Buying a used Ruger MkII
Matthew Gibby Gibson
am still in school, price is a prime concern. I have seen two of the
pistols I am interested in (1 MkII bull barrel w/ Nickel finish for $260
and a blued version for $225, both are used) and was wondering if buying
a used handgun is "safe". Are these prices good, or should i continue
to shop around? Are there other pistols (22 cal.) that are as good as
, or better than, the Ruger that I should look at too. (The time frame
of my purchase is between now and Feb 28, 1994 - just to feel that I
beat the Brady bill. Arizona has no waiting period, yet.)
What should I look for to determine wear level, damage, if it has
been properly cared for, etc.? In short, is buying used a good idea or
not is what I guess I am asking. Oh, I guess I should tell you what I
am planning to use the pistol for. I plan on using it mainly for target
practice and eventually for some form of competion.
Any advice on buying used, or alternative choices, would be greatly
appreciated.
As a side note, thanks to everyone who answered my question about the
Preasure rating markings on casings. It's great to see a newsgroup that
is as helpful to newbies as rec.guns.
Matthew Gibson
Industrial Engineering, Senior
University of Arizona
sie_...@bigdog.engr.arizona.edu
David Basiji
# I have been considering buying a Ruger MkII target pistol. Since I
#am still in school, price is a prime concern. I have seen two of the
#pistols I am interested in (1 MkII bull barrel w/ Nickel finish for $260
#and a blued version for $225, both are used) and was wondering if buying
#a used handgun is "safe". Are these prices good, or should i continue
#to shop around? Are there other pistols (22 cal.) that are as good as
#, or better than, the Ruger that I should look at too. (The time frame
#of my purchase is between now and Feb 28, 1994 - just to feel that I
#beat the Brady bill. Arizona has no waiting period, yet.)
The prices are slightly high for my area (WA state) unless they're in
mint condition. Very good condition would fetch <$200 blue and <$230 or
so for stainless. There is no nickel plated version. The Browning Buckmark
is also a good consideration, but is usually more expensive and if you're
buying exclusively used, I think the Ruger holds up better than the
Browning *on average*.
# What should I look for to determine wear level, damage, if it has
#been properly cared for, etc.? In short, is buying used a good idea or
#not is what I guess I am asking. Oh, I guess I should tell you what I
#am planning to use the pistol for. I plan on using it mainly for target
#practice and eventually for some form of competion.
Bring a small flashlight and AFTER MAKING SURE IT'S UNLOADED, field
strip the gun. The seller should know how if you don't. Remove the
bolt and shine the flashlight down the bore. It should have nearly a
mirror finish. If it's dirty, have them clean it before inspection.
If they refuse, walk away. Assuming the bore's in good shape, look over the
muzzle to make sure it hasn't been dropped and inspect the exterior
for damage and wear. Ruger blueing is pretty tough and the stainless is
damn near indestructable. .22 is pretty easy on the bore, so even if
it's got a lot of rounds through it, it should be clean. Finally, check
the breech face for signs of firing pin impact. The Mk II is safe to
dry fire without risk of damaging the breech face because the firing pin
has a built in stop, but if that's worn, it could have happened. If the
breech is damaged, it's reparable but probably indicative of hard use
and I'd walk away. Assuming it still looks good, fire at least 100 rounds
of target ammo through it (non hollow point, low speed rounds)
to make sure it feeds reliably and that nothing is binding up the works.
If it cycles with target ammo, it's cycle with hotter stuff, but not necessarily
vice versa.
I love my bull barrel Mk II (blue) and I'm sure you will too.
Enjoy!
David Basiji
UW Bioengineering
# Any advice on buying used, or alternative choices, would be greatly
#appreciated.
# As a side note, thanks to everyone who answered my question about the
#Preasure rating markings on casings. It's great to see a newsgroup that
#is as helpful to newbies as rec.guns.
#Matthew Gibson
#Industrial Engineering, Senior
#University of Arizona
#sie_...@bigdog.engr.arizona.edu
Mike Goo
[ Looking at used Ruger MkII's because price is a concern ]
Everyone pitches their own gun (must be some need for validation), so
here's mine. How about the new Ruger 22/45? It's essentially the same
as the MkII but has a Zytel (polymer) frame (grip) and grip angle and
controls that more closely match the Colt .45's. They only come in
stainless and I've seen ads for the 5.5" bull bbl target (adj sights)
model for $199 new with Ruger's plastic case, lock and extra mag.
Just something to think about. I love mine (of course)
Mike Goo
Kevin Pinto
#In article <2dj9b4$r...@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> sie_...@bigdog.engr.arizona.edu (Matthew "Gibby" Gibson) writes:
#
# [ Looking at used Ruger MkII's because price is a concern ]
#
#Everyone pitches their own gun (must be some need for validation), so
#here's mine. How about the new Ruger 22/45? It's essentially the same
#as the MkII but has a Zytel (polymer) frame (grip) and grip angle and
#controls that more closely match the Colt .45's. They only come in
#stainless and I've seen ads for the 5.5" bull bbl target (adj sights)
#model for $199 new with Ruger's plastic case, lock and extra mag.
#
I bought the same gun recently in Lone Wolf (Glendale, west of
Phoenix, AZ) for $189. Same deal - with case, lock and extra mag.
I like it!
Regards,
Kevin
P.S. Email me for the address of the store. It's also available in
Mesa, AZ for $199
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Kevin Pinto, Chem Engg, ASU, Tempe, AZ <Kevin...@asu.edu>
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