This is a charity auction benefiting the USA Shooting Team.

We have for auction a "U.S." marked Mark II .22 LR caliber pistol with a rollmark date of November 5, 1985. The serial number of this pistol is 210-18306, and is one of the few "U.S." marked Ruger Mark II pistols ever offered for sale (other than to the U.S. Government). It is in factory-repaired condition, having been test fired only. The original repair hang tag attests that there was a “split grip, back radius 5/16 hole,” and so the synthetic grip panel was replaced. The front sight has some rust on it, and there is pitting on the frame. It is not accompanied by the original government packaging and test target, which were separated from the pistol when repaired.

In 1983, Ruger was awarded a contract from the U.S. Army, Rock Island Arsenal for a .22 caliber target and training pistol for the U.S. armed forces. A new model was established to meet the U.S. Army's requirements (catalog no. MK678G), and this was the first time Ruger Mark II pistols were equipped with 6 7/8" bull barrels. The MK678G pistols were rollmarked "U.S." on the right side of the barrel/receiver assembly, had finer sights, a roller-burnished chamber, and enhanced accuracy. Special targeting methods were developed using a (then) new laser sighting system, which was later granted a U.S. patent. The laser targeting system worked very well during production, and each pistol was packed with a target attesting to its compliance with the U.S. Government accuracy standards for such pistols.

The duration of the contract lasted until 1986, and the Company ultimately shipped over 17,000 pistols to the U.S. Army. No "U.S." marked pistols were shipped commercially during the period of the government contract.

In 1987, the MK678G model was introduced into the commercial market. The only difference from the U.S. Army model was that the "U.S." rollmark was replaced with the "Government Target Model" rollmark. The MK678G was very well received, and continued in production until 2004 when the Mark II pistol line was superceded by the current Mark III family.

The pistol is a part of the Ruger factory collection in Southport, Connecticut, and a Certificate of Authenticity will be mailed to the winner of the auction. Note: the winner of this auction will be responsible for paying the Federal Excise Tax.