Ruger Mk Ii Serial Numbers

The Ruger M77, M77R and M77RSM Mark II Rifles

By Chuck Hawks

Illustration courtesy of Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. Ruger Mk Ii Serial Numbers

Ruger Mk II Government Target (1 2) Frankl03. 09:19 AM by RH45. 17: 1,843: MK II prices (1 2 3) Empe. 07:17 AM by Toomany22s. 37: 4,991: Mark. Ruger does not produce firearms in serial number order. There are occasions when blocks of serial numbers have been manufactured out of sequence, sometimes years later. Also, within a model family the same serial number prefix may be used to produce a variety of different models, all in the same block of serial numbers. Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. Is one of the nation's leading manufacturers of rugged, reliable firearms for the commercial sporting market. With products made in America, Ruger offers consumers almost 800 variations of more than 40 product lines. For more than 70 years, Ruger has been a model of corporate and community responsibility. When Was My Ruger Made? August 13th, 2003. We gets lots of questions about old Rugers.It should be fairly obvious to our readers by now that we are great fans of William B. Ruger and his fine firearms, so lots of folks must figure we're the guys to ask about that Old Model Super Blackhawk from the pawn shop or dad's old Bearcat. In 1982, Bill Ruger added a bolt hold back mechanism, actuated by the flipped magazine button on the A-100 series pistols, and the Ruger MKII was born. The Ruger MKII, in all it's variations, is considered by many to be the pinnacle of Bill Ruger's achievements. For many older shooters, the Ruger Standard was the first auto-pistol they ever fired.

The Ruger Model 77 Mark II features a controlled feed Mauser pattern action with a flat bottom receiver and an integral recoil lug, one piece bolt, full length Mauser type extractor, fixed ejector, steel hinged magazine floorplate, generous ejection port for fast loading from the top of the action, square bridge action with integral scope mount bases, and an innovative diagonal bedding screw. The barrel is precision hammer forged. The bolt release is at the left rear of the receiver, and the three position (Model 70 type) safety is located at the right rear of the receiver.

The barreled action of M77R Standard and M77MSR Magnum rifles is finished in a polished blue. The bolt is left in the white for contrast on the 'R' and blued on the 'RSM.' The walnut stock was designed in the 'modern classic' style. It is supplied with a pistol grip cap, rubber butt pad, detachable sling swivel bases, and cut checkering.

Not so good is the replacement of the previous fully adjustable trigger with a cheaper lawyer inspired non-adjustable version. The creepy trigger on my new M77R Mk. II in .350 Remington Magnum caliber is not very consistent, averaging about 5.25 pounds, but letting off anywhere between 5 and 6 pounds.

A minor complaint is that the bolt raceways are not polished. They appear to have been left 'as cast,' so the bolt travel is not as smooth as it should be.

The following specifications for the M77R Mark II Standard rifle are taken from the 2006 Ruger catalog:

Capacity - 4 rounds (3 in magnum calibers)
Calibers - 22 cartridges ranging from .204 Ruger to .338 Win. Mag.
Metal finish - polished and blued
Stock - satin finished black walnut with rubber butt pad
Sights - none (supplied with Ruger scope rings)
Barrel length - 22' (most standard calibers), 24' (most magnum calibers)
Overall length - 42' to 44.5' (depending on barrel and action length)
Approximate weight - 7.25 to 8.25 pounds
MSRP - $695

The M77R Mark II is available in short (.308) and standard (.30-06) length actions. The M77RSM safari rifle comes with an extra long magnum action to accomodate the .338 Lapua, .375 H&H, .458 Lott, and .416 Rigby cartridges.

The M77RSM is stocked in fancy Circassian walnut, features a barrel band mounted front sling swivel base, and is suplied with a ramp front and folding leaf express rear sights. It weighs between 9.5 and 10.25 pounds, depending on caliber. The 2006 MSRP of this deluxe rifle, the top of the M77 line, is $1975.

My .350 Remington Magnum M77R is built on the short action, for which the cartridge was designed. The Model 77 Mark II in .350 Rem. Mag. was announced in 2004, but only reached dealers at the beginning of 2005.

In the course of shooting the M77R .350 Mag. rifle I occasionally fed a cartridge directly into the chamber to see if the extractor would ride over the case rim, and every time it did so. In normal use I feed cartridges from the magazine, as is generally recommended with controlled feed rifles.

The M77 Mk. II action has occasionally been criticized for its pivoting (as opposed to fixed) ejector. But try as I might, I could not feed and eject cartridges through the .350 fast enough to 'beat' the extractor and cause a malfunction. And this rifle uses the short (presumably faster) M77 Mk. II action.

As it turned out, this M77R rifle shot pretty well with all loads tested. That is typical of my experience with Ruger M77 rifles. You can label the M77 Mark II an accurate rifle and get no argument from me.

Note: Complete reviews of the Ruger M77R Mark II Standard Rifle, M77RSM Mark II Magnum Rifle, and M77CR Mark II Compact Rifle can be found on the Product Reviews page.

STANDARD MODEL MARK II

Model MK450

Introduced in 1999, to commemorate 50th Anniversary of first Ruger rimfire pistol. Fitted with 4.75' barrel, with fixed sights. Chambered for .22 LR cartridge. Pistol-grips have a red Ruger medallion and Ruger crest on the barrel. Furnished in a red case. Weight about 35 oz. Production limited to one year.

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Model MK6

Same as above, with 6' barrel. Weight 37 oz.

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Model KMK4

Same as Mark II Standard, except made of stainless steel.

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Model KMK6

Same as above, with 6' barrel. Weight about 37 oz. NOTE: In 1997, Ruger produced 650 of Model MK6, with special features for 'Friends of the NRA' auction of the same year. These guns have high polish bluing, faux ivory grip panels, gold inlaid National Rifle Association inscription and gold inlaid number of '1 of 650' to '650 of 650'.

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Target Model

Model incorporates the same improvements as Mark II Standard. Offered with 5.5' bull, 6.875' tapered and 10' heavy barrel. A 5.25' tapered barrel was added in 1990, but discontinued in 1994. Blued finish. This model has adjustable target sights. Introduced in 1982. NOTE: In 1989, approximately 2,000 5.5' bull barrel Mark II pistols, with blue barreled receivers and stainless steel grip frames were produced by Ruger on order from a Ruger distributor. They exist in the 215-25xxx to 215-43xxx serial number range.

Ruger Standard Serial Number

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Stainless Steel Target Model

Ruger Mkii Serial Numbers

Same as blued version, but made of stainless steel.

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Government Model

Similar to blue Mark II Target, with 6.875' bull barrel. Civilian version of a training pistol that the military is purchasing from Ruger. Only difference is this model does not have U.S. markings. NOTE: Add 150 to 175 percent premium for models with 'U.S.' marking. An expert examination and appraisal is suggested.

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Stainless Steel Government Model

Stainless steel version of Government Model. NOTE: Same with U.S. markings. These are found in serial number range of 210-00001 to 210-18600. Only a couple dozen are in civilian hands.

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Competition Model KMK678GC

Competition model features a stainless steel frame, with checkered laminated hardwood thumbrest grips, heavy 6.875' bull barrel factory drilled and tapped for scope mount, Partridge type front sight undercut to prevent glare and adjustable rear sight. Weight 45 oz. NOTE: In 1997, Ruger produced 204 of these pistols in blue instead of stainless steel for one of their distributors. They are very scarce. In 1995, Ruger produced a similar blued pistol (1,000 total: 500 each with or without scope rings) with 5.5' slab side barrels. These are not marked 'Competition Target Model' like the previously described variation.

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Bull Barrel Model MK4B

Introduced in 1996. This bull barrel variation has a blued finish, with 4' barrel. Grips are checkered composition. Weight about 38 oz.

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