Which .22 pistol is best for me.

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wolverine_173

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I am looking for a .22 pistols, i dont shoot 1911's so the GSG is out.

Im looking mostly at the ruger mark III the ruger mark III 22/45 and the ruger SR22

the main difference i notice is that the 22/45 is a polymer lower.

I want something that will last a long time. I hear that the take down part on the SR22 tends to break. so that is a turn off.

Do you think the polymer is just as strong and durable as the all metal ruger mark III? I dont care about the weight just which one will last the longest.

Also this may be a dumb questions do they still make the mark II?
 
I have both polymer Ruger .22/45 and an all steel Mark II. I expect both of them to last longer than I will. Ruger no longer makes the Mark II, but they are easy to find used.
 
I imagine that the metal lower would be able to take more abuse but the polymer you dont have to worry about rust.
 
There is NO stress on the grip frame of a Mk 3 pistol. It'll last as long as the metal version. All the workings are in the barrel, receiver and the polymer Ruger uses is strong as it gets. They don't even use a metal insert in the P95, run the slide on polymer rails and it'll last as long as most any gun of its type. Don't worry about the polymer.

I own a Mk 2 and a SR22. They are totally different and for me, are for different uses. I shoot both at the range, of course. I fully expect the SR22 to last the rest of MY life, turn 60 in November. I have about 1400 rounds through it with no indication of a problem. I think anyone who's broken the take down latch is ham fisted. It does take a screw driver for me to unlatch it. My fingernails aren't strong enough. Take down is MUCH simpler than the Mark 2, for sure. I never take the Mark 2 apart, anyway, just lock the bolt open and clean from the ejection port and run a bore brush down the muzzle. Never fails me and it's got many thousands of rounds through it. If it ever gets dirty down in the innards and starts causing problems, then I'll do it. I have the youtube vids bookmarked. :D

My Mk 2 shoots 1" groups at 50 yards, that with federal bulk pack. My SR22, sights on a slide and not fixed on the barrel/frame like the Mk 2 (actually, my Mk 2 has a scope on it), has shot a best group of 1.5" at 25 yards with RWS Target. Federal bulk pack is more affordable plinking ammo, of course, and shoots 2" groups at 25, plenty good enough for tin cans or use as a kit gun afield. It's all in what you want between these two pistols as they fill different niches. The SR22 is 17 ounces, fits in a large pocket. The Mk 2 is HEAVY and is even a pain to carry on a belt. My scoped Mk 2 gets carried in a UM's shoulder holster afield when I'm hunting.

Either one is a great plinker. There is, of course, a lot more aftermarket for the Mk series and one can build a winning bullseye gun from a Mk 2/3 using the aftermarket. But, I'm not into bullseye shooting. Either gun will outlast ME. I think the Mk 2 has the best chance at outlasting my heir. :D

Then, also, there's the Browning Buckmark, always mentioned in the high quality plinker 22 threads and for good reason.
 
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interesting, let me know how your SR22 holds up. People that broke the take down lever said it happened around 4000-5000 rounds. Part of the problem is that it acts as the seat for the recoil spring as well which adds pressure to it everytime you shoot.

Ill go for the ruger mark III or the mark III 22/45. probably the mark III because its all metal which i believe will hold up for the long run.
 
Well, hell, if it DOES break the take down latch, I'll fix it. My mag release spring in my KP90DC broke. One call to Ruger and the replacement was in the mail box in 3 days free of charge. The gun it replaces in this Niche will likely have been replaced twice in 5K rounds, a zinc Phoenix Arms HP22. The Ruger is much more durable and a bit more accurate and LIGHTER, though it's a little larger, but still pocketable.
 
Mark II & III's and Buckmarks are all great guns. But if you spend some time on http://www.rimfirecentral.com, you'll see almost all the Ruger guys replace about half the internal moving parts. The Buckmark guys just flip one part and their good to go.
 
i would not replace anything. im just using it for plinking so i dont waste all my money on ammo. and out of the box i can shoot them more accurately than my 9mm.
 
I have a MK II, no longer available new, replaced by MK III. I have put several thousand bullets downrange with it.

Oldest brother has an EARLY Ruger, the one with 9-round magazines. IIRC, he bought it in 1967 or so, and it still puts the lead where you aim.
 
Don't put too much thought into the whole "get a used MK2 over a new MK3" argument unless you really hate loaded chamber indicators and magazine out safeties because that is the main reason people dislike the MK3. Unless you're a competition shooter, in which you'll change a number of parts anyways, these features won't matter much with the intended use of the gun.

They say the trigger is rougher because of the magazine out safety but it still feels fine to me and allows for great accuracy.

My MK3 has been completely reliable and will shoot anything I put into it.
 
Browning buck mark!


Or Ruger mk3. Or 22/45 lite. Seems like enough people are still beta testing the sr22 that your chances of trouble are higher than with a tried and true 22/45 design, and the aftermarket is way bigger and you can make the trigger awesome very easily.

Sr22 is cool, just not my choice.
 
I have a Walter P22, a Glock Conversion by Advantage Arms and a Sig conversion for my P220.

However, I was at the store the other day, and I found a Mark II Ruger Target with the 6 7/8" slatside barrel. It's heavy but a great little pistol to shoot, I didn't break mine down. I used a bore snake and ran it through a few times.
 
The choices... Ruger Mark III (or Mark II), Ruger 22/45, and Ruger SR22P. My rationale for a decision between them.

Mark III and 22/45: Solid performers. I'd buy the bull barrel version. The MkIII is very accurate, but not as easy to carry around as a 22/45 with the 5" bull barrel. Great gun if you like the 1911 style grip angle. Accuracy is about equal. So choose based which feels better in your hand.

SR22P: Fun little semi-auto pistol. I have one and it has been reliable so far. I am not as accurate a shooter with it as compared to the Mark III (I have a Mark II with 5.5" bull barrel). If you want something that is reasonably accurate and light to carry around in the woods, on walks, or simple plinking, I would choose this one.

Otherwise the choice is between the other two and I would choose based on how each feels in your hand. You won't regret buying either gun. Better for hunting or target shooting, obviously great for plinking.
 
You can't go wrong with a Ruger. I have a Mark II, 5.5 bull SS and I just got a Mark III 22/45, 5.5 blue. Both are great guns and they are not hard to take apart for cleaning, in my experience. Ruger has great customer service, from what I read. My Mark II is twelve years old and never a problem. Lots of after market parts available if you like to tinker. Mine are both stock except for the HI-Vis front site on the Mark II. Good luck with your new gun and safe shooting.
 
I have two .22 LR's. The S & W 617 10 shot stainless revolver and the Browning buckmark also 10 shots.
I like the buckmark it costs alot less than the S & W 617, more accurate and more fun.
 
My first (and only) .22 pistol is the 22/45 Mk III. I have the RP bull barrel target version. I kept it stock for a couple thousand rounds and loved it. I did put a red dot on it to help my old eyes out a bit. After plenty of rounds down range, I decided to tinker a bit and replaced the sear and trigger and got rid of the silly mag disconnect. I also did the slingshot mod which allows you to release the bolt simply by pulling it back and releasing without having to push the bolt release button down. I absolutely LOVE this gun. It gets more use than all my other guns put together.
 
Save you money and try the Phoenix Arms HP22. Great little gun for a very good price.
 
When looking at the MkII vs MkIII I would also consider your shooting and how the magazine is released. I shoot at a local range for fun in some timed runs. Some require a mag change. Everyone using a semi auto is running one with a button mag release. It's a big difference. If you want to play in some of the rimfire based 3-gun matches/practices it again is a big difference. A few buddies and I play our own version with a M&P 15-22 and either a buckmark or mkIII. For even my casual use the bottom magazine latch is enough of a reason for me to deal with replacing internals on a mkIII over using a mkII.
 
I love my MKII and my SR22 and plan on a 22/45 soon enough. One can never have too many 22's.

I really don't think the takedown lever is a problem except on some of the early versions from what I've read on algores innerwebs. My little SR has taken the place of my m&p on hikes, fishing, and soon to be hunting season. It works and like most rugers eats whatever I feed it.
 
If I were to buy another .22, it would be either an SR22 or a MKIII. I had a S&W 22a and had some minor problems. But I also felt the .22 was a waste of time. I traded it in on a .40. But I just fired 100 rnds through an SR22 and liked it. I was using it to check out a laser sight as a rental at a range. The SR22 impressed me as fun to shoot with an easy trigger and a good feel. But it might be a little light resulting in unsteady aiming. I fired a MkIII over 40 years ago but I liked it as a basic gun that was easy to shoot. I think with iron sights I could shoot the MkIII more accurately than the SR22 but that's just me - old and obsolete.
 
Save you money and try the Phoenix Arms HP22. Great little gun for a very good price.
Click to expand...

Not a good choice for an often used plinker that will see a lot of rounds. The things just don't hold up. they do have a lifetime warranty, but I prefer better built quality. I have an HP22, know from where I talk. I have had to mess with that thing to keep it running, PITA sometimes. The frame hasn't cracked, yet. They're supposed to last about 5K rounds, probably have 2500 rounds through mine. I've had it for 20 years, but it screws up on occasion and I've bought better guns since. The redeeming quality of that HP22 was it cost me 70 bucks brand new. It is NOT a long haul reliable weapon, though. Works for a while.....

Spend a little more money and get a LOT better firearm. Get a Ruger...or Browning. My SR22 has replaced that HP22, more accurate, better materials of construction, lighter to carry afield.
 
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