Good Deal on a mk l? yes or no?

[street]

You take out the pin that holds the front sight blade on, slide the muzzle break on the front of the barrel, and then use the extra long pin that comes with muzzle break and insert it into the hole that holds the front sight blade on. The extra long pin holds both the sight blade and keeps the muzzle break from coming off the front of the barrel.

 

[Sub sailor]

Thanks Street, great description!

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

I know this is a couple years old but there is only scattered information on the T514 and almost no factory info on the brakes...
I had one reference saying there were fewer than 500 brakes manufactured total, and another stating fewer than that! I've found only two references to Ruger knowing or documenting any T514 or T678 actually shipping with a brake (all done with interweb searches only). Even here with all the RF resources, most info appears anecdotal.

At this point, I'm believing Ruger had something competitive in mind with the compensated Target guns, but somehow just didn't deem them worthy of sales receipts or records of any type? Were they merely a "after-hours" project with drawings made up after a working model was produced? Was Jim Clark the contributing designer after all - did he and Bill Ruger have a handshake deal with Clark being able to carry on the design (as he did with the 1911 "wedge" compensators)??

The lack of info is a shame, because I think they are a very special variant, and they do indicate a (or probably the first) major shift from the then-dominant marketing aim of basic plinking pistols for the "general" market.

I happen to believe the Target tapered barrels are never-to-return and the brake is extinct also... this puts the brake-equipped T514 and T678 soundly in the "never to be sold again" category as the Hawkeye, the SRM, and even the No. 3. The (4) TRUE Ruger collectibles.

Incidentally, the 1955 price of the Target guns, adjusted for inflation, puts the relevant MSRP value at around $640-650 today - 60+ years out of production notwithstanding.

(additional info appreciated!)

Of course they did! What other purpose would a muzzle brake or compensator serve? There's a whole bunch of reference material available, that's much more "accurate" than what's on the inter-web circus, if one were to know where to look. What reference material do you have for these pistols?

 

[mohavesam]

Those were not production guns & never sold to the public, but you knew that.
- if you know where to look, can you please reference it so that I may get there? I have one RENE guide and a few Ruger books. Almost nothing beyond what I posted above.

 

[rugerguy]

most likely was the fact that the muzzlebrakes were not a big deal, all too many folks ( shooters that I knew and shot with) noticed ,little of no difference, were a pain to clean, some guys did better taping a roll of dimes to the underside of the barrel to keep it "muzzle down"....no large movement for slaes ,so simple done away with...if it was not a "big deal" then the various writers did not make much of writing about, few if any books "cover it all", the various writers ,write what they know about and with what information they may have at hand, like the words of our friend Jeff Munnell, "write something else your self and prove me wrong..."
yes, they tried again with the tapered 5 1/4 inch barrels, see them in blued as well as stainless in Mark IIs , as well as with the P series polymer frames (22/45) I like them , nice balance and feel....they just did NOT sell that great, and cost more to make in the scheme of things.............

 

[mohavesam]

Good perspective, albeit I think there were only a literal handful of writers in 1953-56 to make a difference.

I am looking for supplier info or proof they (the brakes themselves) were made/finished in-house. Because most I've examined appear better-finished than the Target pistols (even for the '50s) I suspect a comparative finish color and polish, leaning toward supplier work? Any evidence toward factory test-fire "matching" or mating with a particular gun prior to shipping would be gold at this point.

I understand the boxing practice of using the 678-length boxes for all the guns but that is anecdotal also from several other-forum posts going back maybe ten years.

The brakes themselves seem to be randomly connected to the target MkIs. Even one that a collector pal has, all as-new in the original pkg has no mention of the included boxed brake (I believe the original package is 100% factory fresh from '54), his Target collection got me re-interested.

I'm also interested in any design-patent residuals, none found yet with legal here.

Any documentation of the brakes being developed for the 1952 ARMY and Air Force shooting teams would be of great interest also!

- Experience/references and pure opinion equally sought!

 

[Dregg]

I picked this one up at a store last year. Serial # dates it to 1961.