Ruger Mark II

The Ruger Mark II was first introduced by Sturm Ruger in 1982, previously it was the Mark I.
This is my all time favorite semi auto pistol chambered in 22 Long Rifle caliber. The Mark I was the pistol that made Sturm Ruger famous. I believe this Ruger Mark II is without a doubt the most popular and most reliable 22 caliber pistol made. Ruger has so many models that are currently available its hard to keep up with all of them.

Ruger now has a model called the 22/45 which has the same grip angle as the Browning designed 1911 45 acp pistol, which gives a 1911 target shooter the ability to practice with the same type hold of the grip angle as on the 1911 pistol. This newer 22/45 Ruger pistol uses a totally different magazine and they are not interchangeable with the regular Ruger Mark II pistol. They also make polymer frame models, which not only are made very well, they also work very well.

The standard Mark II semi auto pistol is a classic and if you were to shoot their bull barrel model with a 5 1/2 inch barrel you would see its a tack driver. There are many after market parts available for these pistols, just look in the Brownells gunsmith supply catalog.
Through the years I have seen many people totally disassemble this 22 caliber Mark I and Mark II pistol and they could not reassemble it and have either sent it or brought it to me in a plastic bag with all the parts. It is not an easy pistol to even field strip for many people. You can not just explain this procedure to some one on the phone or on paper.

I have refined an awful lot of these pistols. There are a number of after market triggers that are available for this Ruger Mark I and Ruger Mark II. The Mark II is just an upgraded Mark I. Clark Gunsmithing in Louisiana used to make an after market stainless steel trigger, at this time they just offer a blue carbon steel trigger that is available with an over travel stop adjustment screw. Volquartsen offers a stainless steel trigger also with an over travel adjustment screw. The Marvel after market trigger is no longer in the Brownells catalog on page 112 of Catalog 57. Once you install an after market trigger you must know how to fit the trigger bar so it will not scrape the internal frame or you will have problems.

I have been able to achieve a very good trigger pull on this pistol that breaks like a piece of glass rod. I always recut the engagements of the sear and the hammer and the trigger bar. I use a very different type of finish on the sear and hammer beyond anything that the Ruger factory does.

Its very important to keep this pistol very clean as with all 22 caliber rimfire weapons. I always polish the feed ramp and chamber and its not easy because of its location. DO NOT dry fire this or any other 22 caliber rimfire with an empty chamber. All 22 caliber rimfire ammunition can cause a different kind of problem, the bullets are wax coated and this type of ammunition leaves a wax coating on your feed ramp and in your chamber. If you do not keep the feed ramp and chamber clean you will start to have feeding and extraction problems. You must keep the breech face and the extractor clean, never put any lubrication in these areas. The more of a build up of wax and when mixed with burned and unburned powder that accumulates, the more your problems will multiply. You will start to have a lot of problems chambering a bullet into the chamber.

YOU MUST KEEP THIS AND ALL 22 CALIBER HANDGUNS CLEAN. Semi autos will cause many more problems than a 22 caliber revolver. Having after market parts available there are many options and there are many Ruger factory models to choose from, you will find a model that suits you best, they are all good. You must learn to field strip it but DO NOT totally disassemble the Ruger Mark I or the newer Ruger Mark II, or the 22/45 model, YOU WILL REGRET IT.

I like the bull barrel model in stainless steel, even the one with the polymer frame is fine. These Ruger Mark II pistols have a positive thumb safety and a slide stop. The magazine release is at the very bottom of the magazine well. These pistols are very reasonably priced making this an excellent buy regardless of which model you select.

Authors Personal Notation: This commentary as well as all previous commentaries are my personal opinions only. I mean what I say and I say what I mean.


Teddy Jacobson / Pistolsmith
www.actionsbyt.com
281 277 4008
tjacobson@houston.rr.com
www.actionsbyt.blogspot.com/