I was out looking for used 22 pistols the other day. I was mostly focusing on ruger single six's and mark II's. My budget was under 300.00. The gun was going to serve duty as a hiking/hunting pistol as well as a pistol to take snowmaching to bag the occasional ptarmigan I see.
I focused my search on the ruger pistols cause I had experience with them before. I know them to be reasonably accurate, dependable and......affordable. Searching the gun stores and pawn shops I of course came upon quite a few specimens. However none were in great shape or the price was not really much of a baragain for such a common pistol.
I headed down to a local big chain outdoors store to see what the prices were for a new one. After purusing the single six's first, my attention shifted to a ruger mark III 22/45.
Handling the gun I noticed that I really liked the grip angle. Its simmuiar to a 1911 pistol, thus the 22/45 moniker. Albeit the grip was thin and it seemed that my hands wrapped around it excesivly. The next thing that caught my eye was the loaded chamber indicator. Thats cool and handy. Alot of people say its excessive Lawyer B.S, but hey im all for safety. Besides its a good indicator if a buddy picks up your gun without your knowledge or you being able to tell him its loaded. A Internal lock is also on the gun wich is controlled by a key. This feature is totally seamles and it doesnt interfere with the gun cosmeticly at all.
I wanted a gun with adjustable sights. This one had adjustment for windage and elevation. Right on! While checking for adjustable sights I noticed that the barrel was drilled and tapped for a scope base (yep, scope base included, weaver type). Oh this is getting good. Sights and scope base sit atop a straight, no taper 5.5 inch bull barrel.
Well lets check out the price and see if I can take it home......229.00! (blued finish) SOLD! I even had enough money left over to buy a Uncle Mikes vertical sholder holster (38.00).
I took the gun home and gave it a thourough cleaning. This was accomplished by much monkeying around trying to learn how to dissasemble it. I remember from my Mark II days what a pain these pistols were to dissasmble/assemble for the first time. On a positive note, they get easier to do once they are broken in and you have done it a few times.
The next day I went to the range. I had 150 rounds of winchester wildcats, and about 500 rounds of dirty, nasty miscellanious stuff I had accumulated over the years by throwing them all in a cardboard box.
I set up a target at 10 yards for sight in. I loaded the clean new wildcats. My first shot was low but center. The next shot was the low again but a little left. Shot three was touching the second. For the rest of the 7 rounds in the clip I made a nice big fat hole. I adjusted the sights and began drilling holes wherever I wanted. next stop was 20 yards, again great accuracy.
I was shooting off a bench with the gun rested solidly. I also noticed that I might be do for another eyeglass perscription because I was having a hard time getting the sights and the target focused at the same time.
Once my curiosity was satisified about the accuracy of the gun and when I ran out of my wildcat ammo I shot my old nasty stuff that probably needed to be thrown out. Not one hickup. I shot maybe 300-400 rounds without cleaning and not one malfuntion that was the guns fault. One shell only half went off and the bullet lodged in the barrel, and a couple of FTF's, probably due to the old ammo that was probably wet at one time or another.
Heres the skinny on my dislikes. I dont like the way the gun field strips. Although in time I know it will loosen up and Ill get better at it. The trigger has alot of slack in it. It almost feels like a two stage. The grips are a little skinny for me. Ruger really would have hit a grand slam on features if it would have included a High viz front sight. Oh yeah, the magazines... these require alot of manipulating to find there place in the grooves to insert into the frame. Also when the magazine is released it only pops out a 1/4" I like my magazines to almost shoot out. Oh, ruger moved the magazine release on the grip instead of under the mag well like on the mark II's.
Bottom line , great pistol. For 230.00 you get alot of features, accuracy and dependability.
Summary of features that came with my pistol.
5.5 inch bull barrel
adjustable sights
weaver scope base (gun is already drilled and tapped)
2 mags
plastic storage case
Ruger MKIII 22/45 review
