Ruger Mark II and III vs 22/45

[chuckE]

I've been thinking ahead (waaaay ahead since my twin girls are 3 and my son is 18 months) about buying a .22 for plinking and eventually to use as a first gun for my kids.

I have shot Rugers in the past, but I have no idea what it was that I shot. I know some of the differences between the Mark II and Mark III and it seems like either one I find is fine for what I plan on using it for.

With that said, is there any difference between the Mark IIs and Mark IIIs and the 22/45 that would have me choose one over the other?

And btw, it seems everyone is of the opinion that a used Ruger .22 should be selling for around $200~$250, but I must be blind cuz I see em for as high as $400 used. WTH?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[paul45]

I have the Mark III hunter and the 22/45 HB 5 1/2". Both are great and both have their strong points. I have serveral other .22's - S&W 63, Browning, S&w 41, Hihg Standards, Iver Johnson, etc. But when I was looking for the "1ST" handgun for my 3 yr old Grand Daughter, I started thinking about total size, wt, grip size, ease of use. After some looking and trying, I choose a Walther P22. Size, price, wt, etc - it fit the bill as a 1st handgun plus it is a blast to shoot. I may keep this one and get her another as soon as her mother allows me to actually give her a gun. Give it a look! New under $300 out the door.

[farronwolf]

You can buy a new Ruger 22/45 for well below 400.

Ruger Mark III 22-45 5.5" Penny Start NO RESERVE : Firearms (Modern) : Semi-auto at GunBroker.com

Here is one new for 270.

[chuckE]

Not knowing anything about Walthers, I was under the impression that it was relatively expensive compared to a Ruger but it seems from what you have said, they are not.

Thanks, I'll check into the P22 as well.

I have the Mark III hunter and the 22/45 HB 5 1/2". Both are great and both have their strong points. I have serveral other .22's - S&W 63, Browning, S&w 41, Hihg Standards, Iver Johnson, etc. But when I was looking for the "1ST" handgun for my 3 yr old Grand Daughter, I started thinking about total size, wt, grip size, ease of use. After some looking and trying, I choose a Walther P22. Size, price, wt, etc - it fit the bill as a 1st handgun plus it is a blast to shoot. I may keep this one and get her another as soon as her mother allows me to actually give her a gun. Give it a look! New under $300 out the door.

[wagglebee]

You should be able to get a NEW Mark III or Walther P22 for around $250.

You will find that the Ruger is much more accurate, but a younger child will probably do much better with the Walther because it weighs about a pound less than the Ruger. I have both and they are both a lot of fun.

[chuckE]

I must be hanging out at the wrong gun shops or internet sites. :(

You should be able to get a NEW Mark III or Walther P22 for around $250.

You will find that the Ruger is much more accurate, but a younger child will probably do much better with the Walther because it weighs about a pound less than the Ruger. I have both and they are both a lot of fun.

[paul45]

Got mine about 3 months ago at a local shop. They had 5 new and 1 used. I chosse a Green frame model because they had 3 of them ( plus it looked COOL). They were asking $339 - after an hour of being a pain, I offered $300 including tax. They said YES but I would have to pay the $2 state call in fee. SOLD!

[paul45]

By the way - I did not get my Rugers that cheap!

[wagglebee]

I must be hanging out at the wrong gun shops or internet sites. :(

My wife bought a P22 for $229 at a gun show in Virginia back in December and I bought a MkIII 22/45 at another gun show here in March or April for $235.

The best thing about them is you can shoot until your arm is ready to fall off for around 10 bucks, I figure I've saved double the price of the gun by cutting back on .45 ACP and 9mm ammo at the range.

[wagglebee]

By the way - I did not get my Rugers that cheap!

I just checked my receipt and I bought both from "Trader Jerry's", they go to just about all of the gun shows in VA and they have an awesome inventory and great deals.

[pete156]

I own a:

6" 1958 Ruger Standard (pre-mark series) $200 used
4" Mark II 22/45 $290 used (I over paid for this one, but I was ok with that)
6 7/8" Stainless Mark III Hunter $450 new
10" Mark II Target $300 used

I've gotten a chance to shoot all but the 22/45 and they are a blast to shoot. I can ring a steel plate all day long at 125yds with the 10" and the standard is pretty accurate also.

The hunter has an adjustable rear sight and I haven't quite gotten it lined out yet, but it's very close to dead on. The Hunter also tends to want to throw hot gas back at me which burns like a mofo. It's the only model that has done that to me so far.

The Standard is just fun to shoot. Period. Plus, it's just kinda neat to me to shoot with a 50yr old pistol. Kind of nostalgic.

The 22/45 I haven't shot yet, but had a fellow Okie mod the thing for me to accept 1911 grips. I can't wait to get it out to the range.

The 10" Mark II Stainless Target is just wickedly huge with that long barrel. Last week I put a Volquartsen target sear, sear spring, hammer, extended slide stop, extended mag release, target hammer with pre & over travel screws, and a set of Volthane target grips. I tested the trigger prior to the upgrade and it was at 2lb 15oz. After the upgrade it dropped to a crisp 1lb 15oz with very little pre-travel and no over-travel to speak of. I took it out yesterday to the farm and like I said above, I was able to ring that 8" steel plate from 125yds damn near everytime. It is my favorite of the bunch so far.

[mr surveyor]

I would go with the Markxx 22/45 as it more closely resembles the grip of the 1911 and many other single stack pistols. The grip angle on the Mark I, II, III, "standard" Ruger pistols is much more exagerated, and more closely resemble the original German Luger from the JMB days.

If you're talking about a pistol for very small hands for a child to learn, take a look at the micro Beretta pistols with the tilt barrels.

There are a lot of good quality .22 cal pistols out there, then you may even look at the micro Taurus line...

surv

[Stetson]

I'll stick to the rugers as they will eat anything I feed it.I remember at the gun store the salesman selling one of the walther p22 telling the new owners only use cci ammo because this pistol needed real hot ammo to cycle.Cheap box ammo wouldn't do it;I don't know about the rest of you but I generally buy a brick or two a summer and use that with all my 22's and I don't want to spend lots of cash!

[Jay6]

I have the 22/45 and love it. The only complaint I have is the magazine disconect which caused a few problems until I removed it. Now the little guys runs like a sewing machine.

[paul45]

The P22 that I bought has eaten everything I have feed it. If the gun is for a youth, consider the grip size, the triger reach and the weight. The rugers are great - I have owned many and own 2 right now but if the gun is going to be a youth training gun, there are other points to consider other than our personal adult preferances. The gun has to fit the shooter. I'm a big person but I can not comfortable fire a N frame S&W because of the trigger reach and the grip design. The gun has to fit to allow the individual to learn properly. You see it everyday, so guy is trying to teach their girlfriend or child to shoot with a gun that is too big and the results are not the best. It has to be fun and easy to get them back after the 1st try. Get something that fits their hands. You can always sell it and buy bigger as they grow. Or like me - I keep them as a memory of the good times - or pass it on to their kids.