Browning Buck Mark Hunter vs. Ruger 22/45?

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Kynoch, I believe you mis understood.

I have a reflex sight on my rugers. It's like a scope, it does not rely on the barrel length for sight radius. I have it zeroed in at 12 yards. I put the 3 MOA dot on the target that's where the bullet goes. Reflex is a red dot that does not have a barrel. easier to see off angle. OK so yeah technically it doesn't have a site radius anymore or it's infinite.


A Mark III is ALL metal, well the stock grips are plastic, unless you get the wood option. I provided links to aftermarket wood grips of multiple sizes that, were cheaper than $75 and will fill most any large hands. I bet one can find grips even bigger than the Buck Mark if wanted.

My Mark III trigger breaks at 2 lbs. I haven't even gone in to polish or smooth anything. My Mark I breaks at just over 1 lbs. but it has countless trigger pulls and it's broken in quite well, so well I may need to FIX it soon.

For the additional cost I would be getting a heck of a lot more than different grips with the Browning vs. the Ruger.

FWIW The Ruger Hunter is priced at $679.00. $729.00 if you want upgraded grips: http://www.ruger.com/products/markIIIHunter/models.html

The Browning Buck Mark Hunter is priced at $479.99: http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=006B&cid=051&tid=403

Ruger has raised their prices by a remarkable amount!
 
Ditto what Ze Spectre said...

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=8838703&postcount=22

Also, I have both a Buckmark Camper and a Ruger 22/45 w/ cocobolo grips. Both feel good but the Buckmark feels better. Buckmark trigger is better, so that saves you $100. You can slingshot a Buckmark, the Ruger can't - it's annoying. And the button is hard to use even though I'm right handed.

To top it all, the Ruger WILL NOT feed standard velocity ammo. Worse even, it dent's the case, so that it won't even chamber, and that's just unacceptable.

I won my club's "Champion Challenge" last year with the Buckmark. Both divisions, irons and optics. And I don't have an optic for it.

Regarding the cleaning, I can field strip and clean the Buckmark twice in the time it takes me to do the Ruger once.
 
Ditto what Ze Spectre said...

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=8838703&postcount=22

Also, I have both a Buckmark Camper and a Ruger 22/45 w/ cocobolo grips. Both feel good but the Buckmark feels better. Buckmark trigger is better, so that saves you $100. You can slingshot a Buckmark, the Ruger can't - it's annoying. And the button is hard to use even though I'm right handed.

To top it all, the Ruger WILL NOT feed standard velocity ammo. Worse even, it dent's the case, so that it won't even chamber, and that's just unacceptable.

I won my club's "Champion Challenge" last year with the Buckmark. Both divisions, irons and optics. And I don't have an optic for it.

Regarding the cleaning, I can field strip and clean the Buckmark twice in the time it takes me to do the Ruger once.

YOUR Ruger may not. Mine and many others I have observed in competition certainly will. That's really the reason my choice comes down to either the Browning or the Ruger -- the very best reliability going.
 
Someone mentioned the Ruger MKIII hunter/comp has a great sight....

I would argue it has one of the worst. That V is terrible. What other gun has a V sight?
 
I had not realized the Mark IIIs had jumped so much in price. When I bought mine it was only slightly more expensive than the 22/45. So, i was just using the data points in the OP.
 
I had not realized the Mark IIIs had jumped so much in price. When I bought mine it was only slightly more expensive than the 22/45. So, i was just using the data points in the OP.

The baseline MKIII is "only" $389.99 http://www.ruger.com/products/markIIIStandard/models.html

But if you want a longer barrel you have to buy stainless and it has to be either slab-sided or fluted. Ruger seems to be fairly adept at maximizing their $$$.

I would love to see a 22/45 with a blued 6 7/8" barrel for $389.99, but nothing like that exists anymore. This thread has been informative -- it has sold me on the Browning.
 
Those prices are all MSRP. Actual retail will be much less depending on where you buy them. Shop around.
 
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Now there is a grip that should fill the biggest of hands. Put a red dot or a reflex sight on it and sight radius / barrel length is a non issue.
 
I am NOT a competition shooter but you all wish I was becasue you could stomp me. I do own a Buckmark and a Ruger and use them extensively for training youngsters and people that are new to the sport of shooting. 100% of the people I have worked with prefer the Browning because it "feels better" in their hand. I really like the Ruger but I agree about the feeling of the Browning. My Buckmark tends to prefer Stingers while the Ruger runs any high velocity. Probably just because the Buckmark is older and has had 10s of 1000s of rounds run through it with no work other than an occasional cleaning.
 
YOUR Ruger may not. Mine and many others I have observed in competition certainly will. That's really the reason my choice comes down to either the Browning or the Ruger -- the very best reliability going.

My buddy's $600 MKIII Hunter also consistently jams with SV ammo.
 
I'm looking for a rimfire pistol for use in Steel Challenge shooting. I want to use iron sights

Steel Class has 2 divisions for rim fire. Optics and suppressors and non optics non suppressor. So I did drift off subject a bit, but really if you are worried about sight radius get a red dot.. OK yeah it does feel like cheating.. but I like always hitting what I aim at. :D

As I said in my original posting, I shoot in a class that precludes optics/dots.
to my defense, you didn't say you were only going to shoot that one class.
 
Steel Class has 2 divisions for rim fire. Optics and suppressors and non optics non suppressor. So I did drift off subject a bit, but really if you are worried about sight radius get a red dot.. OK yeah it does feel like cheating.. but I like always hitting what I aim at.

to my defense, you didn't say you were only going to shoot that one class.

Sorry but the Ruger loses big time to the Browning for the application I defined in my first posting no matter how you might try to spin it by trying to redefine what I asked.
 
My three Ruger MK II's, and my MK II era 22/45 feed, and fire just about any .22 ammo except Remington Golden Bullets which I have not bought for years. My friend just bought a MK III 22/45 Target Model BNIB at Cableas for $289. I don't see ANY Rugers priced nearly as high as you state Kynoch, even the MK III Hunter. I see Buckmarks pushing $500 or actually a bit over.
 
My three Ruger MK II's, and my MK II era 22/45 feed, and fire just about any .22 ammo except Remington Golden Bullets which I have not bought for years. My friend just bought a MK III 22/45 Target Model BNIB at Cableas for $289. I don't see ANY Rugers priced nearly as high as you state Kynoch, even the MK III Hunter. I see Buckmarks pushing $500 or actually a bit over.

I didn't state the price -- Ruger does on their website whose URL I provided: http://www.ruger.com/products/markIIIHunter/models.html

My apologies but I would need to see proof to believe your "friend just bought a MK III 22/45 Target Model BNIB at Cableas for $289." The baseline price for a 22/45 is $359.99 and sellers are getting at least that -- when they are even available. http://www.ruger.com/products/2245Target/models.html
 
I am very surprised to hear that...
Me too. My MK3 is the only .22lr pistol besides the Beretta Neos that has never malfunctioned on me in any way. The MK3 has over 10k rounds through it and the Neos has approximately 2k.
 
I looked at the Browning and the Ruger 22/45 LITE. I settled on the 22/45 LITE, with threaded barrel and target sights. It is an extremely accurate little pistol, with any ammo, and is fully reliable. Last week, I went to the indoor range and put well over 500 rounds of target and hollow point ammo through it. In total, I experienced 3 failures to extract. The accuracy never dropped. I brought it home, cleaned with a Q-Tip, and good as gold again. Edit to add, I purchased mine for small game hunting, and so I do wish I had fiber optic sights. It didn't matter much, because I do plan to use a electronic dot sight.

Geno
 
Me too. My MK3 is the only .22lr pistol besides the Beretta Neos that has never malfunctioned on me in any way. The MK3 has over 10k rounds through it and the Neos has approximately 2k.

I am surprised a second time. I have never seen a Beretta Neos that did not malfunction. Otherwise like the S&W Model 41 and even the 22A, it's a fine pistol.
 
I looked at the Browning and the Ruger 22/45 LITE. I settled on the 22/45 LITE, with threaded barrel and target sights. It is an extremely accurate little pistol, with any ammo, and is fully reliable. Last week, I went to the indoor range and put well over 500 rounds of target and hollow point ammo through it. In total, I experienced 3 failures to extract. The accuracy never dropped. I brought it home, cleaned with a Q-Tip, and good as gold again. Edit to add, I purchased mine for small game hunting, and so I do wish I had fiber optic sights. It didn't matter much, because I do plan to use a electronic dot sight.

Geno

I have to agree with you on Ruger's reliability. In tactical shooting matches, Ruger's reign supreme around here. If you have the real bucks you replace almost all of the gun with third party parts from Volquartsen, Tactical Solutions, etc.

If all guns feed and ignited .22LR ammo perfectly I would buy a S&W Model 41 with a 6 7/8" barrel and be done with it. But they don't, hence my interest in the Browning.

Given the positive reviews about Browning reliability, build quality and ergonomics, I suspect I will go with the Browning Buck Mark Hunter.
 
I am surprised a second time. I have never seen a Beretta Neos that did not malfunction. Otherwise like the S&W Model 41 and even the 22A, it's a fine pistol.
I swear mine works great and it hasn't had anything besides the cheapest bulk ammo that was available. I bought it for my wife because she liked the pointer finger mag release and ease of disassembly.

I never intended to love it as much as I do but honestly the trigger could be better, that's the only real complaint I have.
 
MSRP on a manufacturers website is MUCH higher than what you pay in most gun stores. If you are paying MSRP, you are buying in the wrong place.
 
Steel Class has 2 divisions for rim fire. Optics and suppressors and non optics non suppressor. So I did drift off subject a bit, but really if you are worried about sight radius get a red dot.. OK yeah it does feel like cheating.. but I like always hitting what I aim at. :D

to my defense, you didn't say you were only going to shoot that one class.

"Compensators" not "suppressors".
 
So what did you end up going with? Right from your initial post it sounded like the Browning would be the right gun for you. I suspect that even if you did go with the Ruger, you'd always wonder about the Buckmark and perhaps even regret not choosing it.

I, on the other hand, just bought a Ruger 22/45 Target last week, and I totally dig it. I didn't get the "deck of cards" grip, though - and I'd say that description is spot-on about the base 22/45. I opted for the one with removable "wood" grips; it feels 20x better than the all-plastic, molded-grip version. I find that it shoots wonderfully for putting inexpensive holes in paper in my back yard, but I couldn't comment on competition level.

For what I paid - $309 at Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore - I'm absolutely happy with it and have no remorse. I nearly got into that Neos for $250, but thought better of it before doing something stupid. It was the almost combat-style sights that turned me off. I wanted a target .22, not another Glock!!
 
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