Any new(er) Mark 23's still out there?

DoogenBurns

DoogenBurns

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From what I understand, the Mark 23 has been discontinued for a couple of months now, but I was wondering if someone still carried these or could still get them on order. I've been drooling over one of these for some time now, and I'll finally be able to afford one of these things pretty soon.

P.S. Anyone wanna buy a kidney? :p
 
OK, I'll 'play'!

I own a DE plus a Mark 23.

I'll agree the size of each gun is about the same, but the weight and "feel" of the Mark 23 is much different when compared to a DE. Although the Mk 23 is close in size, it has a much more balanced frame, and it is a fair bit lighter than the DE.

I own 8 pistols; 4 HK's, 3 Sigs and the DE. Out of the bunch, the Mk 23 is the most pleasant shooting, accurate pistol I own! When shooting a Mk23, you would not think you are shooting a .45 ACP! HK's recoil reduction system really 'shines' with this pistol.

The Mk23 is a great gun to own and shoot.

IMHO, if you come across one, jump on it and buy it, you will have no regrets at all.

Give it some time, and I'm sure one or two will come up on the EE at some time in the future. I'm not sure if you have contacted them, but the last time I spoke with Wolverine, they said they could still get one. Give them a call and go from there.

Oh, by the way, I like my MK23 that much, it is the last pistol I will part with.

That's my 2 cents on this question.
 
blackacres said:
OK, I'll 'play'!

I own a DE plus a Mark 23.

I'll agree the size of each gun is about the same, but the weight and "feel" of the Mark 23 is much different when compared to a DE. Although the Mk 23 is close in size, it has a much more balanced frame, and it is a fair bit lighter than the DE.

I own 8 pistols; 4 HK's, 3 Sigs and the DE. Out of the bunch, the Mk 23 is the most pleasant shooting, accurate pistol I own! When shooting a Mk23, you would not think you are shooting a .45 ACP! HK's recoil reduction system really 'shines' with this pistol.

The Mk23 is a great gun to own and shoot.

IMHO, if you come across one, jump on it and buy it, you will have no regrets at all.

Give it some time, and I'm sure one or two will come up on the EE at some time in the future. I'm not sure if you have contacted them, but the last time I spoke with Wolverine, they said they could still get one. Give them a call and go from there.

Oh, by the way, I like my MK23 that much, it is the last pistol I will part with.

That's my 2 cents on this question.
Click to expand...


+1 on that!

Mark 23 is a laser beam, not a pistol.

If you can afford one- buy it.

Definitely one of my favourite .45 ACP, perhaps number one in my books.
 
To quote one of my favourite movie characters, "be patient young Jedi"! :)

A number of pistols, especially some European models, like the Mk23, now appear to sell for about the same cost in the US as Canada.

I go to the US a LOT on business, and I now see the gap in cost of some guns, ammo, scopes, etc. has closed a lot. In some cases I see ammo selling for more in the US than what I can buy it for at home.

I bought my very lightly used (read mint) Mk23 on the EE mid last year for much less than $2300.00 US from a fellow CGN'er.

I'm fairly sure at some point in time you will see one come up for sale on the EE. Again, if you do, don't hesitate.............BUY IT.
 
For that price tag, I think I'd go for the Desert Eagle in 44mag instead, a much more ballsy round, also a high resale gun. I may feel differently when I get my HK USP that is on the way, but $2300 is a lot of money for a 45, whether it's great or not. If anyone has one, feel free to post pics/vids of it in action...
 
I had a USP .45 that was a very accurate and soft/fun shooting gun (ergonomics was poor tho). Still I would not spend the money on a M23 which I see an over sized USP model. For the money if I had to spend on one gun I'd rather go with a high end 1911, DE or a Beretta Billenium.
 
blackacres said:
OK, I'll 'play'!

I own a DE plus a Mark 23.

I'll agree the size of each gun is about the same, but the weight and "feel" of the Mark 23 is much different when compared to a DE. Although the Mk 23 is close in size, it has a much more balanced frame, and it is a fair bit lighter than the DE.

I own 8 pistols; 4 HK's, 3 Sigs and the DE. Out of the bunch, the Mk 23 is the most pleasant shooting, accurate pistol I own! When shooting a Mk23, you would not think you are shooting a .45 ACP! HK's recoil reduction system really 'shines' with this pistol.

The Mk23 is a great gun to own and shoot.

IMHO, if you come across one, jump on it and buy it, you will have no regrets at all.

Give it some time, and I'm sure one or two will come up on the EE at some time in the future. I'm not sure if you have contacted them, but the last time I spoke with Wolverine, they said they could still get one. Give them a call and go from there.

Oh, by the way, I like my MK23 that much, it is the last pistol I will part with.

That's my 2 cents on this question.
Click to expand...

:needPics:

We need a side by side pictorial comparison. C"MON MAN!:D
 
The H&K Mk23 is a massive boat anchor. The muzzle flip is brutal for a .45 and the accuracy is less than stellar. I'd recommend pretty much any quality brand .45 over these things in a heartbeat. If however you are looking for a novelty piece to goof around with on the range on the odd occasion, it is an interesting, albeit grossly overpriced, addition to the collection.;)
 
Clobbersauras said:
:needPics:

We need a side by side pictorial comparison. C"MON MAN!:D
Click to expand...

Your wish is my command Clobb!!!:cool:

Here you go Clobb, and others interested in how a DE and Mk 23 compare in size, but more importantly....................weight!

I can't seem to take the real pretty pics like some of the other CGN'ers, but I they're good enough to do some comparison of the size of some of the pistols mentioned in this thread.

Here's the Mk 23 and DE back to back.

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Weight of DE.

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Weight of the Mk23.

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Width comparison of the DE and Mk 23.

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Mk 23 laying on top of the DE.

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HK USP .45 laying on top of Mk 23. Sorry about the crap photo!

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HK45 laying on top of Mk 23.

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Mk 23, USP .45 and DE to compare size of pistols discussed.

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Although the Mk 23 appears to be a large gun when you are looking at it, as you can see, it is not that much bigger than a USP .45.

When holding the respective guns, the 'feeling' of the weight of the Mk 23 and the USP in your hand are not that much apart. I actually prefer the balance of the Mk 23.

However, a I mentioned, the DE is much, much more "hefty" when compared to the Mk 23 or the USP. You really notice the close to two pounds of extra weight. Don't get me wrong here, the added weight of the DE and their gas system really tames recoil. The DE is a very accurate gun as well.

The grip size of the Mk 23 is very close to the USP.

And although the HK45 fits your hand nicely, believe it or not, I prefer the "block like" grip on the Mk 23 and the USP. The transition of going to/from the Mk 23 to the USP is almost seamless.

Also, there are many design features within the Mk 23 that the USP does not share. Some of the internals in the HK45 are in the Mk 23, but the Mk 23 was designed/built for much more. If you do some research/reading, you will discover that the design work, technical features, materials used, etc. that were built into the Mk 23, to meet the US Military testing criteria are not seen on many other pistols. The gun had to be able to last 30K rounds, cycle suppressed and un-suppressed without any issues, fire a round with a block barrel without blowing up, etc., etc.

As I mentioned, this is the most accurate pistol I have owned/shot. I get 'clover leaf' groups with this gun on a fairly regular basis. The only other pistol I have shot that improves my groups as much as the Mk was a Sig X-Five I had the pleasure to try out last summer.

I owned an early 70's Colt Gold Cup a number of years ago, and I really like a 1911, but I would put a Mk 23 up against a 1911 any day! In fact, I plan to add a nice 1911 to my safe in the very near future. I've got my eye on a nice Wilson Combat!!:eek:

Remember, life is short, we only get one 'ride', and IMHO the more pistols we can own and shoot....................the better!!

Hope some of the above helps you guys.

Cheers:cool:
 
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beltfed said:
The H&K Mk23 is a massive boat anchor. The muzzle flip is brutal for a .45 and the accuracy is less than stellar. I'd recommend pretty much any quality brand .45 over these things in a heartbeat. If however you are looking for a novelty piece to goof around with on the range on the odd occasion, it is an interesting, albeit grossly overpriced, addition to the collection.;)
Click to expand...

Are you 100% certain on the above?!

At almost two pounds heavier than the Mk 23, IMO the DE is my boat anchor!

As a quick weight comparison to clear up the conception that the Mk 23 is an anchor, here's a quick review of some of the pistols mentioned.

Desert Eagle - 4 lbs 3 oz!

Sig X-Five S.S. frame and slide - 2.9 lbs

Dan Wesson 1911 - 2.4 lbs

Mark 23 - 2.4 lbs

I also do not agree with you at all with the muzzle flip of a Mk 23. The Mk 23 is the smoothest shooting/cycling .45 I own, or have shot. Out of my current .45 pistol "collection", the Mk 23 has the least muzzle flip, the HK45 is a close runner up, the USP .45 is not far behind either. Although my West German Sig P220 is a compact, accurate .45, it has the most muzzle flip out of them all.

It's been a while since I shot it last, but I can shoot my Mk 23 more accurately than my early 70's Colt Gold Cup I used to own.

As far as price goes, and to keep things in perspective price wise. I paid $100.00 more for my used/mint Mk 23 than I did for my new HK45! I paid $100.00 more for my used/mint P7M8 than I did for my Mk!

Like the P7M8, the Mk 23 are both unique, interesting pistols to own and shoot. Both of these pistols are the last I will ever part with.

The Wilson Combat 1911 I am considering buying soon will set me back much, much more than any pistol I now own, or have ever purchased. Upper end 1911's such as Wilson, Baer, Nighthawk, etc. typically run $2500.00 - $4000.00. Even a decent 1911 such as Kimber, Colt and the entry level Dan Wesson will set you back more than I paid for my Mk 23. So I don't understand your comment that the Mk 23 is grossly overpriced!:confused:

That's my 2 cents................................based on my experience and some facts!
 
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Just my observations from owning one and putting about 800 rounds through it in the year/ year and a half that I had it.
The recoil was fairly tame, but the fact the majority of it's weight is sitting on top with a high bore axis, and cycling on firing meant it's flip is very noticeable. I've owned most everything out there, and I'd say it has one of the most noticeable/pronounced muzzle flip out of any .45. Just my humble observations.
As to the anchor comment, that had more to do with the physical size than combined weight/size. It is far too cumbersome for what it delivers. That DE doubly so.
It is however a worthy addition to a collection, and at the time of introduction, offered an interesting solution to the problem asked of H&K.
 
Blackacres, thank you very much for the pictorial review. Your photos were just fine! That photo series really deserves it's own thread. Thanks again!

Since you seem to like HK's in 45acp, you might want to check out this link about Vicker's and Hackathorn's involvement in the development of the HK45 (take the space out of the http)...

ht tp://pistol-training.com/articles/hk45-interview-with-ken-hackathorn-and-larry-vickers
 
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