Ruger 22/45 vs MarkIII for 10 year old

[GVMan]

I would like to get a 22 for target shooting, small game hunting, and for teaching a 10 year old to shoot. I was thinking that the 22/45 might be a better choice than the standard MarkIII because it is lighter for the same barrel length. Also, I thought the 10 year old might benefit from learning on a pistol that has the traditional 1911 grip angle. Should the grip be a concern? Or am I over thinking the issue?

What do you think?

What is a Bull barrel?

Thank you for your time.

 

[Jomax]

I have the Mark III and really enjoy shooing with it. Whatever you decide, make sure it's the more accurate of the two out-of-the-box so that he gets some instant gratification when he first shoots it. The easier it is for him to aim and hit the target, the more likely he'll enjoy it and embrace target shooting.

 

[Car Knocker]

Get whichever feels the most comfortable for him.

A bull barrel is thicker and heavier than a standard-profile barrel and the pistol will be more muzzle heavy for the same length barrel.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have to agree, get the one that's most comfortable for him. Have him hold both, or even more than those two, and see which he likes the best.

 

[USCG68]

I have a MarkIII 22/45 hunter and my 7 year old son grips it just fine.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

There is no advantage to learning on a 1911 grip angle, unless all he plans to shoot are 1911's. The MKIII is better balanced overall, IMO, and has a more comfortable grip. The extra weight of the hvy bbl MKIII will make it steadier in the hand. Both are good just handle them and see what you like.

 

[Dain Bramage]

GVMan, I'm in the same boat you are. I'm teaching my oldest kid to shoot, with three more younger ones to follow in the coming years.

I recently rented a bunch of MkIIIs at a local range. I personally liked the MkIII Hunter the best. It would make a great grouse gun for me, but IMHO it is just too heavy for a kid to learn on. Kids (even big ones) will whine about the darndest things. You want him to think that shooting is fun and not a burden.

I remember being a kid (once). The teacher of my rifle club in middle school wouldn't let me use the "light" rifle that I took a shining to. He said it was reserved for small shooters and not eleven year-olds that came up to his forehead.

The MkIII 22/45 is quite a bit lighter in the receiver. HGUNHNTR is right, that gives them a tendency to be muzzle heavy. Even more so with the bull barrel. My recommendations for kids would be the standard barrel 22/45, or the new short-barrel 22/45 Hunter.

 

[ajsilvaoc]

I just bought the 22/45 for my 10 year daughter. it's a great trainer, she loves it. Althought it seems kind of thin to feel like a real 1911 but its a lot of fun to shoot

 

[borrowedtime69]

alternitives?

if youre not completely locked into getting an automatic there are alternitives.

if you are open to other types that would be GREAT for kids, i highly recommend a Ruger Bearcat 6 shot revolver/cowboy gun. they are nice and small for little hands; plus they cant accidently cook off more than one round at a time. it promotes slow, deliberate aiming and learning to work a trigger. plus , its a tough solid little gun that one of your kids will be able to teach thier kids with it. should last for generations.

the other suggestion is a Taurus 94 .22 LR revolver with a 4" barrel. my wife's tiny little hands are very comfortable with the Hogue rubber grips i bought for it.

best of luck to you -Eric

 

[51Cards]

The Hogue Mk II finger-groove grips fit the Mk III, too. I've used the original cocobolos, the thumbrest, and switched to the Hogues. Your som might like them --- they make the gun seem like part of your hand, IMO. Cheap enough, as an experiment. (Yeah, yeah --- I know --- they don't look as nifty as the wood. But I have four guns with the same grips, so everything ssets in my hand the same.)

Enjoy!!!

 

[GVMan]

Rugers web site

Thanks for all the great advice. Not that I know what the designers at Ruger think, but it looks like Ruger recognized that the 22/45 Hunter was a bit muzzle heavy because now the only Hunter model available on their web site is the 22/45 with the fluted barrel. It is a 6 and 7/8 inch barrel but with the carved out flutes the gun only weights 34 oz. I am not that I understand what some of you mean by balanced. Is there a point on the gun around which the gun should be balanced. The trigger for example. Or is balance just a matter of individual feel?

 

[ZeSpectre]

I am not that I understand what some of you mean by balanced. Is there a point on the gun around which the gun should be balanced. The trigger for example. Or is balance just a matter of individual feel?

I think gun balance is a funny thing. Most people want it pretty even around the trigger, I actually prefer a gun to be just slightly nose heavy. It's probably mostly just a personal thing.

 

[Baphomet]

I think most any 10 year old would be thrilled with any MKIII. Period. Balance is a very subjective thing, as was been mentioned above. I too prefer a slightly more muzzle heavy pistol if for no other reason than that it seems to help steady the front sight. It's a very minor thing, IMO, in the overall decision you're trying to make though; I don't think any 10 year old shooter is going to be put off by a pistol that doesn't "balance" well.

As for bull barrel vs. tapered, I'd say let the shooter decide. I think it's more a matter of personal preference than anything else. I happen to think the heavier barrel looks more "balanced". But that's just my opinion on nothing more than aesthetics.

 

[Steve C]

I have to agree with borrowedtime69. A single action revolver is a better teaching tool than any semi automatic.

While the semi may be "fun" for the kids to rip of one round after another down range such shooting is for the most part as effective in teaching good shooting technique as a string of firecrackers. The single action requires them to be more deliberate to learn trigger control and sight alignment. The semi auto has a more complex manual of arms regarding unloading and making safe. It is dificult for the initiate to drop the magazine, clear the chamber engage the safety or lock the slide back to making it safe vrs the SA Ruger revolver with its simple "open the load gate". Since the next shot isn't instantly in the chamber it adds a measure of safety. I've seen many kids and for that matter many adults who forget about muzzle direction and to keep their finger off the trigger after a shot, at least with the SA it won't go off without being cocked. Pistols seem to be the worst with new shootes, you can amost guarantee that you, your son or someone else will be "swept" with the muzzle and if its a semi it most likely will be loaded.

 

[FieroCDSP]

The mark III shoots nice. The cleaning process is overly complex IMO.