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LA, USA
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Posted: 8/13/2023 4:54:33 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Deerslayer69]
I’ve got the itch for another Ruger rim fire. I already have the Mark IV Tactical 22/45, and I love it. I found a Mark III Stainless Steel Hunter with the 6 7/8” fluted barrel, at a local gun shop. It’s brand new (new/ old inventory) for $616.00. Is that a good price? I don’t know anything about the MK III’s, other than people complaining about them being hard to put back together, after cleaning. I’ve been watching some YouTube videos on it, and I really don’t see what the big deal is… It looks pretty easy to me. Or, should I pay the extra almost $200 for the Mark IV Hunter? I don’t know… this Mark III was really giving me some sad eyes… Like a stray dog, begging to come home with me!
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Posted: 8/13/2023 5:02:13 PM EDT
[#1]
I'd stick with the IV just for mag compatibility.
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LA, USA
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Posted: 8/13/2023 5:12:02 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By -Obsessed-: I'd stick with the IV just for mag compatibility. My Mark IV Tactical is the 22/45, so the mags wouldn’t work anyway. Sorry, I forgot to mention that in my post. |
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Posted: 8/13/2023 5:22:17 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Deerslayer69: My Mark IV Tactical is the 22/45, so the mags wouldn’t work anyway. Sorry, I forgot to mention that in my post. Ah. I'd probably get it then. The field stripping issue is way overblown. My opinion. I never found the need to upgrade to the IV but many people have and are happier. Guess it depends which camp you fall into. |
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LA, USA
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Posted: 8/13/2023 5:29:41 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By -Obsessed-: Ah. I'd probably get it then. The field stripping issue is way overblown. My opinion. I never found the need to upgrade to the IV but many people have and are happier. Guess it depends which camp you fall into. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By -Obsessed-: Originally Posted By Deerslayer69: My Mark IV Tactical is the 22/45, so the mags wouldn’t work anyway. Sorry, I forgot to mention that in my post. Ah. I'd probably get it then. The field stripping issue is way overblown. My opinion. I never found the need to upgrade to the IV but many people have and are happier. Guess it depends which camp you fall into. Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. From the videos I’ve seen, it looks pretty easy to field strip a MK III. I don’t see what the big deal is. |
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Posted: 8/13/2023 6:45:34 PM EDT
[#5]
The stripping is easy. Lets say I know a guy that sold his MKIII becasue he had problems with the reassemble portion. ( was not me) I have one now, sometimes it takes a little more work, but oh well it just takes a little practice.
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Posted: 8/13/2023 8:58:56 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 6731HBAR: The stripping is easy. Lets say I know a guy that sold his MKIII becasue he had problems with the reassemble portion. ( was not me) I have one now, sometimes it takes a little more work, but oh well it just takes a little practice. Just reassemble it hammer up, in the bolt, with the frame tilted up at a 45 degree angle. Works every time. That's the "real" trick that nobody seems to know. You can field strip and reassemble and MK III in less than 30 seconds. |
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GA, USA
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Posted: 8/13/2023 9:04:13 PM EDT
[#7]
Buy it and swap the mag disconnect for the bushing. You get a better trigger pull and dont need to insert and remove the mag during reassembly.
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LA, USA
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Posted: 8/14/2023 11:00:31 PM EDT
[#8]
I went ahead and bought it. Hey, $615 bucks for a brand new Mark III Hunter 6 7/8” stainless steel, 2 mags, and a scope base. I’m a happy camper! 😎 I’m already eyeballing accessories! 😆 This one didn’t come in the Ruger green plastic box, with the fiber optic front sight. It came in the Ruger black plastic box, with just the blacked out, front sight. I thought Ruger put fiber optic front sights on all of their Hunter models, even the Mark III’s. It’s not a big deal. I’m putting a little Leupold M8 2X pistol scope on it anyway, so I won’t even be using the open sights.
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LA, USA
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Posted: 8/14/2023 11:07:09 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By giantpune: Buy it and swap the mag disconnect for the bushing. You get a better trigger pull and dont need to insert and remove the mag during reassembly. Yep! I’ve already been looking into that bushing. I’m also gonna do away with that crappy, plastic, loaded chamber indicator. I can see that LCI causing some misfeeds. |
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Posted: 8/15/2023 1:34:26 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Deerslayer69: Yep! I’ve already been looking into that bushing. I’m also gonna do away with that crappy, plastic, loaded chamber indicator. I can see that LCI causing some misfeeds. Dang! They went to plastic? The LCI on my MKIII was steel. It was still the first thing to go. |
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UT, USA
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Posted: 8/15/2023 10:10:36 PM EDT
[#11]
VQ hammer and bushing is $20 shipped on ebay.
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Posted: 8/15/2023 10:22:51 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Mike_314]
[#12]
Get a Volquartsen trigger kit and a MKii bushing to take out the mag safety.
My MKiii Hunter with a Volquartsen trigger is one of my favorite pistols. You're going to like it a lot. |
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LA, USA
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Posted: 9/2/2023 12:21:02 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JRoy: Dang! They went to plastic? The LCI on my MKIII was steel. It was still the first thing to go. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JRoy: Originally Posted By Deerslayer69: Yep! I’ve already been looking into that bushing. I’m also gonna do away with that crappy, plastic, loaded chamber indicator. I can see that LCI causing some misfeeds. Dang! They went to plastic? The LCI on my MKIII was steel. It was still the first thing to go. Yeah it’s plastic. I pulled it out, and installed the Stainless Steel Tandemkross LCI filler. It looks way better! |
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Posted: 9/3/2023 11:16:41 AM EDT
[Last Edit: NesralG]
[#14]
If it’s a model that you plan to shoot a little and never suppress, go for it. If it’s a model that’s going to be shot a lot suppressed I wouldn’t buy a new mkiii for $250. Those Hunter models are spooky accurate though.
Here’s my MkIII 22/45  Attached File |
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LA, USA
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Posted: 9/4/2023 11:15:18 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Deerslayer69]
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By NesralG: If it’s a model that you plan to shoot a little and never suppress, go for it. If it’s a model that’s going to be shot a lot suppressed I wouldn’t buy a new mkiii for $250. Those Hunter models are spooky accurate though. Here’s my MkIII 22/45 https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/577174/20230120_160842_jpg-2941206.JPG No sir, it’s not going to be suppressed. I’m topping it with a little Leopold 2 power pistol scope, that I picked up off of EBay pretty cheap. It’s just another range toy for my collection, and I may attempt some squirrel hunting with it. That’s a sweet looking 22/45, by the way! |
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OH, USA
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Posted: 9/7/2023 4:45:06 PM EDT
[#16]
Love my iii stainless slab side with a modest red dot. Silly accurate and I suck at pistols.
Way easy to take apart. Butchering terms here but after easy disassembly, shoving that pin that goes up thru the end of the receiver took Far more force to go back in the first time. Just rewatched video and convince myself to push harder. It does not need to be done often either. |
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Posted: 9/13/2023 8:12:38 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Makarov]
[#17]
 Mk.III - plastic frames (the steel models are WAAAY overpriced) billboard warnings, mag safety  Mk. IV - destroyed the elegant lines of the Ruger series. |
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MO, USA
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Posted: 12/7/2023 8:20:00 PM EDT
[#18]
The MK2 is really as good as it ever got for Ruger 22 pistols.
Std, MK1, MK2, MK3 (steel frame) are all essentially the same thing. The MK4 is ugly but is easy to take apart for the non mechanically inclined. The improvements of the MK2 over the earlier versions make it the peak of the series. The MK3 "safety" features aren't desireable, however the change of the mag release locations would be considered an improvement by many. The billboard exists on the MK2 series on the side of the barrel. The MK3 series has the same billboard, but they put it on the underside of the barrel, so it is slightly better looking. The 22/45 plastic frame was a great concept, but really doesn't mimic a 1911 frame that well as it is too thin. It is too bad ruger didn't/doesn't make a 22/45 type frame in steel. |
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Posted: 12/11/2023 8:19:18 PM EDT
[#19]
unless shooting suppressed, I don't clean 22 pistols
my Mk2 22/45 (non-threaded) runs well over 99% (its 22lr so never 100%) I lube the bolt a bit here and there, work the action and wipe off excess. If suppressed I'd clean once a year based on rounds fired. |
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Posted: 12/11/2023 10:04:15 PM EDT
[#20]
To each their own but IMO... If you want functionality, stick with the MKIV's. If you want classic/pretty then stick with the MKII's. There is nothing remotely interesting or compelling about the MKIII's
There are quite a few MKII Competition Target models on gunbroker right now. They are the 6 7/8" slabside models which are somewhat similar to the MKIII you are looking at but much sexier IMO...  
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Posted: 1/23/2024 6:18:09 PM EDT
[#21]
Have a blued and a SS and the hardest thing about cleaning is getting that little latch popped out for disassembly!
Keeps breaking my fingernail off so now I have a little paperclip that I use. |
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USA
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Posted: 1/24/2024 12:26:36 PM EDT
[#22]
Congratulations! My favorite pistol is a 4.5" barreled MKIII Hunter with the VQ package and with the lawyer crap removed; both of which were easy to do and allowed me to do some polishing which further improved the trigger. On the Hunter, I replaced the sights with Ruger's target rear insert (original was U-shaped) and front, non-fiber optic, target sight; both cheap upgrades. The thing's a shooter, that's also reliable! I've also owned a couple of MKII Targets, a 6 7/8" heavy tapered barrel and the shorter 5 or 5 1/2" bull barrel and they're both gone. After the tinkering above, the MKIIIs are better in every way. I do prefer the looks and balance of the heavy tapered barrel of the MKII Target over the flat-sided barrel of my MKIII Target, or Competition, or whatever it is they call the 6 7/8" slab sided model. I think the tapered heavy barrel was slightly lighter than the slab barrel.
Have fun with your new pistol! |
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AZ, USA
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Posted: 2/3/2024 9:58:07 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By -Obsessed-: Just reassemble it hammer up, in the bolt, with the frame tilted up at a 45 degree angle. Works every time. That's the "real" trick that nobody seems to know. You can field strip and reassemble and MK III in less than 30 seconds. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By -Obsessed-: Originally Posted By 6731HBAR: The stripping is easy. Lets say I know a guy that sold his MKIII becasue he had problems with the reassemble portion. ( was not me) I have one now, sometimes it takes a little more work, but oh well it just takes a little practice. Just reassemble it hammer up, in the bolt, with the frame tilted up at a 45 degree angle. Works every time. That's the "real" trick that nobody seems to know. You can field strip and reassemble and MK III in less than 30 seconds. If you have a video please share |
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Posted: 2/3/2024 10:41:32 PM EDT
[#24]
The truth of the whole reassembly thing is there is really not much of a reason to strip that pistol down that far very often.
I clean the barrel and chamber , then hose down the bolt (in the gun) with brake cleaner or gun scrubber if it feels like the gun is full of crud, 22lr ammo is lubed with oil or wax (depending on brand) and while that stuff looks terrible it is actually what keeps a semi auto running. Every once in a great while when I feel I just have to break my Rugers all the way down I flip on you tube and re teach myself how to do it. Looks like the OP got a reasonable deal on a very nice gun |
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Posted: 4/5/2024 2:41:56 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By nhsport: The truth of the whole reassembly thing is there is really not much of a reason to strip that pistol down that far very often. I clean the barrel and chamber , then hose down the bolt (in the gun) with brake cleaner or gun scrubber if it feels like the gun is full of crud, 22lr ammo is lubed with oil or wax (depending on brand) and while that stuff looks terrible it is actually what keeps a semi auto running. Every once in a great while when I feel I just have to break my Rugers all the way down I flip on you tube and re teach myself how to do it. Looks like the OP got a reasonable deal on a very nice gun That was the conclusion I came to. I would forget the order because it had been so long in between disassembly. Quick wipe down and a pull through snake got my by for a long time. |
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Posted: 4/18/2024 5:44:13 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By nhsport: The truth of the whole reassembly thing is there is really not much of a reason to strip that pistol down that far very often. I clean the barrel and chamber , then hose down the bolt (in the gun) with brake cleaner or gun scrubber if it feels like the gun is full of crud, 22lr ammo is lubed with oil or wax (depending on brand) and while that stuff looks terrible it is actually what keeps a semi auto running. Every once in a great while when I feel I just have to break my Rugers all the way down I flip on you tube and re teach myself how to do it. Looks like the OP got a reasonable deal on a very nice gun Yuppers. I file down a toothbrush to fit in the ejection port, a little scrubbing and done. |
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FL, USA
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Posted: Yesterday 10:03:03 PM EDT
[#27]
The reassembly procedure is dead simple. People make it hard. It can be taken down and put together in less than a minute with no issues once you have done it a few times.
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Posted: Yesterday 10:09:43 PM EDT
[#28]
Never had any issue with stripping/assembling my MkIII 22/45. I removed the LCI, mag disconnect, and put a VQ sear in it. It's been solid for 20 years. I am considering sending it off to make it stumpy though. 2 or 3" would be fun with my Sparrow.
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Posted: Yesterday 10:33:38 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Mike_314]
[#29]
Have fun with it!
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