The Ruger Hole Punch

"Hey Xavier, tell about that long stainless Ruger pistol you sometimes post a picture of, OK?"

I believe the pistol you are referring to must be my Ruger MKII Government Model. Before the time of the Ruger Hunter and Ruger Competition Target, another 22 pistol from Prescott Arizona ruled the Ruger roost.

Officially known as the KMK678G, the Ruger MKII Government Model did not have the fluted barrel of the Hunter, or the slab sided barrel of the Competition Target. Nor did it come with nice wooden grips. It was a deceptively simple pistol that shot from a six 7/8 cylindrical bull barrel, and plain black plastic grips were screwed to it's sides. The take home price was usually twice that of the Ruger Standard models, hardly what could be termed a glitzy fast selling pistol.

The Ruger Government Model's grey plastic box held an extra piece of documentation, however. Inside was a 25 yard proof target, with a single hole inside a black circle. The extra cash paid for the Government Model got the buyer a pistol with a bore that was aligned with a laser and rifling with a 1-15 twist instead of Ruger's standard 1-14 twist. It was drilled for optics, and the sights were a basic Ruger micro-adjustable rear sight paired with an undercut Patridge front sight. It was a superb foundation for modification.

Over time, my KMK678G received several upgrades. The plastic grips were tossed in a spare parts bin, and a Nill grip was installed. A mix of Volquartsen and Clark Custom parts replaced the original Ruger action. The Ruger lockwork that remained was polished.

Finally, to add a bit of weight to the muzzle, I screwed on a Volquartsen compensator. The V-Comp did the trick, making the pistol stay in the X-ring with virtually no recoil. It was heavy, but if the shooter wanted to rapid fire ten shots into a bullseye, this pistol was up to the challenge. Of course, harnessing that kind of accuracy off hand was the shooter's responsibility. On bags, the pistol took care of itself.

Because it was an autoloading pistol, the Ruger Government Model could suffer flyers from time to time. Still, it was long my standard for judging the accuracy of other handguns. Indeed, when a genuine free pistol, the TOZ-35, finally came on the market at a price I could afford, it was the Ruger Government Model that I took to the range to compare it to.

The Ruger Government Model is no longer available. Originally entering production under a military contract in 1986, it has been superseded by the Ruger Competition. As a 22 pistol in my inventory, it remains a gun capable of punching a hole exactly where I want it to, as long as I am up to the challenge.

The Ruger Competition Government Model