which one would you get?

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boomer92266

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i went to my local shop to get a 22lr handgun, hoping for a wrangler but a no go on that. what they had has me puzzled on which one since they are close to price with each other. a used like new, a Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory Fiber Optic 22 LR Full-Sized 10-Round Pistol with 4 magazines for $291.50 otd, the other is brand new Ruger MARK IV™ 22/45 with the easy take down button and 2 magazines for $318.00 otd. which one would be a better deal? thanks
 
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Ive shot both, own neither but just price wise...Id say the Smith and Wesson hands down.

Its well under MSRP with extra mags. Unless the guns looking like it went through a hurricane Id definitely say its the better deal.

They are both well built guns by well respected companies so you wont be bad off with either. I just think price wise and what it comes with.....Smith wins.
 
If you were to run a search simply in this forum on the subject of the S&W Victory pistol, the only conclusion that seems to make sense would be to pick any direction directly AWAY from the Victory and move that way swiftly.

Here's where some folks who like their Victory would typically get wildly offended and then ask me if I have ever owned one. These are standard emotions for most gun owners, guys often feel like you are insulting their children AND dog if you disparage a gun they spent money on. These emotions are typical, I expect them. These aren't bad emotions, but they are in fact irrelevant.

I don't write these negative thoughts with the drive to upset Victory owners (and sufferers), instead I write them to hopefully save you from the experience.

The S&W Victory is a sub-standard pistol based on an earlier uninspiring design (the S&W 22A.) and it seems to also suffer from poor quality control.

I'd very much choose the Ruger Mk IV in this decision, but I would 110% rather pay as much or more money for a lightly used Mark II than any Mk III or Mk IV.
 
It would be the Ruger Mk IV for me. :) In fact, were it not for the fact that I am already up to my behind in .22 LR handguns, I'd probably have gone for a Mk IV Hunter pistol by now. :cool:

I owned a Ruger Mk I (T512) back in the good old days, but I sold it to be able to afford my Model 41. Other than the strip, clean and reassembly madness, it was an excellent, enjoyable target pistol. The Mk IV presumably ends the disassembly/ reassembly madness. ;)

The Victory never appealed to me from Day 1. I just can't get over the cheap, awkward looks (designed by a committee that didn't quite get along?). And when you add in all the reported problems... no thanks. :(
 
Go over to the shop and "inspect" both , handle each , work the action and controls , insert and remove a magazine , take a one handed shooting stance , pretend to shoot a target , then take a two handed stance and see which one hangs best for you , which one has the easiest sight aquisition , feels most natural in your hand ...then listen real carefully ...one will call out to you...me, me ...take me home .
Buy that one !
Gary
 
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Its not always "the best", but what calls out to you.

That said, I have never owned a Victory, but have owned a number Ruger semi-auto pistols, and all have been reliable and accurate. Internet owners reports on the Victory seem mixed...

If you really have your heart set on a Wrangler, any decent FFL should be able to order one in for you in a week or less.

Larry
 
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The Wrangler is a single action revolver, while the others you mentioned are semi-automatics. Apples to oranges so you have to decide what you really want.

I have 2 new Wranglers and I can't say enough good about them. They are readily available on GunBroker. No LGSs in my area have gotten any yet.

I also have every Mark version ever made. Yes, the Mark II is the best, but my Mark IV is pretty darn close. All were bought new, so unless you found a NIB Mark II, my current choice would be a Mark IV.

All that said, for a .22 handgun nothing would beat a K-22.
 
ken158 said:
Ruger hands down.
Click to expand...

The Ruger for sure and I agree with Sevens about the MKII.

I've had (passed it to my son), a MKI since Christmas 1960 or 61 and it has been reliable and accurate for all these years. The MKII is a improvement, but the later models were slight improvements at best IMO. The MKI is a very solid design, but no bolt hold open on the last shot like the MKII has. IIRC

As suggested, do a search on the Victory and see for yourself.

Rob
 
GypsmJim said:
The Wrangler is a single action revolver, while the others you mentioned are semi-automatics. Apples to oranges so you have to decide what you really want.

I have 2 new Wranglers and I can't say enough good about them. They are readily available on GunBroker. No LGSs in my area have gotten any yet.

I also have every Mark version ever made. Yes, the Mark II is the best, but my Mark IV is pretty darn close. All were bought new, so unless you found a NIB Mark II, my current choice would be a Mark IV.

All that said, for a .22 handgun nothing would beat a K-22.
Click to expand...

I agree that you need to decide if you want a single action revolver, or a semi-auto first. Going in for a Wrangler, and then trying to choose between two semi-autos, is "apples to oranges".

I would like to try a Wrangler myself, just because I like the style of a single action revolver. I already own a S&W model 17, which is my first choice for double action 22's. And I own Ruger MK II semi-auto, because it's my number one choice for semi-auto 22's.

I've been through other double action & semi-autos, but settled on these two. I would choose the Ruger between those two, if you have to have a 22 right away. But think about which action you prefer before just buying something to be buying a 22. (Unless you're loaded & can afford to buy one of each) LOL!

Check out the online reviews, do your research, and pick the one you think you'll like best. Then share the pictures and range report here with us. :D
 
Hi, I've been researching a new .22 for fun. Looked at the Victory threaded version. If you watch YouTube, 22 plinkster had good things to say but his is also highly customized with aftermarket parts 😎.

I own both the Smith .22 compact and a Ruger 22/45 lite. Trigger is heavy on the Smith but it has been flawless. Lite made a trip back to Ruger, can't recall the issue but they made it right. Been solid since. Use a red dot on it. Pretty sweet.

I looked into the wrangler, seems folks have a ton of good things to say. Kind of stumbled into the Heritage single action dual cylinder combo looking into the wrangler. It's cheap enough and well liked from what I saw. Leaning that direction but I'm also a single action fan. Good luck with your decision.
 
I currently have an original Ruger 22/45, as Ruger Mark III 5.5" bull target, and I'm building a FrankenRuger on a blued Mark II frame (I got here oddly enough) and a stainless Mark 2 Competition Slabside upper.

Lots of support, and decent aftermarket parts supply for the Ruger. The Mark IV is a sweet evolution of the product line. Get it, a few extra mags, and about 500 rounds of HV ammo and just shoot the snot out of it. The HV ammo helps break it in. Go to RimfireCentral forums for phenominal peer support.

Don't get me wrong, the Victory is probably fine, but the Ruger will outlast your grandkids.
 
I have owned the SW22, disliked it. I own 2 Ruger Mark IV's, great shooters and easy to clean and very accurate. But will need some trigger work more than likely to make it target grade. Factory trigger little stiff. The Wrangler, depending on what you want it for is probably not a good choice either. I like the Single Six but I do not shoot Magnum rounds which is what the Single Six (and the Wrangler) barrels are sized to because most are convertibles (Single Sixes) and Ruger uses the same barrel size for all. I shoot 22lr so the larger size diameter of the barrel for the Magnum round makes them not as accurate as the Mark series. The Mark series are very accurate.
That would be the route that I would take.
 
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