This is an advance draft of a future article. As always, comments welcome.
John
The Ruger Mark II Government Target Model
Back when I was in the Army in the early 1960s I shot on a pistol team. The .22 target pistol that I used from our arms room was a Ruger Mark I with a 6 7/8” tapered heavy barrel. It certainly was no match for privately-owned S&W 41s or the svelte and envied line of High Standard slant-grip “space guns” that were then prolific on the firing lines. As a junior officer, I was in no position to afford the higher-grade guns, so I made do with the issue Ruger, which was marked “U.S.” on the side. Today those military-marked Ruger Mark Is have become collector’s items with impressive price tags! I now own an identical civilian version of that same Mark I primarily for nostalgic reasons; but certainly not because it’s a world beater for accuracy.
In the early 1980s, the U.S. armed forces made it known that they wanted a new .22 target pistol that would be extremely accurate for high-level service bullseye target competition. Ruger responded and won the contract from the Army’s Rock Island Arsenal in 1983. The gun they came up with could place 10 consecutive shots into a circle measuring one and 1/4 inches or less at 25 yards from a machine rest, which was the military requirement for a new target pistol. This of course was using pistol match ammunition. Ruger shipped over 18,000 of these pistols to the U.S Army.
This new pistol was based on the Ruger Mark II design, which I still consider to be the best Ruger .22 pistol platform, even though Mark III and Mark IV pistols were later introduced. The Mark IIs have everything you need and nothing you don’t (such as loaded chamber indicators, magazine safeties, and non-traditional takedown procedures). The main improvements on the Mark II pistols over previous guns was that they incorporated a bolt hold-open device which was automatic following the last shot in the magazine, and a bolt-release lever. They were quite reliable, well made and remain very desirable on the used-gun market today.
Like some of the existing Mark II target guns, the new guns had bull barrels, but instead of the previous 5 ½” barrel length, featured a 6 7/8” barrel, giving a longer sighting radius, a heavier and therefore steadier gun, and increased velocity for longer distances. The chambers were held to precision dimensions tighter than standard models, but not so tight as to interfere with reliable semiautomatic chambering. The chamber was roller swaged around a mandrel rather than being reamed so as to insure consistent burnished interior dimensions. It was then heat treated to the proper hardness level. Comparison tests using the same match ammo and a Ransom rest have proved that the burnished chamber does provide a noticeable accuracy edge over the standard Ruger match pistol chambering.
The rifling, with a one in 15” twist, was specifically selected to pair with the characteristics of match ammunition. Ruger developed and used a patented laser sighting system to initially align the sights with the bore. Each gun was then function tested and a 10-shot test group was fired at 25 yards with CCI Green Tag match ammo from a machine rest. The target used was then examined to insure that the group size met the government requirement of 1 ¼” inches or less. It should be noted that more often than not, the size of the group was even smaller than the requirement. Some guns were reported to generate groups that went into less than one inch in one ragged hole. Each target was then signed by the Ruger employee who fired the group, and the target was then saved to be shipped with the gun. Each gun that passed these tests and sent to the military was stamped “U.S.” over the serial number on the right side of the upper receiver. All were blued. The serial number block assigned to the military guns was 210-00001 to 210-18500. They were officially chosen as the standard .22 target pistols for our armed services, retiring the earlier guns from Ruger and other manufacturers. Very few of these have been acquired by civilian collectors, and of course the military marking demands a premium on the market today.
In order to continue using the expensive specialized equipment, jigs and fixtures for the military guns, in January of 1987 Ruger began shipping guns to the civilian market. None were shipped until the military contract had been fulfilled. The civilian guns were identical to the military models in all respects. They were processed on the same production equipment, had the same match chambers and rifling and met the same accuracy requirements. The same laser sighting equipment was used. The only difference was the elimination of the “U.S.” stamp and roll marking “GOVERNMENT TARGET MODEL” behind the ejection port on the right side of the upper receiver. These were also shipped with their individual test targets and facsimiles of the government technical manual. The factory model designation for these guns was MK678G. The “G” of course stood for “Government.” Most were blued, but some were produced in stainless steel in later production. The stainless guns had the model number KMK678G. They were offered until the Mark II models ceased to be manufactured in 2004. The serial numbers initially used the military 210- prefix, but as production continued that prefix was discontinued at about 210-50000 and other random blocks of numbers were used beginning at about 215-10XXX.
The Ruger records department confirms that approximately 200 Mark III Government Targets were produced in stainless steel around 2011. The receivers on these were drilled and tapped for a scope mounting base which was provided with each gun. It’s conjectured that these used left-over barrels from the last Mark II stainless production. Each was marked "GOVERNMENT TARGET MODEL" identically to the Mark II pistols. Serial numbers have been reported as being between 227-04601 and 227-06937. The Mark III guns are pretty rare, as they were never cataloged and no more were ever produced.
There was another gun, model number MK678GC, which was stamped “COMPETITION TARGET MODEL” behind the ejection port. The “GC” portion of the model number stands for “Government Competition.” The 6 7/8” semi-bull barrel had been slab-sided to save weight, and these are most often seen in stainless steel. There have been some 5 ½”- barreled slab-sides with the model number MK512GCL. The “L” indicates they were sold by Lipseys, the exclusive distributor. These have the same model marking on the side of the upper receiver.
My personal Government Target Model is in the photograph above, and it is a far cry from the Mark I pistol I fired in competition years ago. It was shipped from the factory in March, 1987 shortly after civilian shipments began. I purchased it new in its factory yellow and black box in May, 2006. The test target and all the papers were intact. It carries the serial number 210-216XX (last two digits not shown). As indicated in the photo, not having any match ammo, I shot it with Remington Golden Bullets (high speed hollow point ammunition) which was most assuredly not the best for accuracy. It was not fired from a machine rest, either. In spite of this, the 10-shot group measured exactly 2”, which for me was a miracle – the best as I’ve ever shot at 25 yards off hand. There is no doubt that this gun is very accurate.
My only complaint is that the gun does not have a readily available adjustment for trigger overtravel. I addressed this by installing a trigger shoe, placed so that its edge abuts the frame just after letoff. Now the trigger pull is both crisp and short, as good as it gets.
Alas, these incredibly accurate target pistols are no longer made. They are also somewhat hard to find on the used gun market, as their owners typically know what a treasure they have and are understandably not very willing to part with them. They are precision instruments in every respect. If you are fortunate enough to have one, don’t let it go. If you find one for sale, expect a premium price. I currently see asking prices for nice condition stand-alone specimens running from roughly $600 to $800. If they are found new in the box with the test target and original papers, expect to pay more. If you are an active bullseye competitor, they certainly remain as some of the finest .22 target guns you could have.
(c) 2021 JLM
John
The Ruger Mark II Government Target Model
Back when I was in the Army in the early 1960s I shot on a pistol team. The .22 target pistol that I used from our arms room was a Ruger Mark I with a 6 7/8” tapered heavy barrel. It certainly was no match for privately-owned S&W 41s or the svelte and envied line of High Standard slant-grip “space guns” that were then prolific on the firing lines. As a junior officer, I was in no position to afford the higher-grade guns, so I made do with the issue Ruger, which was marked “U.S.” on the side. Today those military-marked Ruger Mark Is have become collector’s items with impressive price tags! I now own an identical civilian version of that same Mark I primarily for nostalgic reasons; but certainly not because it’s a world beater for accuracy.
In the early 1980s, the U.S. armed forces made it known that they wanted a new .22 target pistol that would be extremely accurate for high-level service bullseye target competition. Ruger responded and won the contract from the Army’s Rock Island Arsenal in 1983. The gun they came up with could place 10 consecutive shots into a circle measuring one and 1/4 inches or less at 25 yards from a machine rest, which was the military requirement for a new target pistol. This of course was using pistol match ammunition. Ruger shipped over 18,000 of these pistols to the U.S Army.
This new pistol was based on the Ruger Mark II design, which I still consider to be the best Ruger .22 pistol platform, even though Mark III and Mark IV pistols were later introduced. The Mark IIs have everything you need and nothing you don’t (such as loaded chamber indicators, magazine safeties, and non-traditional takedown procedures). The main improvements on the Mark II pistols over previous guns was that they incorporated a bolt hold-open device which was automatic following the last shot in the magazine, and a bolt-release lever. They were quite reliable, well made and remain very desirable on the used-gun market today.
Like some of the existing Mark II target guns, the new guns had bull barrels, but instead of the previous 5 ½” barrel length, featured a 6 7/8” barrel, giving a longer sighting radius, a heavier and therefore steadier gun, and increased velocity for longer distances. The chambers were held to precision dimensions tighter than standard models, but not so tight as to interfere with reliable semiautomatic chambering. The chamber was roller swaged around a mandrel rather than being reamed so as to insure consistent burnished interior dimensions. It was then heat treated to the proper hardness level. Comparison tests using the same match ammo and a Ransom rest have proved that the burnished chamber does provide a noticeable accuracy edge over the standard Ruger match pistol chambering.
The rifling, with a one in 15” twist, was specifically selected to pair with the characteristics of match ammunition. Ruger developed and used a patented laser sighting system to initially align the sights with the bore. Each gun was then function tested and a 10-shot test group was fired at 25 yards with CCI Green Tag match ammo from a machine rest. The target used was then examined to insure that the group size met the government requirement of 1 ¼” inches or less. It should be noted that more often than not, the size of the group was even smaller than the requirement. Some guns were reported to generate groups that went into less than one inch in one ragged hole. Each target was then signed by the Ruger employee who fired the group, and the target was then saved to be shipped with the gun. Each gun that passed these tests and sent to the military was stamped “U.S.” over the serial number on the right side of the upper receiver. All were blued. The serial number block assigned to the military guns was 210-00001 to 210-18500. They were officially chosen as the standard .22 target pistols for our armed services, retiring the earlier guns from Ruger and other manufacturers. Very few of these have been acquired by civilian collectors, and of course the military marking demands a premium on the market today.
In order to continue using the expensive specialized equipment, jigs and fixtures for the military guns, in January of 1987 Ruger began shipping guns to the civilian market. None were shipped until the military contract had been fulfilled. The civilian guns were identical to the military models in all respects. They were processed on the same production equipment, had the same match chambers and rifling and met the same accuracy requirements. The same laser sighting equipment was used. The only difference was the elimination of the “U.S.” stamp and roll marking “GOVERNMENT TARGET MODEL” behind the ejection port on the right side of the upper receiver. These were also shipped with their individual test targets and facsimiles of the government technical manual. The factory model designation for these guns was MK678G. The “G” of course stood for “Government.” Most were blued, but some were produced in stainless steel in later production. The stainless guns had the model number KMK678G. They were offered until the Mark II models ceased to be manufactured in 2004. The serial numbers initially used the military 210- prefix, but as production continued that prefix was discontinued at about 210-50000 and other random blocks of numbers were used beginning at about 215-10XXX.
The Ruger records department confirms that approximately 200 Mark III Government Targets were produced in stainless steel around 2011. The receivers on these were drilled and tapped for a scope mounting base which was provided with each gun. It’s conjectured that these used left-over barrels from the last Mark II stainless production. Each was marked "GOVERNMENT TARGET MODEL" identically to the Mark II pistols. Serial numbers have been reported as being between 227-04601 and 227-06937. The Mark III guns are pretty rare, as they were never cataloged and no more were ever produced.
There was another gun, model number MK678GC, which was stamped “COMPETITION TARGET MODEL” behind the ejection port. The “GC” portion of the model number stands for “Government Competition.” The 6 7/8” semi-bull barrel had been slab-sided to save weight, and these are most often seen in stainless steel. There have been some 5 ½”- barreled slab-sides with the model number MK512GCL. The “L” indicates they were sold by Lipseys, the exclusive distributor. These have the same model marking on the side of the upper receiver.
My personal Government Target Model is in the photograph above, and it is a far cry from the Mark I pistol I fired in competition years ago. It was shipped from the factory in March, 1987 shortly after civilian shipments began. I purchased it new in its factory yellow and black box in May, 2006. The test target and all the papers were intact. It carries the serial number 210-216XX (last two digits not shown). As indicated in the photo, not having any match ammo, I shot it with Remington Golden Bullets (high speed hollow point ammunition) which was most assuredly not the best for accuracy. It was not fired from a machine rest, either. In spite of this, the 10-shot group measured exactly 2”, which for me was a miracle – the best as I’ve ever shot at 25 yards off hand. There is no doubt that this gun is very accurate.
My only complaint is that the gun does not have a readily available adjustment for trigger overtravel. I addressed this by installing a trigger shoe, placed so that its edge abuts the frame just after letoff. Now the trigger pull is both crisp and short, as good as it gets.
Alas, these incredibly accurate target pistols are no longer made. They are also somewhat hard to find on the used gun market, as their owners typically know what a treasure they have and are understandably not very willing to part with them. They are precision instruments in every respect. If you are fortunate enough to have one, don’t let it go. If you find one for sale, expect a premium price. I currently see asking prices for nice condition stand-alone specimens running from roughly $600 to $800. If they are found new in the box with the test target and original papers, expect to pay more. If you are an active bullseye competitor, they certainly remain as some of the finest .22 target guns you could have.
(c) 2021 JLM
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