Poll: Ruger Mark IV or S&W Victory (maybe Buckmark) for first .22 family plinking pistol

[ilikegunspdx]

Kind of a personal preference thing imo. Both brands are built well, reliable, relatively easy to shoot accurately. If I were really into this sort of thing I might go with a s&w 41 despite the extra cost. Re the victory, love the feel and balance of that thing (not real fond of the looks) but I haven't shot it. I loved the looks of my mark iii ruger but I felt that was too boring for me personally.

What was the name of the old version s&w 22 that was optimized for a surpressor (barrel on bottom)? Maybe 422/622 or something? can't remember name. I recall reports of it being ammo sensitive though. Love the looks of the nickel long barrel version of that gun but have never shot it.

edit: found it. Here is 622 pic I recall seeing them for $400-$500 pre panic fwiw

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Anyone have experience with the long barrel version of Walther p22q? I know it's definitely not in the same league weight wise (and maybe accuracy wise?). But they are sure fun especially when u can add a suppressor and expand magazine to 15 rounds for $13 per mag (via tandemkross mag extender). I have shorter barrel version. Lighter polymer gun so pretty much a totally different animal but I was wondering about accuracy (meaning easy to shoot accurately) of the long barrel version. U can add a longer barrel (I think it's 5 1/4" but can't remember) to the short barrel version for $115 which I've often thought about but never have. Short barrel version is $245ish on sale fwiw but again a different animal than the heavy steel target guns.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Of course if u want max sight radius u could always go for one of these with adjustable sights. Maybe the most unbalanced handgun ever. Fun to shoot though -until ur arm gets tired, which is pretty quick. Just kidding of course. It's just a fun gun and not for serious target shooting (for me anyway).

 

[BrandonOR]

I ended up picking up a MKIV LITE to shoot and get the family started and it has been an amazing gun so far, already have plans to buy a 2nd purple one for my daughter.

Extremely reliable, shoots all sorts of ammo, the only issue I had ever was shooting 800rds of Aquila ammo towards the end it had a lightstrike because it was filthy lol that's where it will shine the most. I can clean this gun in under a minute if I really need to. 5 minutes tops. It's so easy I can't ever see not getting an mkiv again. Even though I have seen great deals for mkiii's and the like.

 

[Southpaw]

I've had an older MKII 22/45 for years, the kids always fought over it when we went shooting, it cycles everything and is accurate and fun to shoot.

 

[Lesliet]

We had the S&W 22a, which was the predecessor of the victory. Can't say if they worked all the bugs out, but the 22a was lovely to shoot, broke a lot, and was a pita to clean. Too much pot metal, and eventually its demise was when rivets ovaled out the holes in the pot metal they were in. Admittedly, the gf shot this thing constantly. So, my vote is for the 22/45, we got the "lite" version, and it is super easy to get apart for cleaning. Most of the people I've talked with say that it is quite durable, also. ( We've only had this one for a week or two) Definitely accurate!

A lot of my particular bias comes from being the one who keeps the "family" guns running... so I want it to be easy to deal with, and not break much.

 

[Dark Trainer]

... So, my vote is for the 22/45, we got the "lite" version, and it is super easy to get apart for cleaning. Most of the people I've talked with say that it is quite durable, also. ( We've only had this one for a week or two) Definitely accurate!

A lot of my particular bias comes from being the one who keeps the "family" guns running... so I want it to be easy to deal with, and not break much.

Thanks for the info. I like the weight of bull barrel a lot. Recently I got to shoot my friend's 22/45 Tactical which has a 4.5" bull barrel. Being 1" shorter I felt it balanced better than the 5.5" (not much, but less front heavy).

Hindsight, I might have purchased the Tactical over the 5.5" bull barrel 22/45. However, both are so awesome. I can't believe how accurate it is at 25 yards and for such a low caliber!

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

Ruger MK-1-2-3 series with a Tactical solutions upper has adjustable sights and threaded barrel plug and play !

 

[Dark Trainer]

Ok, more suggestions needed.

Considering a red dot and a rail for it (had a blast at a rimfire steel challenge event). Ruger makes a cheap rail, but any recommendations for a budget red dot and rail? I don't need high end cost, hoping for a red dot under $50 and a rail under $20? I'm not looking to win this event, but make it easier for the family to target quicker and try something new (just a toy).

I've seen Browning's Buck Mark red dot at Bi-mart for $47, seen some cheap ones on Amazon around $30 and less (very hit or miss it seems). Leaning towards reflex style red dot because it has a larger field of view to aquire targets. Also, since it's a pistol i've seen a 'smaller' pistol sized one at Keith's for $40 which has me interested. Not sure I want these larger ones on a pistol?

Rail wise, metal would be nice, but really don't need to drop a ton of money on this.

 

[Lesliet]

Haven't heard about any bad rails, so you can probably just get whichever one looks good. I'd recommend using "loctite green" sleeve retainer when you mount it on there, with a tiny bit on the screw threads, and a thin wipe between the rail and the barrel. Permatex part number px #64040 is what I use on all my dot sights, and it holds up well even with big centerfire pistols in competition. It's no fun at all when you figure out that you're missing because your optic mount is flopping around loose, and has been for several strings. My experience on the sights themselves has been that the $50 cheapies are ok (ish) for rimfire use, but some don't hold their zero well, or fail in other annoying ways, usually on match day. I would recommend the "buy once, cry once" idea, rather than having to replace a cheap one later, after a disappointment. A very nice feature is "shake awake" or wake on motion. The dot is always in a standby mode, so as soon as you pick it up, it's ready to go. My Holosun 408 and 510 both have this, as does my Sig Romeo 1. The vortex venom does not, and I got tired of being in the shooter's box with an RO looking concerned as I fiddle with it trying to get it to turn on. The 510 is my favorite for rimfire speed shooting, as it has a huge field of view, and the circle-dot style reticle is super easy to acquire.

 

[Dark Trainer]

...I would recommend the "buy once, cry once" idea...

...the circle-dot style reticle is super easy to acquire.

Best statement ever!

Also, that circle dot is exactly what I was thinking could make a 3moa dot work, as the circle itself is much larger to find.

 

[Dark Trainer]

Another side update. Got the Ruger branded Halo charging ring. It's the official Tandemkross one, but branded for Ruger from their online shop (and the new pistol owner 20% off).



Still considering red dot advice too

 

[Lesliet]

The charging ring really helps for people who don't have a lot of hand strength. The first time I racked the bolt on the 22/45, it bit my finger a bit... pretty good pinch. ( yes, I should have "slingshotted" the bolt) The halo ring prevents that. That's really cool, I didn't know they made one with a Ruger logo!

 

[grapo13]

I got an ADE one off amazon, seems to work well enough so far. Impressed at the 50 bucks price point, I think for speed steel a larger FOV would be nice but it's cheap.

 

[spookshack]

I slapped a C-more (6 moa dot) on mine. Picked the mount up here:

Ruger MK/22-45 Pistol C-More Scope Mount

Custom Scope Mount for C-More on a Ruger 22-45 or Ruger MK III - Get your scope as close to the gun as possible - Easy Scope Mounting (top holes accept C-Mo...

allchingunparts.com

Nearly as much as I paid for the pistol but I love me some C-more! It's pretty bulky but I don't mind....