Mk I Sights??

[Bigstew222]

This might be a stupid question guys but I'm only curious so don't yell at me just yet. I know some people have strong feelings about doing any mods to a nice older gun. But, do they have aftermarket sights for a Mk I? red Dot? I have a Mk I that I absolutely love and am definitely happy with it as is. However my father just picked up a new MkIII which is really nice. We went to the range the other day and I was doing much better than him. So obviously he went out and got some new sights. I have to admit his sights were a lot more difficult to hone in on than mine, I think mainly because the black on black of the front and rear blended pretty well whereas my sights have a little more wear on them and stand out a bit being that the gun is 50 years old. Anyways I'm not saying I would definitely upgrade but I'm just curious if upgrades are available? I'm new to this site and have just recently gotten back into shooting and have been doing a lot of it with my Dad. I love my Ruger and I'm happy to have a great forum like this to chat with guys who feel the same way and can share a lot of knowledge. Thanks guys and happy shooting!!

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum!
If you have any version of the MK series, it'll have adjustable sights. If you have a model known as a "Standard" it will have the fixed sights. The model info for a Standard is; RST4 or RST6 for the versions made during the era of the MKI's.
The MKII's & MKIII's saw a nomenclature change, but they are still known as a "Standard" model when they have fixed sights.
Now, to try & answer your question. I hope I understand that you are asking what options you have for your older gun. Well, if you have the "Standard" model with fixed sights, then your options are a bit limited. The receiver isn't drilled & tapped to accept any red dot or whatever. I know they make a No D&T mount for Rugers that uses the rear dovetail to mount a scope base on & you can add to that. However, I'm not sure if the dovetail is the same for a Standard as it is for a MK series.
Next, there is an aftermarket set of adjustable sights for the MKI Type of Standard Auto. Ram-Line made a set. But due to model changes, they haven't been offered in a while. I do happen to have a set of them. You replace the front blade with one that is a bit higher to match the adjustable rear you replace. So, you remove the front blade, & remove the rear plain sight. You then add the rear adjustable sight body & add the taller front blade. The Ram-Line set has Black, White & Orange colored inserts to allow for changes to see what you prefer.
This isn't an advertisement, but I do have that one set for sale.
Hopefully I've answered your questions.

 

[Bigstew222]

Thanks for the help my friend. I apologize I should have been more clear in my original post. I have a Mk I with a bull barrel and adjustable sights (Serial # puts it at 1965). Based on the info you gave me I think you answered my question in your last part, in that they do make some but might be hard to find. And you happen to have a set. Send me a PM and let me know how much you'd be willing to take to part with them. So I guess my last question might be rhetorical, but would it be accurate to say aftermarket sights for say a Mk II or MkII with bull barrel would not also fit my Mk I? The only reason I ask is because where the sights are only attached with a threaded screw to the barrel and the barrels seem to be similar I could see them potentially being interchangable. Can you catch me up on this as well Guru? Thanks for the help!

 

[contender]

Ok, I did mis-understand a bit. I was thinking you had a "Standard" model. One with fixed sights. Your MKI bull barreled gun already has adjustable sights. The set of sights I have is for a fixed sighted gun to where it can be made into an adjustable sighted gun. They wouldn't be any help to you.
That said, we can offer advice on the MKI you have.
The EASIEST thing would be to get a set of Hi-Viz replaceable lite pipe front sight assembly. It comes with a complete front sight base & you will get 2 colors of fiber optic lite pipe inserts. Plus, a complete set will have 3 different sizes of each color. Now, the lite pipes are round when viewed, and in the rear sight, you have a square notch. You can also replace the rear sight BLADE with a V-notch one. (They were listed as a Redhawk replacement blade, but will work on the MKI series too.)
Next, you can get a "No D&T" base & add a scope or a red dot to the top of the gun. You'd be removing the rear sight assy, & using the dovetail to attach the base to the gun with.
So you do have some options.

 

[Bigstew222]

Fantastic. This is exactly the info I was looking for. All I am looking for at this time is to possible replace the front blade with one that has the colored inserts, so that is great news. Now where can I find this specifically? I have looked briefly on rugerparts.com and just as everything else they do not list anything as Mk I. Only Mk II and MkIII. Do those work for the front site of my Mk I, or do I need to search for a specific set? Sorry for the confusion. This has been great feedback.

 

[rugerguy]

yes, to help Ty, you can use any of the 'mark' front ,screw on sights, , even those from a Super Single Six, and having the "ramp" blade, instead of a flat or cut back front like on the "target autos" as well as ANY of the screw on fronts from about any maker you can find, Williams or whom ever............or have the ramp style (notched" ( dovetail) and install a red ramp ( or ANY color you wanted, BUT I would NOT advise to do that , instead get the ramp blade type and try any and all the different colors of model paint ( finger nail polish) the colors are endless, we prefer 'Dayglo Orange' from testers...again, whatever floats YOUR boat...

Good luck

 

[contender]

Dan has given good advice as well!

 

[Bigstew222]

Ok, I did mis-understand a bit. I was thinking you had a "Standard" model. One with fixed sights. Your MKI bull barreled gun already has adjustable sights. The set of sights I have is for a fixed sighted gun to where it can be made into an adjustable sighted gun. They wouldn't be any help to you.
That said, we can offer advice on the MKI you have.
The EASIEST thing would be to get a set of Hi-Viz replaceable lite pipe front sight assembly. It comes with a complete front sight base & you will get 2 colors of fiber optic lite pipe inserts. Plus, a complete set will have 3 different sizes of each color. Now, the lite pipes are round when viewed, and in the rear sight, you have a square notch. You can also replace the rear sight BLADE with a V-notch one. (They were listed as a Redhawk replacement blade, but will work on the MKI series too.)
Next, you can get a "No D&T" base & add a scope or a red dot to the top of the gun. You'd be removing the rear sight assy, & using the dovetail to attach the base to the gun with.
So you do have some options.

I took your advice my friend and I got the new front hi-viz sights and the V-notch rear blade in the mail last night. Front went in without an issue but I ran into a problem with rear blade. The rear blade has a small "nub" on it. The directions state that this needs to be aligned with the notch on the top of the rear site assembly. The problem is there is no notch in my rear site assembly or on the original site blade. I didnt take a picture of the new blade or the original but I can do that tonight if it helps. Any thoughts on this? Im assuming that my setup is slightly different and this rear V-notch blade will not work? Any help would be appreciated!