Ruger Mark II vs. IZH35

[WhiteKnight]

I have a problem over my Christmas gift [for myself] this year.

I already own a Glock 19, but desire a smaller (cheaper) caliber with which to practice frequently and familarize myself with the fundamentals of pistol shooting.

I need a .22LR pistol for informal target shooting (with formal target shooting potentially in the future), plinking, as well as an occasional squirrel hunt.

Standard fare will most likely be Winchester Dynapoints, if that makes a different. I may also mount a red dot in the future simply for giggles.

I have already purchased a factory lower for a Ruger Mark II, and had planned to order an 8.5 Pac-Lite aluminium upper for it.

However, I hear about the IZH35 on a nearly constant basis, and my total price for the Ruger (including the lower, Pac-Lite upper, and aftermarket trigger parts) would more than likely be $50-$75 higher than the IZH would be, stock. I hear that the IZH would have a better trigger from the factory than the Ruger would ever have even with a couple hundred in tuning/aftermarket goodies.

It's not too late for me to sell the lower and order the IZH, just as I can still go out tomorrow and special order the Pac-Lite.

Any suggestions?
note - i would like a smith and wesson 41, but that's really not in the budget right now

 

[BlkHawk73]

I've only ever seen one IZH35. Wasn't too too bad but the overall finish left a lot to be desired. I suppose for a base line modl of it's type though it's a decently priced gun. That said, I'd still go with a Ruger. Nearly endless accessories to make it how you want it to be. However, if the IZH35 was even a possibility, I'd go the next step and look at a benelli or even a Pardini or the like. You get what you pay for at those ranks.

http://www.targettalk.org/index.php

 

[Sactown]

Both pistols serve purposes, although differently. I have both. The Ruger is fine for plinking and occasional squirrel hunting. The IZH35 is much better as a target pistol. It has anatomical right hand grips, so you can't hold it with two hands. The trigger adjustable for just about everything. The finish is well, Russian, seems they only worried about the parts that mattered. I have not had any rust on the IZH. I shoot the IZH much better for bullseye/target shooting than my Ruger. My Ruger has all Volquartsen internals. Both pistols fed Dynapoints without any problems. The Ruger will be more flexible for plinking/hunting/informal target while the IZH is best for bullseye/target shooting. You have to decide how you will use it most. The stock Ruger doesn't compare to the IZH trigger.

 

[Standing Wolf]

...with formal target shooting potentially in the future...

I poured hundreds upon hundreds of dollars trying to turn a Ruger Mark II into a practice match pistol, complete with Clark barrel, Fung stocks, Volquartsen stocks, Ultra Dot sight, et cetera. I've ended up with a gun that wouldn't even make the grade as a low budget plinker, and it's an utter nightmare to reassemble after cleaning.

One of the top scorers I shoot bullseye with two evenings a week has the Baikal .22 match pistol. Ugly? Truly! Accurate? Yep.

In retrospect, I sorely wish I'd left the Ruger on the shelf and bought the Baikal.

 

[TWBryan]

Get a Ruger, I own three they are very accurate rugged and reliable. And if you ever have any problems that have to be fixed Ruger will make it right. Also there are a ton of aftermarket accessories available for the Ruger.

TwBryan

 

[WhiteKnight]

Also there are a ton of aftermarket accessories available for the Ruger

I am aware of this. I am simply wondering if it would be wise to eschew dumping hundreds of dollars into these [potentially worthless] parts when I could possibly buy the IZH much more cheaply and still recieve a better pistol in the end.

 

[Jim K]

Hi, White Knight,

One point to consider is that the Ruger is American made and parts and accessories will be available for the foreseeable future. The Russian gun may not have an importer tomorrow morning, or importation may be caught in some international fuss.

Hi, Standing Wolf,

I have a Ruger bull barrel that shoots on a level with my S&W Model 41. For someone who can appreciate only the very top quality, both may be unacceptable, but I can't imagine anyone in .22 competition spending that kind of money on a Ruger instead of just buying a Hammerli or Walther. The supposed difficulty of dis/re-assembling the Ruger is mainly in the mind of the person doing it; it is really quite simple.

Jim

 

[9mmepiphany]

i've owned a ruger .22lr auto pistol, in one form or another, since i started shooting. it is my favorite gun for teaching new folks to shoot. and it really can be dressed anyway you want to do anything you can afford to make it do. i've also handled many "full dress" rugers...including the one sactown owns.

but one session with his IZH35 was enough for me to start doing research and saving money for one. the russians really aren't into "pretty"... their motto is "function".

for shooting, as opposed to looking, buying a IZH35 far surpasses the smith M-41...or any other american made "target pistol". it was designed to compete with the european pistols costing at least twice as much. a "dressed " ruger wouldn't even be in the same class.

 

[rick_reno]

Early IZH's were very rough, newer imports are much better and require a lot less attention before shooting. As others have pointed out, there is little in common between an IZH target pistol and the Ruger other than they both shoot 22's. One of the shooters in our Bullseye league has a Ruger with Pac-lite upper on it. I tried and didn't care for the "feel" - the gun it so light I found it difficult to shoot in timed/rapid fire stages. You mentioned you've got a Glock, have you looked at the Advantage Arms conversions (slide) in .22 for your Glock. These might do what you want for a lot less money.
http://www.advantagearms.com/

 

[WhiteKnight]

You mentioned you've got a Glock, have you looked at the Advantage Arms conversions (slide) in .22 for your Glock. These might do what you want for a lot less money.

I had one, and frankly I didn't like it enough to keep it, so I sold it to a member on the board here. It made the Glock feel like a toy pistol, and I never could get acceptable accuracy with it (unlike the stock 9mm upper).

One of the shooters in our Bullseye league has a Ruger with Pac-lite upper on it. I tried and didn't care for the "feel" - the gun it so light I found it difficult to shoot in timed/rapid fire stages.

Do you believe this would be an issue shooting the IZH?

The Ruger will be more flexible for plinking/hunting/informal target while the IZH is best for bullseye/target shooting

Could you expound upon this statement? Why is the Ruger more flexible?

It seems to me that any target pistol would do very nicely in a hunting role, and that pretty much any firearm does well in a plinking role.


*Note* At first I was leary of purchasing a pistol with such large grips as the IZH, but I handled a set of the VQ Volthane grips on a Ruger Mark II and liked them so much I plan on buying them anyway. Thus, the seemingly obesely large ("ergonomical") grips on the IZH are not a problem.

 

[jefmad]

If your OK with the grip of the IZH in a plinking role there is absolutely no reason not to get it. I have both and since I bought the Russian I have no interest in shooting the Ruger. I believe it is impossible to get the trigger on the Ruger to be as good as the one on the IZH-35. I love that pistol.

 

[M67]

What 9mmepiphany said.

I own a Ruger. It's a fine plinker.

The IZH35 is not only more accurate, it is much easier to shoot accurately because of a better trigger, better sights, and way better ergonomics.

Personally, I would take the Russkie over a Smith 41 - if they cost the same. Yes, seriously. YMMV.

So why haven't I bought one? I want a Hämmerli. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a good second hand one for around 1300 dollars or so. I just need to go through some paperwork first. :banghead:

 

[Bill B.]

What kind of price are you looking at on the IZH35? The ones I have seen for sale on Rimfire Central have been in the $600.00 range to the best of my memory but these may have had some work done with them. Still a bit more than the average Ruger and getting up there in price with the S&W 41.

 

[9mmepiphany]

i got the impression that they were more in the $400 range...was i looking at dated info

 

[WhiteKnight]

i got the impression that they were more in the $400 range

This is the general price that I've been finding also.

 

[Standing Wolf]

...I can't imagine anyone in .22 competition spending that kind of money on a Ruger instead of just buying a Hammerli or Walther.

The object of the game was to end up with a relatively inexpensive practice match pistol to save wear and tear on my High Standards. In addition to the cost of the gun, I poured about $800 into the Ruger. What I've ended up with is a gun that fits my hand well, delivers excellent accuracy—match quality all the way—and as creepy and inconsistent a trigger as it had when it left the factory.

If the frame had been made an eighth to a quarter of an inch longer, all the tipping and turning and trigger pulling and double-checking of parts while reassembling the stupid thing would have been completely unnecessary. It was just a sloppy design.

I'll never buy another Ruger anything.

 

[Tecolote]

Maybe it's not the Ruger's fault that you were getting poor accuracy? After $800 I can't imagine how it could be the Ruger's fault. My buddy's 678 makes .5 inch groups if he does his part.

 

[rick_reno]

One of the shooters in our Bullseye league has a Ruger with Pac-lite upper on it. I tried and didn't care for the "feel" - the gun it so light I found it difficult to shoot in timed/rapid fire stages.

Do you believe this would be an issue shooting the IZH?

No, it isn't. A good friend shot the IZH for a couple of years - I tried it. It's a gun that is similar in feel to the Hammerli 208S, I had a 208S at the time he bought his IZH. The trigger isn't as good as the 208S, but it's very good for what they cost. Feel is very, very close to the Hammerli. The fellow shooting it shot 3 100's with it last year, then he sold it to concentrate on the 45.

 

[c_yeager]

I think it comes down to what you want to do with the pistol most of all. The Ruger is a fine training and plinking (i.e. FUN) pistol. you can shoot it the same way that you shoot your defensive pistol and gain inexpensive experience.

The IZH is more of a formal target pistol. It is set up for one-handed competition shooting and is best in that role and not all that great as a defensive training pistol. So, depending on what you expect to do most get the pistol that fits that role best.

 

[Thrash1982]

I believe you can also get .22 caliber conversion uppers for glocks. Might be something to look into if you want to go that route.

 

[Longbow]

If you own a glock, get the Ruger Mark II. The grip angle is somewhat identical. Just put a Hogue rubber grips to better match the grip dimension. Then buy lots of ammo and plink away!!

 

[WhiteKnight]

I believe you can also get .22 caliber conversion uppers for glocks. Might be something to look into if you want to go that route.

I had one, and frankly I didn't like it enough to keep it, so I sold it to a member on the board here. It made the Glock feel like a toy pistol, and I never could get acceptable accuracy with it (unlike the stock 9mm upper)

 

[Chris Rhines]

The IZH-35M suffers from a few unusual design quirks, and typically poor Russian metallurgy. Also, if you ever have a problem with one, you'll have to deal with EAA's pitiful excuse for a service department. No thank you. As much as I like the IZH-35M, I can't recommend them.

Although the Ruger MkII is not a purpose-built target pistol, it can be pressed into service as such with very good results. One of the shooters in the local bullseye leauge turns in consistant 295/300 scores in the NMC, with a stock MkII/Ultradot.

Get the Ruger.

- Chris

 

[Standing Wolf]

Maybe it's not the Ruger's fault that you were getting poor accuracy?

The problem isn't accuracy at all. The Clark barrel is almost unbelievably accurate.

The problem is the trigger.

 

[John C]

Standing Wolf;

I had a similarly poor trigger on my Ruger Mk II, so I put a Volquartsen match trigger in it. Crisp, 2 lb trigger adjustable for overtravel.

I still shoot my IZH-35 at league and in matches. The low bore axis makes up for any other faults.

-John C