Looking for advice: Ruger MK III or Browning Buckmark or S and W 22A?

redrams9

redrams9

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Just like the title says, looking for fellow CGNers who have used any, or all?, of these and their opinions on them.
I am looking for a cheap plinking gun and for something different for the range, and also for the girlfriend, and wanted to know which of these people recommend?
I have read lots of reviews, and they all seem to have weak and strong points and now looking for actual owners experiences. Thanks in advance!
 
Hey redrams9,

I've had ruger mk 3 22/45, shot mk3 fair bit, have a buckmark SRX, read about S&W 22A a lot.

i initially went with mk 3 22/45, because i like the ergo of 1911, and 22/45 provides similar grip angle. didn't like it that much, found it front heavy, even with short barrel for some reason. maybe becaue 22/45 is polymer framed.

regular mk 3, for me, shoots good, but very uncomfortable due to grip angle. and kinda heavy. :p

now, i have Buckmark, i love it. compared to ruger, it gets dirty easier, and need more frequent cleaning.

i once shot 600 rounds of bulk stuff on my 22/45. not a single failure.

buckmark starts chocking around 300~.

S&W 22A, i didn't want it due to reviews of high failure rate. maybe it's different now, but i'm happy with buckmark.
between buckmark and ruger, i think it's a coin toss. factory to factory, i think buckmark has better trigger, but there are lots of kits available for both to improve the trigger. both don't come close to S&W model 41 i've shot, though..
 
1- browning Buckmark
2- Ruger Mark III (i have the Hunter model)

Those are the two Best choice out of all posts

I've put a hogue grip (with finger grooves) on my Ruger Mark , very confortable
 
Thanks guys! I actually went to P and D in Edmonton today to look at several, but the ones I wanted to see came in Monday.....and we're already sold! Hesitant to buy one before handling them. Asked when they'd get more in, especially the Ruger 22/45 Lite, and guy said no idea?
 
With the Lite it's a case of "be careful what you wish for".

I say this having shot a buddy's Lite and owning a S&W 422 which is very close to the same feather light weight.

When I use my 422 for fast shooting such as Steel Challenge the light weight results in more kick than an all steel Ruger or Buckmark. As a result it takes a few extra tenths of a second to get the sights on the next target.

Some time after getting the 422 I scored on an all stainless 2206 that has a shorter, but still Restricted barrel. Despite the shorter barrel the added weight of the 2206, which is the same design, is actually faster when shooting this style of competition. The added weight actually steadys the gun so I can put it on the next target that much sooner.

Now some folks are all about the inertia or "swing weight" with a heavy gun out at arm's length. To this I say that they are not using their arms right. They need to slightly unlock and turn out their elbows. Do that and the gun, arms and upper body lock into a really solid structure and you then swing from the waist to sweep the line of targets. Do it this way and it's FAST with lots of control.

I feel that the main strong point of the Lite model is for down in the US where folks often carry a holstered gun during trail walks and hunt small game for fun or (hopefully) the dinner stew pot. And for such use my 422 would be truly a masterful option as well. But for us folks up here in Canuck land I prefer a somewhat heavier mass for my guns whether shooting slow paced bullseye or even "time counts for everything" Speed Steel or Steel Challenge.
 
Thanks, that is an interesting take on the weight. I really would like to handle the different models and see how they feel, it would make the decision so much easier then trying to make the choice by reading thru all the opinions. They seem to be hard to find though...
 
Ruger Mk III - not picky with ammo, accuracy not bad; can go at least 1000 rds without cleaning; grip angle a bit awkward
Browning Buckmark - very picky on ammo, and needs frequent cleaning, at par or better in accuracy with Ruger Mk III; grip is ok
SW 22A - also picky on ammo (at least the one I had a chance to try), lighter and accuracy is not bad; grip is not bad

IMO, it will be a toss between Ruger Mk III and Browning Buckmark (I have a Contour and it is a keeper)
 
I had a Ruger 22/45 and it was very reliable. I ended up selling it and going with a Buckmark Camper stainless with the fibre optic front sight.
 
I have shot both and don't think I can add to anything that hasn't already been discussed in the post already. In saying that after shooting the Ruger and Browning I went with the Buck Mark Camper, S/S. It is a fantastic "plinker" and like one of the posts said already the trigger is fantastic and it is lightweight.

Furthermore, I've been looking online (mainly YouTube) and saw some barrel modifications, sighting and grip mods for this model. It really jazzed it up and I'm thinking seriously about investing the money. It already has zero recoil, so doing the mods would just be for fine-tuning the accuracy.

Needless to say, you can't go wrong with either model however; I'd strongly lean towards the Buck Mark.

Cheers, hope it helped in making your decision.

P.S. Like you already said, your local store sold out within days of bringing these models in, that just goes to state how popular they are, their cheap enough, if your that undecided just buy both. :)
 
Lol, that's great advice, I'll probably end up owning both eventually anyways.....so might as well get both up front!!
I actually decided that if I could find a Ruger 22/45 Lite, I'd order it, but there seems to be none in Canada. Phoned Guy at Wolverine and he can't even tell when he can get them.
Anyone know where there might be one available?
 
redrams9 said:
Lol, that's great advice, I'll probably end up owning both eventually anyways.....so might as well get both up front!!
I actually decided that if I could find a Ruger 22/45 Lite, I'd order it, but there seems to be none in Canada. Phoned Guy at Wolverine and he can't even tell when he can get them.
Anyone know where there might be one available?
Click to expand...
My local store do have some Ruger , pretty sure they have 22/45, boutique L'archerot , 819-243-8414, ask patrick (pat), tell him i sent you (refer to Johnny Tokarev they call me like that, LOL) ,
 
redrams9 said:
Lol, that's great advice, I'll probably end up owning both eventually anyways.....so might as well get both up front!!
I actually decided that if I could find a Ruger 22/45 Lite, I'd order it, but there seems to be none in Canada. Phoned Guy at Wolverine and he can't even tell when he can get them.
Anyone know where there might be one available?
Click to expand...
One was just listed on the EE.
 
I might try Shooterchoice.ca, but have never dealt with them before and their website sucks. Anybody have any experience dealing with them?
Also am very leary of buying anything off the EE, i know people who have been scammed and my policy now is that if I can't see it or meet in person, I'd rather buy new from a dealer then risk being ripped off.
 
Hi, wanted to update the people who wrote on the thread, I did end up buying the Ruger 22/45 Lite from Roger at Shooterschoice.ca. He had it on for a good price and was great to deal with. Bought it on Monday and it showed up on my doorstep Friday. The gun is very light and is exactly what all the reviews had said. Haven't shot it yet, but will get to the range next week and try it out.
 
I missed you other post. He is the number one place I check when buying new. Can't say enough good things about dealing with him.

I don't find the site too bad and it is updated frequently. Unlike others with many more employees... (like certain Calgary dealers)
 
I had a really good experience with Roger as well, so much in fact, that my buddy bought his last remaining Ruger 22/45 Lite the day after I bought mine!
Shooterschoice.ca is now on my recommended dealer list!
 
Ruger is the way to go. Throw a MK II accurizing kit with MK II hammer bushing into a MK III and you have one hell of a gun(from brownells...requires two orders due to $100 export limit). Also houge grips are nice for $20. I prefer the non-thumbrest style personally as I find the thumbrest style make it hard to hit the mag release.
 
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