I own a few Ruger handguns and I've always liked the look of the Ruger .22LR pistol with the heavy 5.5" bull barrel. Actually I've always been partial to the bull barrel configuration in general (regardless of the make and model). However ,even when firearms inventories were fat, the bull barrel Ruger 22 wasn't very common. At least not wherever I happened to find myself. So yesterday I stopped in at a local gun-shop that I have been going to for the past eighteen years. It's one of those eccentric places that only locals and truly dedicated gun folks know about. It's a rather ramshackle set of buildings that have been cobbled together over the years. The signage states that autobody and engine work is done there (also one can buy retreads), but not a mention about gun sales. However if one enters the shop, walks pass the tattooed and bearded gentlemen working on cars, and continues to the door labeled "welcome" one will find a small, but well stocked gun-shop. I walked in a few minutes after they opened and found this Ruger Mk II Target for sale. The price was $375 out the door. Serial number dates it to 1992. I asked how many others folks were looking at it and was advised I was the first customer of the day and the Ruger had been sitting on the shelf for a whopping twenty minutes. I bought it right there and then. It was a sign and who am I to ignore fate?

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I type. Therefore I am.

I bought one of those years back and put thousands of rounds through it. I still kick myself for selling it.

Sent from my SM-A516V using Tapatalk

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

Congrats on your new purchase. I've had mine for many years and consider it one of the most accurate handguns that I own. Again, congratulations.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

That's a nice one. Really enjoy the handful or so in the collective. Being really popular in these parts it's impossible to know how many have been passed over. You are really going to enjoy that fine shooter. Being as it is your first Ruger MK series, field strip it and you'll have a winter long project keeping you busy trying to reassemble

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triggers dog-pile egomaniacs

I have one in stainless. Thousands of rounds through it with thousands to come. Great find. Your gonna like it.

I have a couple set up for testing different ammo.

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I bought one of those new in the early 90’s and still fire it regularly. It’s accurate and fun to use. Nice find!

I love that gun and sold mine because I have a 4-3/4”” standard MII that is very accurate for my purpose of cans and gophers and teaching new shooters ��

Great pick up on that one. That is my answer to "If you could only have one .22 pistol...."
BULL BARREL -- Oh yeah, I like some bull barrel also. Mine is a whole lot of bull

When I first bought this one, I mounted a 3X9 riflescope on it to test ammo. I found out it had no real ammo preference. At 25 yds all ammo was a dime size group ! It's accuracy was the same as my best .22 rifles. I did my own trigger job, and installed a "trigger stop". Oh yeah, I also decided it needed some custom grips.

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Y. B. Ord & A. Ree

The only tapered barrel Mark ll that I'd like to won. I passed up one a year or two ago for $400. Kicking myself.

Bought a blue one one used in 1989, the second gun I owned, less then 6 months after I started shooting. I was invited to join a Bullseye team, but had no appropriate pistol. My friend found if for me, I think for $150. I put an Aimpoint 1000 on it, got a $25 trigger job (2.5#) and was good to go. I shot about 3x/week, reduced practice targets to 80% normal size.
In the 1991 season, I averaged 285.
After I found a newer stainless Gov't model, I sold it to a lady at my club, a very avid shooter.

I have a Std., a Mark 1,2,3 and 4. They kinda grow on you.

My Mark 4 is a 5 1/2" bull and my Mark II is a 4" bull. The balance of the 4" is the best.

I have a Mk II Gov't Target, which was the 6 7/8" bull barrel. Very accurate, nice trigger, but very heavy for a 22 LR. Even heavier with a scope using a clamp mount.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Bought mine back in the 80's. Stock except for rubber grips that wrap around the front. I added those to make the grip more sticky. Shoots better than me!

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Wherever my mind isn't
Jim

I've had the (MK II ?) Gov't model for more than thirty years along with a MKI 5.5" bull barrel gun that I bought new in 1976. I shoot Bullseye style only and can see no difference in accuracy at 25 yards. It seems the longer barreled Gov't model should be easier to shoot well since it is so muzzle heavy but I have not found that to be the case.

Regardless, the Rugers are only slightly behind my '50s Model 41 S&W from an accuracy perspective.

You will really enjoy that pistol, looks well taken care of, will last you a lifetime. I bought mine long time ago, can't for certain tell you how many rounds went down range through that barrel.... never a problem..except when cleaning time comes...LOL

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if only one, it ain't a ruger....

My Ruger MKII is still my favorite .22.

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Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

I purchased a BNIB Ruger KMK678 (Stainless MK II Target Model with a 6 7/8" tapered barrel) back in '87.

I still have it, box, dox, and all.

What a great pistol.

Not long after I got mine, my shooting buddy purchased a BNIB Ruger MK678G (Blued MK II Government Target Model with a 6 7/8" bull barrel).

A few of years ago, my old buddy got sick and needed money.
He "sold" me all of his remaining "gun stuff" (including the Ruger Gov't Model and a 1st Edition S&W M29 "Classic Hunter", both w/box and dox, plus a bunch of ammo, reloading equipment, and miscellaneous gun gear), with the mutual understanding that it would still be all available to him when he recovered.

He never did.

I still haven't shot his old Ruger or Smith, but I recall them being the equals to my Stainless Ruger and my M629 in our informal shooting competitions.

As an aside, I also purchased the M629 from him w/box and dox ( he was finicky that way) back in '87 when he decided to buy one of them new-fangled Model 659 Semi-Autos.

Funny thing about the Ruger Gov't Model, unlike the the Stainless Target pistol, the GM shipped with a Factory Test Target, attesting to its accuracy.

More than twenty years after he acquired the GM, my buddy was looking at the test target and discovered something he had not noticed before.

The included test target was serial numbered to a different GM!

I wonder who got his target?

Great guns, great memories.

Congrats to you, Checkman on your new Bull Barrel acquisition.

John

To the O.P., Checkman, you bought a great gun. The MK series has legions of followers here. My 5 1/2" bull barrel is a MK I. I've never felt the need to buy any more modern than my MK II. Don't be intimidated by all the members writing that reassembly is a P.I. the A. Granted it's not push button and replace barrel like a S&W 41, High Standard or others, but once you get used to reassembling Rugers it's a snap. While I like other brands of .22 autos I do not think any are as popular as the MK series.

By the way, Mule Packer posted a picture of my favorite MK series grips. Buy a second left hand set, store both halves that have thumb rests and install the side from the left hand set that does not have a thumb rest.

The bull barreled Ruger .22s are my favorite. I had one like the OPs, but foolishly sold it to a neighbor. Came across a LNIB 22-45 with 5.5" bull barrel in a LGS some years ago. It has been a reliable, accurate, little plinker. Doesn't have a trigger like my S&W 41 had, but the model 41 was Very picky about ammo. The Ruger just works. And honestly, I prefer just works

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

I have a 1950 woodsman match target. I've had it a good while and shoot it fairly regularly. It may outshoot the Rugers though I've never really done a side-by-side accuracy evaluation. I don't think it will outshoot the 41 but, then again, I've never done a comparison. Where the Woodsman Match Target wins out is in the "pointability" factor; it just feels better and more natural in my hand than either the Ruger or 41, but I guess we're splitting hairs and getting way off track here...for the money, the Rugers are hard to beat.

Here's mine.



And here is the Gov't Model:

I have never seen a scope mounted like that.

Over the years I've owned some similar no drill type mounts for Rugers.

You'll be very happy with it, and if not I'll buy it from you

2nd pistol I ever purchased is a Mk II Target with a 6 7/8" barrel in stainless. It's been a terrific pistol since day one. I've put an adapter on it (DAQ Muzzle Coupling) to allow me to use it with a suppressor and it just keeps going!

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Who watches the watchers?

Believe me, if you had gone for a cup of coffee to think about it that gun would have been gone when you got back.

Oh, absolutely! I competed with my old Std. until I graduated from College and could afford a 41. My scores improved a lot. Then, I got married and started a family and stopped shooting bullseye and I sold the 41. Worst thing I ever did.

With the manual I was able to do it in short order. Now, with UTube its a simple task.

Regardless, I think I went thru the exercise about 1980 on my first Std......just because. Haven't done it since and she still runs 100%.

My Mark 1,2, 3 have never been done. I did the Mark 4 just for the fun of it.....LOL.

I tore down one of my Rugers and actually got it back together, but don't know how that happened. I dispensed with complete teardowns probably about forty years ago. I've never torn down my Gov't model and it works fine.

It seems the up and down adjustment is on the side? I would think the brand<Tasco> should be on the side and also the brightness adjustment.

Mines from the early 80’s

No, the small cap on top is elevation The one on the left is windage the large knob on top is red dot brightness. On the right side not shown in the picture is another ProPoint logo. Model is a PDP3BD.

When I published my Ruger .22 article in Nov-Dec 1980 American Handgunner, Ruger's Steve Vogel told me that some of them in clubs in Europe and in South Africa had fired over a million rounds with few or no repairs.

One city in S. Africa issued Ruger .22's to guards at a water plant.

If you find that article Online, you'll read things never printed elsewhere.and see a color pic of gun no 1 million, engraved, with ivory stocks

Alas, I don't have the link, but someone posted it here before.

The model you bought is my favorite Ruger auto. I've had a few other variations over the years, but this is the one that does it for me. And like Mr. Mule Packer's gun, mine sports cocobolo also:

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I started with a MKI back in the 70s and have added to the accumulation with MKIIs and now a fancy MK4. All have been excellent shooters.

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The Ruger MkII is a rock-solid rimfire pistol that is best described as an unpretentious work horse.

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FFL08

neigh, nicker, nicker.....

That's a good catch Checkman! Nice MKII and fair price in today's hectic gun market and you have a very fine shooting iron.

I'm a big fan of my MKII's and my 5.5 inch bull is a very accurate shooter. I find the difficulty of field strip and assembly of MKII's to be mostly myth. It's just not that hard and I taught both of my sons to field strip and reassemble them after a shooting session and cleaning when they were 8 or 9 years old.

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- Change it back -

My 13 year old MKIII ( with a few added goodies ) is my favorite handgun; because it's a .22, it's boringly reliable, more accurate than I'll ever be, and just plain fun. I lost track of rounds enjoyed, after 15000, but now it is far north of that. If I ever buy another, it would be a bull-barrel target like you all have posted here. Nice photos of a great pistol.

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John

Congratulations! Great Story, Great purchase, and Great Iconic
Ruger Pistol. Thanks for the Picture too.

Most Reliable, Accurate 22lr Pistol I know of. Please give a Range
Report when you get a chance to shoot it.

I too have always liked that Ruger Configuration.

My only Bull.

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My .22/45 with Pachmayr grips. I put the gun in milling machine vise and milled the sides of the grip, drilled and tapped
the grip to accept the .45 grip bushings, and then glued the Ruger medallions into the Pachmayr grips.



Ruger with silencer:

I bought one a bout 6 weeks ago with 5 mags and a red dot sight. $300 and I was the only bidder. A new rear sight was $45 and the red dot went in the cabinet. What is not to like about these great shooters?

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Front sight and squeeze

I have a number of Ruger target pistols, from the MkI on. I find this MkII to be the most accurate of the lot, and totally reliable. That's a two-handed 25-yard rapid fire group with Remington Golden Hi-speed cartridges.

I still favor the MkII models; everything you need and nothing you don't. I learned the takedown procedure years ago with the original Standard model, and it's no big deal.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I have been fortunate to acquire a couple of Mk II's, as someone said, they shoot better than I do. I finally got the take down and reassemble procedure figured out to my satisfaction.

The 6 7/8" barreled one feels better in my hand, but I seem to shoot the 5 1/2" bull barrel better. I am finally seeing some improvement in my shooting, I shake a lot sometimes.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

John-

Please translate your Latin suffix. I may know, but not sure. Would PM, but others will want to know.

As ever, a great photo. Your posts are always impressive.

Leon-

Wow, what a set of photos! Thanks!

My MK II Bull bbl. is like yours, but I bought Ruger walnut grips.

Have any of you seen the uncommon 5.25 inch barrel? In my article referenced above, I cited a South African who has one, or did. He's since died. John said a .22 was a bit puny on rock rabbits/dassies, but his Ruger .22 killed a fairly large puff adder okay. That snake, Bitis arietans, is very venomous. Kills a lot of people in Africa every year.

They are very good target and rabbit shooting guns. You did well to pick that one up at the shop before someone else did.

I won one as the match winner at a state level pistol match back in 1982 or so while on the PD's pistol team. Another agency's armorer replaced the trigger assembly for me for the best possible trigger release. I would be unable to tell you how many rounds have been through it, but it's been reliable and accurate.

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Keep your powder dry.

I've had a handful of Ruger MKIIs myself
Currently don't own one
I have many goodies in my stash of parts like a Volquarten trigger kit & a set of Hogue grips just waiting for the next one to pop up
Maybe I should offer the parts etc up for sale in the classifieds

The Government Target model was my fave in 6 7/8", I had blued + stainless one & the tapered barrel too..
GR8 little plinkers

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MightShowYouHisSmith&Wesson

"Cogito, ergo armatus sum" is Latin for "I think, therefore I'm armed."

All the best - hope your health issues are better.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -