Ruger MKII POI issue

bgoodsoil · Aug 24, 2020

Hi all,

I've had this pistol for 17 years. I loaned it to a friend of mine for about 5 or 6 of those and we taught all his kids to shoot with it. I still remember my godson crushing his finger with the bolt at 5 years old, crying, then refusing to stop shooting

Anyways, after god-knows-how-many rounds the trigger stopped working. I dropped in a Volquartsen trigger kit and it had a smooth 2# trigger that worked great...

except when I went to shoot the gun it was hitting almost 8" off at 20 yards. I had to slide the rear sight so far over that it was half out of the groove to get it on center. Even then it was hitting a few inches low when it never had before. I cleaned the barrel and can't see any lead in the rifling. I took the gun apart making sure barrel was aligned well with the receiver(even though that shouldn't matter--the iron sights are attached physically to the barrel)

It was grouping well despite being so far off so I put a rail on it hoping the red dot would have enough adjustment. That seems to have taken care of it but I'm still stumped. What in the world could cause it to hit that far off? I can't see any misalignment with the barrel.

GunBum · Aug 24, 2020

Who put the replacement front sight on?

bgoodsoil · Aug 25, 2020

The front site wasn't replaced. I'm not even using it now. The red dot had enough adjustment so that it hits where I'm aiming using that.

GunBum · Aug 25, 2020

That is not the stock front sight. Someone replaced it at sometime, which would explain an impact shift.

This is what a stock 4” taper barrel Ruger front sight looks like.

Rolo · Aug 25, 2020

it looks like his pin came out that holds the blade in place on the front and let it slide back out of place. Just a thought

Art3 · Aug 25, 2020

The front sight certainly looks wonky, but I wouldn't think that could make that much of a windage change...unless it was bent. :shrug:

Is there any damage to the crown?

Magnumite · Aug 25, 2020

Not stock Ruger sight. Perhaps during loan it as drop and then borrower had the sight replaced. Pics from the top, front and rear of the soght would be helpful.

U.S.SFC_RET · Aug 25, 2020

Some probables

1. If you clean the barrel squeaky clean the bullets take some time to grip the barrel so to speak.
2. There are variables to consider when if you change out ammunition. 22LR pistols can be finicky with things like cycling, consistency and grouping.

Find ammunition that the pistol likes and stick with it.

BlueFin · Aug 25, 2020

That is the correct sight blade with the pin missing.

bgoodsoil · Aug 25, 2020

Ya'll have sharp eyes! I feel silly for missing that now that I'm looking at it. Sure enough the pin cracked. I see part of it in one side of the barrel band but it's gone in the other. The remains are sheered off on the inside of the sight.

It looks a teensy bit wonky but hardly enough to knock the POI off that much. I wonder if the hit that snapped this pin tweaked the barrel a bit? If it's off I sure can't tell it.

The crown looks good now that I'm giving it a better look. I caught a break there at least.

The blade didn't look to bad but it seems a bit off in this pic. It might be the camera angle but maybe the band got tweaked?

It's grouping well anyways and this new sight centered right up. I don't know how I could've fixed that sight so I think I'd have gone with the red dot even had I noticed that pin earlier. (though I'd like to get something a bit more low-profile. I pulled this one off an air rifle to test it and it feels ridiculous.)

Good point on choosing the right ammo. I'll take it to Myrtle Grove with me on Sunday and see what it likes.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Magnumite · Aug 25, 2020

FWIW, I shoot a MkII bull barrel for bullseye - well when I shot bullseye. I use a Simmons dot on it, one of the first out. It will give you a wonky feeling since you are holding the gun lower because of the increased sight distance over bore.

It looks like have it placed about right. You could also move it fore or aft a picatinney cut or two to achieve a different balance. If you care to, try one cut forward to see if the weight shift to the front creates a steady hold and a less bouncy front sight.

John from MD · Aug 25, 2020

I'm betting that the gun got dropped sometime on the front sight. I have seen it happen more than once.

bgoodsoil · Aug 25, 2020

I bet you're right about it getting dropped. Ah well, gave me an excuse to buy some toys for it.

bgoodsoil · Aug 25, 2020

I wish I had gone with a bull barrel but this was my first pistol. I didn't even know what a bull barrel was at the time. I was stationed on an island in Alaska as a lighthouse keeper when I was in the Coast Guard. It had 12 miles of paved road and no stop light. I'm glad they had a gun store at all! It was actually inside the grocery store

I've considered getting it threaded and putting a compensator on the front for no reason other than the weight. I was in a club for a short while and shot in a little 22 target competition with it. The bull barrels were noticeably better at the speed shooting round. If I ever get in to that again it'll give me an excuse to waste....er....invest more money in it

For now I'll try your suggestion and move that massive sight around.

GuitarmanNick · Aug 26, 2020

If the POI is off to the right, I suggest looking at the barrel to see if it is slightly bent. The one picture gives the appearance that it is slightly off but could be an optical illusion.

bgoodsoil · Aug 28, 2020

That's entirely possible but if it is I can't tell it. I've got a pile of ammo ready for Sunday. I'll know better after that.

bgoodsoil · Aug 31, 2020

I went down to Myrtle Grove on Sunday with some friends. We waited for an hour and a half and gave up when it seemed like it would be another hour before we could shoot.

Why is that range so tiny?! For $500 in lumber I could double the size of that place in an easy Saturday afternoon!

bgoodsoil · Aug 31, 2020

It was pretty validating for me though. I've been selling off all of my firearms for archery equipment and air rifles.
Firearms are such a hassle to shoot. And expensive.

My buddies were laughing at me when I told them how much I had spent on BB guns. After we spent 5 hours on the road and waiting in line, and left without shooting, I was feeling pretty smug ��

We got back to my house and happily murdered tin cans with legally-silenced, full auto BB guns.

bgoodsoil · Aug 31, 2020

Speaking of cans, that reminds me of another benefit of air guns. They generally frown on you bringing beer to a shooting range.

By contrast, consumption of cheap beer is a necessary component of air gun target creation

MG-70 · Sep 22, 2020

bgoodsoil, as you probably know, these MK series Rugers are tough pistols. I doubt a drop from shooting height could've bent the barrel, but with the proper lighting, and clear eye focus, you should be able to tell.

I've had a number of these and my all time favorite, for shooting, as well as just looking, was a tapered 6 7/8" barrel MKII stainless Target. The longer barrel gave it an excellent balance, and the longer sight radius made it a pleasure to shoot. It grouped as well as the thicker barreled Competition Target, but, for me, it handled a lot better.

From what I've read, the chaos in the world has convinced people to buy guns, so maybe that explains your extra long wait and not being able to shoot at the range. It's annoying, either way.

Glad you had a plan B that still allowed you to have fun!

Ruger MKII POI issue

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