The Navy SEALS have in fact been issued special "dark" Ruger Mark IIs for clandestine operations. This is a yet-unpublished article I wrote a while ago on them. It would appear that the .22 LR round is alive in well in our military. Hope you find this information of interest.
John
These are some of the little known modern pistols used by our armed forces. I myself discovered their existence just a short number of years ago. Very few are in civilian circulation, as the large majority reside in the armories of our elite Navy SEAL teams. They are very special Ruger Mark II pistols made to the exacting specifications of our Special Operations Command. They have not been talked about much before now, so perhaps I can bring you up to speed on them.
Their story began in early 1987, when, according to an inquiry response from Sturm, Ruger and Company, they were approached by a “U.S. government agency” to see if they could produce some specially-modified stainless Mark II .22 pistols. Ruger was subsequently awarded a contract in March of 1987 with the U.S. Navy for a limited number of special stainless steel Mark II pistols. They were in fact destined for issue to U.S. Navy SEAL teams.
One of the specifications called for a “darkened finish” to be applied to all exterior parts. It’s pretty difficult to darken stainless steel, but Ruger did apply what appears to be a sprayed-on and probably baked black finish that somewhat resembles the Parkerizing that has traditionally been applied to U.S. issue standard steel weapons. If you will note from the picture above, all traditionally bright exterior features were blackened. Normally, a portion of the bolt, visible through the ejection port, was left in the white. On this gun, the entire bolt was blackened. Other normally bright parts such as the trigger, grip screws and even the Ruger emblem in the grips were similarly darkened. The finish used on the grip and barrel frames is somewhat fragile, and can be scratched or scraped fairly easily. Interestingly, the last three digits of the serial number were applied at the factory via a small sticker near the base of the magazine for each gun. In this way, each magazine was visibly certified as being test fired in the gun with which it was shipped. I had not noticed one of these stickers until one fell out of the magazine well on the gun I handled when I removed the magazine to clear it. The magazines were totally black with the exception of the loading button on the left side. Even the magazine floorplates, which usually incorporated a contrasting color Ruger emblem, were totally black.
An unusual feature of the gun is its front sight. While at first glance it appears normal for a 5.5” bull-barreled Ruger, it has some subtle differences. Its base is narrower, measuring .250” in width. The specifications for this pistol called for it to be “reinforced,” so it may also have a deeper and/or wider retaining screw at its center. Although the reason for the narrower sight base was not given, I’m pretty sure I know the answer. A number of sound suppressors have been made for specific firearms with non-tapered barrels, using the “slip and twist on” method of attachment. With this type, the front sight does double duty as a sort of bayonet stud which will fit into an L-shaped slot in the suppressor base. If such a suppressor was made and provided for this special gun, it would not fit a normal bull-barreled Ruger pistol, and would in fact be impossible to attach to a civilian gun. The reason for the sight being “reinforced” would mean that it was obviously also used for a purpose other than sighting. Suppressed .22 pistols have been in service with the U.S. military since the Office of Strategic Services employed the Hi-Standard Model U.S.A. H-D MS pistols during WWII. This newer Ruger pistol allows a quickly-employable and detachable suppressor to be used - in effect, a newer twist on an old idea.
The specifications called for no unusual packaging, so these guns were shipped in the regular yellow cardboard Ruger boxes proper for 5.5” bull-barreled Mark II pistols. These boxes had no end labels indicating the pistol type they contained. However, internally, the factory referred to the SEAL pistols as Models “KMK-512B.” The pistols all had standard Ruger markings of that period. Each gun was wrapped in a plastic bag, put into the box, and a standard Mark II instruction booklet was included. These boxes each had a fixed black plastic pillar which entered the trigger guard to anchor the gun in the box. The yellow box was in turn enclosed in a plain brown cardboard shipping box. One end piece of this outer box was marked with the serial number, using a black felt pen.
The unknown number of Navy SEAL guns are believed to have had serial numbers prefaced with 212- or 213- followed by five digits. There are estimated to be approximately 50 (opinions differ – perhaps as high as 84) that are in civilian hands. The reason for their existence is that there was a small overrun of the pistols. These were offered to the Ruger Collectors Association for its members. None were obtainable through general public sales. The pistol illustrated was shipped in February, 1988, as part of the overrun. It was subsequently purchased from a member of the Ruger Collectors Association.
How were these guns to be utilized by the Navy SEALs? It’s part of the record that some special suppressed Smith & Wesson 9mm pistols were furnished to the SEALs during the Vietnam War. They garnered the nickname “hush puppies,” because they were ostensibly intended to be used to silently eliminate enemy guard dogs. Even quieter .22 caliber pistols, on the other hand, make very efficient close range personnel elimination weapons. These are usually employed by shooting an enemy in the head, usually needing only one very quiet and accurate shot. SEALs are routinely trained in covert “extreme predjudice” techniques, and these pistols, equipped with suppressors, would be perfect tools for clandestine missions.
A former SEAL team member told me that he was aware of these pistols, but had never trained to use one. The Heckler & Koch Mk 23 Mod 0 .45 ACP SOCOM pistol can also be equipped with a specialized screw-on sound suppressor, and it was more available for training and use with his particular SEAL team. Although most SEAL deployments are classified, I suspect these .22 pistols have seen little if any active employment in actual missions. However, they are certainly still available if needed as specialized tools of the Special Forces trade.
The existing “dark” Navy Ruger Mark II .22 pistols in civilian hands are few and far between and are not often encountered. However, if you do and are interested in purchasing one, you now know the history of them. Be prepared to use your best negotiating skills, and also expect a hefty asking price if the owner is willing to consider parting with it!
(c) 2018 JLM