Advice on Ruger MK III and Ultradot, Please.

[Phydeaux642]

I asked this question in the Auto Pistol section but I didn't get any response. I thought that I would try here and see of I can get anyone's input. And, yes, I did try the search but I don't want to wade through hundreds, if not thousands, of posts to get a gem.

I have been shooting .22 a lot lately and I am having a lot of fun doing so. I have a Ruger MK III 22/45 with fixed sights and a 4 1/2" bbl that I have been shooting and it is a lot of fun. I would like to get into Bullseye type shooting for fun at my local range. I have no idea if it is something that I would like to eventually do in a competitive situation, but I do know that I enjoy shooting and would like to get better at it.

My questions are these. What MK III is most suited to this type of shooting? I know the one I have and shoot is fun, but I also know that it isn't the best suited for what I am looking for. Next, what Ultradot is best suited to the particular type of shooting that I want to do? And, finally, what rings and mounting base should I use to get the best performance from the Ultradot?

I know there are .22 pistols out there that are much more accurate than a Ruger, but I am on a budget and don't want to put so much into a setup right now that I can't take it out of the case without feeling guilty.

Thanks for your time.

 

[stork]

I agree with your choice of the MKIII. I shoot Bullseye competitively and much prefer my Rugers to my High Standards. I would recommend the 5 1/2" bull barrel with the addition of a Volquartson sear. The factory sear needs improvement and the Volquartson is by far the easiest add on to make your Ruger competitive. Add an Ultra Dot to the package and you have a handgun that not only is competitive but will take you to a High master level. If, and only IF, you will discipline yourself to practice the fundamentals.

I normally shoot in the high 280's and have shot as high as 296 with my 5 1/2" Ruger. You need to experiment a little with standard velocity ammo to find your Rugers preference. I can highly recommend CCI standard velocity, Aquila standard velocity, Eley Brown box, PMC Scoremaster, Lapua, as well as others. All the mentioned ammo's will consistently shoot under 1 1/2" @ 50 yards from any of my Rugers (3) off my Ransom Rest. This is x-ring accuracy.

I would suggest the 1" Ultra Dot. I have found the UD's to have less parallax than any of the others I have tried. The 30mm tube just gives you more scenery to distract you. Give the low Weaver rings a try instead of the verticly split rings that are supplied with the dot. The Weavers allow you to remove the dot when you clean your pistol, and then reinstall without disturbing your zero.

Some links that you may already have, but will give you a wealth of information.

http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/index.php
moderated by a gunsmith that goes by the name of Bullseye. I have found him to be a wealth of knowledge on Rugers.

http://www.nygordprecision.com/notes.htm
this is a series of instructions on a variety of shooting tips by an past Olympic level shooter Don Nygord. Now deceased, he was a champion in every sense of the word.

http://www.lava.net/~perrone/bullseye
This is an EXCLUSIVE BULLSEYE list owned by Paul Perrone. He will not tolerate any off topic posting. You will find every level (Including 9 time National Champion, Brian Zins) of shooter posting here asking a lot of questions you may have but don't know how to put into words.

Go to matches and watch the shooters. Ask the best shooters questions. I've never had any question put down and every one I've met tried to teach me how to beat them.

There aren't any secrets. There is just paying attention to the fundamentals.

FWIW

Stork

 

[Justin]

If going with a Ruger, get one that you can put an ergonomic grip on. The 22/45 won't let you do that since the frame is completely polymer.

Also, look into getting a trigger job on the gun as soon as you buy it. I shot bullseye for a time using a Ruger Mk.II "Target", and the horrendous trigger pull caused me to pick up a number of bad habits in order to compensate.

 

[md2lgyk]

I've shot NRA bullseye matches for over 20 years with Rugers. My current one is a Mk II with the bull barrel and a 1" Ultradot. Over sandbags with the right ammo and me doing my part, it will shoot a 25-yard, 10-shot group you can cover with a nickel. Instead of using a base, I had the receiver grooved so the rings just clamp on. This cuts weight a little, gets the dot closer to the bore axis, and can be taken off without disturbing the zero.

 

[Pure Kustom]

MK II and Ultradot are what most people use in NRA Bullseye pistol shooting.

 

[lonegunman]

Ditto on the MKII with a 1" Ultradot. I used a Government model for years, starting with iron sights, upgrading to Bomars then to a dot. I had a Clark trigger and Clark grip on the thing. Factory Ruger triggers suck.

After about 50,000 rounds, the small spring under the firing pin broke and had to be replaced, otherwise the gun ALWAYS runs fine.

I ran over 880 several time with it and even after tens of thousands of rounds it still will shoot an inch at 50yds with good ammo.

CCI std vel works great, when it was dirty CCI minimag solids worked perfectly until I could clean it.

Several years ago I switched to a Hammerli 208s, it has a lot going for it but in the long run it is not really more accurate than a Ruger. Ergonomically it is quite a bit ahead of a Ruger. These days it is priced well out of range of most and not much is as competitive as a Ruger for the price.

Winter is coming, find a local indoor league and enjoy yourself.

 

[earplug]

I have the Ultra Dot, Match Dot on a Marvel. Its a fine scope.
Thats good advice to use the Weaver rings instead of the factory rings. Now I have somthing else to look for.

 

[AMBASSADOR]

Ring choice

I would suggest usung Weaver Grand Slam Lever Lock Rings or Leupold QRW Lever type rings to aid with easy cleaning of firearm,they hold zero well.

 

[mm1ut1]

If going with the Ruger get the Valquartsen trigger kit. I used one for three years, then went to a Sig Trailside, then to my current S&W 41. The ruger will shoot fine for a lot of people and it's a matter of how good it feels to you.

 

[SoCalShooter]

I use a MK III 5 1/2 in bull barrel blued version, I changed the crappy sights to volquartsen and I changed the trigger to volquartsen, I also changed the extractor to volquartsen.

The gun with match ammo will shoot a 5 round group the size of my thumb nail at 25 yards from a ransom rest. I can keep it shooting offhand in the 10 ring if I am concentrating. Its damn nice and very much worth it. I have the ergo grip on it but I am not sure I can remember who that is from.

I also installed the accessory rail for a little added weight.

 

[bggwind]

I find this thread to be quite informative - I am close to making the jump into bullseye shooting and have been back and forth as to what hardware to pursue.

Could any of you recommend a resource (another board) dedicated to bullseye or competitive shooting?

 

[The Wiry Irishman]

If you're going to be shooting bullseye with a 22/45, I think the red dot is a good idea. Or the volquartsen sights SoCalShooter mentioned. Those guns have the coarsest sight adjustment I've ever seen.

I've never been a big fan of the MKIII, but I have to say (as some in this thread have illustrated) you can do some amazing things with cheap guns. A couple years back, a girl won the NCAA bullseye championships with a 300 dollar Buckmark...

 

[SoCalShooter]

Well today with my mk III in slow fire at 25yards I shot 9x's and 1 10 using federal bulk ammo.

I also have a Buckmark Target 5 1/2in target with hooded sights it shoots very well also but I prefer my Ruger.