I recently purchased this rifle and just looking for a little info or opinions. As the title says, it is a Mark II Walnut/Gloss model. I've looked around a little online and don't find much on them. I find Ruger 223s in various configurations - Target, stainless, and plenty of the new matte Hawkeyes - but can't find much on this one. Are they relatively rare?

This one is like new. The original owner claimed to have put less than a box of shells through it and I don't doubt it by looking at the bolt face and overall condition. It is near flawless, only a couple of dings from bumps in the safe and a slight blemish on the crown. It came with a cheap Bushnell on it but I plan to replace it soon.

It has a hard red pad and it is not CRF. I had a 7Mag with a similar bolt face configuration and was told it was a transition model Mark II that used a Mauser type claw ejector, but because of the way the bottom of the bolt face was designed, didn't allow for true CRF. I had the bolt on my 7Mag ground down by my gunsmith to make it a true CRF.

Any idea on approximate age of this rifle? Anybody own one and can tell me what to expect accuracy-wise? I think these older Rugers are 12 twist.







I rotated the photos in my Photobucket account but it doesn't seem to be working in the post.

I had one.... accurate rifle it was...Ruger customer service can tell you the date it was manufactured by its serial... in fact their web site use to have a place you could just type in the serial and it would give you the manufacturing year...and caliber it left the factory in...

Mine had TWO mishaps with factory ammo...wrecking the stock each time and requiring repair to the action...no fault of the rifle tho...Black Hills ammo was the problem...

after the second time, I ended up giving mine to Mike Bellm when he lived here in town, and he was a friend...he desired to make it into a 222...

The barrel had 8,000+ rounds down it, and it was still a very accurate shooter...

I checked on the website and it just said call customer service for the manufacture date. Called them and it was made in 1989, the year I graduated high school. I guess I'll call it a late graduation present to myself!

If it was made in 1989 it is a M77, not a MKII.

The MKII was introduced in 1991 and the Hawkeye in 2006. Changes to the MKII included opening up the bolt face to allow CRF. (With, I think, various degrees of success.)

WRONG



It's a MKII, before the MKII was the tang safety, his ain't a tang safety. They also started making them in 1989

It is definitely a Mark II, says it right on the side of the action. Also has the wing safety, not Tang, and the stainless bolt handle, not blued like on the original M77. The red butt pad kinda throws me off, as those are usually on the original M77s and the Mark IIs usually have black pads. That and the bolt face configuration lead me to think it may be a very early Mark II. Maybe the Ruger CS got the year wrong? However, the original owner did claim to have purchased it in the '80s.

They started making MKII's in 89.

Just go to Ruger's site for dates

http://www.ruger.com/service/productHistory/RI-M77MarkII.html

My mistake. My .257 Roberts was made in 1989 and is a tang safety M77.

Guess that is what I get for going from memory on years of introduction.

I have one of the Ruger MKII rifles in 223 like the one you have. It is a very accurate rifle.

Running a quick search online, there are several sources that claim the Mark II line began in 1991. Just shows you can't trust everything you read online.

And why would people go to other sources other than the horse's mouth?

....'cuz the horse's ass (internet) is more.......prolific

I have one like yours that I bought new in '91. Shoots very well.

What is the barrel length? There were some early MKII rifles in that caliber with 20" barrels and they were lighter in weight but not the Ultralight models.

Mike

This one has the 20 inch barrel. It balances very well. Got the Bushnell off and a spare Conquest 3-9x40 on. Now to load up some rounds and see what she will do!

I had the exact same rifle. was accurate with light bullets e.g. 45 Gr. and heavy charges.
Mine was only so-so with heavier bullets - Slow twist I guess.

I also have a MKII, a stainless model built in 2000. Like yours, it does best with light bullets. In fact it does so well with 40g V-MAX and BT I've quit trying anything else in it.

I have the same with a 1/12 barrel. It has been my kill everything for years. It loves 40gr and Varget, great rifle.

I read on a different thread on here, can't find it now, that the Ultralights have the cartridge stamped on further up the barrel, not on the shank. Supposedly the shank is shorter on the Ultralights. He said this is a quick way to tell whether a rifle was originally an Ultralight, or someone just shortened the barrel.

My rifle is the 20 inch pencil barrel stamped in this position, not on the shank. However, it has the plain stock, not the ebony tipped forend stocks like I've always seen on Ultralights. So, would this rifle be considered an Ultralight or not?