David Bradshaw Photos - Vol. XXVI

[Lee Martin]

Some interesting Mark series Rugers by way of David Bradshaw. I for one am eager to hear the back-story on these....

Ruger MK II 514----5-1/4" tapered heavy barrel.



MK II 5-1/2" bull bbl (top) with MK II 5-1/4" heavy tapered bbl.





MK II 5-1/2" (left) from first production with straight bolt stop.



Bill Ruger, Jr., checks MK II 514 .22 LR tapered heavy.





Marl II 514 hangs out with the Ruger 03 .45 Colt



"The tapered heavy is a better configuration than the bull barrel," says Bill Ruger, Jr.



-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"

[cmh]

that was the first firearm I ever shot......40 years ago at the age of four and was hooked

[Ken O'Neill]

Ruger also later made a stainless Mk.II Target 5 1/4" tapered barrel in very limited quantity. The one I had and foolishly sold handled very nicely.

[bradshaw]

The 5-1/2" bull is from the first production run of Mark II Target Pistols, 1982 or thereabouts. Hugh Reed and Bill Siems of Federal sent me a batch of prototype Silhouette .22LR, which my friend Jerry Bouchard and I put to work at 100 meters. Shooting outdoors in mercifully "dead air," I bagged a five shot group of two inches. Jerry Bouchard shot the Federal Silhouette into 1.5" with his Remington Model 541 rifle, mounted with Redfield's best target scope. Thgis is where it's important to never celebrate a deer until it's on the meat pole: Jerry Bouchard then snugged the MK II 5-1/2" into the sandbag and preceded to stitch 5-shots into 1-1/4" at 100 meters! One-and-a-quarter-inch with factory iron sights! I had performed a trigger job and sprayed sight black, other wise the pistol was bone stock.

When I called Hugh Reed at Federal to report----especially Bouchard's shooting----Reed reiterated the mantra of .22 rimfire ammunition: no one knows how difficult it is to turn out .22's until they go for real accuracy.

The 5-1/4" tapered heavy is a beautifully balanced permutation of the Mark II series. Label on the box reads:
MARK II TARGET PISTOL
.22 LONG RIFLE
Catalog No. MK-514 5 1/4" Bbl.
STURM, RUGER & COMPANY, INC., SOUTHPORT, CONN. U.S.A.

The label is unusual in that it is printed in black and white. (The MK II 5-1/2" is labeled in customary black, yellow and red.)

A few comments from Bill Ruger, Jr:
* "The Mark II magazine is far better than the original, or Mark I model. The split fingers at the lip of the earlier magazine are troublesome."

* "This [514] has excellent balance and proportions. The tapered heavy is a better configuration than the bull barrel. Of course, it costs more to make the tapered barrel."

* "The Mark II is better than the Mark III. The loaded chamber indicator is a lawyer thing."

David Bradshaw

[cmh]

Thanks for the information so now I know Dad's was a MKI as it was in 1973...... was the neatest thing in the whole world when I was a kid

[Markbo]

* "The Mark II is better than the Mark III. The loaded chamber indicator is a lawyer thing."

VERY surprising to hear a gunmaker admit to that.

[bradshaw]

Markbo.... shooting the Mark II 5-1/4" Target Model over the past few weeks inclines me to agree with Mr. Ruger, Jr., that this is an especially sweet pistol to shoot. I have occasionally for years carried the MK II 5-1/2" bull in the the the old U.S. Army M7 "tanker holster" made for the 1911. Drops right in and the safety strap fits. Problem with the the hooked target sight of the 5-1/2" bull protrudes just past the leather, requiring a deliberate wrist motion to draw. The 5-1/4" tapered heavy, also with hooked target blade, fits without that fuss. A note on reproduction M7 bandoleer strap shoulder holsters: Red China copies the M7 in over-brined garbage leather specially designed to disintegrate in the first rain. El Paso Saddlery makes a class act of the M7, available top grain cowhide----unlined or lined. This holster adds to the versatility of the Ruger auto, as the M7 is a throw-it-over-your-shoulder-and-go rig, very handy for dashing out the door or truck when the .22 is desired, regardless whether heavy iron is on the hip.

Function of the the MK II 514 is nearly flawless these past weeks with Federal and Winchester high speed ammo, down to 25 below ZERO. Lube with a light application of automotive silicone spray. Reliable feeding of standard V ,22 LR ceases in freezing temperatures, with stovepipes around 25 degrees and failures to extract below 20 degrees. This is my rough impression. Humidity in conjunction with freezing is always a factor. Which is the reason----after lubrication----I do not like dry steel-on-steel. Moisture frozen to steel makes excellent glue. A lubricant which dispels or seemingly defies moisture is a good thing.

The Ruger thumb safety is the easiest and most positive among .22 pistols to engage and disengage, to include under the severest weather.

Bill Rugr, Jr., is retired from Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc., with the Ruger family is no longer connected to the business. The three so-called improvements featured on the MK III series pistol include 1) thumb catch magazine release, 2) magazine disconnector, and 3) loaded chamber indicator. I get along perfectly without any of them. Including the thumb catch mag release. I have shot several MK III's, they shoot fine. As one who instructs in marksmanship and safety, I suggest that a loaded chamber indicator can be activated by a burr, or grit, and odes not tell whether the shell is loaded or empty. The magazine disconnector is a darling of administrators----the last people you want as arbiters of your equipment.

My affection for the MK II includes all bull barrels, from 4" to 10", and the 5-1/4" tapered heavy. Strangely, it does not include the 6-7/8" tapered heavy, while I find the 6-7/8" bull a very fine pistol to shoot. Variety is the soul of democracy.
David Bradshaw

[hairy]

These are the first photos I have ever seen of Bill Jr. The family father/son likeness would be hard to miss.

Being a handgun forum I must tell of an Interarms Swiss Luger I once had. I purchased it new from one of the area hardware stores and I also had a Winchester Model 70 in 300 Winchester Magnum. I had read about Mr. Ruger's over/under 20 gauge design in the annals of Gun Digest. And I even saw the pictures of John Amber and Mr. Ruger with one in the articles. I wanted one very badly! When they finally went into production they were impossible to find here in Southern Minnesota, but, I would keep calling around trying to find one for over a year. Finally I came across a dealer West of Minneapolis that had just gotten one in. Being a Monday (a barber's day off) I drove the 75 or so miles with the 9mm and the .300 Winchester in tow. The Red Label came home with me and I still have it. It has 26 inch barrels and MOD/IC chokes and handles beautifully. I have taken more of the wiley Ringneck Roosters with that gun than any other. Now, I must confess, I really love shooting and rifles and pistols are fun, BUT, moving targets really trip my trigger and when Mr. Ruger designed that O/U he did a fantastic job. I still chuckle to my self when I loan it out to friends that tell me it has been shot loose. The way the ejectors are in the design they act as self openers, something that you pay extra for in your bespoken side by sides, and Mr. Ruger put in there for free!

Back when I was younger, I wish I would have had the money to make a trip to tour the Ruger factory and get to meet Mr. Ruger. Strangely, I have a recurring dream during those rare nights when I can get some good sleep where that does occur, complete with a ride in the Ruger Roadster.

Thanks for posting the photos and stories fellas!

[bradshaw]

hairy.... Ruger chambered a 20 gauge Red Label in .375 H&H Magnum. Blew out the firing pins. Bushed the firing pins or otherwise made 'em smaller, and the rifle worked fine. Not many an over/under would take that cartridge. Ruger also fit a Red Label with paper thin 20 gauge barrels----for non-mag loads only. Very fast. We killed a bunch of flying things with it. Probably due to shell restriction, it was not put into production. The twenty is a great upland bird shell, and the Red Label a great platform for it.
David Bradshaw

[hairy]

Jan 12, 2014 15:28:18 GMT -5 bradshaw said:

hairy.... Ruger chambered a 20 gauge Red Label in .375 H&H Magnum. Blew out the firing pins. Bushed the firing pins or otherwise made 'em smaller, and the rifle worked fine. Not many an over/under would take that cartridge. Ruger also fit a Red Label with paper thin 20 gauge barrels----for non-mag loads only. Very fast. We killed a bunch of flying things with it. Probably due to shell restriction, it was not put into production. The twenty is a great upland bird shell, and the Red Label a great platform for it.
David Bradshaw

The conversion to .375 H&H is interesting and when looking at the mass in the receiver as well as the centrally located pivot point and locking bolts, I can understand the desire to do that. Some years ago a fellow wrote a book on converting the Browning BS/S to a rifle and it got rather involved and I never did undertake the project. Browning also made an O/U rifle and combination rifle/shotgun based on the Citori. As I recall there were rather limited numbers of these made for the USA and while nicely done, the slim receiver of the Red Label along with it's mechanical advatages, I would think in this day and age when everybody and his brother seems to be going to Africa on Safari or buying African caliber double rifles in the event a rich uncle has left them in his will or finally POWERBALL comes through for them, the Ruger version would sell like hotcakes!

I have had a couple of BS/Ss in 20 gauge over the years, I liked them and shot them well, but, there really is no comparison to my Gold Label in handling. Much like my Thomas Turner & Son 2.5" 12 bore, SWEET! Although the little lady can get a wee bit cantankorous if she is forced to digest 3" loads after a heavy breakfast.  Those paper thin barrels may have gone into the Gold Label.

The 20 gauge was my first shotgun and really the only gauge I have done any amount of hunting with although the mighty .410 has done quite a bit, too.  I really like the twenty though and the guns that have been made for it.  With the exception of long range goose shooting, I have never felt undergunned with it.  It's performance has quieted a number of hunting partners that shoot larger bored guns that have teased me about the little boys' guns that I carry.  It is not how much shot you throw, it is where you throw it.  I also like the 28 gauge Red Label, although the .410 tubes change the balance point somewhat and adds a little momentum which can be helpful to some.  Bob Brister always pointed out how hard the 28 gauge hits and I can attest to that.  I don't think I have ever seen clay targets  turned to dust like the 28 gauge seems to do it.  It makes me believe in the square charge concept.

I am still praying that there is a No.1 in .22 rimfire in the not to distant future.

[curmudgeon]

David B. As mentioned never met Bill Jr. But spent enough time with Sr. to realize what an individual person he really was naturally are part of the old Eastern establishment to which others of a different stripe hardly can enumerate to much less understand. The quality of the furnishings speak volumes. Paintings, Tiffany lamps, desks etc. After the Outstanding American Handgunner Awards, I asked Bill Sr. To send me a pix of himself with the Trophy. The desk on which he posed with the trophy was obviously done at home. I often wondered what happened to that desk I'm sure it went to Bill Jr.
To digress a moment. What ever happened to Bill's daughter that was married to Steve Vogel ? ATB, LEJ

[jayhawker]

Fascinating Ruger history and insight.

[bradshaw]

Lee.... I gather that Molly, sister of Bill, Jr., and Tom and widow of Steve Vogel, is alive and kicking. Brother and sister are close.
David Bradshaw

[curmudgeon]

Thanks David, she obviously was not very close to the business operation. Once I asked Bill Sr. how the divorce would affect Steve's status with the Co.?

Bill stated not at all. You know how these young kids are. Steve travels overseas a lot and she wants him home more. Skeeter Skelton was Steve's translator whenever they

went to Central and or South America. Skeeter was fluent in Spanish as well as several dialects.

Once during a visit to Skeeters home, south of Deming,NM As the conversation got around to bringing guns out from under the bed etc.

Out comes a MINT 1921 A-1 in Violin case with all accessories. Wow, Minty,mint case and all. Asked him if it was for sale, No, that is a gift for Bill Ruger Sr. What a

gift I exclaimed. Skeeter said just a token, There is no way I could ever pay for the things Bill has done for me.

FWIW dept. Knowing the history of the gun would probably put its value North of 100 K would be my guess. FWIW dept.

[bradshaw]

Fine anecdote, Lee. The only M1921 Thompson I fired had been re-stamped with "8" over the "1"----indicating a Model 1921 with the heavier 1928 bolt installed to reduce rate of fire. Double pistol grip, high polish blue, vent & Cutts barrel, etc. Empty a 50 round drum in 4 seconds. The original 1921 probably empty a fifty in 2-1/2 seconds. Describing to someone, just yesterday, the beautiful workmanship on these early Thompsons.

The Thompson is a cream machine.
David Bradshaw