Mark III or 22/45?

[redhawker]

Santa brought a gift card to a local gun store and some money and I was thinking of getting a .22 to shoot at the local range. My question, as a Ruger is 1st choice of course, what is the difference between the Mark III and the 22/45? Which is the better gun for mostly paper punching at the range with, maybe, an occasional rabbit hunting trip now and then. The guns appear to be pretty close in appearance, what is the difference between the two? And, lastly, if it were you, which would you buy?

 

[GhosT]

My best bet, ya can't go wrong with either.

Never owned a Mark III, but did own a couple MARK II's over the years.


I ended up going with a 22/45,and it has proven itself very accurrate and reliable.
The Grip lightened it's weight ,ya barely notice it is on yer side with a pancake holster.


That said.......
No way would I take a shot at the Mark III's.
Both built on the same general lockworks........
Both based on THE GUN that RUGER started with.....


One thing the Mark III can do that my 22/45 cannot...
Replace the grips!

The 22/45 grips can get slippery when wet.
Not a huge thing....added Hogue Handall Jr. grips to mine, cost 15 bucks.
A grip sleeve.

The biggest difference is the grip angle( the 22/45 has the same as a COLT .45.)

So suggest ,just handle both...find the one that yer hands fit best.
Ya really can't go wrong with either JMHO

 

[aWoods]

It's .22 rimfire, so it's going to be picky about ammo, and finicky. Mine sure is (MK III)

 

[revhigh]

Try to find a good used MKII. Best of all worlds ...

REV

 

[rugerfreak]

Most MkIII problems(both Std and 22/45) can be fixed with a little tweeking.

Go to Rimfirecentral.com for all the tips.

 

[Pete G]

I like my MK III Government Competition. I have a Bushnell Red Dot on it and use CCI standard velocity 40 Grain and no problems here.

 

[buckshotshorty]

I have a Mk III 22/45 and like it a lot. A guy at my range has one and his will not run on high speed ammo. I gave him some Standard Velocity ammo, and the gun ran fine.

Another difference between the Mk III and 22/45, other than the grip angle, is the 22/45 has a polymer frame.

My biggest negative with this gun is that it is a pain in the A$$ to put back together after cleaning. Maybe I just don't do it enough, but it generally takes me about 5 minutes to disassemble, and about an hour to re-assemble.

.

 

[kscott]

As far as cleaning there are videos on YouTube and now even on Rugers website that show you how to field strip them. It's really not terrible if you really follow the video.

 

[GhosT]

buckshotshorty,

"My biggest negative with this gun is that it is a pain in the A$$ to put back together after cleaning. Maybe I just don't do it enough, but it generally takes me about 5 minutes to disassemble, and about an hour to re-assemble. "


LOL....
Ya listed THE ONE EVIL about the MARK series....

It's a good thing that there is not a "link" out there that would list.......
Every MARK owner out there talking about problems with reassembling
the gun.
Would crash every PC out there...lol.


It does take a few times to get the "trick" down pat...lol


But, they are well worth the effort!

 

[blume357]

the 22/45 has a thinner grip and it can't be replaced.

I had to choose between the two a few years back and liked the way the MKIII felt in my hand better. Then again, I've changed the grips on it to Hogue targets anyway.

I had a scope on it for a while but the shooting was too easy and so I went back to iron (fiber optic / High vis) sights.

I'm not sure the 22/45 comes with the holes and scope rail either.....

Then again with either pistol plan to buy another 3 to 7 magazines for it... it's the only way to shoot these puppies... load up a hole hundred round box in mags and go to it!

Sounds like a great Christmas to me.

 

[rugerguy]

love 'em or hate, put up with them or learn to 'care' for them...either way, try, and as said above to see what fits YOU, and as I always say, "shop the deal..."
I like the mag release on the left side, not on the bottom (though we are used to it) and yes, big difference in the "feel" ( grip thin or thick.....) as for ammo, gotta find out what works in YOUR gun........seen them go either way...me, I use standard velocity ,works for us, besides, I got LOTS of it....
good luck, try 'em out, pick one out and learn ALL about it...then "practice,practice,practice........" :wink:

 

[jp]

We purchased the 22/45 last year. We have put thousands of rounds though it with no problems. Mine is not picky when it comes to ammo. We bought extra magazines and a magazine loader because we have so much fun shooting this gun. This was my first semiautomatic, so the dis-assembly and re-assembly was new to me. The first re-assembly was a challenge. Follow the links on this site for advice and cleaning will become second nature. I clean my guns after each trip to the range. I can dis-assemble and re-assemble this with my eyes closed. It is not that difficult. We selected the 22/45 because we plan to purchase a 1911. We felt the similarities made this the best selection. If possible, shoot each to determine what best fits your hand, or the hands of those who will use the gun.

 

[22/45 Fan]

I have owned an original Mark I, a Mk II 5-1/2" Stainless and now a 22/45 (Mk II version) Stainless also in 5-1/2" bull configuration.

The current 22/45 has proven more reliable with any brand and type of ammo than my earlier pistols and is somewhat easier to reassemble after stripping. Not a snap mind you, but easier than it's predecessors.

From my forum name, you can guess which I recommend.

 

[aWoods]

It's .22 rimfire, so it's going to be picky about ammo, and finicky. Mine sure is (MK III)

Maybe I should take this back. After about 1700 rounds, my gun seems to be breaking in!

 

[redhawker]

Thanks for the advise all...Went out today and got a 22/45 with 5.5 bull barrell...now, the 10 day wait starts.