Ruger MK III: Long-time favorite

By , August 14, 2009 12:58 pm

(note: page still under construction!)

The Ruger Mark III is a semiautomatic pistol manufactured in the United States by Sturm, Ruger & Company.

There is a dizzying number of models of this handgun. It would be tedious and confusing to describe each available model; instead, refer to the below table for information on the many models of the Ruger Mark III pistol.

Ruger Mark III Models

Model
Finish
Sights
Length
Weight
Blued
Stainless
Rear
Front
Barrel
Overall
Standard * Fixed Fixed 4¾” 9″ 35 oz
Standard * Fixed Fixed 6″ 10¾” 37 oz
Bull Barrel * Adjustable Fixed 5½” 9¾” 42 oz
Bull Barrel * Adjustable Fixed 5½” 9¾” 42 oz
Target * Adjustable Fixed 6⅞” 11⅛” 42 oz
Competition * Adjustable Fixed 6⅞” 11⅛” 45 oz
Hunter * Adjustable High-Visibility Fiber Optic 6⅞” 11⅛” 41 oz

The Ruger Mark III Standard has a tapered barrel in a 4.75″ (121mm) or 6.0″ (153mm) length, fixed sights, and black plastic handgrips. The Mark III Bull Barrel adds a heavier, untapered 5.5″ (140mm) barrel and an adjustable rear sight. The next model in the lineup is the Mark III Target with a tapered 6.875″ (175mm) barrel and an adjustable rear sight.

* The high-end model is known as the Hunter. This pistol features a stainless steel frame and 6.875-inch fluted bull barrel, fiber-optic front sight, adjustable rear sights, and half-checkered Cocobolo grip. It features multiple safety mechanisms, and includes a visible loaded chamber indicator (The first ever included in a .22 rimfire pistol) as well as internal and external keyed locks provided.
* The next pistol in the lineup is named Competition. It too has a stainless steel frame and 6.875-inch bull barrel, and adjustable rear sights; the pistol also has the Cocobolo grip.
* Target is the next Mark III. This pistol has a blued finish, a tapered 6.875-inch barrel, and adjustable rear sights.
* The Bull barrel pistol comes in stainless steel or blued finish. It has a heavier barrel to help the barrel from overheating and to keep recoil down. It has a 5.5-inch barrel and adjustable rear sights.
* Finally, the Standard Mark III has a tapered barrel, black plastic handgrips and a blued finish. It comes with either a 6-inch or 4.75-inch barrel. It has fixed sights.

15 Responses to “Ruger MK III: Long-time favorite”

  1. I just read a great article about the new Glock handguns not too long ago. It might be worth a look.

  2. Schooter says:

    To me, what’s so cool about this gun is you don’t have to bend your wrist up to be pointing the gun straight and level. I would imagine the neos feels the same. I also like the metal frame, just feels more substantial and you don’t have a long metal slide, reducing muzzle flip and getting you on your 2nd shot quicker. Almost a .22 version of the 9mm Luger. Wonder if one of those threaded barrels for the 22/45 would fit on this gun.

  3. I bought three of these and have had terrible luck. I use them for my shooting experiences, but rarely get more than 1 magazine through without a jam. Terrible guns! (My research had suggested they were good)

    • Mr.Humphries,

      I would be interested in knowing which 22 you or your company finds to be the best. I am interested in purchasing one and am thinking of the Ruger convertible revolver. Like your web site by the way.

    • ral says:

      Me thinks you don’t know how to clean a 22. My dad had a mil from the early 50s…….flawless performance as long as you cleaned it once in a while and used good ammo. I have a mkll bull barrel and 22/45. Flawless performance IF you keep them clean and use good ammo. CCI is the go to stuff in rim fire ammo in my book. All three of those pistols worked well with other ammo….but there are the occasional ftf, fte and dud rounds.

    • John Koerner says:

      The design has been around for a long time, so give it the benefit of the doubt. Could be the ammo. My 22/45 shoots regular ball ammo all day long, but it’s hit or miss (pardon the pun) when it comes to truncated bullets like that Winchester White Box stuff. Also try cleaning the gun AND the magazine. The gun started jamming on me despite how many times I cleaned it until I thought to clean the magazine. Cleared it up.

  4. justin says:

    Shepard, what kind(s) of ammunition have you put through your Ruger pistols? .22 LR pistols can sometimes be finicky with certain types of ammunition. It can be a matter of trial and error before you find the best .22 LR ammunition for your specific guns.

    If you’ve tried several brands of ammunition, I would suggest contacting Ruger. They have excellent customer service, and if there are any problems with your Ruger .22 LR pistols they will most likely fix them free of charge.

  5. Ken says:

    I have standard Mark iii6, 500 rounds so far with Blazer .22lr.
    It never jam.It is very accurate, reliable, cheap, and good looking handgun I ever had, thoug it is my only gun…I am lookimg for my second hand gun and researched a lot, SIG,BERETTA,CZ,.., to return to.22Cal.

    9mm CZ75B looks besy choice, but almost 20cent per round? Id rather enjoy .22 a lot than just keep a gun in the case for expensive ammo price.

  6. Ken says:

    I have standard Mark iii6, 500 rounds so far with Blazer .22lr.
    It never jam.It is very accurate, reliable, cheap, and good looking handgun I ever had, thoug it is my only gun…I am lookimg for my second hand gun and researched a lot, SIG,BERETTA,CZ,.., to return to.22Cal.

    9mm CZ75B looks best choice, but almost 20cent per round? Id rather enjoy .22 a lot than just keep a large cal. gun in the case for expensive ammo price.

  7. Dave says:

    My recommendation for any new Ruger 22 handgun is to get a Volquartsen upgrade at least for the extractor. An accuracy kit will turn your Ruger into a super shooter. I have a 22/45 Mark II I bought new in the 80’s that never had a problem until the brass cassing started getting cheaper and the powder started getting better in bulk ammo. I also found that Federal worked the best for bulk ammo.

  8. Richard says:

    I have a Ruger Mk II bull barrel. Federal bulk pack ammo works fine, so does Winchester bulk. CCI works best. If you are getting jams, try a full cleaning. The action may be fouled. Bulk .22 tends to have a wax type lube on the casings. Use a good quality bore cleaner and light lube.I recommend “Gunzilla” but any quality cleaner will work. Mine is fairly accurate depending on the ammo. I can get silver dollar groupings at 25 yards with bulk ammo. Overall a good plinker and target competition contender. Made to last a lifetime. To really make yours even more accurate, as stated before try a Volquartsen upgrade.

  9. Tgray says:

    I just purchased a mark iii, and I shot an entire bulk box of federal with not one sigle jam. I am very impressd so far. I did a lot of research as well, and I feel like i have the best gun for the money. I have also shot several hundred winchester without any jams thus far. Thanks

  10. Jeff says:

    I have a Ruger Mark I from 1950 inherited from my Grandfather. It is still dead on accurate, super easy to handle and very reliable. It only jams when I am delinquent with cleaning and oiling. The new magazine requires little care. The original magazine from 1950 will jam if I do not oil the spring.

  11. Charles says:

    I use to purchase the 22lr that comes in the winchester collectable tins. Still have one empty tin. Make great Christmas Gifts.

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