Ruger Custom Pistol

Getting anew pistol is always a pleasure… especially when one comes along that you’ve been craving. Years ago I had a Ruger Standard Model pistol that the late Don Nygord turned into a pretty neat Bullseye gun. Unfortunately, it went away in along-ago trade; another one I should have kept. I’d been toying with the idea of having another built; Clark Custom Guns in Louisiana used to be the "go-to" people for .22 Rugers and I went to them first, but no luck.

Clark doesn’t work on or customize .22 Ruger pistols anymore. I’ve been shooting lots of .22 ammo recently, concentrating on the CMP .22 matches and ISSF 25m Standard Pistol. I wanted something built specifically for the matches I was shooting, with the sights I liked. Another Smith & Wesson 41 or a High Standard wouldn’t work without extensive modifications. Pardinis and Hämmerlis were very expensive.

So I put the idea of an- Pistol wears Ruger lefthanded thumbrest stocks, purchased on e Bay. other .22 pistol out of my mind. Fast forward a couple of years. I was cruising the Internet, reading the Bullseye-L Forum classified section. A minty Ruger .22 in stainless, with some added features, was for sale and the price was right. Not only that, but the gentleman selling it is a pretty good gunsmith, specializing in target guns. I was definitely interested.

The pistol being sold was a minty Mark II bull barrel model. Roddy Toyota was the gunsmith selling it and had stippled the front and back straps, checkered the magazine release, and added a Clark steel trigger with an overtravel stop. A 2.2 pound trigger job completed the Far Roddy has more of these Kensights in stock and it will need to be installed by a good gunsmith/machinist familiar with a Ruger. 2 pounds. NRA rules mandate two-pound minimum.

package (NRA rules mandate a 2.0 pound trigger, minimum). Roddy set up the trigger with a slight roll-off break, which most Bullseye shooters (including me) prefer. I had envisioned adding a custom heavy barrel, but this pistol, with a factory heavy barrel, could possibly work without installing anew one. I was concerned about the accuracy of the factory tube, but Roddy told me that Ruger barrels shoot quite well at 50 yards; he would shoot the pistol from a Ransom Rest to see what it would do.

I thought we might want to do a muzzle recrown, but Roddy assured me the muzzle looked fine as-is. He also mentioned that Rugers don’t have tight (match) chambers like many target .22s and will work reliably with most .22 Long Rifle ammo. Testing went well; the Ruger easily shot within the X-ring at 50 yards with plinkergrade Aguila standard velocity and CCI-SV (standard velocity). That’s great news as I wouldn’t have to buy Eley or Lapua .22 match ammo for my pistola.

X-ring accuracy at 50 yards with cheap ammo is a beautiful thing. Another advantage is that the Ruger is a very strong pistol; it’s almost impossible to damage the gun with any ammo on the market. That’s not necessarily true with most .22 target pistols. Shoot a lot of high-velocity or hyper-velocity ammo through a High Standard and you’ll eventually crack the frame. S&W 41s don’t tolerate .22 high speed stuff much better.

They weren’t designed to; target guns are purpose-built to win matches with very accurate (and expensive) standard velocity rounds. Putting cheap high-volume manufactured discount ammo through an expensive .22 match pistol wouldn’t be a great idea. A Ruger, though, won’t flinch with any load available. Shooting a National Match Course or plinking in the desert is all good with a Ruger. My new pistol did need some additional attention and I discussed the work with Roddy.

My major concern was replacing the factory Ruger adjustable sights. I like Bo Mars, but those sights have been discontinued for several years. Looking at all the Kensights available, I found a Kensight rear for the Ruger MK II that looked After cutting down and reshaping, Roddy hot-blued the sight. Very nice work. Far A nice, useful upgrade. The Kensight sits 1/2" further to the rear and needs to be fitted properly; not a drop-in installation. Roddy has these sights in stock. a lot like the old Bo Mar.

Roddy put one on, and it’s indistinguishable from a Bo Mar. It has a deep square notch and good, repeatable 1/4" click adjustments. He had to do some machine work to make it fit properly, but it was worth the effort. Metal was relieved underneath the rear sight blade to give more downward movement to the rear sight. A hole was also drilled directly under the elevation screw so that the screw wouldn’t need to be shortened.

This has to be done carefully; Roddy mentioned that rear sight elevation screws come in different lengths and the drilling depth would have to be done to match the individual screw length. Because the rear sight sat 1/2" further to the rear, the take-down lever leg needed to be machined flat in order to clear the sight bottom. A little bit of work, but not a big deal if you know what you’re doing. Lastly, the top of the receiver was drilled and tapped in case I wanted to mount optics in the future.

Roddy did a few other things that in his experience make the Ruger a more reliable, accurate, and shootable pistol. The bottom of the chamber mouth at the breech face was lightly chamfered to facilitate better feeding and less deformation of the bullet as it transitions from the magazine into the chamber. This keeps the bullet from possibly smashing into the breechface or top of the chamber, either causing a feeding malfunction or deforming the bullet.

Twenty-two caliber bullets are soft lead and deform easily; bullet deformation will open up your group size. Both magazines

were fitted to the pistol; Roddy checked the bullet angles when loaded and adjusted the magazine lips for optimal feeding. Both front and rear grip straps were stippled. Not too sharp but Above and Nice work and very functional. enough to make a difference when grasping the pistol on hot days with sweaty hands. The magazine catch on the bottom of the grip frame was checkered, making it easier to release the magazine without slipping off the thumb.

Roddy also included a really neat device that he makes for Ruger pistols. The The elevation screw hole (directly behind the rear sight dovetail) should be drilled with the screw in-hand to achieve proper depth. Relief cut for the rear sight blade and take down lever leg, which has been machined flush with the receiver, are also shown. Roddy lightly chamfered the bottom of the chamber mouth, which helps feeding and prevents bullet deformation. American Gunsmith Reader Services 1.

Recrowning wasn’t needed. It makes a Ruger .22 pistol easier to disassemble without leaving tell-tale scratches or pry marks. main criticism of the older Rugers (including the MK II) is taking the pistol apart for cleaning. The takedown lever is the main culprit; putting the Ruger back together is even worse. Roddy told me that he got tired of looking at scratched and chewed-up backstraps that were damaged by people prying loose the locking lever with a knife blade or screwdriver.

The solution was a tool he makes from a paper clip that takes out the lever without leaving any tell-tale pry marks. Roddy includes one of these handy gadgets with each Ruger he works on. For someone like me who cares Left target is garden-variety Aguila standard velocity. Right target is CCI-SV. Both targets were 20-shot groups, 50 yards. Barrel is unaltered factory with factory crown.

Pistol is a superb shooter with a great trigger and excellent ergonomics. about how his guns look, this is a thoughtful added touch. Several trips to the range have shown that my new Ruger is ready to compete on an equal basis with most any .22 pistol. First range trip I zeroed at 25 yards with CCI-SV ammo, which had earlier shot well in testing. The Kensight needed 22 clicks from the bottom to give me a good centerhold zero. That’s perfect; plenty of adjustment but not riding too high.

Roddy cut, shaped, and fitted anew front sight, taking into account I liked using a center hold. His calculations were spot on, resulting in front and rear sights set up and adjusted for my hold. After the front sight was done, it was hot-blued (not touched up with cold blue) to match the rear sight. It’s got to look good as well as shoot tiny groups; Mr. Toyota is a perfectionist. Regular practice has shown that CCI ammo is perfect for this pistol.

With several hundred rounds downrange, the ammo preferences of my Ruger are becoming better known. Aguila ammo is accurate, but there have been several failures to feed and extract. I was also having a few feeding failures with Eley Tenex. This is probably caused by the factory recoil spring. Lighter recoil spring kits are made by Volquartsen and available from Brownells. Both Aguila and Eley ammo are loaded to lower velocities and have less of a recoil impulse.

A softer recoil spring will ensure proper feeding and extraction with most standard velocity target ammo. Since the CCI .22s shoot great and function the pistol reliably, I’ll be sticking with CCI for matches. Some Army-issued Remington "white box" .22 match I had on hand also shot very well, with the occasional misfire Remington ammo is famous for. Eventually I’d like to try Wolf and Federal match for accuracy and reliability. Both have a good reputation with the bullseye crowd.

With the extra work adding the sights and testing, I’m into this pistol for just over $700. A set of lefthanded thumbrest stocks I found on e Bay completed the project. For the money invested I got a superb, customtuned match pistol that will win matches or plink in the outback. It’s stainless, easy to maintain, and indestructible, like all Rugers. I’ll be keeping it. AG