Ruger 22/45 vs. Mk II and others

[rauchman]

Greetings all,

I have an itch that needs to be scratched for a .22lr auto. I'm looking for a range gun to shoot target. Not looking to spend over $450 out the door. I was originally considering the Sig/Hammereli Trailside, and while I understand it's very accurate, I don't like that you can't dry fire the gun and I've read it's picky with ammo.

This leads me to the Ruger series of .22's. So, here are my questions.

Are the 22/45's w/ bull barrels as accurate as the Mark II's?
What is considered the optimal barrel length for these pistols?

Are there other recommendations for a .22lr that's under $450?


Thanks,
Ken

 

[45R]

I have a MK II 6 1/2" Tapered barrel and a MKII with 5" Slabside. Both are pretty darn accurate and I've got over 15K rounds through the 6 1/2" It just keeps firing and firing. I think you will be happy with any length. Just find one that fits and balances in your hands well.

Advantage of 22/45 is 1911 grip angle and magazine release.


HTH


45R

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

Been trying to decide the same thing.

The Beretta Neos with blue inserts has caught my eye now. I was all ready to get a MKII, then I remembered I like the feel of the 22/45. But then there is the Beretta. My wife has the Walther P22, and now that it works fine, it is fun, but it is so small...

 

[Pilot]

I have both the MK II 5.5 in bull barrel and 4 in bull barrel 22/45. I like them both, but prefer the MK II as a target pistol for the way it points. I carry the 22/45 as a "lightweight" plinker as the polymer frame is lighter than the MK II's steel frame. I find that a 5.5 bull barrel 22/45 is too nose heavy for my tastes. YMMV.

 

[10-Ring]

I have been totally satisfied w/ my Ruger slabsides.

 

[hillbilly]

Handle both Rugers first.

My wife loves her Ruger Mk II, but hates the grip angle on the 22/45.

hillbilly

 

[DougCxx]

Volquartsen makes a nice target-style rubber grip for the regular Mk II's, right-hand at least (dunno about left?).
.....
Granted, some people don't like the idea of single-handed target-type grips, but my experience has been that they aid in aiming tremendously. The Volqu. isn't adjustable at all, but my hand is large enough that it positions well in the grip.
~

 

[Tropical Z]

The Rugers are certainly fine guns,but i'd lean toward the Beretta Neos.Mine has never skipped a beat and looks COOL!!!

 

[MikeK]

I own both a Trailside with 6" barrel and a 22/45 with the 4" bull barrel. You can dry fire the Trailside, but you need the plastic gizmo they supply (which wear out quickly) or a snap cap (a used casing works, but they also extract). I have also shot some MKII's.

All are accurate guns. The 22/45 has the grip angle and controls of a .45. Try tham all if you can and go with what feels best to you. The Trailside is a breeze to disassemble. However if you want to use a red dot sight it has to come off to disassemble.

Good luck! Let us know what you choose.

 

[JeepDriver]

I just bought a 22/45 I'm really happy with. It's the 4" bull barrel 'Target' model.

The accuracy is pretty good, that is to say more accurate then I am. I was choosing between the 22/45 and the Trailside, deciding factor for me was the price.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I just bought a Ruger Mark II with 6.875" barrel at a good price. The trigger is sloppy, although liter than feared, and the barrel is stamped with a moronic safety message. I've ordered a replacement barrel from http://www.clarkcustomguns.com plus replacement internal parts from http://www.volquartsen.com and stocks from http://jnb.com/~funggrip/index.html

I don't know what I'll do for a scope base, but my Ultra Dot was delivered today from http://www.ultradotusa.com/ud_home.html

I figure by spring, I'll probably have a pretty good plinker, and maybe even a match pistol.

 

[Diane]

Rauch,

You can try my P22 anytime!


Diane

 

[Black Snowman]

I'll throw in my vote for the Browning Buckmarks for most versitile, the EAA imported IZH-35 for most accurate (in your budget), and S&W 22A for most user friendly while maintaining a good trigger and accuracy.

My Dad and a friend both have Slab Sides and I like them for punching paper but they're too nose heavy for my liking and the trigger isn't as good as my 5.5 Target buckmark. For accurate rapid fire I have an easier time getting on target with my Browning.

There are so many good .22LR pistols out there that you really have your work cut out for you picking one.

 

[P95Carry]

I shot with various mkII's many years ago ... always wanted one. Finished up getting a 22/45 after seeing it in local store .... handled it and felt good. I have the longer barrel ... 5 1/2" but like that - always favor weight up front.

I have not been disappointed at all ... quite the opposite .... one of those purchases that sit very comfortably! It is a great plinker but when put to the test on serious target work, it is very good indeed.

 

[VictorLouis]

Steel Ruger MKIIs balance best in their

tapered barrel lengths. Anything over the 5.5" bull barrel gets to be a bit much. The 22/45 is every bit as accurate, while being lighter to hold. Another benefit with them is that their mags are far easier to load than the MkIIs. This is a real big deal if kids and/or dainty females will be shooting with you. Otherwise, YOU'll be the one stuck with all of the loading!.

While I've had a couple examples each of both model Rugers, I've now went back to BuckMarks. Lighter than MKIIs, with better triggers and easier controls right out of the box. You can even get spare barrels for them. I like how the chamber is visible from either side no matter how the pistol may be laid onto the bench.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I took the above-mentioned Ruger to the range today. The trigger was terrible. Numerous failures to extract. Several failures to feed. Returned home, I followed the instructions to take it apart for cleaning. After wasting four hours carefully following the instructions, I've still got a disassembled Ruger.

I'll never buy another Ruger anything under any circumstances.

 

[P95Carry]

Surprised that bad SW ... and disappointed for you too.

If that much of an apparent lemon then I think even if you resolve to never buy Ruger again ... a stiff letter to Sturm Ruger would be in order ...... see what happens.

Outa interest .. tho it should not be that fussy ... what ammo??

 

[Standing Wolf]

P95Carry:

I shot 250 rounds of a variety of low-, medium-, and high-ticket ammunition. In all fairness, it handled 30 rounds of C.C.I. Stingers with no failures to extract, but it failed to extract at least a few rounds of everything else I fed it. I forgot to mention the bolt failed to lock back after the last round about 10% to 20% of the time.

I'm sorry I ordered all the replacement parts and accessories before I shot the gun. In fact, I'm sorry I bought the gun at all. Maybe the Volquartsen replacement guts and my gunsmith's efforts will make it a better shooter, but it ought to have worked right out of the box.

Too bad Honda doesn't make firearms.

 

[Kruzr]

Mark 2's need some breaking in. I'd suggest you shoot a brick of high velocity ammo. If your FTE's were stovepipes, you can slightly file the rear lips of the mags. Sometimes they interfere with the ejector. Put a mag in and lock back the slide. See if the rear lips overlap the ejector. If so, take a little bit off them.

For learning how to strip and how to put in the Volquartsen stuff, take a look at yzguy's site. You should also consider a trigger shield from Ontarget guns.

yzguy's site:

http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/index.htm

Ontarget:

http://www.ontargetguns.com/

Once they are broken in, understand the relationship of the hammer strut and mainspring housing, and you solve the stovepipe problems, they are great guns.

 

[DougCxx]

flip it over!

Rugers are a b*tch to put back together without help the first time--you are certainly not the first person to ask, nor will you be the last. -And even I admit they are ugly, but they shoot darn well and last a long time.
-----------------------
Others have posted tips and links, but the simple clue I was told was this: flip it over
1) cock the hammer back: push it back and down into the handle assembly.
2) join the handle and the receiver....
3) insert the backstrap pin but leave the backstrap hanging out until you-
4) pull the trigger, freeing the hammer.....
5) then hold the gun upright (in the "normal firing" position), and tilt the muzzle up and over, 135 degrees--so the gun is now upside down and pointing backwards 45 degrees. Now, the backstrap should snap in easily.
----------------
Note #1: ---joining the handle and receiver is much more difficult if the hammer is not cocked back at that point (step #2)
Note #2: ---if you did not fire the gun after joining the handle and receiver you can still get it together but there's more effort required to push the backstrap in, because you're fighting against the tension of a hammer spring somewhere in there.

~

 

[Dorrin79]

Standing Wolf -

Sorry your MKII turned out to be a bad example of the breed!

Mine had some similar ejection/feeding problems when I got it. Try shooting a lot of premium ammo through it to loosen up the action a bit. Mine has had almost no problems with CCI Minimags and Stingers.

Reassembly is a pain, but on the flip side, there's really no reason to disassemble it in the first place. Mine has gone 1500 rounds since the last time I took it down with no problems (just occasionally wipe the buildup out of the chamber)

Don't know what to tell you about the trigger - mine has a clean-breaking 3-4# trigger that I am very happy with.

 

[mrstang01]

So, Standing Wolf, what will you take for you box of parts? I know the feeling, I took my Ruger down for cleaning, worst cussing I ever gave a gun.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I got it back together today in about ten minutes with almost no cursing. I wiped it down, wrapped it up, and tossed it in the bottom of the gun safe. I don't even want to think about that @#$%^&! gun for awhile!

I could probably put in the Volquartsen parts myself, but I'm going to turn it over to my friendly local gunsmith when the Clark barrel gets here, and let him do the yelling and cursing and swearing and hopping up and down.

Field stripping and reassembling that lousy pistol is more work than stripping a Colt revolver to the frame and reassembling it!

 

[BryanP]

Fortunately completely field stripping the 22/45 isn't something you have to do very often. I love my 5.5" Bull Barrell 22/45. I usually just run a borenake through it a few times and use a small brush & Q-tip with the slide locked back. She just keeps shooting.