that itch to shoot and not break the bank while dooing it:D
 
You'll Love It

Taking it apart gets easy after doing it a few times. You won't believe how accurate it is (I have the competition target model). I put a red dot on mine and shot it from a bench and grouped ten rounds in about 3/4" at 25 yards. I was going to post the target then threw it away. I figured nobody would believe me. Using that gun I managed my first ever perfect score (300) at our 25 yard bullseye league with the red dot sighter and have shot a couple of 298 scores using the iron sights on the gun.
 
tips on a red dot for these MkII's?

BTW I don't find it necesary to disassemble them, at least not very often. Gun scrubber and drilube 4 me.
 
Took the Mark IIout for it's shakedown cruise this afternoon.

As expected there were some misfeeds with this new gun.

Question #1: Is it unusual to have around a 5% failure (misfeed) rate with a new MK II? Guess I got spoiled with the USP since it has never failed to fire. Ammo used was Federal Hollowpoints from Wal-Mart.....

Question #2: When the misfeeds would occur, the next round in the magazine would be damaged by the mechanism enough that I was afraid to try to run it through the gun again......what does one do with these UNFIRED rounds? I can't leave them on the floor of the range and I don't want to put them in the trash.....do the ranges have provisions for these damaged unspent rounds?

Question #3: Are certain guns "sighted in" for specific distances? With the MK II, it actually shot tighter groups at 20 yards than 10 yards. The USP is the opposite, but I thought that it was just my neophyte shooting skills :)

All in all, a positive experience with the MK II, I'm hoping that it will help my accuracy with the USP and .38 special.
 
#1: Expect a certain number of failures to feed, eject, fire when the gun is new. Things will improve as you break it in (a brick or two of high-vel stuff). I don't clean my Mk II every outing, but until its fully broken in, you should clean it and oil it very well every outing. I highly recommend the Exact Edge Extractor from On Target for all Mk IIs.

#2: Most commercial ranges have provisions for dud rounds. Of the three I frequent, two want me to just toss duds down range, the third asks I turn them in to the RO. Don't throw them in the trash unless you first deactivate them by soaking them in WD40 or similar for a week or so (that's what the ranges do).

#3: Sighting in a handgun at a specific range relates to elevation. Could the reason you're shooting better at 20 than 10 be related to concentration?

All in all it sounds like your first outing went very well.

Enjoy!
 
long.........

you gotta hold that gun upside down-grip up(squeezing the trigger same time) then insert the locking mechanism in the grip,hold it rightside up-receiver up, then cock the gun and flip the locking lever..i break them down to basic assemblies and clean with a toothbrush and hoppes solvent-that slot for the extractor in the barrel fills up with crud,cotton swap soaked on solvent gets it out..feedramp gets cruddy,itll jam.chamber gets cruddy,itll jam.for red dots,if already drilled/tapped or bsquare has one that uses the front sight screw hole and the rear sight.dont get the clamping one.especially the weaver clamping one that has the small grooves in the barrel ring and a tightening screw,itll mark up a blued receiver and leave a permanent scored "0" in the receiver top where the screw goes and gouges around the barrel..receivers can be drilled and tapped for any bases just make sure they do it right cause the holes can never be filled in and matched in finish.its the metalurgy of the receivers in blued guns.im putting a millet redot on mine(been waiting 2 going on 3 months)for ruger to send me the 30mmrings and extended base.i could just as easily order a weaver screw in base(my ruger already drilled/tapped at factory) from brownelles and be good to go but im cheap and like to save as much as possable.they are fun little pistols and made to last.the blowback action centers around that locking mechanism in the grip,those arent your usual spring in there.
 
You have certainly made a great purchase and I feel you and your mkII are going to have some great times.Several years ago the magazine retainer spring gave out in my Ruger. No big thing. The part from the service department was sent promptly to me for a very small charge and the part was easy to change out. This problem showed up after many years of use and I realized that due to its design, the heel type magazine retainer keeps its spring under constant pressure when a magazine is in place. Its does its job well! I now store my Ruger with its magazine out to give that little spring a rest. Its a small detail and I want my mkII ready when I am.
 
I Just Bought One To

The first I do is take it apart to clean, yes others have told me about "the problem" but I can do anything, well if the first time we had sex was that hard, well you get the picture.

Well it does came apart easy and if you work at it you can get it back together, it shoots great though.


Paul
 
Really love my MkII. Once you fieldstrip it a couple times, you get the feel for it. Ruger isn't kidding about using a mallet though, I have to give mine a firm wack with a rubber mallet to remove the barrel from the lower frame assembly.

Norton, I have problems with Federal HPs too. They kill the next round too when they misfeed. I think it may have something to do with the shape of the hollow point. Federals have more of a dimple than a real hp, look at Remingtons for example.

I stick with Wolf match grade now when I can find it. By far my favorite ammo with my MkII. Accurate, fairly clean, and almost no misfeads with my first case of the stuff.:p
 
Well, I just went through the process of taking the gun apart for the first time. Like Praxis says, have that wooden mallet handy! I thought I'd never get the pin on the mainspring assembly to go back through the holes. Turns out that they weren't quite lined up and after a couple of strategic blows with the mallet it all went together pretty well.

A question on cleaning the bore on a .22. I ended up not cleaning the barrel on this time around because it appears that my cleaning rod that I use on the 9mm is too big. Is there a rod specifically for the .22?

I'm going to shoot out the remainder of my Federal HP and try a box of the Remington from Wally World.....
 
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