Colt is about as classic of a name as you can find in the firearms industry, dating all the way back to 1855.
Ruger is also a household name these days, getting their start in 1949. Comparatively, Ruger is an infant when compared to the legacy of Colt.
Both companies have made their share of .22 Long Rifle caliber pistols, though. And both have proven to be quality products. Today, we’ll take a look at a few and try to figure out which ones might be the best. We’ll compare the Colt Huntsman against Ruger’s MK III and MK IV 22/45.
Colt Huntsman
We’ll start with the Colt Huntsman, which was designed by John Moses Browning. It was produced from 1955 to 1977 as a lower-cost alternative to Colt’s Woodsman.
The Woodsman, also designed by John Browning, looks very similar to the Huntsman. The Woodsman, however, was more expensive because of some additional features that it had. The Woodsman’s sights were adjustable, it had a hold-open device for after the last round was fired, and its grips were fancier, having a thumb rest.
The Rugers
Ruger introduced their Standard pistol in 1949. It’s chambered in .22 Long Rifle and was intended for target shooting, sport shooting, and plinking. The line evolved into the MK II, MK III, and MK IV. Initially, the design was based on the Japanese Nambu pistol from World War II.
Ruger’s MK III was manufactured from 2004 to 2016. The model we used for this article is the MK III Competition, which features a heavy barrel and wood handgrip that has a thumb rest.
The other Ruger pistol used here is the MK IV 22/45.
Without further adieu, we’ll launch into the article.
Grips
Huntsman
The Huntsman’s grips are made of walnut and have checkered inlays for a more comfortable and dependable grip, or purchase, on the gun. The walnut offers a warm, rich, classic look to the pistol and really sets it off nicely. You’ll seldom find grips this nice on pistols today unless they are custom. I find it humorously ironic, then, that the Huntsman was intended to be the “bargain” pistol.
The grip angle is reminiscent of the German Luger, which makes it a nice pointer. Ergonomically, it’s an excellent pistol because that grip angle really locks the pistol into your grip. Because of the barrel length, the Huntsman has a slightly barrel-heavy feel, but that’s not a negative thing.
MK III
These hardwood grips are highly polished and attractive. Like the Colt Huntsman, these grips are checkered for additional comfort and control. The left side of the grip has a shelf for the thumb to rest, and it’s quite comfortable in the hand.
MK IV 22/45
As the name implies (“45”), the grip angle matches that of the .45 1911. On top of that, the plastic grip panels are also identical to a 1911’s grips. In fact, if you were to pick this pistol up blindfolded, you’d not be able to distinguish the grip from that of a 1911. They’re aesthetically the least attractive grips, but they’re the most practical.
Finish
Huntsman
A fine, blued finish is the order of the day for the Huntsman. Typical of firearms of the day, the finish is nicely done, and one can’t help but marvel at its beauty when holding the pistol. Again, you don’t find bluing jobs as nice as this in most of today’s firearms. When you hold this one, it’s quite obvious that it’s from another era entirely.
MK III
This one wears a matte stainless finish on all the metal parts. Overall, the fit and finish are extremely nice and very precise. Aesthetically, it’s a beautiful pistol and the finish protects it from rust.
MK IV
The MK IV has a blued, matte finish that seems to do pretty well protecting the metal against rust. It’s not fancy, but it’s not unattractive, either. I like that it doesn’t reflect light.
Sights
Huntsman
The Huntsman’s sights are black and fixed. The rear sight, which is dovetailed, can be drift-adjusted as needed. I’ve never had to adjust the sights on this pistol.
MK III
The sights are adjustable, standard, and black. They’re very difficult to see against a dark background. My friend, who owns the pistol, replaced the sights with units that have fiber optics, which are much easier to see in low light.
MK IV
These sights are adjustable and all black. Against dark backgrounds, these sights disappear, unfortunately.
Controls
MK III
There are tabs on both sides that are used to cock the pistol. There is a slide release located on the left side of the receiver. Above the grip where the thumb rests is a standard safety that is swiped down to fire the pistol. There is a standard magazine release just behind the trigger guard that is activated with the thumb. The bolt is held open after the last round is fired.
MK IV
Again, it’s set up precisely like a 1911; perfectly! The safety operates just like a 1911, and it’s easy to reach with the thumb. The magazine release is standard and easy to operate. The bolt is held open after the last round is fired. There is a slide release located on the left side of the receiver.
Huntsman
The Huntsman’s safety is swiped down to remove it, and it operates easily. There is no last-round hold open for the bolt. This one is the odd man out, with the magazine release being located at the heel of the grip in fine European style.
Barrel
MK III
The heavy barrel is 6.88 inches long and goes a long way toward dampening the recoil (not that there’s much on a .22LR pistol this size).
MK IV 22/45
The barrel is 5.5 inches and is somewhat thick, though not quite a bull barrel.
Huntsman
The Huntsman’s barrel is 6 inches in length and is the slimmest barrel of the three.
Trigger
Rugers
Both Rugers have very nice triggers; both are not light, but far from heavy. The break is crisp and lends itself to accuracy on both pistols. They are similar in feel and weight break.
Huntsman
This one is the winner in this category, hands down. The Huntsman’s trigger is light. It is also amazingly crisp, like a glass rod breaking.
Accuracy
All three pistols exhibit outstanding accuracy. We shout them against steel targets at varying distances, and each one is a rock star. Unfortunately, we were not able to compare them all in the bench rest role but suffice it to say that they are all quite capable in the accuracy department.
Field Stripping
MK III
Here’s where the MK III falls victim to the major complaint of the series; it’s a nightmare to field strip. Many people shied away from buying these pistols because of the complex, inconvenient field stripping procedure.
Huntsman
The Huntsman isn’t fun to field strip, but it’s not terrible. It’s a bit involved, but once you do it a few times, you get the hang of it pretty quickly.
MK IV 22/45
This pistol is the clear winner in this category. Ruger heard the screams of anguish from customers about how difficult the earlier pistols in the MK series were to field strip, and they fixed it with this model. With the push of a button, the receiver tips up similarly to an AR-15 and the bolt slides out in the same manner. It’s that quick and simple!
Magazines
All three pistols are fed from 10-round magazines.
Magazines for the Huntsman are a little hard to find and can get expensive.
The MK III’s magazines are available and well-built. They will not, however, fit into the MK IV pistols, unfortunately.
Magazines for the MK IV are also readily available and reasonably priced.
Which One Is Most Practical?
I’ll cut right to the chase – the MK IV 22/45 is the clear winner.
Why?
The grip and controls are set up just like the 1911, which is as close to perfect as you can really get. You can run the pistol at speed with efficiency and it feels like an actual combat pistol when you’re doing it.
It features very good accuracy as well (as do the other two candidates). The 22/45 is also the easiest to clean and maintain, and not by a tiny margin, either. It’s a downright pleasure compared to the other two.
To be honest, though, from a shootability standpoint, the MK III and Huntsman are real pleasures to shoot as well.
All three pistols exhibit practically no recoil and offer lightning-fast follow-up shots. All are very accurate. They also point very well and are easy to handle. Their caliber, .22 Long Rifle, is cheap to buy and readily available. We can carry hundreds of rounds into the field if we desire extended field sessions.
For beautiful grips, fit, and finish, the Huntsman wins, in my estimation. The MK III comes in a close second in this department.
Unlike many other pistols on the market these days, these three seem to have heart and soul, along with some heft. They’re all quality pistols, so whichever you decide to go with, you’d be buying a winner.
