Browning buckmark or ruger markIII?

[rogervzv]

I long ago did my evaluation of .22 semi-autos and opted for the Rugers. I have never regretted it.

The Ruger actually is simpler to strip once you get the hang of it. No screws or anything. It is a fact that a new Mark pistol will usually be tight and can be a bit of a b***h to strip for this reason for the first couple of times. No big deal.

I'll grant you that a rubber mallet is usually needed to reassemble a Mark pistol. Hey, rubber mallets are cheap. I have one as part of my kit on my gun bench.

Ruger Mark pistols are iconic. I own 7 of them and love 'em all.

My family's first Ruger .22 -- (Ruger Standard) my Dad bought this one in 1965 during the Watts Riots for self-defense. No 10 day wait back then. I inherited the gun and it is still a fine shooter.


A recently bought "slabside" Ruger Mark III Competition. An awesome shooter:


I picked this Mark III Target up just before they dropped off the Roster. While I typically prefer stainless, Ruger sure makes them pretty in blued. Given that the above Standard's bluing survived nearly 50 years of neglect and abuse, there is nothing wrong with a blued gun:

[AR22]

Buckmark

[toby]

High Standard then Ruger then Buckmark.

[2meterB]

Have both.. like both.. find myself shooting the ruger more.

[sffred]

High Standard then Ruger then Buckmark.

High standard???

[wamphyri13]

Buck Mark. All day, every day. I have a 5.5" Contour I use to shoot the staples out of my target when I'm done shooting for the day.
Ryan

[Capt Jack]

Buck Mark! Sweet shooters and with a Tacsol Barrel look like a gun from a Bond Movie!



Just playin'... The correct Calguns answer is to get both! I've got a 22/45 as well and it goes to the range every time. Check the list though...

[Zimbo]

That really is a beauty! I want one!

[Wordupmybrotha]

Ruger Mark III

[bsg]

The correct Calguns answer is to get both!

correct answer.

[22lrcl]

correct answer.

[PSLguy]

This or that gun

Had/have both, liked both. Both are accurate and reliable. I liked the Browing better because it just fit my hand better and was more comfortable.
The next guy will say Mark III fits him/her better. Both answers are correct.
Most indoor ranges rent both. Best to rent them and try for yourself.
Best investment you can make pre-purchase.
Best of luck on your new purchase.
BTW: If you live in Calif, check the hand gun roster. I do not know if the Rugers are still on the list.

+1 on this advice. Bought a used Buckmark with fiber optic sights and for me, it shoots extremely accurately and is dead reliable. Bought a new Ruger22/45 with exact same sights and for me, it is not very accurate. It is also not very reliable and jams quite a bit. I need to try some different ammo with it.

I'm convinced the difference with accuracy is with me and not the gun. Even though they both have bull barrel's of identical (or nearly so) lenght and the same sights, my groups with the Ruger are 2-3 times larger than with the Buckmark. I've seen enough reports and test targets from others to know that the Ruger is capable of very, very good accuracy.

The advice above to try and rent/borrow one and shoot it is very good.

[NapalmCheese]

High standard???

Yup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Standard_.22_Pistol

Made a number of different target pistol, many of which were used competitively.

[Zimbo]

I asked the OP question today at my LGS.
In their opinion the best was the MK1 followed by the MK2, they were not complimentary about the MK3.
They were however very complimentary about the Buck Mark.

[Bushwack44]

FWIW...I have a Ruger Mark III (stainless) and it was initially a pain to strip (YouTube is your friend - plenty of tutorials on the Mark III). Every component was a tight fit. It took about 500 rounds (the last 100 being CCI Mini Mags) before it became easier to strip.

Yes, the first 2-3 times of dis-assembly/assembly was a learning curve (like most any pistol). But I have no regrets in the purchase. Thoroughly enjoy it. A fantastic pistol and will shoot just about anything (from Remington golden bullets to CCI Stingers).