Ruger Mark III

[JohnM]

Any of you guys have one and enough use to have some opinions on them?
I always liked those Ruger 22 pistols, just great little guns from the days of the Mark I.

I like the magazine release on the Mark III.

And I just fail to understand the reasoning behind the magazine disconnect, but I suppose it could be lived with. Can't really think of too many times I would really want to load and shoot something like that as a single shot.

The funky loaded chamber indicator is the buggaboo. Looks double ugly and it was mentioned to me that it's a real dirt trap.

Haven't bought a new gun for a few months and was looking at a new one in a friends gun shop a few days ago. In fact don't even have a regular 22LR anymore of any type. Tempting.

So, what do you all think of the standard Mark III?

 

[Pilot]

I have four MK II's, and have avoided anything MK III due to the LCI, and Mag Disconnect. Also, I prefer the heal mag release in a .22 target pistol/plinker. No need for the button, IMHO, but many like it. The changes made the plethora of MK II mags out there unavailable to MK III owners.

That being said, you can remove both the LCI and mag disconnect pretty easily with a few parts and simple instructions. There are even blanks being made to replace the hole where the LCI was located.

 

[highlander 5]

If you can find a 22/45 MK II it has the mag release on the grip like a 45 auto. As long as I can get Ruer MK IIs I will not buy a MK III,theanswer to the question no one asked.

 

[JohnM]

That being said, you can remove both the LCI and mag disconnect pretty easily with a few parts and simple instructions. There are even blanks being made to replace the hole where the LCI was located.

Ah, that sounds cool. Got any idea who's supplying those parts.

 

[Pilot]

Go over to Rimfirecentral. They have all you need there.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com

 

[Leadbutt]

I own two of the Mk-3's, I don't worry about the mag-disconnect or the chambered round lever, its not a combat weapon, they are for me paper punchers/tim cams and small game shooters. both of mine are the 5" bull barreled models and like typical Rugers are built tuff and have so far after 5 bricks a piece run with every thing I have shot through them, if you don't want or don't like the newer MK-3's than the MK-2 is the way to go, have never liked Rugers' 22/45 series grip is too small for me

 

[JohnM]

I like the Mark I, II, & III for the lines.
The standard model has always been a favorite of mine.
A "combat" weapon? I guess not!
They're for going out and tipping over rows of tin cans.

 

[CajunBass]

I've got a MK III, My wife has a Mk II. I don't see a dimes worth of difference in them. The mag disconnect and LCI? Big deal. As far as I can tell they don't bother a thing.

I'd buy the one I could get at the lowest price. I sure wouldn't waste ten minutes looking for one over the other.

 

[Blue68f100]

I have a MKIII but I've removed the mag disc, setup like a MKII. I kept the LCI, I use it as a time to detail clean indicator. When it starts getting gummed up >2000 rounds it will start sticking and cause stove pipes. It can easily be disable if I want too.

 

[JohnM]

I'm going to a gun show Saturday, I told the guy if I didn't see anything I just had to have I might just stop by and pick up that Mark III. I seriously doubt I'll find any super deal at this show, so I might be going home with a brand spanking new 22 pistol.
Been so long since I bought a NIB gun I almost feel like a high school kid thumbing through the adds in Outdoor Life in study hall.

 

[ku4hx]

One Mark III target, one Mark II target and a Standard model ... I like them.

Once I got the magazines tweaked a bit they'll all digest any .22LR round I choose.

They all have their quirks like all guns do, but overall, they represent very high value for me. Contrary to popular internet opinion, reassembly is just a matter of following what the manual says and doing it a time or two.

 

[Dentite]

I have a MkIII 22/45 and I would buy again. I have removed the mag disconnect and replaced the LCI with a filler mentioned above from a member at Rimfire central.

I also have modified the grips because I felt the grip on mine was too thin right to left for my hands.

Now I love the thing.

 

[tuj]

have the mk3, love it to death. You really need to do the magazine safety removal / bushing install (I used Sam's bushing from the RimfireCentral forum). Then I added VQ extractor for reliability (which helped a lot on my older MKII) and a VQ trigger kit and VQ Volthane grips and an ultradot optic.

It also happens to be my wife's favorite gun.

 

[JohnM]

If I pick that thing up this weekend I'll shoot it for a while before I look into doing the changes.
I had forgotten I was registered at that forum a long time ago.

 

[Kiln]

I have a MK 3 that has been 100% with all ammo types over thousands of rounds. It is by far my favorite .22lr pistol. At first I couldn't shoot it well but after a while I got used to it and the trigger went from good to great after it was broken in.

The lawyer features are annoying but so far haven't had any effect on performance.

IMO it is the best buy in the $300 range.

 

[Cherokee]

I have a MK I and MK III, both 6 7/8" . They shoot very small groups and are a pleasure to shoot. I like the new mag release, don't care about the LCI. I would buy the MK III.

 

[foghornl]

fail to understand the reasoning behind the magazine disconnect,

for the LCI and mag disconnect, one word:

Lawyers

I have a MK II, and I wouldn't trade it for any other .22 pistol

 

[JohnM]

Lawyers

As I say, I fail to understand the reasoning.

 

[Kiln]

As I say, I fail to understand the reasoning.

Some inexperienced semi automatic owners take the magazine out and think the gun is clear without actually clearing the chamber. It is basically to protect people from themselves.

While I find it annoying, I get why they do it, they just want to cover their own asses.

 

[jef2015]

As others said, Sams bushing gets rid of the mag disconnect. It also simplifies take down because you don't have to worry about taking out and putting in the magazine. You email Sam, send $11 and he sends the bushing. He lives in Canada so it takes a couple of weeks.

A Volquartson sear and the bushing will lighten the trigger.

I like the LCI.

 

[Greg528iT]

I have a Mark i and Mark iii. love them both.
My Mark i has a crisp 2 lbs trigger pull, I can't imagine being better than that.
My Mark iii has a 2.5 lbs trigger pull out of the box. Also crisp. I've debated the LCI and bushing swaps, but I really can't argue with what's working now.
Buy a Mark iii, shoot it, shoot it, shoot it. You'll be happy you did,

 

[magnumman44]

I would buy the MK III. These changes are not that big of a deal. I love my MKIII Hunter...excellent and accurate.

 

[Fishslayer]

I have the MKIII 22/45. Nice pistol. I keep meaning to install the MKII bits but the mag disco is just a minor annoyance and the LCI... well... I never really notice it.

 

[BCRider]

I only got my own Ruger Mk III recently. But I have shot and helped out RO'ing at the local commercial Rent-A-Gun range on and off for a few years. The core of their .22 fleet is the 4 Ruger Mk II and III's they have. A lot of good named guns have came and went due to the amount of ammo these guns see in a week. Only the Rugers are still there. And the Mk II's they have are from a previous range. They must be into their 8th or 9th year of rental use.

You need to understand what this means. These guns likely see around 2000 to 3000 rounds a week pass down the barrel. And while they try to keep the guns clean renting them out takes priority over cleaning. So they are often simply oiled with a bit of CLP to free them up and get them back on the line until a break where they can be properly cleaned.

Yet of all the guns I've handled there on the line it is the Rugers which keep on ticking like that damned Energizer bunny... So recently when I found a used Mk III for a price I couldn't resist it took no time at all wondering about how reliable it would be.

Oh sure, small parts may break. It IS a mechanical assembly after all. But with Ruger's pistol design you know you can get parts easily and that the number of things which can break are few and far between.

 

[wild cat mccane]

No one is going to saw how horrible the rear sites are? Man, I was using my father-in-laws 6 inch fluted MKIII and the V rear site were the worst.