Ruger MK I, II, III or 22/45

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Looking for my first .22lr pistol. I have a great pistol range range at my club and want to shoot something a little cheaper than centerfire. I also would be using it for local club contests. I was wondering what is the best Ruger .22lr? I also would love to have a pistol with easy and readily available add ons/ accessories.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks
 
Looking for my first .22lr pistol. I have a great pistol range range at my club and want to shoot something a little cheaper than centerfire. I also would be using it for local club contests. I was wondering what is the best Ruger .22lr? I also would love to have a pistol with easy and readily available add ons/ accessories.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks

My personal preference would be the MkII or even a MkI. I can't speak for the SR-22 or the new MkIV, but I don't care for the extra complexity of the MkIII (magazine safety, loaded chamber indicator, etc). Whether you choose the standard model or the .45 style is cosmetic, IMO.
I've owned the MkI and MkII and fired the MkIII, with a bunch of FTFs, (perhaps merely an ammo issue, but it was frustrating. Takedown is more involved on the MkIII as well).
 
I like the MKIII competition model. 7 3/4 barrel, stainless and accurate. Easy to mount a red dot if you want one and there is a never ending supply of upgrades.

You will probably be able to find one soon as the MKIV competition model is supposed to be out soon and a lot of people will be trading in i would think. The MKIV hunter is available, it is basically the same gun as the competition but has a different barrel style.

Dont be afraid of the MKI II or III tear down. If you have any mechanical ability at all and can follow simple instructions it is a simple job.
The 22/45 has a little different feel, grip angle is a little different. other than that it is basically the same gun.

I have a MKIII and a 22/45 if you want to soot one and are willing to drive up here (Worcester).
 
I am always amazed at people on here that cannot take a gun apart and put it back together. The manual that Ruger supplies is very clear and concise. Granted, the first few times with a new gun may be more difficult, but come on, it is not rocket science.

To the OP, get the one you like and can afford. Don't be scared off by those that say they are hard to take apart for cleaning.
 
the only differences between the Mk II/III and 22/45 are:

22/45 has a 1911 grip angle and a 1911 style mag release

Mk II/III has a much more raked grip angle, like a Luger, and heel type mag release

In MA, it's easy to find a Mk II/III with replaceable grip panels, but hard to find a 22/45 with them

The Mk II/III has a metal frame, the 22/45 has a plastic frame.


For a target gun, it really matters what your body geometry is. Some people hate hate hate the raked Mk x angle, some people never really shoot the 1911 grip angle correctly.

Newer versions of each are drilled and tapped for a scope rail.

You can get a Mk x with non-adjustable sights, I've never seen a 22/45 with fixed sights or a skinny barrel.


If I were you, I'd try both out before buying. At least do the "close your eyes, point at something, open your eyes, and see how far off it is" test with both. One of them will be way off, one will be much better. You can do that in a shop.
 
I am always amazed at people on here that cannot take a gun apart and put it back together. The manual that Ruger supplies is very clear and concise. Granted, the first few times with a new gun may be more difficult, but come on, it is not rocket science.

To the OP, get the one you like and can afford. Don't be scared off by those that say they are hard to take apart for cleaning.

please excuse the technological challenged.....we're not worthy...haha
 
I am always amazed at people on here that cannot take a gun apart and put it back together. The manual that Ruger supplies is very clear and concise. Granted, the first few times with a new gun may be more difficult, but come on, it is not rocket science.

To the OP, get the one you like and can afford. Don't be scared off by those that say they are hard to take apart for cleaning.

I am always amazed that people on here think that every gun is just as easy to assemble and disassemble as their own, despite it being well documented that it can vary from individual gun to individual gun.
 
I know why you excluded the Mark 4...You are a shrewd and saavy firearms investor, and you just know you will find the WTB Pistol forum, and all your local gun shops chock full of well priced Mark 1, 2, 3 and 22/45's because everyone is trading up to buy the one that is painfully easy to clean.

Well played.

I am always amazed that people on here think that every gun is just as easy to assemble and disassemble as their own, despite it being well documented that it can vary from individual gun to individual gun.
 
I love my Ruger mark III. I made some changes though; light trigger, new grip, LCI gone, mag safety gone. But my favorite gun... the the 22 revolver. I don't know what it is about a revolver. Maybe because it is a bit more involved, especially in DA. I could shoot that gun all day. 22s are so much fun and so cheap to shoot.
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Dont buy the mark 4 hype. The mark 3 is a good platform and cheap now that the 4 is out. Personally im a fan of the 22/45 series. Grip angle is more normal.
 
I know why you excluded the Mark 4...You are a shrewd and saavy firearms investor, and you just know you will find the WTB Pistol forum, and all your local gun shops chock full of well priced Mark 1, 2, 3 and 22/45's because everyone is trading up to buy the one that is painfully easy to clean.

Well played.

Oh crap, ummm, I mean, why no, no, whatever do you mean???

All of my firearm purchases are selfless sacrifices for the betterment of mankind.
 
MK II.... None of that mag disconnect or LCI crap.... I love my MKII government target only thing the III has going is the mag release.

I'm keeping my eye out for another II to add the the collection. Hoping people start trading them in for the IV.
 
Dont buy the mark 4 hype. The mark 3 is a good platform and cheap now that the 4 is out. Personally im a fan of the 22/45 series. Grip angle is more normal.

I am holding out for the Mark4 22/45. It will come eventually.
For now I am really enjoying my S&W 617 4" which is really really fun and accurate .22 (and you can shoot any bulk ammo that you find)
 
I like my Mk III. It's a plain Jane model, just what I wanted. I like the metal over the polymer 22/45 plus it retains more of the Type 14 look. Disassembly is not as easy as, say, a Sig or Glock, but it's certainly not impossible and it loosens over time to the point where mallets and stuff are not necessary.

I know the "list" isn't the be-all end-all, but the only Mk IV models on it are the Target/Hunter ones. I just wanted a basic 4.75 inch fixed sight model, so I went with the Mk III. I use it more for training/practice so a bullseye/competition style pistol didn't really appeal to me.
 
I thought it was funny you omitted the one gun everyone was about to suggest.

I own a Mark 3 Target with the full wrap wood grip. I love it. I have cleaned it once, its not as hard as everyone says, though the fact that they were able to simplify it out of the blue is curious. The Mark 2 has been around for over 30 years, maybe they finally "drained the swamp" in engineering at Ruger.

They are all nice guns to own, I think it comes down to price and availability. Should be easy to find the config you are looking for.

Thanks for the helpful input...
 
I remember helping translate that very manual for a mark Ii my dad couldn't put back together when I was ten. I thought it was easy.

I love the mkii's, but the advice here is dead on: grab a mkiv.

I have taken down and reassembled Mk III and iii's probably 50-60 times over the years, and I am still thinking my mk 22/45 is going to go to a new home soon and be replaced by a mkiv

I live the 22/45's feel, but the one I have won't eat CCI minimag HP's without jamfesting. A great shooter too, but it doesn't like ammo I prefer to shoot. My mkiii hunter could consume 100 rounds without pause.

I replaced mags, springs, did the Volcolsang (sp) kits and nothing makes this little 22/45 happy for what I want to do with it.

Mk4 or mk3. You can't do wrong. Watch the YouTube videos and decide.

The LCI delete is diet simple.

Sent from my LG-K371
 
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What is that OEM part attached to bolt?

I have a stock 512MKIII Bull Barrel similar to one shown. Love love love it!!! It really is a soft shooting tac driver at 50ft with standard adj. iron sites.

And tearing it down is easy.... But honestly Re-assembly can be frustrating the first few times... put the mag in pull the tigger... pull the mag out... get the little hanging thingie in the right position. Put the mag in pull the trigger... But after a couple of times you will get it. And then there is always youtube on the interwebs if you forget.

I tend to clean mine after every range session, so it has loosened quite a bit. But I have a buddy who has a Hunter model he has maybe taken down once in 5-6000 rounds. He just runs a bore snake thru it a few times and wipes what he can reach and it runs flawlessly.
 
I saw somebody here selling an S&W 22A the other day. Those also have push-button takedown (though putting them back together is not as trivial as the Mark IV). Used to have one, and it was a fun, accurate .22. If you can find one in good condition cheap, it may be worth considering.
 
Don't overlook the new S&W .22 pistol, the Browning Buckmarks, and revolvers (I like the H&R breaktops, and wish they were still made!).
 
The Mklll is not as scary as people have made it up to be... I favor the 22/45 IMHO it points more naturally. I also feel the LITE's are worth looking at if you are wanting to do any competition shooting. It is a great woods gun also if you go for long walks.
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Halo charging ring from Tandemkross. I it on for my wife because her tiny hands had a heck of a time with the bolt. I have to admit though, it is very convenient to have back there :)

IMG_20161129_115448801_HDR_zpsqg1kdcyg.jpg
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What is that OEM part attached to bolt?

I have a stock 512MKIII Bull Barrel similar to one shown. Love love love it!!! It really is a soft shooting tac driver at 50ft with standard adj. iron sites.

And tearing it down is easy.... But honestly Re-assembly can be frustrating the first few times... put the mag in pull the tigger... pull the mag out... get the little hanging thingie in the right position. Put the mag in pull the trigger... But after a couple of times you will get it. And then there is always youtube on the interwebs if you forget.

I tend to clean mine after every range session, so it has loosened quite a bit. But I have a buddy who has a Hunter model he has maybe taken down once in 5-6000 rounds. He just runs a bore snake thru it a few times and wipes what he can reach and it runs flawlessly.[/QUOTE]
 
For every man who complains about how hard it is to take apart a Ruger Mark...

 
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[video=youtube_share;vK-Vd8YCo98]http://youtu.be/vK-Vd8YCo98[/video]
 
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