Here are parts 1 and 2 of a two part video series on Dissasembly and Reassembly of the Ruger Mark II, semi-automatic, target pistol. Part one is a video showing how I disassemble it and part two shows reassembly. Both the disassembly and reassembly are somewhat complex, not anything like taking down, and putting back together, a Glock 19 or Beretta 92FS. Yet, truth be told, if you know the steps to follow, it is not as terrible as some people make it out to be. I know the steps only by way of the manual. I strongly recommend getting yourself a Ruger Mark II manual before trying this. My guess would be that Ruger may still have them and if not you probably could find a copy for sale at GunBroker.com or a similar website oir maybe even for free on the Internet.
Note, I pretty much read the appropriate parts of the gun's manual each time I take my Ruger Mark II apart and each time I put it back together again. I do that even though I have owned said pistol for 20 to 25 years now. In recent years, I probably only have shot it about 4 to 5 times a year. Over its lifetime, probably on average only 10 times per year at most. I disassemble it maybe 2 or 3 to 4 times a year for a good cleaning; ar other times, it gets a quick cleaning without disassembly. While I can disassemble and reassemble other firearms that I shoot as seldom as I do the Ruger MK II, such as my Beretta 70S, without assistance of a manual, I would never get it right until about the 4th or 5th try, with the Mark II, if I was not using the manual. Some people still find it difficult even when assisted by the manual but it really is not too difficult to get right for anyone who can follow instructions well, at least not with a fairly well fired gun. Newer, less fired and less broken in, Ruger Mark IIs can be difficult but still not too bad.
The first video is pretty brief, well at least for a video that I have made. It lasts somewhat over 6 minutes. I also made the second one this evening but it came out much longer, well over 15 minutes. I redid it several times and the shortest I could get it, and get it right, was just under 13 minutes. It may be a long video on how to reassemble this pistol but please bear in mind that reassembly is usually the more problematic of the two operations. I think some folks will benefit from the detail I go into. I may try to shorten it, that is to redo making the video but this time to to have it come out a couple to few minutes shorter in duration without losing any of the details of the proper reassembly. For now though, you are stuck with the almost 13 minute longer version of the reassembly video.
For those of you who may think the video one is too long, at almost 13 minutes, all I can say in my defense is that this video will be helpful to others who maybe have more patience than you. They would be those who have had a hard time fiddling with their Ruger Mark II's in their attempts to take 'em down for cleaning and then struggle even more trying to get 'em slapped back together. I don't think 12 minutes and 52 seconds will be too long for them on the reassembly side.
Why on earth Sturm - Ruger ever manufactured a pistol that was and remains so much fun to shoot but can be such a pain in the butt, for some folks to maintain, is beyond me!
All the best,
Glenn B
