Ruger Mk III Target
Shooting buddy Seuss and I were burning way too much expensive 9mm and 45ACP, and needed to keep our ammo costs down while keeping the number of shots fired high. Enter the Ruger Mk III. We picked this one up new at Riley’s up in Hooksett, NH.
Seuss, who’s much into bullseye-oriented shooting than me, also sprung for a ADCO Red Dot optical sight…we weren’t sure how much it would help, but it certainly dresses up the gun. Combined with the Ruger’s bull barrel and slanted grip, it looks like something out of Star Wars.
The gun itself is a fixed-barrel, straight-blowback design. I imagine the fixed barrel contributes to its accuracy, but makes takedown a bear (read a little further to see why).
It’s a fun little gun to shoot. A brick of 500 rounds of .22 high velocity costs about $5, compared to $10 for 100 rounds of 9mm. The gun is highly accurate, as far as we can tell, if not entirely reliable in feeding. It appears to depend on how the magazine is loaded…dropping the cartridges in maybe makes them stack funny.
My biggest gripe is that taking the thing apart for cleaning is a royal pain in the ass; the manual recommends that you keep a paperclip and a rubber mallet handy to take it down. The fit of the frame to the barrel is tight but difficult to align; you’ll need to be very careful about how the holes line up or you will not be able to put this thing back together. On top of that, there are a number of “gotchyas” you need to be aware of as you re-insert the bolt, let the trigger not be set. Compared to a combat auto, this gun is pretty finicky. It might just be mine…I should call Ruger and see if this is normal.
That aside, it’s a solid gun…it just reminds me more of a 1950s bicycle pump in design than a modern handgun. Now that I’ve gotten the hang of assembly, it’s not so bad.