Favorite .22 HandGun?

[FlyinGN]

Jay, I have a mark III competition and it is a jam o matic.. Horrible gun... Worst jamming gun I ever owned. Had a smith rebuild it and it still did it. Its an expensive paperweight now..

Sometimes if you know what yer doing, ya stay with a product that works, and the MKII and Buckmark models have been around long enuff that the bugs are worked out.
Use caution witht he Victor, do some shopping around.
If you really want a killer 22 pistol, and are looking at the Victor, look at the S&W Mod 41, they are fantastic.
Avoid the current Histandard Citations and such.
Frankly, i still think you wont go wrong with a good new or used Ruger MKII or III...I prefer the MKII as it has metal sights, but the MKIII has a standard mag release button, not a heel clip release like the MKIIs.
Also I prefer the stainless model for ease of maintenance, and my sweat is fairly acidic, and I mess up a nice blued finish pretty quick.
Buckmark Target model works good too.

Avoid all the other model S&Ws, I had one I bought for my Dad, never did get it working, traded it in on a 5" MKII, 50th anniversary model.
Dad had a much better time with that.

[1927A1]

Dan Wesson would be my first choice if they were still made. But I must say that I am very impressed with my Ruger MkIII. The MkIII is still in its break in period in my book, but works very well. I also have a Ruger Single Six that I can take or leave, it just rounds things out a little.

[Frenchy]

Jay, I have a mark III competition and it is a jam o matic.. Horrible gun... Worst jamming gun I ever owned. Had a smith rebuild it and it still did it. Its an expensive paperweight now..

http://www.pafoa.org/forum/showpost....20&postcount=9 is where I wrote about the 22/45 a pistol that is very close in looks to the Ruger mk series. Most people think they have a MK ll or Mk lll when in reality they own a 22/45. If the paper weight is a problem, send it back to Ruger telling them what the problem is. If you prefer not to send it to them, I have a perfect (cant format it) 80 gig paper weight here I would willingly trade for it

[LorDiego01]

What is the difference between the Mark II and the Mark III?

[Frenchy]

What is the difference between the Mark II and the Mark III?

The biggest difference is the pin that shows when the gun is loaded, other then that, the parts are pretty well all the same. Although I have heard many say the MK lll you don't need to pound on it to remove the barrel as you did with the MKl and Mkll.

Wife liked the Neos for both its looks and weight, so we went that way, Its not like she shoots it often, but she wanted a pistol .22 as her Ruger single 6 gets a bit long to shoot. Mind you for accuracy, I would opt for the Single 6

The neos is accurate once you get the rear sight in place, problem is, you have to "glue" the sight in place. There is a windage screw, but it is mainly a decoration as the rear sight is plastic.

[Arcana71]

The more I think about it, the more that Browning BuckMark keeps calling out to me. This might happen soon... after, of course, some extensive "nerd-level" research.

[JayBell]

Gah...I agree on the trailside.
Against my heavy objections, a buddy I got into guns bought one.
Its been back to the factory 3 times, and still never works right.
For some reason, he didn't like my MKIIs LOOKS, not the way it works...but it appears hes going to dump the trailside, and buy a MKII.

live and learn.

Hes a liberal in his politics, but I have him firmly swayed on the gun issue, to the point where he writes letters about it to his reps.
Shame hes a democrat, but nobody is perfect:-)

[jcisbig]

When you mention that the 22/45's don't feed reliably well and that they jam frequently, are we talking about the old 22/45's or the new 22/45 mk III's? I'm interested in getting a mk III, and prefer the 22/45 over the standard, so I'm just seeking some clarification. thanks

[Tralfaz]

Great thread!

I owned a Ruger Mark II several years ago and experienced no reliability or accuracy issues, though I did have other issues with the gun. The first is something all Ruger owners probably have experienced: that pain-in-the-neck mainspring. It's difficult to remove and replace when you need to disassemble and clean the pistol. The other issue was a loose fit between the barrel/bolt assembly and the receiver. This didn't affect accuracy but the play between the two shouldn't have been there. I understand it's often the result of a bent lug and can be fixed, but I sold the pistol before trying any remedies.

I currently shoot a Ruger Single Six revolver in .22. It has a great trigger and is very accurate, with no reliability issues. Recommended, though maybe not for everyone as it's a single action revolver.

I've also tried a Colt Diamondback in .22LR, owned by a friend. Hands down, it's the nicest .22 I've shot. Beautiful workmanship and terrific accuracy, though no longer made. Still, if I found one I could afford, this is the one I'd go for.

Finally, I have some thoughts on the High Standard Victor. It's a great pistol, designed for serious target shooting (i.e., not a field gun). The trigger is adjustable for pull weight, the pistol has a very long sight plane with an excellent sight picture, the long barrel and barrel weight keep it steady, and the grip angle is the same as the 1911. That said, it's not for everyone. It's very picky when it comes to ammunition and needs to be kept scrupulously clean. There's no feed ramp per se so the magazine lips need to feed the cartridge at just the right angle. A competent smith can help to set this up, and Brownell's offers spare magazines. Finally, I feel I need to add some sort of disclaimer here: The Victor that's for sale at SPAG is mine. Since its value as a collectible has gotten so high (and I like to shoot the pistols I own) I decided to sell it. If there's any interest out there, please send me a Personal Message and we can discuss.

[RUDY850]

I have a ruger mark 2 and a ruger bearcat. I find my self shooting the bearcat most of the time. fun little gun.