Ruger -King of the sub $1000.00 .22LR pistols

[graycrait]

I know this is going to be a "she said he said thing," but I have to bring it up.

I have a friend going to one of the US's big gunsmith schools. He and I have traded, tinkered with, bought and sold a pile of .22s.

I have probably done 20 VQ upgrades on Ruger MKI, IIs and III's including internal polish jobs, etc. I am a rudimentary armorer on a number of handguns, some school trained and others more or less self-taught.

I mentioned to my gunsmith school friend that I thought a tuned up Ruger is probably equal to any gun for sale less than a grand including the S&W 41. He told me that they recrowned and did a VQ upgrade on a MKII Government and shot it against: Buckmark Target, S&W 41, Hammerli Trailside, & H&S Supermatic Citation. He said "hands down the Ruger was the more accurate pistol" in their informal multiple shooter test.

Practical or not, objectively true or not - I don't care. However, it is my contention that except in the most exacting "staged" impractical shooting competitions a properly set-up Ruger is probably as good as any .22LR pistol in the sub-$1000.00 category. My friend more or less verified that for me.

What is my point? Save your money and spend 60 bucks on VQ Ruger parts, 30 minutes on polishing and either do it yourself or have a smith recrown your Ruger. New grips if you need them. Unless you are shooting a Hammerli 208 or one of the more modern Euro pistols (Pardini, Walther, Bennelli, etc.)in some esoteric style of competition you probably can't shoot as good as the Ruger.

I just did another Ruger MKII 5.5 SS for a local PD detective, sniper on the Tac Team, trained by the local Army SF sniper instructor and Camp Perry competitor. I looked at the gun and said to myself, "Why, in practical terms, does one need anything more?" I get this: Pardini - Larry's Guns Inc. But what I don't get is spending more that a Ruger can give you unless you have the training, skill, discipline needed for a specialist target pistol other than vanity?

Craig in Clarksville

[Mike.357]

why do you recrown them?

[graycrait]

I haven't recrowned one, but am looking into it. I look at the exit marks of my own .22 and don't see anything "un-symetrical" But I am wondering if a really good re-crown job can, in pracitical terms, "improve" plinker gun performance? Why the guys out West re-crowned the Ruger MK II Government - I have no clue.

I do have some .22s that have very nice deepset crowns which seem to shoot well. I am wondering if I learn to re-crown my own guns that I may prevent future issues? Most "inexpensive" .22s seem to hav shallow crowns. I am wondering if Rugers in particular could stand a better crown. Ruger in general produces guns that are in MHO about 95% "there." With a little after market their pretty darn good quality mass production can be fine tuned to be 1st class. Therefore I wondered if their crowns could be improved?

Craig

[Guest Lester Weevils]

MidwayUSA has some youtube videos using a rounded brass bit, lapping compound, and slow-speed electric drill to recrown. It doesn't look like rocket science, but looks can be deceptive.

Reckon there's more to it?

Some of the MidwayUSA videos show working on elderly worn barrel fronts. Before crowning they square the front. In one video with a hand file (which would be virtually guaranteed un-square in my hands). Another video they chuck the barrel in a lathe to square the end, which looks more idiot-proof.

Reckon there's much chance that a factory ruger barrel face would be un-square enough to need such drastic treatment before crowning?

[R1100R]

My Ruger MKIII has had all the Mods done to it. I like it alot. It still won't outshoot my Hi Standard or Hammerli Trailside. It

is a very heavy pistol to me with a stock barrel and frame. Have about a equal amount of money in each pistol. For me it is the

Trailside I shoot best. Out of the box it will shoot quarter size group at 25m from the factory. They included the target in a tag attached to the pistol out of the box. It was a lot of pistol for $400. Too bad Sig gave it up and Hammerli is selling them for around 750.00 now.

On the Citation, if it was one of the new ones produced in Texas they are not as good as the Hamden, Conn guns.

I do agree with you that the Ruger for the money though is a must have pistol.

[Mike.357]

i dunno but I can't imagine how messing with my MkIII would make it better.

[R1100R]

i dunno but I can't imagine how messing with my MkIII would make it better.

Taking out the magazine disconnect and adding a bushing to replace it ($10) makes a world of difference just in the trigger alone.

My MKIII had a ugly trigger.

Edited December 25, 2011 by R1100R

[Mike.357]

i appreciate it, but I was just referring to the crown.

I love my MkIII it is a great pistol

Might hop it up someday

[Dolomite_supafly]

Contact Dan Mason regarding crowning tools. They sell a kit that they call their Military Rifle Muzzle Re-Crowning Tool Kit. It allows you to do a 0 or 11 degree crown and the kit only costs $115. By the time you do 2 crowns you are already ahead. You can specify what caliber you want. I am considering getting a 22 kit because I also own a lot of 22's and all of them could use a crown job.

Here is a information sheet on them:

http://www.mansonreamers.com/Current catalog/2011 January Catalog.Version II pmd.pdf

The military kit is on page 16.

And a video:

And I have talked to them and they do have 22 caliber pilots for this system.

Dolomite

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Thanks Dolomite. Very interesting. Assuming I'd get brave enough to do that.

There is a youtube MidwayUSA video showing how to do an 11 degree crown using a lathe. My dinky minilathe has a 1" throat, so in theory many pistol barrels including the Ruger Mark II might chuck up OK. OTOH practice is often radically different than theory!

[TNWNGR]

Recrowning pistol's is a long know mean's of improving group size, it sometimes seem's as though it's magic. I like the Ruger .22 pistol in all of it's different model's and have owned and shot a couple of S&W 41's. The 41 can also be tuned and modified to be ultra accurate as well so I'm more intrested in out of the box function. Slight trigger or feed ramp work is fine, beyond that I'm not so keen.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

The crowning looks like a simple enough operation that it could be done at the factory on all products without significantly raising the price? After all they have to machine the barrel front to SOME kind of shape on everything that goes out the shipping room door? If a certain style of crown would offer superior accuracy then it is puzzling why they wouldn't just use that shape at the factory on all products?

I'm not denying that a crown could make a difference. It is just curious that factories wouldn't for instance universally use an 11 degree crown if that shape is supposed to be so wonderful? Is it possible that a certain style of crown might optimize one characteristic while simultaneously harming some other desirable characteristic?

[Will Carry]

I sent my Mark III Hunter 6 7/8" to Carroll Iowa and had Volquartsen farfegnugen it. It came back with the fancy grip, a trigger pull if less than 3lbs and I can shoot groups inside the holes left by my 45acp (On a good day). I know I have way too much money in this pistol and it is far more accurate than I will ever shoot, but it is the coolest pistol I own. Here is my Mark III before and a picture of the fancy grip. It is now a Mark II accurised by Volquartsen.

[I_Like_Pie]

The reason that the Rugers are so much better is in the design. The receiver and the barrel are one unit and share more in common with a rifle with respect....Many good MKII guns with a clean crown will out shoot even the high end 10/22 rifles for this reason (which ironically have more in common with the Hi-standard style pistols with respect to design of the barrel and receiver)

Everything is round in the design as well. This allows the parts to be manufactured with standard tolerance, but by very nature of being round....the parts fit to a much "tighter" than a standard slide in a pistol.

They are just inherently more accurate than just about any other pistol made. Most people just can't believe that a $300 .22 will outshoot a $3000 custom 1911. They can with the right ammo. Not many people here are old enough to remember when the Ruger standard automatic came to the market in the 50's....they DOMINATED pistol bullseye and silouette events for decades until the Thompson Center pistols came along in late 60's and early 70's

They are simply that good. BTW I am not a fan of the MKIII features. They don't bother many, but the MKI and II are the same or less in price used without the extra complexity.

[wjh2657]

If I ever have to reduce my collection, it will always include a Mossberg 500A, a Marlin 60, a S&W revolver and a Ruger MKII. The classics remain the classics!

[jeff43]

Ruger 22 autos are the BEST?Been shooting them since I was 10,I have a MK I Target my dad bought me new in 1978 and have 6 more MK II's.They are very accurate pistols.The MKI I have has a very good trigger.I've drilled and tapped some of my MK II triggers for over travel and pre travel screws.I have a Volquartson sear in a SS 5.5 in. bull barrel. I bought some Moly lube and put it on the hammer and sear of my other MK II's,and it has about as good of a trigger pull as the Volquartson sear.

Jeff

[Mdunntn]

Bought a new 22/45 tonight. Can't wait to shoot it.

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[Guest 22-rimfire]

I certainly think Ruger semi-auto pistols are good choices. I generally shoot my Mark II more than I do my HS Victor.