A few months back I purchased a Ruger Mark 3 .22 caliber semi-auto handgun with a bull barrel. All of my coworkers were telling me how much I was going to enjoy the gun and they are right! I’ve put about 500 rounds through it so far and I have loved each one. The recoil is light and ammo is cheap so it’s easy to shoot for long periods of time. My only complaint is that the holes that a .22 caliber bullet leaves in the target are so small it’s hard to see where you hit. To counteract that problem I purchased a low-end spotting scope. It’s a Barska 20x-60x 60mm, I get a great deal through my employer on these and a review on this scope may come in the future. Mark 3 magazines run around $15 so pick up several, also I would suggest getting a thumb-saver. You don’t need one since these magazines are easy to load but it does help. I can post a link to the thumb-saver if someone asks.
I’m not an experienced shooter but the Mark 3 has proved to be a great starter gun. Easy to learn the basic mechanics of firearm cleaning, maintenance, and shooting. Make sure to purchase quality cleaning supplies and tools when working on a firearm. This will protect the gun which is truly an investment. I had a low-quality nylon brush that I used once with Hoppe’s #9 Bore cleaner and the stupid brush corroded on me, obviously it was no-longer usable. I believe that brush has since been discontinued by the manufacturer. I also had a Tipton brass brush which is too large for the barrel. Finally I bought some patches meant for .22 caliber guns and they were too big, I had to cut them down to fit. Depending on the manufacturer you may want to buy patches for a .17 caliber gun.
I would suggest this gun for anyone wanting a small caliber handgun or just starting with shooting sports. Ruger also makes a Mark 3 with a grip angle similar to that of a 1911, the Mark 3 22/45. I’ve not shot this gun but my manager has one and likes it.
I plan to purchase Springfield XDs in 9mm and 45ACP, a Taurus revolver in .38 special, Remington 700 .30-06, and Beretta Xtrema2 KO 12 gauge. In the future I may pick up a 1911 (brand TBD), a Ruger Super Redhawk .480, and maybe a Stoeger over-and-under. I will review each one as I become familiar with them. My next review will be on a Ruger 10/22 that I bought at Wal-mart last month, expect my review in March, probably.
December 30, 2006 at 9:11 am
I really liked that XD we shot at targetmasters the other day. The SIG was fun too … Hell I liked ‘em all. Now I just have to save up some money to get me something.
February 18, 2007 at 9:19 pm
where did you get mark3 mags for $15? i always see them for 20+ dollars
February 18, 2007 at 9:25 pm
MidwayUSA has them on sale for $16.99, $18.99 normally. That’s where I bought mine but I was guessing what their retail price was. Sorry, just too lazy to look when I wrote the post.
I’ve updated this post with a link to the magazines.
March 4, 2007 at 9:44 am
Forget the Taurus and the Stoeger. Poor guns. The best 45 I own is a Kimber. Period. The best over/under I own is a Berretta. Many of my pals shoot Browning and its a great gun also. I hate to talk in “bumper stickers” but you get what you pay for. Stoeger is a cheap, low-end gun. I have not seen one that hasn’t been to the gunsmith at least once. If you want a good over/under plan to start your shopping at $1,400 – $2,000. If you don’t like that price range then get a good semi-auto
March 4, 2007 at 8:10 pm
It’s interesting to see how divisive firearm brands can be. Where I work the general consensus is Taurus and Stoeger are bad much like Matt said above. Although there are quite a number of people who like the brands as well. I won’t argue for either side of that topic simply because I don’t have the necessary experience. All of Matt’s recommendations match what I’ve been told in the past. In fact I will probably get a Kimber 45 at some point if I can afford it. I may still get the Stoeger simply to tide me over until I can get my hands on a Beretta Urika 2.
Thanks for the comment Matt, I appreciate your opinion!
May 4, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Talkiing about guns is like talking about sports or cars. Everyone has an opinion. I have shot just about everything out there. Between my friends and I, we have a respectable collection of “boom sticks”. I think a discussion of firearms needs to be reduced to caliber, action type, price, and then brands. That way everyone is comparing apples to apples, and not apples to oranges.
For example, with .45, Kimber does make a fine, semi custom, $850.00+ firearm. So does Les Baer and so does Springfield Armory and Smith and SigSauer, and . . . . if you get a semi-custom gun. Unfortunately, you have to compare all these heary hitters equally and not include “lesser” guns in the discussion.