Ruger MK3? 22/45?

[Howland937]

Picked this up this afternoon. Thought it odd that I didn't currently own a .22 semi-auto handgun so I've been looking for a few weeks.
Is the MK3 and the 22/45 the same thing? I haven't found anything except MK3 on this one. It's got some cosmetic issues with a little rust here and there.... and the sights are. Well... different.
Got some work to do to clean it up, but first to see if it'll function and how well it shoots. I know the old ones had a pretty solid reputation. Are these still pretty decent?

 

[railroader]

That's a MK3. The 22/45 has a different grip angle similar to a 1911.

 

[Howland937]

That's a MK3. The 22/45 has a different grip angle similar to a 1911.

Oh, ok. So are they decent? As good mechanically as the others or is it a problematic variation?

 

[memtb]

Very good handgun! Unless you’ve “won the bad luck lottery”......I think you’ll be pretty darn happy! Good Luck! memtb

 

[danez71]

Oh, ok. So are they decent? As good mechanically as the others or is it a problematic variation?

Those are good. Very good imo. Durable and customizable.

I'm guessing that if you wanted any better, you would have already known it

The MK4 have a easier takedown than the 3 but its a real good 22lr.

Shoot the snot out of it, enjoy, and pass it to your kid. He should be able to do the same with it too. Repeat for the trifecta.


The Ruger MK? series (or 22/45 for that matter) vs the Browning Buckmarks are what people usually argue about.

Either of them often fall into the catagory of: 'Everyone should have one, or more.'

 

[Howland937]

I wasn't looking hard for one and had thought I'd probably try a 1911 copy .22 since most of my other handguns are 1911 variants. My dad has an old Mk I he's had for years and it's been solid. Just thought I'd heard of some of the newer ones having issues.

Just put 100 rounds through it and it functioned perfectly with every ammo I tried except for the 710fps CCI Quiets. Didn't expect it to cycle them but I was hoping maybe. Accuracy was definitely acceptable and 6" steel at 25 yards was NBD.

Think it'll be a good, cheap trainer too.

 

[danez71]

My dad has an old Mk I he's had for years and it's been solid. Just thought I'd heard of some of the newer ones having issues.

I can't remember which and exactly why, but some people say the MK 1 or 2 is the best one. I think maybe lack of mag disconnect and warnings on the barrel.

The newest model that been produced are the MK4s that were introduced a handful of years ago.

I think the MK3s were discontinued pretty quickly after the MK4 was introduce.

 

[Buzznrose]

I have a Mk3 22-45 Target model. I mounted a red dot on it and it is a tack driver.

 

[mjsdwash]

The MK3 is an excellent firearm. In my rare opinion, its the absolute best of the standard family.
Many advantages over the MK1
The only big advantage over the MKll is the American style mag release.
disadvantage is the loaded chamber indicator, which cause out of battery firings in mine. It was replaced and has not done it since.
Second disadvantage, Ruger sold these with defective extractors for years. They work well, but wear out quickly, and cause feed malfunctions. The extractor acts as a feedguide in these so wear causes both feed and extraction problems. Good news, Volquartzen sells a cheap replacement extractor that lasts 10's of thousands of rounds, and takes 1/2 hour to install.

The MKlll advantage over the 22/45 and MK4 is that its not made of weaker materials, and balances better with its heavy grip frame.
Had I known Ruger was going to discontinue these I would have bought 6 when they were $300. These are incredibly accurate, durable. I have seem many dating from the 60's or 70's, some with over 100,000 rounds, and they still work, and still shoot well.
Be advised, these have magazine safeties, but also have a strange takedown procedure that requires dry firing. Having to have the magazine in them while dry firing increases risk of accident, so be careful.

Most importantly, you WILL hear people complain they're hard to clean. Thats true, but what they don't tell you is that you DON'T have clean them. A wipedown of the bolt and where it travels and oil it up, and thats all the cleaning it will need for about 5000 rounds. If you need to clean it better, its about a 1 hour job to take it apart clean and reassemble the first few times. After awhile, you get the motions figured out, and its a 20 minute job.

Congratulations on the best rimifire pistol ever made

 

[Howland937]

Congratulations on the best rimifire pistol ever made

Thanks, and your confidence in the design makes me feel better.
I figured out right away that it has a mag safety, which I'm not crazy about. The loaded chamber indicator is another thing that I'm not accustomed to, but I'll live with it. It's in ok shape, save for a few small rust areas and the fingernail polish on the sights. I gave $300 for it, which was a bit more than I wanted to pay, but I think it'll clean up well.

Now just gotta decide if I'm going all in with the Volquartzen upgrades or leaving it stock. I'm terrible at leaving well enough alone.
Mama shot a couple mags through it and said I gotta keep it...which is fine, and may mean I get to reclaim the P238 she says is hers.

 

[murf]

the grip screws and the front sight screw come loose. the rear sight pivot pin comes out occasionally. blue locktite on the screws and a slight bend to the pin will fix these issues.

i sold a mkIII to my brother and told him "if you miss, it's not the gun". i use my other mk pistols to fix shooter problems.

everyone should have a ruger mk pistol, imo.

luck,

murf

 

[mjsdwash]

Now just gotta decide if I'm going all in with the Volquartzen upgrades or leaving it stock. I'm terrible at leaving well enough alone.
Mama shot a couple mags through it and said I gotta keep it...which is fine, and may mean I get to reclaim the P238 she says is hers.

I would do this one, the extractor its the only modification mine has (excluding the replacement chamber indicator). My MKlll ran 1000 or so flawlessly, actually becoming the most reliable auto I had ever seen... then non-stop feedjams. Research led to this, and as they said, my extractor had worn round/gouged. Put this in, and had about 3 malfunction in many,many bricks of cheap stuff. I did 3 10/22's with the same malfunction pattern, and they run perfect too.
If you shoot it a lot, consider the https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultimate-C...k-II-III-IV-and-22-45-Magazines-/253600575220 it really works. Be warned, this will get your barrel hot, and they are near impossible to replace. i load the mags with it but give it time to cool.
https://volquartsen.com/inventory_configurations/811

 

[Tallball]

I have a Standard and a Mark II. They are both excellent. So is my FiL's MKIII.

None of the three has given us any trouble.

Field stripping it isn't THAT big of a deal, but I only do it after 500 rounds or so.

Ruger Mark II 22lr

• Tallball
• Jul 25, 2020

 

[1KPerDay]

+1 to everything @mjsdwash said. I put a Clark hammer bushing and a VQ sear and trigger in mine, removed the LCI, installed a LCI filler, and did the slingshot mod on the slide stop. Fantastic pistol.

 

[JohnB-40]

In a fool move I sold my MK 1. It was my first pistol purchase,still regret doing so,I put it down to the impulse of youth. I have replaced it with a MK 3 22/45 target on a Volquartsen 1911 target frame. It is now hands down my favorite of my pistols to shoot.

 

[Spats McGee]

Congratulations! You have a Mk 3, but not a 22/45. I've had several Mark pistols over the years and I've always had good luck. FWIW, my Mk4 22/45 doesn't like subsonics, but that's the only ammo it doesn't like.

 

[Howland937]

Congratulations! You have a Mk 3, but not a 22/45. I've had several Mark pistols over the years and I've always had good luck. FWIW, my Mk4 22/45 doesn't like subsonics, but that's the only ammo it doesn't like.

I was cautiously optimistic that mine would run on subsonics. No dice.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Congrats on the MK3. I have a MK3 and 4 22/45 Target. And a 22/45 target. There enjoyable shooters.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

From this chair, it doesn't appear that anything has been changed on your newly acquired pistol. I think you have a great idea concerning a good cleaning of that pistol before anything else, as at this point, you might not have much of a history as to where it has been and what it has done.
CCI Mini-Mags run very well in these pistols and are what Ruger uses to test returns after any parts replacement. Once you run several hundred rounds through you Ruger, you will then get a better idea as to what, if anything, you'd like to replace, remove or just plain live with.
The magazine disconnect is, for most, a real PITA to deal with when it comes time to "field strip". BTW, you can download a manual from Ruger if you didn't get one of those with the gun.
I've been dealing, and working with, Ruger Mark pistols since 1970 and have seen pretty much as to what can be expected of these pistols and where some things can go wrong and then where improvements can be made, "safely" to make owners even more content with their purchase.
If anything, the Mark III is a much "lawyered up" version of the Ruger Mark II, involving the LCI (loaded chamber indicator) and magazine disconnect features, which can all be thwarted, again, SAFELY, to make the pistol more accommodating for the owner:



The above pistol is the stainless steel version of yours. It has had the LCI replaced, an adjustable trigger for pre and over-travel, the magazine disconnect replaced with a "new and improved" hammer bushing, a much better functioning extractor and an extended magazine release. All to the wishes of the current owner.