When we last left the near-stock Ruger, this was the best I could do after installing a quick(er) takedown feature, and relieving it of a hazardous safety feature called a "magazine safety", effectively making it a Mark II internally.
The left target shows improved reliability of RWS subsonic, if not accuracy, with only 50% failure-to-feed. The right-hand target is 50 rounds of Remington subsonic, with one failure, because things were pretty filthy by then.
I rebuilt almost the entire inner mechanism of the gun with Volquartsen aftermarket parts. I realized I had to eliminate any bit of internal friction I could to have enough energy left over to reliably work the mechanism with less-than-zippy subsonic ammo.
Internally, there's now a lightened hammer, titanium trigger bar, adjustable trigger, precision EDM-machined sear, extractor, and other parts, and modified spring rates. Before assembly, I worked-in any two parts that touched each other by using Nanolube as a diamond hone. After assembly, another Nanolube work-in, followed by another complete teardown, scrubbing, and reassembly with lube for regular shooting purposes.
It still looks the same, but works a lot better, with 100% reliability with even the creampuff subsonic rounds, and accuracy that probably greatly exceeds my abilities.
The Remington rounds are are the left, and RWS on the right. I've come to the conclusion that there is something slightly funky about the RWS bullet shape, because the target shows a number of them tumbling, perhaps due to the longer bearing surface. Maybe the ammo is intended for a bolt action rifle. It seems ammo makers just mark the stuff "subsonic", without realizing that suppressed pistols are probably the most finicky feeders out there. Still, this is a new piece of data for me, and one of the reasons I've busted my ass on this Ruger.
And the weapon was already filthy after firing 200 rounds of some of the most mis-matched .22 ammo I could find just to further challenge reliability. 300 rounds without a hitch, and the trigger pull remains a safe two pounds, +/- one ounce. It took me several hours to adjust the trigger, and keep it safe from idiotic mishandling, like letting the bolt slam forward while my finger was already pulling the trigger. I found, and fixed, some vey interesting failure modes. When it comes to trigger work, I don't even trust myself.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the investment in money and effort, so far. I now have what seems to be a very reliable, accurate target pistol that I can now use to compare the various brands of subsonic ammo I've accumulated. They may not all perform as well, and some might work better in other weapons than the Ruger. But I have eliminated a lot of variables by using the Ruger as the test weapon. And it's getting be a lot of fun to shoot, even though I still don't have a real can for it.
One of the biggest additions to the fun, after doing all the debugging, was finding this gadget, the McFadden Machine "Ultimate Cliploader", made just for loading Ruger Mark II and Mark III magazines.
It makes loading the usual PITA Ruger magazine so much fun, I bought a fifth magazine just so I could load up a whole box of .22s in just a couple of minutes. I've never seen anything else load .22s this fast. Start by sliding open the top cover, and dumping all 50 rounds into the hopper.
Then, close the lid, and shake gently until a bunch of them have slid down the sloping sides of the hopper, and fall, nose-first, into the "gutter".
Next, you would hold the loader almost vertically, insert the empty magazine, and watch all the ingenuity go to work. Here's the final result, but shown on the floor so you can get a good look at the final results.
Inserting the magazine causes the follower to be held at the bottom, while the lip of the mag depresses a ball bearing that lets ten rounds fall into place. Remove the magazine, and everything is ready for some more rounds to be shaken into the feed trough, and another empty magazine. After loading 300 rounds, there was a noticeable amount of "dry" lubricant smeared all over the inside of the loader, but it cleaned up instantly with a little rubbing alcchol.
A gadget this simple and effective always brings a grin to my face. If you own a Ruger MK II or MK III, you owe it to yourself to buy one of these things, and enough extra mags that you don't have to interrupt your fun by shooting them off before reloading some more. If you don't own a Ruger, buy one, just to justify buying the reloader.
Just don't expect "target" accuracy and reliability with a box-stock Ruger. Plan on an extended come-to-Jesus session with it, like I did. The results are benefits in several areas, including having an accurate, reliable testbed for evaluating different brands of ammunition.