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Post by Lee Martin on Apr 11, 2022 12:00:07 GMT -5
Ruger MK II 514 Target, with 5-1/4" tapered target barrel, a great field configuration. Based on the pistol which, in 1949, launched Bill Ruger's rise to most prolific gun designer since John Moses Browning. There is not a more rugged .22 auto, nor one that feeds better when fouled, than the Ruger. With all its intrinsic good, a tune of the trigger usually makes it better. Part way through the tune, 5x5 shots, offhand, into 2.5" @ 35 yards.  Hammer with staked mainspring strut (top center), falnked by hammer bushing and pin. Bottom: sear with sear spring and slave pin. Slave pin may be helpful for assembly, but is not necessary  Hammer and sear, set via respective pins, on left side of MK II frame. Similar to mounting hammer & trigger on single action revolver to observe sear engagement (contact patch) while tuning. Since pins are not fully supported, function is as a guide on progress.  Main culprit of an rough trigger pull is tool marks on the DOG, aka hammer notch or full cock dog. Most so-called fine stones leave a radius in the notch. David uses a white ceramic stone from Spyderco (made by Coors). Or, 400 grit wet/dry emery paper folded over a sharp paring knife. Unless tool moves square to notch to preserve correct engagement, result is a fugitive contact patch.  Work with ceramic stone, and/or emery paper folded over knife edge, smoothes dog, commonly called “hammer notch.” Height of notch is reduced with fine file, belt abrasive, or diamond-impregnated flat steel. Natural stones often are too wavy for this work.  Silver arc on hammer indicates area to reduce by file, stone, or sanding. Just as on a (single action) revolver hammer, compliment patient work with frequent assembly & dry fire. And, if possible, with live fire.  Beginning stage of reducing hammer DOG (as opposed to cleaning up hammer notch. Mock-up on frame to observe progress. As hammer and sear pins are supported on one side only, hammer & sear are not perfectly square to frame. DISCONNECTOR juts from frame. Disconnector, aka trigger bar, links trigger to sear. Bolt position determines whether disconnector pulls sear to drop hammer. Disconnector passes below sear when bolt is open, preventing out-of-battery discharge or worse, full auto.  A pair of MK II sears. Pencil points to the flat----and leading edge----which holds hammer at COCK. The sear seldom is the villain of a rough trigger pull. The hammer is the usual suspect. Tool marks or a rough edge are possible, however, and may impede a clean break. Sear standing on diamond-imbedded steel plate by Eze-Lap to indicate surface to be smoothed.  Trigger with screw to adjust overtravel. Slightest counter-clockwise turn is all it takes to arrest overtravel. Backing screw out 1/8-turn generally stops rearward trigger travel before disengaging sear; gun won’t shoot. Trigger must be removed to adjust, and reinstalled to test. Job of trigger is to release pull sear, release hammer, fire pistol; trigger plays no part in sear engagement or weight of pull. The late Jim Clark, Sr., may have been the first to put an overtravel screw on the trigger blade, allowing for adjustment without disassembly.  MK II Target Pistol, No. MK-514, with tapered 5-1/4" barrel. Tuned trigger with 5-shot, 2.0-inch group @ 35 yards, offhand. Bill Ruger, Jr., called this his "favorite configuration." As a field pistol, David agrees, and calls it the Luger Ruger.  -Lee www.singleactions.com"Chasing perfection five shots at a time" |
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Post by tdbarton on Apr 11, 2022 12:47:40 GMT -5
The Mk1 and Mk2 Ruger’s are the greatest .22lr pistols. I grew up on ‘em and still take my ‘61 Ruger Standard out on a regular basis.
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Post by bradshaw on Apr 11, 2022 13:11:04 GMT -5
Lee.... beaucoup thanks for posting, always,
David Bradshaw
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Fowler
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 3,671
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Post by Fowler on Apr 11, 2022 13:18:24 GMT -5
I grew up shooting a bull barreled "government model", still to this day the easiest to hit with handgun I have ever used. Put the sights on the target and hit it, didnt seem to care what you fed it or how dirty II would get but it just worked. Great gun...
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kgb
.30 Stingray
Posts: 134
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Post by kgb on Apr 11, 2022 16:25:55 GMT -5
I have found mine to feed very well no matter how fouled as well, and over a period I intentionally let it build up until it would not feed, which it did when it failed to close enough to ignite a round. Mine has a deflector to keep crud out of the frame, I don't know if it helped in that test but it might have made a difference since it really had to build up a lot of residue to finally stop working.  |
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Post by bigbrowndog on Apr 11, 2022 16:27:34 GMT -5
My first was a mk1 5.5” bull barrel, later replaced with a mk2 bull barrel and then barrel later replaced with a hammerli blank by Alex Hamilton of 10Ring precision. Still have that iteration and it still shoots very well, a squirrel killing, turtle head popping machine.
Trapr
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Post by contender on Apr 11, 2022 22:21:38 GMT -5
Another very excellent, detailed posting by David,, thanks to Lee for his help too!
I've had a Ruger semi-auto MK series gun as a constant gun for me since the mid 1970's. My currently most often used one,, a MKII Competition Target Model.
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Post by bradshaw on Apr 12, 2022 7:23:01 GMT -5
Timothy.... I was shooting a pre-War “hammerless" High Standard and Colt Woodsman Match Target when someone handed me a Ruger MK I Target pistol. It would be years before brilliant aspects of the Bill Ruger’s seminal pistol sank in. Ruger improvements to the MK I were introduced in 1982 as the MK II, and include a BOLT STOP, thumb safety which, while engaged, allows bolt operation. And 10-shot magazine with “solid” feed lips----a vast improvement over the spring lips traditional to .22 pistol mags. Familiar with both pistols, you know these attributes. The MK II got me away from the High Standard and Colt. Later, we’ll get into the heel clip, which I prefer to the button mag catch favored by the walk-around-cocked crowd.
Bill.... did the trigger on a MK II Government Model Target the other day. A few comparative weights:
MK II Target Pistol, with mag
* MK-514, 5-1/4” tapered bbl----2 lbs, 5.8 oz (37.8 oz).
* MK-512, 5-1/2” Bull bbl----2 lbs, 9.6 oz (41.6 oz).
* MK-678G, 6-7/8” Bull bbl----2 lbs, 12.75 oz (44.8 oz).
kgb.... clever little fouling deflector. How does that not interfere with the magazine?
Fifteen years ago, took the opportunity of cold weather to check behavior of some auto pistols. While not the most severe cold, recall temps down to 12-below ZERO, at least. Various 1911’s got slow motion on motor oil, but no stoppages. SIG/Sauer 9mm’s and a .45 ACP short-cycled----probably due to full length slide-to-frame contact. Cured by lubing with ATF (automatic transmission fluid, synthetic motor oil, or Brownells Dry-Slide (mol-disulfide in evaporative medium). Ruger MK II also short cycled, and much preferred Hi-V to Standard Velocity ammo. ATF, light synthetic motor oil, and especially Dry-Slide restored MK II reliability.
Major culprit to “stoppage” with the MK II at sub-ZERO is fouled magazines. Fouling acts like wax to slow FOLLOWER; bolt cycles faster than mag lifts cartridge. Clean magazines matter in winter.
Trapr.... the MK II 5-1/2” Bull is an all-time favorite.
Tyrone.... thanks for the kind words. No surprise, hearing you pack a MK II as a utility pistol.
David Bradshaw
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Post by contender on Apr 12, 2022 8:18:50 GMT -5
My MKII daily working handgun was a step up from my MKI bull barreled 5-1/2" gun. I still have that one too. Long ago,, I didn't hve the good knowledge of how to work a hammer & sear engagement in those guns. So,, I just used lube,, and a lot of shooting to wear them into a smooth feel.  A buddy & I used to take our .22's out to shoot snakes off the riverbank. He used a S&W M-17 & I'd use my MK. It kept us in practice during the summer so that squirrel season was an easy transition. Many a snake had it's head clipped by us for a few decades. The fun would be when we'd spot a snake, across the river,, stretched out on a limb. We'd both align up on it, count to 3 & squeeze the shots. Not may would survive that either. A local motel used to really like us for thinning them down. It kept the snakes from moving off the riverbank to the pool or back of the motel. Sadly,, the community became an incorporated township,, and passed a "no discharge" law. Now,, I see some mighty big Brown Water snakes around the river often. The working of the hammer & sear like shown would have made it even nicer back them for me. (But worse for the snakes.) My current MKII Comp Target has had a lot of rounds through it as well. I shot it in an informal USPSA style indoor weekly match for several years. And it's been used a lot as an instructing handgun. It too has had the lube & shoot smoothing. Bill got things right with the MKII. |
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Post by bradshaw on Apr 12, 2022 11:17:33 GMT -5
The Mk1 and Mk2 Ruger’s are the greatest .22lr pistols. I grew up on ‘em and still take my ‘61 Ruger Standard out on a regular basis. ***** Timothy.... the Ruger Standard .22 Auto Pistol, is of course, as close to a Luger P-08 in feel as a not-Luger can be. Complimenting Bill Ruger’s adaptation of manufacturing developments he experienced during WW II, release of his Standard Auto in 1949 hit the ground running, what with his .22 looking like a battlefield prize Luger. The ring of “Ruger” and “Luger” didn’t hurt. But Ruger may have looked more closely at the Japanese Nambu when configuring his tubular receiver & bolt. Ruger borrowed the concept of some submachine guns of welding two stamped, sheet steel halves to form the receiver. My experience with the Standard Auto was tainted by my training in marksmanship, where adjustable sights help blueprint accuracy. But it isn’t until the MK II that I shifted from High Standard, the Colt Woodsman Match Target, and Smith & Wesson’s Model 41. Old Jim Clark, gunsmith and National Pistol Champion, very early on recognized the performance potential of Bill Ruger’s pistol, and I found his experience impossible to ignore. During some faded discussion, Bill Ruger, Jr., mentioned various .22 Long Rifle chambers. As I recall, saying something about chambering the MK II Government Model Target (MK 678G). Chambering of semi autos must accommodate closing of the bolt under spring pressure; and extraction. This precludes engraving of bullet found in the Bentz chamber, which Ruger incorporated on the M-22/77 VBZ heavy barrel bolt action (in my experience a super-shooter). Whether the MK 678G is any more accurate than other barrels, I’m not in position to say. Some IHMSA silhouetters shot the MK II 10-inch Silhouette extremely well, despite fierce accuracy of the Browning Buckmark Silhouette. David Bradshaw |
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jeffh
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,754
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Post by jeffh on Apr 12, 2022 12:02:55 GMT -5
Lee, THANKS for posting that!
I no longer own a 22LR, but that exact pistol is the ONE I DO still want. The MK II is the epitome of the Ruger 22 Auto line.
There is a 5.5" MKI Bull Barrel here, but it belongs to my daughter. It's a wonderful gun, but I'd still like to get the MKII for myself.
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Post by bradshaw on Apr 12, 2022 13:31:37 GMT -5
Lee, THANKS for posting that! I no longer own a 22LR, but that exact pistol is the ONE I DO still want. The MK II is the epitome of the Ruger 22 Auto line. There is a 5.5" MKI Bull Barrel here, but it belongs to my daughter. It's a wonderful gun, but I'd still like to get the MKII for myself. ***** Jeff.... I’ve heard Bill, Jr., refer to the MK-514 barrel as a “tapered bull.” End label on yellow & black cardboard box says, “ Mark II Target Pistol... Catalog No. MK-514 5-1/2” Bbl. Ken O’Neill mentioned having same pistol in stainless, which might read “KMK-514” or “MK-K514”. Ruger’s use of “K”* K prefix----stainless steel. * K suffix----short barrel. Example: “KAC556K” denotes stainless, select-fire Mini-14, with 13” barrel. Kurtz is German for short. Tyrone probably can expand on Ruger nomenclature & jargon. For me, The MK II is a pistol to hold out for and put to work. David Bradshaw |
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rufus
.30 Stingray
Posts: 469
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Post by rufus on Apr 12, 2022 19:47:43 GMT -5
Two “firsts” for me regarding these pistols. The Mark I was the first pistol I ever fired when I was around 14. My Dad and I were out at the gravel pit checking the zeros on our deer rifles when some gentleman drove up. They started shooting as well and when we were done one of the guys asked if I wanted to shoot the last shot out of his .22lr Mark I, I said yes and he checked with my Dad if that was ok. I missed the coffee can I shot at but boy was I hooked.
Fast forward about 7 years and a Mark II was the first pistol I ever owned. Gifted to me for Christmas by my wife, our first Christmas together.
Had that one reblued years later as I had worn most of the finish off. As I recall the reblue was more than the original price of the gun.
Wonderful pistols!
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Post by contender on Apr 13, 2022 8:27:48 GMT -5
"Tyrone probably can expand on Ruger nomenclature & jargon."
The Ruger method of marking boxes with model information has been a good puzzle for years. MOSTLY,, we collectors have a large percentage of it figured out thaks to judicious study, factory letters, and discussions with many people involved. But they still can confuse people.
And it does take a book to keep up with what all the Letters & numbers mean.
I use the Red Eagle News Exchange Reference Guide to help folks understand things.
On David's pistol; MK-514 stands for;
MK; Blued MKII
514 means 5-1/4" tapered barrel with adjustable sights
On the stainless version;
K means stainless
MK means MK II
514 means tapered barrel with adjustable sights.
Due to the ever expanding models & constant variations,, Ruger decided to go with a numerical model system several years ago. That has confused the collectors as it's been hard to get a complete list of models assembled in a book format to where we can cross reference things. And they still use the alphabet/number system to help describe the various features.
It can be confusing sometimes.
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djoch
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 30
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Post by djoch on Apr 13, 2022 8:42:26 GMT -5
David/ Lee, thank you for posting! This is the BEST tutorial I have seen for how to tune a MK II. Question: Absent some type of jig, is there a preferred technique for keeping things square while stoning; e.g. move part across stationary stone, or move stone across stationary part? Thanks!
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