S&W .22 Victory

[If1Hitu]

Anyone here have a S&W.22 Victroy pistol? Thinking about adding one to my collection of .22's, all four of mine are RMIV's .22's I have right now.I'd like to here what you think of the pistol if you have one,or just know about the S&W .22 Victory.Thanks

[dddrees]

I have the following three 22 Semi Automatic Pistols. A Rugger Mark IV Hunter, S&W Victory, and Two S&W 41s. Of the three the only one I purchased twice in a slightly different configuration was the S&W 41. It was the last one I purchased after the S&W Victory. I actually purchased the Victory with the intention of doing some modifications. It was the biggest mistake I ever made. No matter the money it was never ever going to be a good as the S&W 41. In retrospect as with anything I ever have done I relearned another tried and true lesson. It's always better to have one real good thing than to have many lower quality items that will never be as good as the one that may cost more.

The trigger on the S&W 41 is better out of the box than the Victory will ever be even with the Tandom Kross upgrade. The weight and grip angle of the S&W 41 works extremely well for me as well as minimizing recoil. The S&W 41 is an elegant design which is extremely simple with fewer parts. Shoots better and feels much nicer in the hand.

If you are still considering getting the S&W Victory I suggest you weigh it against the Mark IV and Buckmark as they are all in the same category. Rimfire Central should give you all the information you could possibly need and there are plusses and minuses to all three. All deserving in the lower cost category. But me personally I much rather have one S&W 41 than all three of the others. The only good thing about having the other two is being able to compare and contrast how good the S&W 41 is. Now that I know personally I would rather have not spent my money on the other two.

[North Country Gal]

I have a lifetime of experience with Ruger Marks, but only up through the MK III. Nothing at all on the MK IV, which I regard as a different animal, due to the the frame and lock work being different than previous Marks.

I also have a S&W Victory and a S&W Model 41.

In terms of raw accuracy, out of the box, no mods of any kind, shooting for group size off a rest, our Victory can shoot groups as small as our Model 41 (half inch and less at 25 yards), with only a rare Mark I've had over the years in the same category. In terms of just accuracy potential, then, I don't think you can beat the Victory for the money. And, by the way, I've talked to other Victory owners who say the same thing compared to their Model 41.

That said, the Victory is no Model 41 and no amount of modding will make it one. The Victory may shoot groups as small from a rest, but the 41 is the much the easier gun to shoot, via its balance and trigger. In the end, since we are talking pistols, here, and not bench guns, that balance and ease of shooting, assuming at least decent accuracy, make the pistol. Along those lines, if you like the feel and balance of the Ruger or the Browning, go for it. They'll be plenty accurate, short of top tier competition.

[PT7]

I have a lifetime of experience with Ruger Marks, but only up through the MK III. Nothing at all on the MK IV, which I regard as a different animal, due to the the frame and lock work being different than previous Marks.

Hey, NCG. Do you ever think you might extend your Ruger Marks experiences and get a MkIV, or maybe have the chance to shoot one, which a friend has? Since the only two I've had are the MkIV models, a look-see/write-up from you would be a good read. I like my new 22/45 so far.

PT7

[dddrees]

I have a lifetime of experience with Ruger Marks, but only up through the MK III. Nothing at all on the MK IV, which I regard as a different animal, due to the the frame and lock work being different than previous Marks.

I also have a S&W Victory and a S&W Model 41.

In terms of raw accuracy, out of the box, no mods of any kind, shooting for group size off a rest, our Victory can shoot groups as small as our Model 41 (half inch and less at 25 yards), with only a rare Mark I've had over the years in the same category. In terms of just accuracy potential, then, I don't think you can beat the Victory for the money. And, by the way, I've talked to other Victory owners who say the same thing compared to their Model 41.

That said, the Victory is no Model 41 and no amount of modding will make it one. The Victory may shoot groups as small from a rest, but the 41 is the much the easier gun to shoot, via its balance and trigger. In the end, since we are talking pistols, here, and not bench guns, that balance and ease of shooting, assuming at least decent accuracy, make the pistol. Along those lines, if you like the feel and balance of the Ruger or the Browning, go for it. They'll be plenty accurate, short of top tier competition.

Once again NCG captured it right on point. My S&W 41 may very well be matched by others costing much less when it comes to accuracy off the bench, but when it comes to ease and enjoyment of firing the S&W 41 in my opinion is so much more enjoyable to fire. Extremely hard to put down and hence this is why instead of just buying another barrel size I went ahead and purchased a second S&W 41 with a different size barrel instead.

[North Country Gal]

PT, I grew up with Ruger Marks and learned, some forty plus years, ago, how to disassemble one, do trigger mods and so forth. For me, making the Mark easier to clean with the MK IV was just fixing something that wasn't really broken. I do understand that a lot of folks DO have issues with doing the take down the earlier Marks, though. Still, I won't be buying a Mark IV. Questions on any other Mark, though, I will be happy to answer.

Although we are on the topic of autoloaders, let me, again, say that I still prefer revolvers, even though I acknowledge the benefits of the autoloader for shooting.

[PT7]

PT, I won't be buying a Mark IV. Questions on any other Mark, though, I will be happy to answer.

Although we are on the topic of autoloaders, let me, again, say that I still prefer revolvers, even though I acknowledge the benefits of the autoloader for shooting.

I really wasn't expecting that you'd buy a MkIV. Just noting I'd like your write-up if you happened to shoot one.

My 22/45 is a solo semi-auto I have. Do not plan to get another. The rest of my gun cabinet are wheel guns. Wheel guns are the definite majority of firearms I have and what I also prefer to shoot. The only other type of gun is the BP ball & cap pistol that hopefully will soon be shipped to me. All long guns are gone and are only history.

Enough variety here to keep me on the range and enjoying shooting.

PT7

p.s. In the future, I'll try to stick more to the gun type of the thread!

[North Country Gal]

PT, I'm fine anytime someone strays off topic. If it makes you uncomfortable, though, just PM me, same as always.

[Mistered]

Several years ago I owned a 1st gen Buckmark and for a 'budget' semi auto it shot incredibly well and had a great trigger.
I wound up selling it for reasons that I cannot remember however I do recall one thing I did not like about was the barrel was held on with one machine screw and would loosen with continual shooting and needed to be retightened.
I could have probably tried Locktite but it's a past tense issue.
I really like the looks of the Ruger Hunter series but not enough that I Would own one.
I may however try to find an early, standard Ruger Mark (?) as I occasionally see them for very good prices - sometimes sub - $200.

[dddrees]

Several years ago I owned a 1st gen Buckmark and for a 'budget' semi auto it shot incredibly well and had a great trigger.
I wound up selling it for reasons that I cannot remember however I do recall one thing I did not like about was the barrel was held on with one machine screw and would loosen with continual shooting and needed to be retightened.
I could have probably tried Locktite but it's a past tense issue.
I really like the looks of the Ruger Hunter series but not enough that I Would own one.
I may however try to find an early, standard Ruger Mark (?) as I occasionally see them for very good prices - sometimes sub - $200.

The Victory 22 and new Mark IV have these annoying little loose screw issues as well. Eventually I had to address a number of them with a Loctite like product. Just another reason I like the elegant but extremely simple design that the S&W 41 uses as this isn't even necessary.

[Mistered]

I'll probably keep my eye out for a Mark II.
It is the first Mark with bolt hold open which is a nice feature.
Also I have read the Mk II has one of the better triggers over the others.

[dddrees]

I'll probably keep my eye out for a Mark II.
It is the first Mark with bolt hold open which is a nice feature.
Also I have read the Mk II has one of the better triggers over the others.

Yeah, I've heard the early Marks had a much better trigger. The Mark IV has a horrendous trigger. I have yet to get mine modified which most will do but then again I wasn't exactly in the mood to spend more on mine because I know even if I do it will still not be as good as gun as my S&W 41 so I'm not exactly motivated to do so.

[North Country Gal]

Actually, your best chance of a "better" trigger is with the Mark I series, since, at the time, you could send your Mark into Ruger for a trigger job for the whopping sum of $20. Other than that, there is no way to really predict what you'll get on any trigger on any Ruger Mark I, II, or III. Try before you buy.

Here's a little primer on Ruger Marks.

Mark I/Standard
The Mark I had adjustable sights, the Standard, fixed sights. There were two grip frames used. The A54 was first. You can recognize these by pulling the magazine. The follower will be on the right side. You can still use later Mark I and MK II mags, but you'll need to change the mag follower over to the left side. Note that the 9 shot mags in the MkI/Standards were not the best, but you can use the better functioning 10 shot mags from the MK His, though you may have to switch the follower button to the other side.

At the time, you could order or buy walnut grips for your A54 Standards for the princely sum of $4. Note that these are now quite valuable if you can find them because no one makes grips, now, for the early A54 grip frames. Note that on early MK1s/Stadards, the trigger was retained with a snap ring, rather than retained by a spring with the latter versions, making a trigger change more challenging.

In the early 70s, Ruger went with the A100 grip frame, changing the mag follower over to the left side. This was a design change necessitated by the bolt hold open introduced with the MNK II.

Mark II
Everything you need and nothing that you don't is a good way to describe the features on the MK II. These are my favorite and the easiest to mod the trigger.

Mark III
These get you the mag disconnect safety and the LCI (loaded chamber indicator), plus a 1911 style mag release button (a feature I like). Ruger didn't add the LCI and the mag safety to lawyer proof the guns, as some claim. They did it to be able to sell the MK IIs in states requiring those features. These are a little trickier to do a trigger mod, but still doable. Note that you can use the MK III mags in the MK II, but they go in a bit rough. You cannot use a MK II mag in the MK III, though.

Ruger almost shot themselves in the foot with the MK III. The LCI and mag disconnect safety were not well received. More importantly, the MK IIIs were from the era where Ruger QC was dropping like a rock to keep up with demand. Thus you got some MK IIIs that were impossible to disassemble without the use of a mallet. I know, I had a couple. The earlier series, on the other hand, were more reasonable to disassemble as to the effort needed. These truly nasty to disassemble MK IIIs were what prompted Ruger to come out with the MK IV.

The MK IV is different in its lock and trigger, so, to me, it's no longer a traditional Mark, though I'm sure it's still a good gun. Just not the same old gun I've known for almost fifty years.

[Mistered]

Try before you buy.

Thanks for the info.
I have done a little research myself on these and had already decided to try to find a Mark II.
I will defiantly 'try before I buy' - as I do will all guns before I take them.