So, I have been a fan of the Ruger MK series of .22LR pistols and currently own several MKII's, a MKIII, and MKIV. By far, the MKII's are my favorite shooting irons of the series.

For the record I don't find field stripping and re-assembly of any of the MK series of pistols particularly challenging, but I am glad that Ruger developed the MKIV so that those handicapped with four thumbs could enjoy shooting activities too.

Anyone else prefer the MKII over the others in the MK series?

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Live long and prosper

I do....have a MKII Government model with the target barrel....so far it cycles everything.....really perks up with CCI 0032 Standard velocity!

Randy

My favorite Ruger...

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Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

I think the MK II was my entry into shooting after many years. Incredibly accurate and will shoot anything. Best 22 I've had for handling all ammo.

The red dot scope really helps with old eyes.

I moved to Colt Woodsman and then Hi Standards after that intro; but I've always had a soft spot for that MK II.


Prescut

Never understood all the venom slung at Ruger for how difficult disassembly and reassembly was. All you have to do is follow the directions. After doing it a few times, you can do it in the dark. The only rule to remember is to keep the hammer down.

I collect them! Not posting pictures though.


Sorry, IMHO the new version simply doe not compare, I would not own one of the new, easy take down models or the ones with the lame loaded round flapper thingy!

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Still Running Against the Wind

Some of my favorites.

Puller, yes I'm a big fan of the Ruger Mark II also.

I have two MKIIs and one Standard Model (MKI?). The MKIIs are a shade ahead because of the bolt hold open, but my granddaughters and I like all three. Outstanding field guns.

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I'm with her

I have a heavy barrel stainless one that I really like. It is way more accurate than I will ever be.

I like 'em. My bull barrel target MK-II with a 2x scope has accounted for a lot of squirrels and other assorted small game. Unfortunately, it is not legal for hunting here in PA.

Larry

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I have two, this NRA Commemorative I shoot the heck out of:



And this Ruger Collectors' Association one with ivory grips and a gold inlaid seal on the receiver that I'm torn about shooting or not:

Mine's in stainless steel , it went through Clark Custom Guns for a target trigger job and Millet SP-1 red dot sight installation ... I bought it second hand .
It was LOVE at first trigger squeeze . Detached retinas had ended my handgun shooting, which I dearly loved , and that red dot sighted MKII put me back in the game again. That was 25 years ago and I had never shot a gun with a red dot sight !
I'm taking it with me , Heaven must have a shooting range !
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

I had one BI...Before Internet. It was an early one (M I?} and dismantling it was a horror and there were no on-line videos at that time on how to do it. If you do it a few times, I'm sure it gets easy. It was a good shooter but not any better than any other .22 auto I've owned. I got rid of the Ruger and got an HD Military. I don't know how easy it is to disassemble but it's easier to clean. The Ruger trigger wasn't great, either. I think the newer ones have gotten better.

Another horror to re-assemble is the Nylon 66. Best left alone, either of these.

I love my Mark II. Accurate as all get out and a perfect little "woods walking" gun.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

Tandemkross makes a hammer bushing for the MKIII series that eliminates the mag disconnect and drastically improves the trigger pull and allows the magazine to drop free like it should.

It makes it a MKII with standard button type mag release.

My MKII is a 6 7/8 " slabside... love it!

Because so many just didn't want to "learn" how. I would rather take one apart then some of the guns that require a screw driver or hex wrench to field strip it!

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Still Running Against the Wind

yes... original first version but mostly Mark II's... and disassembly is not that big of deal... besides, learning new talents keeps the mind sharp.

I have a 4 3/4" standard blue Mark II that I'm very fond of. I've had it
apart a few times. No big deal if you just follow the instructions.

My dad had a Ruger Standard when I was a kid, and it was one of the pistols I learned on. It showed me that long-range shooting with a pistol was not only possible, but not that difficult. I plinked at soda cans at 100 yards all the time.

I've had a few over the years, but my only Ruger .22 at the moment looks exactly like this one (I don't have a photo), a Mark II with a 5" bull barrel, with cocobolo stocks.

Ruger MKII Government:








I also have a MK III .22/45 with Pachmayr .45 grips. I milled the sides of the grip frame, and drilled and tapped holes for the Pachmayrs.





And then there is my MK III Target that had the barrel threaded for a suppressor.

Yep, a fan here, too. Bull barrel and SS slab side MkIIs, though I've had to go to a reddot (Burris FF3) 'cause the sights have shrunk on me ;-). I never did understand the problem with reassembly either; reading the manual and a little patience always worked for me.

A good solution if you bought the pistol new and you have a manual. I didn't and a lot of us didn't/don't, either. I got mine in 73 or so, used, and I didn't have a box, a manual, or a clue. Simple today to download videos on anything; it is the information age today, but it wasn't back then. How soon we forget our past.

I very seldom buy new guns. And when I do, they don't need a manual to take them apart. I never understood why Ruger made such a complicated pistol when plenty of paradigms for seemingly simpler .22 pistols existed at the time. I heard it was to make a less-expensive pistol and I applaud that.

We had several MKII Government Models in the state national guard marksmanship training unit. We used them for fam fire for headquarters types. Safety note: stand behind them.

I'd like to add a GM to my modest collection of Rugers, just haven't run into one.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

I have a bunch of mk2’s. I have no desire to own the other series. My favorite is a little 4” Bull barrel beauty, and I also really like my anniversary model.

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Another Ruger MK II fan here . I own a MK II Competition Target ,a MK II KMK 678 along with a MK III Target & a MK IV 22/45 as well. No plans on getting rid of any of them but the MK II's are my favorite by far.
Never really understood the problem many people seem to have with the disassembly/reassembly process. Once you do it a number of times it's really not difficult . Certainly no more involved than taking apart a 1911 .
I was curious what kind of accuracy my Comp Target was capable of so I temporarily installed a Red Dot and shot it off a sandbag rest at 25 yds. I didn't try a lot of different types of a ammo just what I normally have on hand. With CCI Stnd Velo 5 rounds ran between 0.5" -1.25". CCI Mini Mags 0.75"-1.25" and SK Stnd Plus ran from 0.5" to just under 1.0" . Not too bad .
I shoot my handguns with iron sights so the Red Dot was removed after the testing.
The MK II's do seem to have a pretty good following and if Gunbroker is any indication they also hold their value quite well .

I added those wooden Ruger grips to mine, which is stainless.

I collect as well. Second only to my Smiths.

I have a Std, MkI, MkII, MkIII and MkIV.

I think the takedown issue is a myth. Although I have taken them down, it seems as though you can fire thousands and thousands of rounds and still not NEED to take them down.

I agree my MkII is a gem, and probably my favorite, but My new MkIV is the most accurate of the bunch, has the best trigger and has the best fit and finish.

Several thousand rounds and haven't taken her down yet.

I've got to go against the grain here. Almost three years ago, I found a 50th Anniversary Mark II in the LGS, alongside a 1950 Ruger Standard model. Both came home to join a Mark IV Target model purchased a few months earlier.

Unfortunately, my example of the Mark II does not match its reputation, and does not shoot nearly as well as the old Standard model, nor as well as the Mark IV. The previous owner had installed a Majestic Speed Strip kit, which makes takedown marginally easier, but I doubt that affects the gun's accuracy. Perhaps he did some other gunsmithing that didn't turn out as expected and that's why it ended up in the used gun case at the LGS.

Other members have posted pictures of some dandy looking pistols, along with glowing reports. But my Mark II is not a member of that club. No desire to acquire another version of it, the old Standard model is fine for me. In fact, I could probably do without the Mark IV Target model too.

I feel the MKII was the epitome of the series. The MKIII just over complicated the design and added a bunch of lawyer junk and an unnecessary grip mounted push button release. The MK IV was just chasing the S&W Victory for those folks that could not figure out the reassembly drill....

Just my $0.02.

Yep. Have had a Government Target Model for probably 25 or 30 years. Like it. Have a 50th Anniversary model too but don't shoot it. Sooner shoot my 617.

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Foster Positivity.

My LGS has two for sale for $150 each. A mkII and a mkIII. The mkIII was so leaded up I don’t know how it cycled. I have no clue why that take down pin is so hard to remove. I refitted it.

My LGS has two for sale for $150 each. A mkII and a mkIII. The mkIII was so leaded up I don’t know how it cycled. I have no clue why that take down pin is so hard to remove. I refitted it.

I have a few...

Ruger MK II Stainless

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Ruger MK II 22-45

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Ruger 50th Anniversary MK II Standard Auto (I have two of these, but only have photos of one at present)

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I have a few Mark III's, one Mark IV, and one Mark I from 1960, but have only taken photos of the Mark I.

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So far as favorites are concerned, it's a tossup between the two 50th Anniversary MK II Standard Auto's and the old Mark I.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

yep - I have two of them.....

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Merle, retired
western PA

I always liked the look of the Ruger Standard and found one about 15 years ago at the local funshop for $169. I snapped it up quick. I stripped it down once and cleaned it good. Since then I just drop it into a bucket of Ed's Red every couple hundred rounds and let it soak overnight. A few spritzes of air from the compressor while it is still submerged and a vigorous working of the bolt a bunch of times and it is ready to go for another couple hundred or more. As a kid I always thought they looked like a Luger and that stuck with me. It is kinda fun to take a short barreled fixed sight .22 and bust fist size dirt clods on the 50yd berm more times than not.

I've got half a dozen Mk I's, II's and III's. All except one are target models. I had one of my slab-sided target ones threaded so I could use a suppressor on it. It ended up being very muzzle heavy with the suppressor on it. I decided to try something different. I picked up a cheap MKII stainless with the 6" tapered barrel. I had the barrel cut off and threaded. Now it balances great with the suppressor. First picture is the donor gun, second and third is without and with the suppressor.

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I have only one of the earlier Standard Models, mine is ca. 1955. It has only fixed sights but they can be adjusted if you have the patience. When I first got mine, the POI was WAY off. It took me at least an hour of pounding the rear sight in its dovetail (it's really tight) and filing the front sight down to get it in the black at 25 yards. But I will say it shoots like a target pistol. There is an enlarged knob-like thing available that replaces the tiny magazine release catch on the butt, and, believe me, it's a worthwhile investment to save your thumb. I bought a couple of new Mec-Gar magazines, they work perfectly (also will work on the Mk II).
RANCH PRODUCTS MK II™ EXTENDED MAGAZINE RELEASE | Brownells

All of my 22 Rugers are MKIIs. 5 1/2 bull barrel models are my favorites. Here are a few of mine the blue one was worked over and engraved by a Montgomery County Gunsmithing student in Troy, NC. Deserves a much better picture, but it’s the only one I have. The stainless ones are my favorite handguns I own

All of my 22 Rugers are MKIIs. 5 1/2 bull barrel is my favorite configuration. Here are a few of mine. The engraved one was done by a Montgomery County Gunsmithing student in Troy. It deserves a much better picture. The stainless ones are my favorite two guns I own.

I found the same gizmo made by Volquartsen. The tab on this one is easy to shape so it's more unobtrusive but still effective.

Volquartsen Extended Mag Release Ruger Mark II Black

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I'm with her

Bless my heart, I only have one...... :-( :-)

I do only have one, but I am not down in the dumps about it. I am blessed to have it!!! Traded my MK I and 25 bucks for it.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

Oh for sure!! Here is mine, a 5 " bull barrel. Does anyone remember those Clark grips? Before there was a 22/45, you just bought these grips. IMHO they feel BETTER than the 22/45



I only added the optic this year, mostly to prove I don't need one yet. I returned to Bullseye last year after a 20 year hiatus. My scores were obviously pretty poor, but I was convinced it was loss of technique, not declining eyesight. I proved that right, as I shoot pretty much identical scores with both optics and irons. This gun is the reason I never got a Model 41. Although I want a 41, I can't believe it would shoot any better.

The only thing I did other than switch grips was do a sort of trigger job. I put in a Volquartsen sear and spring kit, and a Clark steel trigger. That and a bit of polishing gave me a safe 2 3/4# trigger pull.

The one thing i didn't like was the excessive forward trigger movement after sear reset. So, I drilled and tapped a hole in the trigger guard for an angled set screw, which lets me limit that.



I well remember getting this pistol in December 1990. My then girlfriend, now wife, told me if I got another gun before she got a ring there would be trouble. What else could I do? I needed a .22, so I got engaged!

It has worked out remarkably.

I wanted a 22/45 for a while, but was never thrilled with Ruger's plastic frame or the LCI upper. The aftermarket is ripe though, so I decided to build one out of aftermarket parts instead.

The result is a Volqs lower and a PacLite upper. The only Ruger parts are the bolt and the mainspring assembly.

The Volqs trigger is easily the best I've ever felt- breaks like a glass rod.

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I bought a Gov't. model Mark II not long after they came out, more than thirty years ago. It shoots very well, but no better than the Mark I that I bought new in 1976 for less than $75.00, I think.

These guns have been fired a lot and continue to function well and shoot accurately. My far more expensive 1957 S&W Model 41 isn't that much more accurate than the Rugers.

As for takedown on the Rugers, I did this twice, at least twenty-five years ago and learned how poor my mechanical skills were. I got them back together, but don't know how that happened. May try it again in another twenty-five years when they might need to be stripped.

My son has the middle one but I still have the other 2. Love 'em. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Love my Mk II government. Only 22 hand gun I have. As far as take down. Its a nightmare. Everything feels gritty. Just getting the the lever in the grip to come down %$#&). EVEN WHEN ITS CLEAN. Recently tried to take it down again. Everything locked up tighter than a drum. Had to take it to a smith.

I really don't understand the take-down difficulties. Never had a problem. The only thing you need to watch is hammer orientation.

guess that's enough to confuse some people....

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Merle, retired
western PA

My favorite Ruger 22 is my old Mark I. The Mark II would be a very close second with the Marks III and IV of no interest to me. Were I to buy another Ruger 22 today I would look for a good used I or II and if none around I would go for a Single Six.