Which Ruger Mk III would you buy?

tsmith1499 · Dec 27, 2013

Looking to buy a semi auto .22 rimfire. Since I am a Ruger fan I will probably go with them. So which one of the various offerings would you buy EXCLUDING the high dollar over a grand models?? Also looking possibly at a Browning Buckmark.

BUFF7MM · Dec 27, 2013

I love my 22/45 lite.

Mooseman · Dec 27, 2013

The basic Mark III Standard with a 6" barrel is a good, low cost way to go. All of my Marks, so far, are Standards. They are accurate and reliable.

HarCo2ANewb · Dec 27, 2013

I don't have a horse in the race but I can't help but be put off by how involved the Rugers are to take apart.

Jimbob2.0 · Dec 27, 2013

I have the Hunter and it is a gem, nice high viz sights super coco grips. Think they run about $550. That said, for most shooters the standard would be fine.

amoebicmagician · Dec 27, 2013

frankly, the .22/45 lite shoots incredibly well for being as light as it is

If weight is not a concern, I'd go for the hunter or target models, in stainless steel. Always go stainless with Ruger firearms, they took the time to patent their own stainless steel, which is amazingly corrosion resistant and harder than other stainless steels, between 44-47 HRC regularly, which is INSANELY hard for stainless steel that is at all worthy of the name.

Seriously though, as long as it's stainless you can't really go wrong, and remember that the heavier the barrel profile the more accurate it will be.

amoebicmagician · Dec 27, 2013

oh, and for the record, the .22/45 lite actually has a stainless bolt and barrel, the barrel shroud is just colored black lightweight material.

The .22/45 target only comes in blued finish, however, and I would shy away from it for that reason. You really won't see much accuracy improvement over the .22/45 lite or threaded barrel versions.

tsmith1499 · Dec 27, 2013

I agree with the stainless deal. All my other Rugers are stainless!! Didn't know Rugers stainless was patented. You learn something new everyday. Thanks.

Overboost44 · Dec 27, 2013

I picked up a 5.5" bull barrel in stainless a few months ago and love it. My buddy picked up a Hunter at about the same time. I have to say, mine does everything I want it to, but I sure love the look of that fluted barrel. I also find the balance to be perfect rather than a little front heavy with the target barrel.

If I had more money than sense, I would get all 3. You can't go wrong.

amoebicmagician · Dec 27, 2013

man, I'm going to have to dig into my .22 stash now that you've got me thinking of how much fun those guns are.

I have a metal post that I use to keep my target stand upright, and somehow my shooting session always ends up devolving into me seeing if I can unload all ten rounds onto the skinny metal post and hearing it DING at 25 yards.

I usually will start out getting maybe four out of ten, and then as I warm up eventually I will only miss one or two, with many a perfect mag.

I love that game.

budman93 · Dec 27, 2013

MKIII target with 5.5 inch bull barrel, blued.

dontpanic · Dec 28, 2013

It will cost you about $150 to upgrade the Ruger to just match the Buckmark. Even then the trigger will not be as good.

Go to Continental Arms and rent a couple of Rugers and a Buckmark. They charge $5 to rent a pustol. Spend 30 bucks on guns and range time and you will see what I mean about the Buckmark trigger.

Also the grip angle on the mk lll is not natural. The Buckmark and the Ruger 22/45 are much more comfortavle.

Lastly I bought my second Buckmark last week. I scored a Stainless Camper for $290.

Reg. Price $379
On sale. $322
Got an extra 10% off for applying for a Bass Pro credit card. Instant rebate from Browning for state sales tax.
Final price $290

Sorry I got it on the last day of the sale, but they do almost always have Buckmarks.

Hope this helped. Good luck with your search.

budman93 · Dec 28, 2013

dontpanic said:
It will cost you about $150 to upgrade the Ruger to just match the Buckmark. Even then the trigger will not be as good.

Go to Continental Arms and rent a couple of Rugers and a Buckmark. They charge $5 to rent a pustol. Spend 30 bucks on guns and range time and you will see what I mean about the Buckmark trigger.

Also the grip angle on the mk lll is not natural. The Buckmark and the Ruger 22/45 are much more comfortavle.

Lastly I bought my second Buckmark last week. I scored a Stainless Camper for $290.

Reg. Price $379
On sale. $322
Got an extra 10% off for applying for a Bass Pro credit card. Instant rebate from Browning for state sales tax.
Final price $290

I dont know about that. The trigger on my Mk III target is amazing. It's wicked accurate. Also the traditional MK series grip is very comfortable. It is considered by many to be one of the most natural pointing handguns around (along with the Luger of course).

dontpanic · Dec 28, 2013

budman93 said:
I dont know about that. The trigger on my Mk III target is amazing. It's wicked accurate. Also the traditional MK series grip is very comfortable. It is considered by many to be one of the most natural pointing handguns around (along with the Luger of course).

My opinion based on my experience. Yours and others may and will differ. I have never shot a mk lll target. But I have owned and sold a mk l and 2 mk lls and have shot a 22/45.

These are both fine pistols and the OP will never know which one he favors, until he shoots them both.

Aamdskeetshooter · Dec 28, 2013

MKIII target with 5.5 inch bull barrel, stainless. I bought one back in August. I love it. It's an iconic gun. I wanted to like the 22/45 since was cheaper, but the mkIII felt better in the hand.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

aquashooter · Dec 28, 2013

I have an older M II slab side bull and a 22/45. I find that the M II is much more accurate. I only got the 22/45 because it came with a threaded barrel for my Sparrow.

Jack Burton · Dec 28, 2013

I have the 22/45 Target which I think is pretty good for the price. I bought it mostly for inexpensive shooting and to use when introducing new folk to the sport. A friend has an older Mk II which I too think is more accurate. Reassembly the first time was an experience! Once I ignored the video on the Ruger website and followed the written manual it was pretty easy.

tsmith1499 · Dec 28, 2013

One thing I would like it for is steel pin matches. I tried it with a SA revolver and unless you hit all 6 every time it's pretty much game over! :lol2:

I did it with the SA mostly just for fun, but I liked it and now want to be competitive.

Uncle Duke · Dec 28, 2013

budman93 said:
I dont know about that. The trigger on my Mk III target is amazing. It's wicked accurate. Also the traditional MK series grip is very comfortable. It is considered by many to be one of the most natural pointing handguns around (along with the Luger of course).

Bill Ruger had the good sense not to try to re-invent the wheel. He chose to pattern the Mark series pistols around the classic Luger grip style. In terms of a naturally pointing pistol, both the Luger and the 1911 are the standards for good reason, and both have their fans. Pick the one you like better, because they're both classics for very good reasons.

I personally own a 5.5 inch bull barrel model in stainless. That pistol points naturally, balances very well, carries substantial weight which I much prefer in a handgun, eats anything I feed it, has a great trigger, and is without a doubt more accurate than I am.

Having said that, look at the Buckmark also. Then spend a few bucks to rent one of each. Same reason why they make chocolate and vanilla. You won't know which one works better for you unless and until you've tried a sample of each. Good luck!

pbharvey · Dec 28, 2013

budman93 said:
MKIII target with 5.5 inch bull barrel, blued.

This one

Which Ruger Mk III would you buy?

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