Ruger Mark III or 22/45 .22 advice

[desert gator]

My father has been a rifle and shotgun guy his whole life. He grew up hunting and shooting guns from a very young age. He has never like handguns though, I think mostly because he was told by his father that they are to dangerous. Anyway, I am only into handguns and dont care as much for rifles and shotguns. As of the last few weeks he has started to gain an interest in the Ruger .22 handguns. His birthday is coming up and I thought that I would buy him one and maybe that will start him into handguns. I dont know anything about them though and was wondering which one would be best to get him. Im looking to spend +/- 300. Reliability and accuracy are his main concerns. I have asked what he thinks about the brownings, or maybe a sig mosquito, but these Rugers seem to be the only ones he is interested in. So what model do you guys think would be best.

 

[MacTech]

It comes down to what grip angle fits him better, the Mark II/III series have a more extreme grip angle, the 22/45 has a more upright "1911-style" grip angle

personally, I'd recommend trying to find an excellent condition used Mark II, the Mark III has some rather dubious "enhancements" that add nothing to the gun, and actually detract from it

The MkIII adds the following "improvements"
Magazine Disconnect; the pistol will not fire if the mag is removed, this device adds unneeded mechanical complexity, and makes an already annoying takedown for cleaning even more annoying
Loaded Chamber Indicator; more places for crud to build up, and can potentially compromise eject reliability, also is contrary to Jeff Cooper's Rule 1 "All guns are always loaded"
Locking mechanism; another potential failure point

The MkII was the epitome, the apex, the nadir of the Ruger Mark series, the Mark III is a "Lawyered-Up" "Nannystate-Compliant" pistol, none of the "improvements" actually improve a bloody thing, in fact, they're drawbacks, IMHO

 

[midiwall]

$300 is gonna be skitchy depending on which Mark III you're looking at if you're buying new:
http://bit.ly/9GA9o7
(that's just a quick search example)

I would _NOT_ recommend the Mosquito as something to give someone in an attempt to try to get them into handguns. While I don't have problems with mine, they _are_ picky on ammo (CCI MiniMags please!). The Browning would be a nice option.

That said, I love my Mark III (it's a 6 7/8") it's way accurate and just fun to shoot & shoot & shoot. Two addons that you may also wanna consider:

While the Mark III is much more lax about what you put in it than the Sig, it can have issues tossing unjacketed ammo. This will fix that:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=363360

And, you'll soon get tired of loading those mags, so you want one of these:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=523189

 

[desert gator]

Thanks for the replies guys. Here is a pic of the one that he held at the gunstore. The other one that I have looked at is the more modern looking one in the other pic. Its just hard to buy a gun for someone as a present without them shooting it first. I want to keep it a surprise though so Im digging for info.

 

[tlen]

Whichever Ruger series you choose be sure to get an adjustable sight model that are drilled & tapped for a scope base that is included. A red dot scope is a great thing especially with older eyes.
Don't sweat the MKIII "improvements" [AKA LCI & mag disconnect]; they can both be easily removed if you choose to do so.
http://www.guntalk-online.com/service.html

 

[midiwall]

The one on the left is a 6", the right is a 5". He'll be happy with the accuracy of either one, and either one will get you at your budget (based on online pricing, in-store will possibly be higher, but you'll balance that against the cost of shipping & FFL transfer fees).

One thing... The take-down of these guns is "interesting". There are a number of threads here and web sites around that document it. Actually, the take-down is "easy", the "puttin' it back together so that it works" is the fun part. Do it a couple of times and you're fine, but it's not the easiest thing in the world to do out of the box.

I mention it 'cause if you guys are good about cleaning your guns, then don't let the frustration build into "what the heck did I buy this piece of *(*(@&$*(@! for???".

 

[Lv4snobrdg]

Rifle shooters like the "extreme" grip angle, a gift is a gift and which every you choose he will adore it.

 

[HisSoldier]

If he likes plastic get the 22/45, if he likes steel get the Mk III.

 

[Old Shooter]

I've had the Mark I, II and III, all have been good guns and worked fine for me. My current one is the Mark III 22/45 and it is a tack driver. When it comes time to clean it just get the book out and take your time, it's not really that big of a deal. The trick is in getting things to line up during re-assembly and after the first go-around when you know what goes where it's no harder than doing a good cleaning on a 1911, im my opinion. And by the way, these Rugers will go for a long time without cleaning so don't think this is a chore for after every outing.

The only question should be "plastic or steel"

He will enjoy whichever you get for him.

 

[Comanche180]

I personally prefer the steel gun with the highly angled grip over the 22/45. It's not the angle tha makes a difference, it's the size of the grip. The grip on the 22/45 is smaller. I also like the weight of the all steel gun over the lighter polymer frame. But they are all good shooters. He will like whatever you pick.