Advice - MKIII or MKIII 22/45 ?

[Gosomer]

Hi guys I'm looking for some real world advice. I've been looking at the Ruger MKIII for awhile and decided I was going to buy the MKIII 5.5 Bull Barrel Blued model . When I went to Richland shooters supply I saw They had a MKIII 22/45. It felt good in my hand as did the regular MKIII, The 22/45 has the composite plastic grip and trigger assembly.... not sure if I'm a fan of that? It is also much cheaper than the regular MKIII. is this because of the plastic used?....What would you buy and why?...are there any known differences in accuracy or reliability/longevity. Thanks in advance for your time.

[farmplinker]

I don't have any MKIII pistols, but I do have two MKII versions similar to both pistols you looked at. I have a target 678GC with a 6 7/8" bull barrel and a 22/45 with a shorter barrel.

The 22/45 is quite a bit less expensive. It's fun to shoot, but it feels a bit top-heavy due to the plastic grip and metal upper. I don't think there is any inherent accuracy difference between the two, nor would I worry about any reliability difference. Both are accurate and fairly reliable. I use the word "fairly", because both of mine have the occassional failure to feed or failure to eject, but I think that is pretty common with most .22 pistols.

I wouldn't hesitate on either one, but would weigh which one feels best in your hand, which you like better and the price.

[PisnNapalm]

I've only shot my MKIII 22/45. I can't compare it to the standard MKIII or MKII versions. I do know that I love shooting it.

[LightningMcQueen784]

The main difference is the grip angle.

The MkIII has a steeper grip angle, while the MkIII 22/45 has a more straight up and down grip angle that is the same as a 1911 pistol.
In my experience, since I love shooting my 1911, it makes more sense to have a .22 that has the same grip angle to have fun with.

I was at the shoot last month, and ran the fun-house a few times: first 2 times with a 2011 and 1911, then with my Glock. When I was shooting with the 2011 and 1911, all my shots were right where I wanted them from the first shot to the last. When I ran it with the Glock, oh man.... the first couple of shots shot WAY high- I was only tracking my front sight, and not really using the rear sights... I was trying to go a little faster, and relied a LOT on muscle memory... drew from holster, pushed the gun out, BANG, the next thing I noticed, hole on the target was on the head rather than torso. Looked at my gun, it was pointing up - I had used my 1911 grip on the Glock. Lesson learned. :-P

1) There's a reason why it's good to practice a lot with your carry firearm - and not to switch it once your muscle is trained to use it efficiently.

2) REALLY use your sights. BOTH set of sights - namely the front AND the rear.

3) REALLY pay attention to what you're doing ALL the time... if I had been shooting at higher targets, there might not have been a back-stop for my bullets, and they would've gone across town and hit someone or someone's house.


The (small) downside, however, is that it's more top heavy as mentioned before.

Conclusion: I love shooting my 1911 and its grip angle works the best with me, so I bought the MkII 22/45 rather than a MkII. It's been shooting great! and it's an easy transition between my Ruger and my 1911.

Hope this helps.
LMcQ

[Scottjr]

I have both guns, my wife also has the 22/45 and we like both guns, the 22/45 at least IMHO is the better gun, for someone else they may like something else. I must say for some strange reason my Mark III 22/45 only likes shooting the good amo. kinda like my better half if something cost more thats what she will like! (grin) and another thing thoes darn guns are a pitta to field strip, but after a hundred times or so I'm getting better. Da

[Gosomer]

Thanks for the feed back its all helpful. I'm still torn between the two, I guess my two major conflicts are price and plastic....if price wasn't an issue I would go with the MKIII but money is tight....if the 22/45 didn't have plastic grips I would buy it. My reasoning is this, I shoot a lot by myself and with my kids 7 and 10 years old. I average about 1000 rds a week. Just by sheer use and the fact that I'm teaching to young shooters the ropes the gun I buy needs to be solid and very durable. I believe the MKIII fits this bill, but I'm also planning on buying a 1911 style hand gun in the distant future and have read a lot about muscle memory and shooting practice guns that match the grip angle etc. which the 22/45 would be perfect for but with the plastic lower end I don't know if it would stand up to the abuse. I will be making this decision anytime between now and Monday. I've made purchases in the past for what I thought were the right reasons and wound up wishing I had went the other way and it turned out costing me more money in the long run. Well anyway hopefully I'll write on Tuesday which way I decided to go . Maybe.......LOL

[greener]

Get the one that feels best and best suits your needs and budget. There is no difference in accuracy between the two. Although steel should outlast polymer, unless you plan to use them as hammers, I'm not sure you will see the difference. I have a MKII GC, MKIII Hunter and MKIII 22/45 that get shot regularly. Can't say I've seen any more wear on one than the others. You will enjoy either.

[farmplinker]

but I'm also planning on buying a 1911 style hand gun in the distant future and have read a lot about muscle memory and shooting practice guns that match the grip angle etc. which the 22/45 would be perfect for but with the plastic lower end I don't know if it would stand up to the abuse.

If you plan on buying a 1911, I would definitely recommend the 22/45. If you plan on having kids shoot the pistol, the lower weight of the 22/45 is also a plus. And I wouldn't worry about the plastic grip in terms of using it. The energy and recoil is mostly absorbed by the steel parts, and the plastic itself seems very strong and durable. Shooting it does not represent "abuse".

[PisnNapalm]

Get the 22/45. Yes the grip is polymer but it will still last for a very very long time.

[Gosomer]

Well I went down last friday and the two MK's I was looking at where purchased earlier in the week ....You snooze you lose....so I orderd an MKIII512. I'll be picking it up this coming friday. I'll upload pics saturday or sunday night . Thanks for all your advice it was all very helpful.