I see that Ruger is advertising for a toolmaker to work in their new NC plant.  Does this mean that you have to support Ruger now that they're a local company?  Not that I wasn't already, but seriously... what is up with the MK III?

http://www.ruger.com/corporate/employment.html#j-010

Is there a specific problem with the MKIII?   The Geek and I love the MK pistols.  He loves them more than I do because he's 22 and I'm getting old.

My nephew has been involved with the design and construction of the facility.  He told me he can get a nice percentage off firearms produced there.  I haven't seen a sales slip, so IDK fo sho.

I don't think they've produced anything there YET.  They said something cryptic about a "new design" but I haven't heard anything for certain.  My feeling is that they're going to slowly migrate their CT operations down to NC as the cost of living is about 50% cheaper, the weather is better, and the state legislature is not trying to legislate you out of business.

As for the MK III, they designed it to be 'cheaper to produce'.  Side by side, my MK II's looked like SIG's while the MK III's looked like Kel Tecs. Many of the internals look "MIM'd" and they added a few 'features' that virtually NOBODY wanted.  Namely, they added the loaded-chamber jam inducer and the lost-magazine gun disabler.

All that aside, I am neutral about the magazines.  Sure, you have a push-button release now, but then I already have a box of MK II magazines and two MK I magazines, so to get yet another type of magazine would be stupid for me.  Ruger now has FOUR magazine types for the MK series: The MK I, MK II, MK III, and 22/45.

The only positives I could find were that the safety warning is on the bottom of the barrel and I think they all come drilled/tapped for a scope mount (if you're into that).

To my knowledge they are doing the American Rifle in .22 there now, and that is about it.  I do know they are sending our people in a van looking to buy 22 ammo.  Friend who owns a gun store local to the plant said they would send one person in looking for .22 and if they had any all six would come in and buy the max.  To bad no one has any in stock right now...