Mark II and Mark III

[JPGLSG]

If you gentleman that are in the know regarding the Mark II and III, would be so kind as to bring me up to speed.

I have a Mark II 4 1/2 inch barrel that is just as nice as you can get as far as just fun shooting with no problems, no matter whose ammo I shoot in it.

I've got the opportunity to pick up a as new Mark III just like what I have above at a really reasonable price. A hundred or so plus less than I paid for the Mark II 50th.

My question....is the Mark III more or less the same gun as one would have in the Mark II. You hear so many remarks about how and what, but you members that have both should be in the know.

Thanks in advance for you input.
JP

 

[9x19]

Same basic design with a couple changes which in addition to their intended function can also be a source of frustration for those familiar with the Mark II.

The III has a magazine safety, which also prevents the magazine from dropping free of the pistol on its own, and complicates the take-down procedue.

The III also has a loaded chamber indicator that can be a source of feed failures (most work ok), and makes cleaning the receiver a bit more difficult.

Both can be eliminated rather easily with $30 in aftermarket parts.

 

[shakyshoot]

Then there's also the useless internal lock on the MKIII. Usually no factor at all, but it's possible for it to vibrate off the full unlock position and mess things up. You don't really gain anything with MKIII vs MkII, so to buy another one, you should really be getting something you want with it, i.e. different barrel length, stainless vs blued, etc. If you have an early MKII without holes for a scope base, and you want a scope, the MKIII has an advantage there. (Comes with holes and a scope base) If it's the same barrel length, finish, etc, then you just have to decide if it's a good enough deal to justify buying basically the same gun with some annoying "features" added.

 

[Blackmore]

If you want a LITE it will have to be a MK III.

 

[WIL TERRY]

THE THING ABOUT MKII AND MKIII pistols that really torques my flight is the fact the two guns take two different magazines.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

THE THING ABOUT MKII AND MKIII pistols that really torques my flight is the fact the two guns take two different magazines.

A necessary change when they went to the 1911 style pistol magazine catch/release in the Mark III as opposed to the bottom of the grip, or European style of magazine catch/release.

 

[DUNTOV]

If you gentleman that are in the know regarding the Mark II and III, would be so kind as to bring me up to speed.

I have a Mark II 4 1/2 inch barrel that is just as nice as you can get as far as just fun shooting with no problems, no matter whose ammo I shoot in it.

I've got the opportunity to pick up a as new Mark III just like what I have above at a really reasonable price. A hundred or so plus less than I paid for the Mark II 50th.

My question....is the Mark III more or less the same gun as one would have in the Mark II. You hear so many remarks about how and what, but you members that have both should be in the know.

Thanks in advance for you input.
JP

Having had both, I would advise to #1 keep the MKII forever, and if you can get the MKIII cheap go for it, the 3 negative things about them i dont like, I eliminate.
I remove the LCI, the internal lock, and the mag safety, then it really functions like a MKII and works perfectly, and I actually prefer the new style mag release over the heal release.

 

[toysoldier]

THE THING ABOUT MKII AND MKIII pistols that really torques my flight is the fact the two guns take two different magazines.

Will Mk III mags latch in a Mk II? Can you cut a notch in a Mk II mag and use it in a Mk III?

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

THE THING ABOUT MKII AND MKIII pistols that really torques my flight is the fact the two guns take two different magazines.

Will Mk III mags latch in a Mk II? Can you cut a notch in a Mk II mag and use it in a Mk III?

While it's always a good idea to use the proper magazines for the correct application, YES, Mark III magazines will indeed work in a Ruger Mark II pistol. I've done it many times, just to see if it will work. No cutting or adapting involved. I have even switched the follower button over to the right side of a Mark III magazine and used it without issue in my Ruger RST4 Standard with the A54 grip frame. Worked just fine.

 

[Bullseye57]

Will Mk III mags latch in a Mk II?

As mentioned above - yes with a caveat... As long as the magazine body fits up through the bottom of the grip frame opening. A MKIII magazine has two protruding bumps, on on each side of the mag body. On some frames, these bumps will not fit, or hang-up, when passing through the bottom of the frame. One can open up the semi-circular metal opening to accommodate the MKIII mag for smooth instertion/extraction. Other than that, they'd operate in the same manner as the previous generation magazines.

Can you cut a notch in a Mk II mag and use it in a Mk III?

No, because the MKIII magazine doesn't latch on a slot like a 1911 style magazine does, it has a latching bump. The bump on the mid-right side is actually the part that engages the magazine release button and holds the mag secure in the frame. The Mark III magazine incorporates the exact same button release system as the earlier generation 22/45 pistols (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Mark II 22/45). Actually one can use a 22/45 (any generation) magazine body in a Mark III pistol, because the metal mag bodies are nearly identical externally. What is really different between them is the magazine's plastic bottom block plate, which changes the angle in which the metal body's feed lips are presented to the bolt. This angling is necessary as the more vertical grip angle of the 22/45 model pistols need the mag body to traverse the width of the entire grip to match the steeper grip angle of its metal counterparts. Simply swapping out the bottom block to the correct configuration works for any of the magazines in either model pistol.

If you do desire to use a regular Mark II magazine, no latching bump, in a Mark III frame you can remove the plastic spacer and install a heel latch on the MK III frame, the mounting pin holes are present in the frame for this installation. However, doing this totally defeats the purpose of having the thumb mag latch release feature of the newer model pistols.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

 

[blume357]

I only have a Mark III and have only shot a Mark II a few times.... with that said, I really like the III.... just about all the extra features... I never use... in fact I almost never even use the safety on the pistol since it is for target shooting only... besides that my carry pistols don't even have safeties.... the only 'issue' I have with the III is well know... one more pain in the butt to disassemble. Yes, there are many who have mastered this... but compared to taking down a P95 or P89.... I'm trying to find the words and can't even come up with how much more difficult and complicated it is.

then again, I've come up with what is a unique solution for many gun nuts.... I just don't take the pistol down.... seems the gun will work flawlessly even after thousands of rounds... just keep it lubricated.

 

[montegomx70]

THE THING ABOUT MKII AND MKIII pistols that really torques my flight is the fact the two guns take two different magazines.

A necessary change when they went to the 1911 style pistol magazine catch/release in the Mark III as opposed to the bottom of the grip, or European style of magazine catch/release.

a change they did not need to make, it's a target pistol not a combat pistol, the lock thing is the icing on the cake for me im getting a mk11 .