Thoughts on the Volquartsen add-ins for Ruger Mk II 512?

I have a stock factory Ruger Mk II 512. The trigger is... stock Mk II crunchy. :)

I'm looking at the Volquartsen parts, specifically the Accurizing Kit and the Pistol Competition Kit (Accurizing kit + disconnector + firing pin).

I don't mind the extra cost (and work) of the Pistol Competition Kit. Does anyone have first-hand experience that would talk me out of the Pistol Competition Kit? If it's even marginally better, I'll go for it. If it's a wash, then talk me out of it.

Does anyone change recoil springs too?

I might try to get into some base level competitive target shooting. I understand that it's not a pro-level pistol but right now it's the one I have, plenty of room to grow. Plus any of the above changes will improve the feel and accuracy so it's worth doing at least something.

Thanks!

There are some things you can do to most pistols that will make them a bit better to shoot, however most of the “tricked out parts” you put on your gun are meant to clean out your wallet. There are many companies out there offering “upgrades” for sale to make your gun shoot better. Mostly snake oil. A better trigger offers some benefit if you’re already a decent shot. That being said, most shooters overate the value of a trigger job (or replacement trigger) unless they have a really bad trigger to begin with. The single most important part of your gun to give you the biggest bang (no pun intended) for the buck is a better barrel. Even that needs to be tested ahead of time. I shot competition for many years and I was pretty successful at it. I once shot a rimfire silhouette match at a regional shoot where the shoot-off targets were NRA rimfire rifle chickens at 100 yards. I was shooting a completely stock Buckmark Silhouette handgun with factory sights and a 10” barrel. I missed the first chicken and ran the next nine. I’m not sure if that record has been broken. That gun was STOCK. The factory trigger was just “decent” but the barrel was outstanding. My entire point here is this: you need to know what you have to begin with. Not every (maybe any) added part will help. In fact it may make no difference at all. Find out what is possible with your gun before you start swapping parts. Note: I’ve seen a ton of guns get worse when people starting adding parts and “fixing” things that aren’t broke to begin with. Good luck

I have a MKll Target and a MKlV Tactical in 22/45's in the crowd and I am by no means a handgun anything. But I put a few hundred rounds, a couple hundred each chasing a preferred and potential ammo fired off rest (good advise above). See what it will do and let it and you settle in for a few. Then I will admit putting a sear only in MKll (22/45) and pull went from 6 plus to 2 1/4 lbs and cut groups down for me. The MKlV had the total gut package from the big V and with almost identical results and very glad I spent every penny. Maybe the Ruger's are not as slick as a Browning out of the box but I am much happier with them and me now.

Put a scope or dot sight on it and bench it. If it will not shoot good enough, do not waste your money.

I installed an over travel screw on mine for the cost of a set screw, but I already had the drill and tap. Then smooth up the trigger with careful polishing. That should get you a decent enough trigger.

There must be YouTube stuff on it.

I have fixed several MK I and MK II Ruger triggers by polishing the sear and removing about half of the notch part of the sear. Then I add a trigger over travel stop which is just a 6x32 set screw and a nut. All of the MK I and MK II Ruger pistols I have worked on have shot very well including the two MK I 678 and one MK II 512 I currently have. I wouldn't spend my money on an aftermarket trigger or accurizing kit what ever that is. Another thing I do is to use jewelers files and emery cloth on all the sharp edges and inside corner of the firing pin to prevent breakage. I broke two on my first MKI and polished the third before installing it. So far that one has held up for over fourty years.

I have done many triggers on the I and II guns. Bought a 22/45 Lite and decided to try the Vo kit for the 22/45, just to try it. Turned out to be money well spent. If you do not mind the coin, and have little to no experience with the Ruger auto, the Vo set gives you a quality result with a parts change. Just pay attention to how the little Ruger comes apart and how it goes back together or it will not go back together or function.

Do not change the spring you will just create problems.

If you have the money, go for it. I did that on my Ruger Mk II, 5 1/2 bull target and it is a big difference. Did it around 17yrs ago and still going strong. very light trigger warning.

It costs, but it delivers a much better trigger which yielded better scores for me. I do concur with NSB and Dverna though on the need to verify the accuracy potential from the bench BEFORE you spend a bunch of money for little or no improvement. Painting a pig won't win no beauty prizes.

Years ago hd a MKIII 22/45 and added the Volquartson upgrades, definitely improved the trigger action and the replacement trigger was already set up to adjust over travel and reset. Considered it was worth the money for the improvement it made.

1. Flush it, oil it, shoot it a bunch, then flush it again. That should take care of the crunch.

2. Practice with a DA revolver to hammer in the lesson of: Align sights; press trigger in such a way as to not disturb alignment of said sights; accept that sights NEVER stop moving across the target and that a lighter trigger only minimizes the effect of slapping it; keep correctly aligned sights in the zip code during a steady press and the address will more often than not take care of itself.

Aftermarket triggers are often an expensive lure for folks who haven't figured out working for that "surprise break". Make sure the shooter is fixed first. Might turn out that the pistol ain't broke.

I can recommend the Volquartsen rear sight. It is comparable to the old Bomar, it is a better sight picture, with positive and repeatable clicks.

The kit worked fantastic for me…..fantastic!

I put it in a Mark II Slab Side Government Model.

There is a small ball bearing under the safety that is easy to loose when doing the install.

I put the accurizing kit in my MKII Target. I'd do it again. Life's too short to live with bad triggers. Also a fan of CGW for CZ upgrades. Maybe I'm a sucker but I'm happy. YMMV

I put a Volquartsen sear and trigger in a Mk III 22/45 and the difference was just remarkable. Went from too much uptake and too much overtravel to a slight uptake and practically no overtravel. It went from a gun I didn't shoot much because I couldn't hit anything with it to a gun I shoot a lot and enjoy hitting stuff with. I didn't change any springs unless they came with the trigger (I don't remember). You will have to be patient if you're fumble-fingered like I am, but there are good YouTube videos made by Volquartsen that show how it's done. I'm stingy, but it was money well spent.

If I still had a memory I could list the specific upgrades I did to my Mark II.

I remember:

Extended bolt latch lever

Extended magazine release

Firing pin

Sear

Hammer

"some" springs

"No gunsmith" red dot mount, basically remove right grip, screw on a replacement grip with an extension that wraps over the top to hold the red dot. It works way better that it has a right to.

I typically shoot this pistol 100-150 rounds a week in falling plates competition. Nice trigger, usually shoots with no hick-ups up to about 1500 rounds. Good cleaning and it's ready for another 1500 rounds.

The extended bolt latch and magazine latch will help dramatically if you are going to shoot in any matches that require a magazine change during the match.

The one I shoot in is a falling plate competition.

26 plates, 13 white, 13 orange, alternating color. 3" wide, 3-1/2" high.

Start with the gun on the bench, loaded with bolt closed.

On commence fire, pick up the gun and try and get your color down before the other guy gets his down.

At least one magazine change is required, the extended magazine release is almost mandatory on the Rugers to have any kind of speed on mag changes. The extend bolt release certainly doesn't hurt.

Let’s retrench …. Trigger pull replacement
What was the original ‘ measured’ triggger pull

The original trigger pull of my Mark II Target was not excessive- I did not measure it, but it was mushy and had quite a bit of creep. The Valquartsen upgrade lightened the trigger, took the creep out, and gave it a much better feel at the break point.

I currently have a Mark III standard tapered barrel that is completely factory original. I plan to leave it unmodified, since I do not shoot competitively anymore and its purpose is to teach the grandkids how to shoot. It’s mediocre trigger is better for teaching the kids to keep their eyes on the sight alignment while pulling the trigger.