It's really not as difficult as some make it out to be. You just have to learn the trick.

Once dissassembled and cleaned, put the bolt back in and put the big pin thru the hole in the bolt, turn the gun upside down, ensure the link bar is pointing towards the little socket (looks like an inverted BB), push in the assembly, and flip up the takedown bar. DING we have a winner.

The trick is the have the gun upside down after you put the bolt in. I can pretty much do it with my eyes closed now.

They are great pistols, I own an original Red label and a 22/45 bull barrel.

Zhur

Thanks Zhur...It's not knowing those tiny "tricks", like assuring it's upside down, that drive a lot of folks nuts when they get into something for the first time. In looking over the internet that little "trick" could have saved a few marriages after a few people had "hissy fits" when their Mark II or III wouldn't go back together......Gotta search out more of those tips...

Just go here.....that's what I did.

http://www.guntalk-online.com/fsprocedures.htm

...Thanks Fred...That's perfect...

As mentioned above, it's not that hard to strip a MK1-2-3 once you do it a few times. When you see how solidly these are built, you will realize that a wierd stripping procedure is a small price to pay for such a solid and reliable handgun.

If you decide that you don't want to put up with this overly-complicated procedure, then you might look at the Beretta Neos or S&W 22A, both of which can be stripped in about fifteen seconds. A Browning Buckmark, which will be cheaper than a MK and also have a better trigger out of the box, is also very easy to strip as long as you have the correct allen wrench.

PhilR.
p.s. I'm glad to see that you won't be shooting the family....

Thanks for the advice Phil. The complexity of disassembly is not a bother to me in the least. I've taken stuff apart and put it back together for years. All I needed was a few of those "tips"...The Rugers have always appealed to me and I've fired a few through the years that definitely were put together like tanks...They just feel right to me. I think the wife will enjoy shooting if she's not intimidated and the Ruger won't do that to her. Now to search one out...LOL...

Originally Posted by DarrylS

I think the wife will enjoy shooting if she's not intimidated and the Ruger won't do that to her. Now to search one out...LOL...

One thing to mention - has your wife held one yet? I ask because my wife loves to shoot our .22 auto's, but she doesn't care for the MKIII because it is the heaviest of all our .22's. She can shoot it just fine, but she just likes the Buckmark and Neos a lot more and will hardly ever pick up the Ruger. She also much prefers the grips of the BM and Neos over the somewhat blocky grip of the Ruger as well.

Of course, if you have a babushka-sized wife, the above won't matter...

PhilR.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...No my wife isn't a "babushka-sized wife"...She's 5'6" and about 120#. She hasn't held a Mark at all but she snatched up my PT99 9mm and pointed it out the back door like it was made of balsa wood. I think I'll take her to a local range and see if they have a Ruger for her to try out. The 9mm has very little recoil so I might even let her have a go with that.