Ruger Mark I

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solive

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I have a friend that is going to sell me his mark I, I don't know much about them. It is in about 85-90 % condition it has a 5 inch bull barrel and it has a SN of 16-514** . What can you tell me about them are they any good, Do they have any problems and about how much would one sell for?

Thanks

It looks just like this one
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=43220556
 
The picture in the linked thread is one of a Mark II, of course, but the Mark I with the 5.5inch bull barrel looks very similar...

I don't know when the production of the 16 prefix guns started. I have a Ruger Mark I Bull Barrel that I purchased in 1974, and it has a 12 prefix...

They are great guns, and you will be happy with it...

Forrest
 
I should have mentioned that they don't have any problems except that you need to make sure that you have the manual when you decide to strip the gun down and then reassemble it. A couple of parts need to be aligned exactly right to finish the reassembly and you will fumble around for hours if you don't know the trick. If you do know the trick, reassembly is a snap...

I have no idea about what the current value is for this model in the condition you mention. Sorry.

Forrest
 
I just got a new Mk II with 6-3/8" tapered barrel and adjustable sights for $260. Fixed sight models are generally ~$35 cheaper but lack the base and mounting holes for a scope or red dot.

The Mk I also doesn't lock the slide back on the last shot and as far as I know none were drilled at the factory for scope mounts. My Mk I works with Mk II mags which is good becasue they are much easier to find and hold 10 instead of 9 rounds.

At most gun shows used Mk I are priced such that you could buy a new MkII or Mk III for the same money. I've never understood why. The Mk I are good but the later models offer worthwhile improvements, although the magazine disconnector in the Mk III is disliked by many.

Edit: You can downlaod the manual as a pdf file from Ruger.com

--wally.
 
I've seen a couple of Mk I's in my area recently going for about $150.00, but they were the standard barrel, fixed sight ones, but it should give you some kind of idea.

I had a Mk I years ago. Sold it to a girl I work with. Now I'm got a MK II, and a Mk III. I like 'em both.
 
If you go to the Sturm-Ruger factory site you can download the complete manual for the MKI or any other if you want. It also includes drawings. Sorry but I don't have that site saved but it is rather easy to get to. There also is a Ruger Forum site that may answer some of your questions

http://www.rugerforum.com
 
RUGER MARK 1

Suggestion :
I would want to test fire the gun before purchase. This will verify reliability
as to the pin. As you know dry firing a 22 is a NO NO and people tend to dry fire 22s, thinking there will be no damage.
I would also check for loseness in the barrel, as all Mark models after thousands of round do losen up, affecting accuracy of the gun.
Both situations can be corrected by a Smith but this may give you some levarage on pricing.
Note: I have a old military Mark 1 that I shoot Bulls Eye with that is just now
showing barrel loseness after thousands of rounds.
Overall the Ruger Mark Series guns are reliable automatics.
 
Thanks for all the info. I plan to shoot it before I buy it. He let me borrow it. I am going to clean it up and test fire it some.
 
I bought my Mark I, serial number 13-XXXXX in 1976, new for $70.66. I had a contact at the Ruger factory at the time and bought several Rugers for cost.
Ruger use to advertise the Mark I as being the only gun to win the Nationals right out of the box with no modifications. Clark use to make a drop in trigger assembly that was a tremendous improvement over the factory trigger. I'm not going to win the Nationals with mine but I think my Mark I could place well if the right shooter had it. Mine is extremely accurate.
The thin barrels with fixed sights were the model RST-4.
 
The Rugers are one of the few .22s that are truely safe to dry-fire -- as long as you don't forget (or lose) the crosspin when you re-assemble the bolt. A matching slot in the firing pin comes up short and stops the firing pin from hitting the breach face. If you dry fire without the crosspin in the bolt, there is a good change of ruining the gun if the breach face chips where the firing pin hits as then there is nothing to "pinch" the rim to make it fire.

If the price is right and you can live without the slide locking back (which leads to a lot of dry-fires when you count wrong) the Mk I is a great gun.

--wally.
 
If price is cheap go for it, otherwise I don't like the fact that they have 9rd mags different from the MKII's and the lack of a auto bolt lockback when shot empty. Can be locked back by applying safety when bolt is retracted though. The MKI's can take MKII grips too which is nice.
 
I own a Mark I that my grandfather originally purchased new in 1953 (SN 28xxx, made circa 1951).

It was a true 'truck gun', and was carried on a boat, a camper, and on hiking/camping/fishing trips for the better part of 30 years.

When I obtained it after his death, it had not been used or cleaned for quite some time, sitting wrapped in a rag in the bottom drawer of a desk.

I cleaned it, and have literally never had a problem with it since. Great pistol for what it is, built like a truck.
 
Moonclip said:
If price is cheap go for it, otherwise I don't like the fact that they have 9rd mags different from the MKII's and the lack of a auto bolt lockback when shot empty. Can be locked back by applying safety when bolt is retracted though. The MKI's can take MKII grips too which is nice.
Click to expand...

My Mk I works fine with the 10 round Mk II mags, though they obviously look quite different. Not sure all Mk Is will however.

--wally.
 
I picked up one of these at a pawn shop a couple of years ago. The owner told me it was a "jammomatic POS" and good for nothing but parts. Got him to let it go for $75. Once I got it home I gave it a good cleaning, which from the looks of it the gun had never had, and I haven't had a malfunction with it since.

V
 
Good gun.

Mine had trouble with a few of my magazines, so I spent an evening tweaking the feed lips with pliers.

That did the trick.

Now it doesn't function with any of those magazines for more than a few rounds and I keep thinking I'll remember to pick up new mags next time I'm in a gun shop.
:)
 
You used to be able to buy after-market followers for the magazine that held the slide open following the last shot. The down-side was that the slide was held back by the follower under tension, so you had to pull back on the slide to remove the mag. Don't know if you can still get them or not but they were a popular accessory back when Rugers didn't have a slide-lock feature.
 
Don Gwinn said:
Good gun.

Mine had trouble with a few of my magazines, so I spent an evening tweaking the feed lips with pliers.

That did the trick.

Now it doesn't function with any of those magazines for more than a few rounds and I keep thinking I'll remember to pick up new mags next time I'm in a gun shop.
:)
Click to expand...

I hate it when that happens...

I, myself, have never done anything like that, of course :).

Forrest
 
My granddmother's sister's husband sold my dad a MKI for $25 after he went into the nursing home for the last time. Threw on a Walther Luftpistole for grins.

It does not date to before Sturm's death, but purty near after it.
 
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