Mk. IV vs. S&W .22 Victory ?

[Mus408]

Any thoughts on how these two compare?

Was looking to purchase a .22 semi auto plinking pistol and have been looking at the new Ruger Mk. 4 and had shot a Mk 3.
Had also been looking at the reviews of the S&W Victory which came out last year and liked that also.

For me it came down to the price and value when I recently saw a local gun shop had a great deal on the Victory for $ 329.00 They had the Ruger Mk. 4 at a hefty price tag.

Took the Victory home and it shoots very well.

 

[NH Rugerman]

I own both pistols and they both are going to last two lifetimes if cared for appropriately....

The MkIV is more comfortable to me....the Victory has the better out of the box trigger.

I paid $325.00 for my blued MkIV target and less than $300.00 for the Victory.

Really a personal choice...

 

[mohavesam]

No one I know who owns a Victory 22 has had a complaint, and that includes returning to the factory for a safety issue.

 

[rugerguy]

good guns, and for the price difference , you can buy a LOT of ammo.. 8) :roll: :wink:

 

[dingode]

MKIV has an easy 1 button take down, the Victory requires the removal of a single screw.

Ruger has a safety recall on the MKIV, S&W had issues with the takedown screw coming loose. Both issues have been resolved.

Just my opinion, but you stand a much better chance of getting a usable factory trigger with the S&W than with the Ruger. I haven't shot a MKIV, but I have an MKI,II and III and the I and II are great factory triggers, the MKIII needed lots of work and $, I have heard that there have been no improvements with the MKIV trigger. My Victory has a perfectly acceptable factory trigger and comes with an overtravel screw.

Victory comes with an optic rail, but it's plastic though perfectly usable. Aftermarket rails are expensive. The MKIV usually doesn't come with a rail, but rails are cheap and optic mounts for the rear sight dovetail are readily available.

Victory comes with good fiber optic sights, MKIV doesn't (hunter version might).

Easy to buy aftermarket barrels for the S&W, the frame is the serial # part. The Ruger would require a FFL as the upper is the serialized part.


Accuracy with factory barrel is probably pretty even between the two.

S&W is usually much cheaper than the Ruger.

 

[Mus408]

I had to tweak the ejector on my Victory today and now it will shoot most any .22 LR std. velocity ammo without any issues. Before it would only shoot Fed. Auto Match ammo without case ejection issues.
Now even Remington Thunderbolt runs thru like greased lightening!!
This is a common issue with the S&W 22 Victory but the fix is super easy to do!
A nice shooter now! https://youtu.be/t9gCNHF9ff4

 

[Rumrunner]

I have a MK II Ruger and a Smith Victory. I bought the Victory prior to the MK IV being released. I like the Smith and it shoots very well. I put an o-ring from my broadheads on the take down screw to eliminate coming loose.

My LGS received a Victory that had no rifling in the barrel. She sent it back. A shooting buddy had one that wasn't very dependable and then discovered some rough areas. Smith replaced the barrel and now he enjoys it.

That was a good price for the Victory, I would of snagged that as well. Use the savings on ammo or add-ons and enjoy.

 

[welldoya]

I've got a couple of Ruger KMK512s that have been my go-to plinkers since the early 80s.
I recently lucked into a couple of Victorys when Gander Mountain was going out of business - $239 each.
Probably should have bought all 6 they had left but figured I wouldn't be greedy.
I'm going to give one to my son-in-law for Christmas. The other I'll see how I like it.
Haven't shot it yet but it does feel good in my hand.

 

[lark63]

I have the threaded version of the Victory. As much as I like the Ruger offerings I think the
S&W is a better value. I can't really say that one or the other stands out but for a price point the Victory gets the nod.

 

[Mus408]

I've got a couple of Ruger KMK512s that have been my go-to plinkers since the early 80s.
I recently lucked into a couple of Victorys when Gander Mountain was going out of business - $239 each.
Probably should have bought all 6 they had left but figured I wouldn't be greedy.
I'm going to give one to my son-in-law for Christmas. The other I'll see how I like it.
Haven't shot it yet but it does feel good in my hand.

Wow!! Christmas came early to you at that price! Great deal.

 

[welldoya]

Yes, it sure did. I needed another .22 handgun like I need a hole in my head but I'm a sucker for a bargain.