Ruger MK II Target

[D Brown]

I think Ruger reached the high-water mark for this model with the Mark II's. That's just my opinion, of course.

I own at least one example of all the Marks, but have a few favorites, and the Mark II's figure prominently in that grouping.

That's not all of my Mark II's, but is all I have photos of at this time.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Always liked the tapered barrel target contour on those pistols. Had a 5 1/4 tapered target Mk II 22/45 that I foolishly sold off years ago. One of my still regrets
Based on a perusal of active auctions on Gunbroker for Mk II targets like that, $350 OTD is pretty much spot on what they are going for, if not a bit less. GUn IS dirty, but that is an easy clean up.
If I needed one ( I do not ) I'd offer $300 OTD and then buy it for whatever the comeback offer was

 

[LEO918]

I've owned several hundred handguns in my lifetime - my Ruger Mark II would be the last to go.

 

[Arm]

Yes, grab it now. I've owned a MK II from new, one of my favorites. My grandson will own it when I move on to never land.

 

[Texas Star]

Online, although I don't have the link, you can read my Ruger .22 article in the Nov-Dec., 1980, American Handgunner. That was prior to the MK. II, I think, but you'll read things there never published elsewhere. I came up with some unusual research sources.

Enjoy, if you hunt it down.

CHIP-

That was hilarious about the atomic weight of cobalt! Yes, the gun is easily worth the price. My ex got my MK I in my article. I replaced it with a stainless bull bbl. version and added wooden grips.

 

[diyj98]

I've owned a good number of Rugers but sold all my MKII's other than one that just happens to have great trigger (for a Ruger) and kept my MkIV guns. I couldn't really find any accuracy difference between my MkII'sI, MkIII's and MkIV's, but I do like the quick easy MkIV take down.

$350 would be about the average gun shop price on that gun in my area. If you're looking for a good 22, that would be great choice.

 

[eveled]

If it has a one piece bolt it is worth it. The two piece bolt is a ticking time bomb. Not sure if Ruger will still replace them or not.

Before the mk4 was released the mk2's were very desirable and prices reflected that.

Now people like the mk4 so the prices fell slightly in the mk2's. But I still consider the mk2's to be the best. With lots of great variations to look for.

 

[kraynky]

Yep, best get it while you can, if you haven't already. I bought my MKII Target new in 2000, and it gave me fits at first. It went back to Ruger twice with no change. The third time I included pictures of what it was doing and demanded they either fix it or give me a different one. I got a different one, and it has never failed to work properly.

The day I got it back (3rd time), I sat down at a bench with a box of 550 rounds, determined to shoot them all. I had sore fingers afterwards, but it ate every round without and issue. It has run like a champ ever since, through countless rounds, and it's darn accurate too!

You need to get that MKII, and hang onto it. And SHOOT IT!

 

[eveled]

Here is the best comparison picture I could get. You can see a seam. The ears are welded on, and prone to breaking off. Not the end of the world but you should know what you are getting. I only have 1 two piece Bolt out of seven mk2's and it is a stainless tapered target barrel like the one in the OP.

FWIW most mk series malfunctions are magazine related. Specifically roughness in the groove of the follower button and/or the track. Causing binding. Either disassemble and de-burr or the Bubba hack is to push the follower up and down rapidly a thousand times until it smooths out. A magazine loader helps immensely with the process.

To give credit where it's due. Most everything I know about Mk2's I learned from posts from Sarona Gun Works. He is very generous with his knowledge on a lot of different forums and I appreciate that.

 

[saemetric]

I have a 1984 Mk II that is great. I always wondered why they put the Ruger logo on the rhs grip only and not on the left grip too.

 

[LostintheOzone]

I have one only it's blue. The truth is the new ones are better but they cost a lot more also. I would say $400 around here. Cleaning one up is a deep dive so get your thinking cap on and look for a YT video to step you thru it.

 

[ggibson511960]

I've told this story before, but it bears repeating in this context. Back when I was metallic silhouette shooting, we all shot Ruger Mk. II's. A friend and I were practicing one day when he became frustrated that his Mk. II wouldn't manually eject a live round. We puzzled for a while till we noticed the extractor was GONE. There is no telling how many accurate rounds that pistol fired, hundreds or thousands, without an extractor. We obviously did more shooting than cleaning. For all those spending big bucks for aftermarket triggers, the stock trigger is easy to tune up on your kitchen table. It looks as robust as a Daisy BB gun trigger, but just works. Two or three disassembly/assembly cycles while tuning the trigger will dispel all the hooey about the gun being hard to disassemble, the touted advantage of the much more expensive Mk. IV. That stainless Mk. II will likely outlive us all. Can't think how it could be hurt except scrub the bore with something hard.

 

[misswired]

Have a couple of Mark ll's and a lll out for fun today. I'll say it again: "paint balls are harder to hit than nicking a bullseye."

I'd give 350...... they ain't made ll's in a while.....

 

[JOliver]

I'm going to have to say that's a deal.
I too love Mark IIs

 

[D Brown]

I've told this story before, but it bears repeating in this context. Back when I was metallic silhouette shooting, we all shot Ruger Mk. II's. A friend and I were practicing one day when he became frustrated that his Mk. II wouldn't manually eject a live round. We puzzled for a while till we noticed the extractor was GONE. There is no telling how many accurate rounds that pistol fired, hundreds or thousands, without an extractor. We obviously did more shooting than cleaning. For all those spending big bucks for aftermarket triggers, the stock trigger is easy to tune up on your kitchen table. It looks as robust as a Daisy BB gun trigger, but just works. Two or three disassembly/assembly cycles while tuning the trigger will dispel all the hooey about the gun being hard to disassemble, the touted advantage of the much more expensive Mk. IV. That stainless Mk. II will likely outlive us all. Can't think how it could be hurt except scrub the bore with something hard.

Actually, it's pretty easy to ruin a Mark II through improper re-assembly.

The Mark II's have a nasty habit of letting the Firing Pin Stop fall out because the pin just lies in the bolt and just inadvertently tipping the bolt to the side will often result in this pin dropping out of the assembly.

Don't get the wrong idea from the above statement. I still like the Mark II's best of all the Ruger 22 Auto's, but dropping that Firing Pin Stop and not noticing it will almost always result in a ruined gun. Just something to be aware of.

 

[Oracle]

I have the MK II and Mk III, both are great, the MK II is a bit greater. Reassembly can be frustrating the first time or so. An after market part from Hammerstrutsupport installs in a couple of minutes and cures the problem of the hammer strut underneath the cross pin. In my opinion the hammer strut is the most common reassembly villain. Another after market place is Tandemcross, they also have parts which make life easier.

The MK II price is decent.