Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This series is all about the rimfire firearm world and its various firearms, ammunition, and trends. This week we’ll be polling you – the reader to see what you guys think the most popular 22LR rimfire target pistol is in a 22LR Target Pistol face-off! The big three 22LR rimfire target pistols that I see most often mentioned are the Ruger MK IV, the Smith & Wesson Victory, and the Browning Buck Mark series of pistols.

The Rimfire Report: 22LR Target Pistol Face-off! MK IV vs Victory vs Buck Mark

For today’s face-off, we’ll be looking at the base (or “standard”) models of each pistol and look over their specifications and pricing. We won’t be taking into account possible aftermarket modifications or custom builds that are made since going down that route could easily bleed into a debate over who has the most money to modify their favorite target plinking toy.

I will provide the basic information and a few of my own personal thoughts and experiences with each of these pistols below and then at the end, we’ll provide a poll for you to vote in. I personally won’t be casting judgment on any of these pistols and I’m going to leave the voting for the face-off up to you guys in the poll down below. So let’s get into the details of each of these 22LR rimfire pistols – let the face-off begin!

The Ruger MK IV

Ruger® redesigned the platform of their famous .22 pistol to make the Mark IV™ Target Semi-Auto Rimfire Pistol with a simple rear-mounted takedown button and a frame-mounted pivot pin that eliminate the complexities of field stripping previous models. The Mark IV pistol disassembles and reassembles easily, allowing proper chamber to muzzle cleaning. The bull barrel Mark IV Target utilizes a single-piece, precision CNC-machined aluminum grip frame, with a 5-1/2″ blued, carbon steel bull barrel balances the pistol superbly in the shooters hand to reach its full accuracy potential. A partridge-style, target front sight, a fully adjustable target rear sight provide an outstanding sight picture, and the receiver is drilled and tapped for attaching a Picatinny-style rail. The target trigger breaks crisp and clean. A manual, ambidextrous thumb safety locks the sear, while allowing the pistol to be loaded and unloaded when engaged, and a magazine disconnect prevents the pistol from firing once the magazine is removed. The Mark IV model does not have a loaded chamber indicator on the side of the receiver or an internal key lock. The Ruger Mark IV Target is a great semi-auto rimfire pistol for target practice, formal shooting competitions, or hunting. Comes with two 10-round magazines.

 

• Capacity: 10+1
• Material: Alloy Steel
• Front Sight: Fixed
• Barrel Length: 4.75″
• Grip Frame: Aluminum
• Grips: Checkered Synthetic
• Finish: Blued
• Width: 1.20″
• Rear Sight: Fixed
• Barrel Style: Tapered
• Weight: 28.2 oz.
• Overall Length: 9″
• Height: 5.40″
• Grooves: 6
• Twist: 1:16″ RH
• Available in CA: No
• Available in MA: No
• Suggested Retail: $449.00

The Ruger MK series of pistols has built up a great reputation for reliability over the years. This is probably one of the first pistols that come to mind when you speak of a target rimfire pistol. Although disassembly and reassembly of earlier models was a time-consuming chore, the MK IV iteration of the pistol has integrated the very popular single-button takedown system making routine cleaning of the pistol quite easy.

I purchased a Ruger MK IV a couple of years back for competition purposes and have been very happy with it so far and have made many modifications to it to fit one specific niche of the firearms competition world – Steel Challenge rimfire.

Ruger has a generous selection of different models of the Ruger MK IV to choose from including an entire line dedicated to an entirely different grip style the 22/45. Davidson’s Gallery of Guns frequently has special editions of the MK IV made in limited editions which are a great way to get a new pistol that breaks away from the standard look of the MK IV.

The Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory

The SW22 VICTORY® is constructed on a single-action, enclosed hammer-fired, blowback semi-automatic design. Chambered in .22 LR, the SW22 Victory comes highly featured with innovative design qualities that include a match-grade, interchangeable barrel for superb accuracy on the range or in the field along with a simple one-screw takedown design.

The pistol’s high-end features, modern styling and enriched functionality place the SW22 Victory in a category of its own with an affordable price to match.

• Removable Interchangeable Match Barrel
• Steel Reinforced Polymer Thumb Safety
• Picatinny-Style Rail Included
• Fiber Optic Front Sight
• Adjustable Fiber Optic Rear Sight
• (2) Ten-Round Magazines Included
• Adjustable Trigger Stop
• Stainless Steel Frame
• Textured Grip Panels with Finger Cuts for Easy Magazine Removal

Model: SW22 VICTORY®

Caliber: 22 LR

Capacity: 10+1

Safety: Thumb Safety

Length: 9.2

Front Sight: Green Fiber Optic

Rear Sight: Adjustable Fiber Optic

Action: Single Action

Grip: Polymer

Barrel Material: Stainless Steel

Slide Material: Stainless Steel

Frame Material: Stainless Steel

Slide Finish: Stainless Steel

Frame Finish: Satin

Barrel Length: 5.5″ (14 cm)

Weight: 36.0 oz.

The S&W SW22 Victory is the youngest pistol out of this small bunch but it has grown to have a massive fan base over its relatively short life. I have found the SW22 Victory to be an extremely accurate 22LR target pistol and I often see it showing up at steel challenge matches in roughly the same numbers as MK IV pistols. The SW22 Victory tends to be a bit heavier than its competitors but this is mostly due to its stainless steel construction which makes for a durable and wear-resistant target shooting platform.The S&W 22 Victory comes in mostly one style but you do have the option from the factory to have either a threaded or non-threaded barrel and Smith & Wesson also allows you to choose what type of sights you want to be included with the pistol. That being said, there is some very strong aftermarket support for the SW22 Victory pistol.