Ruger MK I stainless steel ?

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wndrbob

Bearcat
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Mar 1, 2009
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Hello Fellow Ruger fans. I was wondering if anyone has any info or production #s on Ruger MK I pistol in stainless steel with 5 1/2" bull barrel. I looked on a couple of auction sites and saw none on new or past auctions. I just got off the phone with Ruger they say it left as a Model t-512 blued they have no record of any stainless MK I. I have pictures but do not know how to attach.Serial # is 16-17600. I have never seen one before today and would love to know how many were made.
thanks
Bob
 
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wonder no longer Bob, they never made any Mark I's in stainless ,other than the LAST 'RST-4' in a Bill Ruger Signature model ,one of 5000 and these were just that, standard models, fixed sights in a special presentation box ( red/white hinged box, packed in a simulated 'salt cod' shipping box....hope this helps.....................
 

wndrbob

Bearcat
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Mar 1, 2009
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21
Hey Dan
I do not doubt what you say but one of the techs in Arizona said he knows they exist not many but he says they did some testing about 2 years before the MKII came out. Is there any sure way to test the gun?
Thanks
Bob
 

RPM Enterprises

Buckeye
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Rugerville,WA. U.S.A.
I don't think no such animal would exist. The only auto in stainless was a standard model (1of 5000). If you called and records told you it was shipped as blue... well it should be blue. I think somebody liked shinny guns and had it plated.

Here is a 1 of 5000

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Ohh and this is actually a 1 of 26 produced CAL FREEDOM

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wndrbob

Bearcat
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Mar 1, 2009
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That is a nice Ruger. If this is plated its the best job I have ever seen even the internal parts. I am going to take some pictures in the daylight if someone would tell me how to post them I would gladly do that. I know its strange but I have to know...
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RPM Enterprises

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Looks like someone basterdized that one. Look at the front... NO front sight :shock: also they ground off the "WARNING" statement off the barrel along with the address on the side of the receiver :shock: grip screws even look plated...What you have is a shooter..
 

wndrbob

Bearcat
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Mar 1, 2009
Messages
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I just got a email from the dealer who sold the gun NEW it is supposed to be SS as far as it being a shooter front sight was removed for the scope ( not pictured) I will post better pictures later today. I know the grips have been changed like 50 % of the guns out there.
 

wndrbob

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
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As far as the magnet Idea goes all stainless steel guns a magnet will attach to they do not use pure SS its a alloy. It has the same hold as my SS MKIII. I guess I will have to keep asking for suggestions
Thanks
Bob
 
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no , a magnet will indeed 'stick' and the finish just may be 'Metalife' SS or a polished versioj of Armalloy , out of Texas years ago.......Ron mahovsky did the 'Metalife' and we had them do a few of them back in the 70's for our shop lots of other guns too, folks still to this day swear they are 'stainless'.........find an "out of the way spot, scratch the surface and see if 'cold blue' will color it...stainless will NOT turn color with ANY cold blue, it takes a special process to color 'stainless'.......
that gun looks nice, but that prefix is long before the "last" of the RST;s I Mark I's) that had the #17 prefix....BUT again, never know if they may have serial nuklbered some guns at a later time....Ruger has made soem interesting variation s of strange metals off and on over the years...most NEVER made "production" but got out as special guns for various folks ( friends fo Bills? ) LW Blackhawks, stainless Maximums, etc........out of our realm of thought ( or affordability......)
Like often said,
"never say never with Ruger...." its PROVING it ( documentation) they ALL have a story, its called Ruger lore........know a guy , who knows a guy, who......... :roll:
 

d findley

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 1, 2005
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Location
lubbock, tx
I came across a simular Ruger pistol several years back. Ruger's head man (back then, Steve Vogel). He assured me it was not stainless. He said it would cost thousands of dollars to set up for this, and Ruger had not done it. The pistol I was asking about turned out to be a finish called Nytex or Nitex. Looked just like stainless, but was not.
 

wndrbob

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
21
I thank everyone for there input here are some pictures taken outside. On the frame the are scratches around the screw hole pictures were taken after cold blue test. I don't know? I will prob list it for sale after I put the front sight back on as a ? Ruger MKI. Or may just hang on to it. To answer question about missing warning the left side of the barrel does seem like it has a sort of flatter area (for lack of better words) Please keep the info going I love this type of thing. The hunt is most of the fun.
Bob
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Geezer

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Conway, SC
Early MK I's did not have the warning on the barrel. My 1981 MK I does have the warning. From the photos, everything looks like stainless to me.
 

RPM Enterprises

Buckeye
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Geezer, This gun has a 16 prefix. The warning on the barrels began in the 14 prefix up to 17 prefix. The mark II's started with a 18 prefix. This gun should have the warning. Bottom line without a factory letter stating as such "Stainless" then it is just a shooter. Who knows the history behind it. I have seen some wild things in the past. Once I purchased a mark II 514 stainless. Thought it might be something special. Come to find out it was actually ( I called the factory) a 22/45 514 that someone had put a standard 1 of 5000 stainless grip frame on :shock: Makes ya wonder why anyone would do something like that... They destroyed to good guns...

Another thing I just noticed. The stainless standard guns had a KA-100 grip frame. This gun has a A-100..
 
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ah, would NOT be the first time anyone swapped around any of the various uppers as well as lowers....could very well be a stainless grip frame and vice versa,BT that prefix number should pin point the upper for certain, I would have to 'test' it to see, as said all else is speculation and very subjective...I would NOT put a lot of money into such a venture, if a "deal, nothing lost.Nice pictures by the way, looks GOOD ..........
 

wndrbob

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
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Hey all Thanks for all the input and help. The strangest part of this is I worked at the shop that sold the gun new. I know the guy that bought it and he has never taken the gun apart. If I took the pictures before cleaning you would have seen that..LOL. I have the owner of the gunshop (now closed and he moved to Iowa) looking for the original records of the gun. If that does not work I will have to call in a favor and have it traced from Ruger. I will keep all posted as the saga goes on. This is the fun part even if it turns out to be altered its the fun of the hunt.
Bob
 

chet15

Hawkeye
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Jan 22, 2001
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Dawson, Iowa
Geezer":3skhx8a2 said:
Early MK I's did not have the warning on the barrel. My 1981 MK I does have the warning. From the photos, everything looks like stainless to me.

If your Mark I built in 1981 doesn't have a Warning on it, then Ruger missed the operation at the factory...an error we seem to see a lot more of with today's production. The Warning statement was begun in 1978 and WBR swore that no Ruger's would ever leave the factory again without such a statement.
For the originator of this thread, I would take a bottle of cold blue and see if it takes a finish on the grip frame under the grip. Course you could have an actual stainless grip frame there too (but having such would mean somebody took it off an RST4S stainless signature gun).
The first stainless autos Ruger ever did was the RST4S stainless. What a lot of people don't know is I think Ruger wanted to have a stainless gun in the old series (Pre-Mark II) before the Mark II ever came out. Turning 5,000 guns into the "Signature" model was an afterthought. If anybody has certain pics from the 1982 press kit you'll see what I mean...not all of the pics have the WBR signature on the barrel (air brushed in on those pics that do show it).
I'm betting the gun in question is polished out. Note that the finish of the barrel near the receiver does not match the rest of the polish further out on the barrel. Ruger's barrel finish on such a model should be consistent throughout since they were polished before being assembled to the gun.
Chet15
 

wndrbob

Bearcat
Joined
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Messages
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I did put cold blue on the area where its scratched by the screw hole... There was no change as you can see in the picture. I have put it back to gether and will prob put on G/B at a later date as a ? and let the masses decide. Your obsevation about the barrel is a good one though. I have had 3 other gun people look at the pistol and compared it to MarkII stainless they think its real. I do not know I have been told its possible by people at Rugers tech dept but short of damaging the pistol there is no sure way to know and they say damn near impossible to prove they built it. :(
thanks
 

chet15

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Dawson, Iowa
wndrbob":2cgrbmr7 said:
I did put cold blue on the area where its scratched by the screw hole... There was no change as you can see in the picture. I have put it back to gether and will prob put on G/B at a later date as a ? and let the masses decide. Your obsevation about the barrel is a good one though. I have had 3 other gun people look at the pistol and compared it to MarkII stainless they think its real. I do not know I have been told its possible by people at Rugers tech dept but short of damaging the pistol there is no sure way to know and they say damn near impossible to prove they built it. :(
thanks

Ruger probably would have worked on a prototype stainless gun or two before they ever came out with the RST4S signature model...but the odds of that getting one of those out through normal distribution would be slim and none...though still possible.
If its plated, there should still be somewhere on the gun that could be tested with cold blue...by doing a little polishing of metal? Maybe on the underside of the receiver?
If it is stainless (which I am still doubting) it would be a rare piece! Have seen more than a few guns out there which aren't what they are supposed to be.
Chet15
 
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