May have found the perfect pistol and it's not what I expected.

[thatguy]

After nearly 40 years of shooting I have owned or tried just about every kind of handgun ever made. Autos, revolvers, specialty guns, you name it. I have favorites, pistols that just feel good in my hand, and I have some that aren't great but I can live with, and there are some I hated (not to mention any names but...Glock).

I am, for the most part, a revolver guy. I find them more aesthetically pleasing than most autos. But I cetainly appreciate my self-loaders, too. But the wheel gun is my usual choice when it comes to just feeling great in my hands.

That's why I was surprised to realize that the best feeling, best shooting gun I have ever owned is a semi-auto. I was further shocked when I found that I really liked the long barrel on this gun as I generally prefer shorter tubes.

I wanted a target quality .22 auto so I picked up this older model Ruger Mark I with the 6 & 7/8" barrel. It was made in 1965 but when I bought it last year it came in its original black and yellow box and appeared unfired. After a couple trips to the range I have decided that this may be the best gun in terms of fit and feel and accuracy that I have ever owned. It feels like a natural extension of my arm when I hold it, and the trigger is superb. At 25 yards it just chews the center out of the target.

I'm not ready to throw away all my other handguns, but who would have thought that this simple and relatively inexpensive gun would wind up as king of the hill?

 

[P5 Guy]

Out at the range this past weekend a fellow shooter let my wife try his MkII and she liked it very much. Even though it is a 'righthanded gun' and Sharon is a lefty.
It's looking like I'll have to buy one soon!

 

[SwampWolf]

Doesn't surprise me any, thatguy. The little Ruger is a real classic for good reasons. BTW, have you tried "field-stripping" your little gem yet?

 

[Rob1035]

oldie but goodie

 

[ravencon]

This is why there are so many flavors of ice cream. I recently sold a Ruger Mark I (including the yellow box) that was a twin of the one you love so much. I owned it for at least 25 years.

Why did I sell it after so many years? I never much liked the grip or the feel of this barrel length. It shot fine but I much prefer shooting my Model 41 or my Trailside. The Ruger almost never left the safe. Also, as had been pointed out, it is a miserable gun to strip and reassemble.

Though opinion do vary and I hope you enjoy many years of shooting pleasure with your Mark I.

 

[Justin]

Just wait 'til you pick up a Smith & Wesson Mod. 41...

 

[shaggycat]

Buy a Buckmark. You will have a new favorite.

Seriously though, those Rugers are pretty sweet though.

 

[Brian Williams]

I thought my Ruger MKII was great until I picked up a Colt Woodsman. Enjoy.

 

[offthepaper]

What exactly are the differences between the MKI and the MKII ?

 

[CajunBass]

Good grief. Y'all can't even let a guy enjoy bragging about a gun he's got without telling him, he should have gotten something that YOU like.

Congratulations TG. Enjoy your gun. She's a pretty one.

 

[mkeBob]

Nice little dig SwampWolf. I know what you mean. It took me a few times to
learn to reassemble correctly.

 

[bubbygator]

I recently bought my 3rd Mark-II. I put a scope on my 1st one & got bored with it when I hit everything I shot at. So I didn't put anything on my 2nd one, but sold it when I got the itch to CCW. Now I've got my 3rd & put Crimson Trace lasergrips on it so I can have the best of all worlds. Stop in at www.markii.org forums - they'll have info on Mark-I as well.

 

[461]

Have to agree on your pick, my MKII has been a great gun for me for over a dozen years. Field stripping is really quite simple once you get the hang of it but my gunsmith had to help me get my old MKI together the first time and that embarrassment stuck with me to where it's now second nature. I'm looking at getting another MKII to put a scope on now as I don't much like the MKIII.

 

[albanian]

The MK-I and MK-II are great guns, that is probably why they have sold millions of them. You don't build a company based on one gun if that gun is a POS. You don't sell millions of the same model over 60 years if that model doesn't have something going for it.

I have tried many of the .22lr pistols over the years and nothing beats the Ruger MK-II for best gun for the money. The Buckmark is simply not as good as the Ruger and the S&W 41 is about $900 last time I checked!

 

[wally]

What exactly are the differences between the MKI and the MKII ?

Main difference is the MkI lacks the bolt hold open on the last shot, but since its safe to dry fire this is of little consequence and actually helped improve my wife's shooting by making it obvious what she was doing wrong with the trigger causing the sights to be misaligned at the "click".

The MkI mag is 9 shot the MkII is 10 shots. MkII mags work fine in my MkI, not sure this is universal.

They are a PITA to takedown, but I almost never do it as spray brake parts cleaner every couple of thousand rounds flushes things out real good and a bit of Break-Free or FP-10 afterwards and its good to go.

Some MkII came drilled by the factory for scope mounts (often included). None of the MkI were (as far as I know) making scope/red dot mounting a good bit more expensive.

The MkIII uses the more popular thumb mag release location, but needs different mags and adds a loaded chamber indicator and magazine disconect which makes takedown even more of a PITA.

--wally.

 

[Onmilo]

I have owned several Mkl and Mkll pistols over the years.
None of them were bad pistols, my problem is that I cannot seem to hang on to a Ruger firearm.
Something comes along that I just have to have and one of the Rugers ends up getting thrown into the deal.

One good thing about them is you will have no problem getting rid of it if it comes to that, trust me on this, I know!

Two Mk ll pistols I remember most were a 4 3/4" taper barrel pistol like yours with fully adjustable factory sights.
Another one I owned was a Mk ll with a factory 4" bull barrel and adjustable sights.

I sold these guns to eager buyers who paid me way more than I paid for the guns.
I guess these two versions went and got all kinds of collectable.
I really miss that short taper barrel with the adjustable sights.
That pistol was a favorite and I still lament getting rid of it, profit or no.
Enjoy your new pistol.