Ruger Mark III 22/45 vs. Sig Sauer’s P322
By MARJ LAW
After shooting our friend Greg’s High Standard .22 last week, I got excited all over again about shooting .22s. Naturally, Joe and I usually shoot larger caliber handguns, but this time we decide to shoot the Ruger Mark III 22/45, which is a target pistol and the Sig Sauer P322. The Sig is a much smaller and lighter pistol. If you have a good-sized purse, you might fit the Sig in, but not the Ruger. It is a much larger and heavier handgun.
We’re visiting the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range and are shooting at 8 inch targets about 20 feet away. Now, I know it’s almost cheating, but I’ve got the Ruger. It has a long bull barrel and ought to shoot very accurately. Also, I’m going to admit that it has a red dot reflex sight. To me, reflex sights make shooting any handgun easier, but a purest like Joe might feel shooting a gun with a reflex sight to be almost cheating. So, I have 2 points in my favor as we shoot against each other.
Too bad for Joe!
Let’s talk more about these two guns.
The Ruger is meant to be a fine target gun. It is. It has a 5.5 inch bull barrel. A “bull” barrel is used to indicate a particularly heavy, thick barrel. This is good when you want to shoot well. The heaviness holds the gun in place (some) and the length ensures accuracy. The longer the barrel, the more energy is imparted into the bullet, which makes it fly out of the barrel. This adds to accuracy.
As I said, I have a reflex sight on my Ruger. According to Robert Sadowski, the “red dots allow the user to shoot with both eyes open for a wide field of view and no tunnel vision aiming.”
I’m sure he’s correct, but I like the reflex sight because you don’t have to align front and back sights. You just place the red dot on the red center of the target, and that’s where the bullet will go. Supposedly.
While the gun is fine, the shooter may be inexperienced or (ahem) mature. Any shooting outside of the center ring is probably due to shooter error. The gun itself can only do so much. This is why I’m showing the handgun and not my target. Ten years ago, I would have shown the target with pride, but today is different. Shooters get something I’d compare to the “yips” that golfers often get as they become older. Today my shooting reflects either shooter “yips” or too much coffee in the morning. Sigh.
This particular Ruger’s slide and barrel are made of stainless steel. The overall length is 9.75 inches with a barrel length of 5.5 inches. It is 1.20 inches wide and has a height of 5.5 inches. With so much metal, the gun is heavy at 42 ounces. It is obviously not a purse gun. The magazine holds 10 rounds.
Joe is shooting the Sig Sauer P322. This is a much smaller and lighter handgun. At 7” inches overall, it has a barrel of 4 inches. It is 1.4 inches wide and is 5.5 inches in height. And, because of its size and polymer frame, the Sig only weighs 17.1 ounces. Big difference. As I said earlier, you might be able to put this gun in your purse, but it’s not the smallest handgun on the planet.
Why a .22?
These .22s have very light triggers. They have little recoil. New shooters are often afraid of recoil, which makes them “flinch” when the gun fires. This is a bad habit, and one you have to lose. So, shooting a gun with very little recoil helps the new shooter learn without fearing recoil.
Why a .22?
The slides on both guns are fairly light and easy to pull back. The Ruger has “ears” on the end of the slide. These ears give you a good grip so it’s easy to rack the slide.
Why the Ruger .22?
The Ruger has buttons and levers similar to the 45 caliber 1911 style handgun, so you can learn on a gun of lower caliber, but become familiar with the higher caliber gun.
Why a .22?
.22s can be useful in getting rid of vermin like snakes and squirrels. When you learn to place your shot well, you might also dispatch rabid racoons, coyotes, and bobcats.
Why a .22?
.22 rounds are cheap when you compare them to 9mm or 45-caliber rounds. You can shoot .22s all day long for a fraction of the price of other guns. This makes training really inexpensive.
Speaking of .22 ammunition, be sure to use name brand, clean ammunition. The .22 semi-automatic handgun is sensitive. You might want to try out a few different makes of ammunition because some .22s are picky. Find the one that shoots the best in your gun.
Watch out for old and bulk ammunition. Pick up a round and feel it. Does it have a slightly sticky residue? Your gun won’t like that at all. If you try to use old ammo in the .22, you may find that you get “stovepipes” or other shooting problems. Also, .22s are sensitive to shooting residue and dirt that clogs in the chamber, on the ramp or in the ejection port. If you don’t keep a .22 clean, you’ll likely have shooting problems.
The Sig versus the Ruger
Joe finds the trigger pull and travel very light on the Sig. I tried it out later and found this to be true also.
The slide is smooth and easy and the recoil is light. Joe finds this little gun seems to like the 40-grain CCI rounds and the CCI Minimags. He shot a fairly tight grouping southwest of the center ring of the target.
Joe wants to remind you that the Sig’s magazine holds a whopping 20 rounds. Joe cautions the shooter to load the magazines one round at a time. It can be tempting to pull the mag button down and plop several rounds into it, but this can give you stacking problems, where the rounds go in cock-eyed.
I shoot the Ruger. Yes, I really like the red dot sight we put on it. Oh, and the Sig does have a plate where you can add a red dot if you want to. The Sig comes with a fiber optic front sight and back sight which are easy to see. But my red dot is better. (!)
Both the Ruger’s bull barrel and heavy overall weight help to hold the gun steady. You can laugh at the recoil as you shoot round after round. However, after a while, the gun starts to feel heavy at those 42 ounces versus the 17.1 ounces of the Sig.
Both .22s are easy to shoot, simple to learn, rugged and affordable. They’re great for plinking or getting rid of vermin.
Pick a cool morning and arrange to visit the WCSO range with a friend. Shooting your .22 is relaxing and fun way to spend a morning. By noon, you’ll be ready to go out to lunch!
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.