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MARK I - 5 1/2" bull

6K views 28 replies 16 participants last post by  fergusontd 
#1 · (Edited)
I picked up a MKI 5 1/2" bull yesterday at a show. 1980 with a red sight insert.

Box papers. Still in the plastic with heavy oil one would expect from the factory.

It is reputedly unfired. It looks the part. The box looks like it came straight from the factory.

I'm always surprised when these pop up. You wouldn't think a ruger .22 would be specifically purchased with the intent to collect and store.

And yet they show up from time to time.
 

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#7 ·
Pics added. Its the best I can do with a phone pic.

Of course you can't state with certainty the unfired status of a firearm with an uncertain history. One would think the factory would test fire them at the least.

But, thorough examination indicates it was fired very, very little, if at all. Even the magazine shows no sign of wear.

Although, I do have others to shoot it will most likely see at least some use. I'm not really a proponent of safe queens. I believe they should be cared very well for, but used for their intended purpose.

I am curious about the sight. My own examination, comparing to others, is that if it was not a Ruger product, it must be an aftermarket item made from a Ruger sight.

It looks very much in line with other red front sights from that same era. Must have been the rage at the time. I find it an upgrade to the typical hooked BB sights on my MKIIs
 
#8 ·
Front sight insert in a Ruger factory front sight. I have done quite a few of those over the years for the Ruger Super and Single Sixes, Blackhawks, Super Blackhawks and many, many Ruger Mark pistols. Along with a white-outline rear sight blade these sight set-ups offer much more than the black on black sights against a black bullseye.

 
#9 ·
That must be it. The rear sight is a white line as well.

Is that just a piece of red plastic glued on the front?

It looks like it was molded on there with some heat.

Well done, one way or the other.

Maybe I'll try that on some of my others.
 
#14 ·
Hey, how did you get a picture of my Ruger? I bought mine brand new in 1976. The only thing I have done to it, is to shoot and clean it. It is my daughter's favorite handgun. It was her favorite gun, until I made the mistake of buying a Henry Big Boy Steel in .357 last year. She keeps me busy loading for it.

Still, never a range session goes by that she doesn't run at least 100 rounds through the Mark I.
 
#16 ·
Are original grips readily available for these? I am buying one which has oversize after market grips I would like to return to original.
Also what would be a good 'family' price. It's coming from my uncles collection which he liquidated to all us kids already, and this is left. I want to give my aunt a fair price for us both.
I don't have it in hand yet, and was going to start a new thread then, but this seems like an opportune time.
Thanks!
 
#17 ·
Are original grips readily available for these? I am buying one which has oversize after market grips I would like to return to original.
Also what would be a good 'family' price. It's coming from my uncles collection which he liquidated to all us kids already, and this is left. I want to give my aunt a fair price for us both.
I don't have it in hand yet, and was going to start a new thread then, but this seems like an opportune time.
Thanks!
It would help to see the grip frame to determine if this is an A54 or an A100 grip frame. Original grips were the black plastic variety and grip screw hole locations differ from the above grip frames. The originals just may be in one of your uncles cabinets where he kept his firearms.

If you could post pictures, that would help quite a bit. Also, condition is the most important part of value on these older pistols.
 
#18 ·
Thanks SGW, I didn't realize there were different frames for these. I won't get to Maine until Sept. this year, where the gun is. Will get pics up then. Possible the grips are around. My Aunt has a file cabinet drawer full of older ammo from him and my grandpa as well, so you never know what else will be found.I remember some pics of your custom grips that looked good also.

I have shot this occasionally through the years, and remember it in very good condition, except having to pry the empty mag out. Couldn't get a finger in there!
 
#21 ·
Thanks SGW, I didn't realize there were different frames for these. I won't get to Maine until Sept. this year, where the gun is. Will get pics up then. Possible the grips are around. My Aunt has a file cabinet drawer full of older ammo from him and my grandpa as well, so you never know what else will be found.I remember some pics of your custom grips that looked good also.

I have shot this occasionally through the years, and remember it in very good condition, except having to pry the empty mag out. Couldn't get a finger in there!
Here, check out this stickie. http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=507788

Pay particular attention to the screw hole locations on each grip frame version. That is a very visible identifier. A54 grip frames are not marked as such, A54 is the catalog number. The left side of the Ruger Mark I and Standard pistols are stamped A100 on the grip frame, underneath the left grip panel.
 
#20 ·
Many years ago I was able to purchase a Mk-1 with what I was told was a Factory bull barrel that measured a full six(6) inches and had NO taper at all and a square crown. It had belonged to a 2700 Match shooter who fired it a great deal. That shooter told me he had purchased it directly from Ruger and I believed him at the time and I still do.

It was very smooth and the trigger pull was very close to my S&W M-41 which is awesome.

Hard times hit and I no longer have it. To this day I have never seen another one like it but keep looking.
 
#22 ·
Well, I kind of dropped the ball on the pistol this year. Hunting season and firewood took all my time until I got by my aunts house in late November to give the yard a rake. I checked the gun cabinet and the MK1 was gone! couldn't get her on the phone in Fla. 'till the net day, and she said she hid it in a laundry hamper!
I'll be back there in May and try again. Thanks for the link above, I'll take off the grips and see whats what then.
 
#23 ·
SGW Gunsmith, The aftermarket Mag release was definitely a no-brainer. The factory release was a finger killer. I also picked up the simple little tool that fits over the magazine and it makes reloading a very simple affair. Prior to that my vocabulary would increase each time I had to thumb that tiny nub down for reloading.

And Clovishound, mine is only maybe a couple years older than yours, IIRC. It came in the "old" orange box and not the yellow & black one. I bought the Ruger target grips not too long afterward and they fit me like a glove...or something similar. Otherwise it's stock all the way. Just wish I still had my first 4" standard (MK 1?) fixed sight model. I bought it even earlier and can't believe I let it go.
 
#28 ·
SGW Gunsmith, The aftermarket Mag release was definitely a no-brainer. The factory release was a finger killer. I also picked up the simple little tool that fits over the magazine and it makes reloading a very simple affair. Prior to that my vocabulary would increase each time I had to thumb that tiny nub down for reloading.

And Clovishound, mine is only maybe a couple years older than yours, IIRC. It came in the "old" orange box and not the yellow & black one. I bought the Ruger target grips not too long afterward and they fit me like a glove...or something similar. Otherwise it's stock all the way. Just wish I still had my first 4" standard (MK 1?) fixed sight model. I bought it even earlier and can't believe I let it go.
I've tried all of the various extended magazine release/latches and have found that the Ranch Products version works the best, so that's why I stock those.

Another very GOOD reason for the Ranch Products replacement latch comes into play when you use the Ruger Mark II style magazine bodies in your earlier pistols. The older magazines have a "solid" bottom, so the much sharper edge on the early latch will hold the magazine in place fairly well. Problem is, when the newer style magazines are used with that older latch, that sharper radius has a tendency to fall into the gap between the plastic floor plate and the bottom of the magazine body. The Ranch Products magazine release has a larger radius that will ride over that gap and not get stuck in it. It's a good feature that some, apparently, haven't discovered as yet. :D

 
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