Ruger MK II 6 7/8 GTM to heavy for bullseye ?

I'm just starting in bullseye shooting. My Ruger Goverment Model has a heavy 6 7/8 barrel. My question is this too heavy a pistol to use for competition ?

I'm new to this game as well (just over a year in), so take it for what it is worth.  

I have a Mark IV Target pistol which weighs in at 36 oz.  
For a while, I was shooting a Mark I Standard which was heavier than the Mark IV by at least four ounces. (Can't find the specs on baby right now.)

The Mark II Government 6-7/8 weighs in at 46 oz.  Obviously a little heavier but with practice it will become light as a feather.  

I was told a few times that the heavier pistol can be a good thing in the long run, in terms of not heating up, wearing better, and handling recoil better.  This was part of a discussion as to whether to use a 22/45 or a 22/45 lite.  If there is nothing physical preventing you from using the heavier pistol (like a shoulder/arm/wrist issue) then I would think this would be fine in terms of weight.  

Personally, I like having a firearm with heft.  It makes me happy to know I have a pistol in my hand.

Riverchicken wrote:I'm just starting in bullseye shooting. My Ruger Goverment Model has a heavy 6 7/8 barrel. My question is this too heavy a pistol to use for competition ?

If shooting iron sights only, with practice you should be fine. If you decide to add an optic it might get a little heavy.
Jon

How does it feel to you? Weight is very individual thing. The absolute longest you will be holding the gun on target is probably 25-30 seconds. Depending on you and your level of conditioning, you may want something lighter or heavier. To me balance is more important than weight, even if two different guns weight the same, the location of the weight is important.

Shoot what you have for now. My suggestion is to do some holding exercises with light weights until you tone up the hand, arm and shoulder muscles. It doesn't take a weight lifter or body builder to shoot bullseye pistol. It just takes someone with the muscle tone of rarely used muscles to get to the point of a good hold and endurance. After a while, if the gun is out of balance for you or too heavy, you can have the barrel lightened by making slats on the sides of the barrel and/ or have the barrel shortened [the barrel length (sight radius) might be more a consideration than weight]. By the time you decide on the weight issue, you may want to get a different pistol or get yours customized. I think that accuracy, reliability, a good trigger and repeatable adjustable sights are some important considerations for a good bullseye pistol.

I've owned one for a long time, and don't find it too heavy. Ergonomic grips seem to help distribute the weight more evenly to your hand.

Back in the days I shot my HS Trophy bull barrel with a homemade weight 2-3 times heavier than the factory weight.  I was much more in condition then.  I was on the college tennis team and ran the same trails as Pre.  (He kept passing me though)
Your overall conditioning has everything to do with it.  It's not just shoulder...

My second match is tomorrow and I have been practicing with my S&W 41 7" model iron sights. If its too heavy do more pushups 

I'm shooting 2 of them. Both with 30 mm matchdots. 
First one I had cut back to 5 1/2" & recrowned. For me, the weight & balance is perfect.
The second one is the 6 7/8". I find it too muzzle heavy & have it scheduled for a bob job. I just shoot the short one better.

Have tried several Marvel conversions and still have a couple Nelson conversions along with a few Citations. Back to the Rugers, where I started.

FWIW from a person with a lot of years shooting who has recently been focusing on handgun shooting.
My Ruger Mark II 22/45 Target pistol, with a 6 7/8” slab-sided barrel was purchased new in 2019. Until a couple/few years ago it was shot only occasionally. It suited me just fine. Then, I got interested in getting more serious about shooting handguns and my penchant (some may call it an obsession) for accurate firearms (do you remember Townsand Whelan’s famous saying about rifles...I also believe it applies to handguns). Kicked in. This was in large part fueled by my daily perusal of this forum. So…
I learned about Alex Hamilton (Ten-Ring Precision) and in 2019 I had him line my barrel with a “European specification barrel line with eleven-degree crown and a Bentz match chamber”. I also had him do an action/trigger tune. I then got from Ruger a Weaver style 22 target rail onto which I installed a Burris TRS-25 red dot sight. This is a very nice shooting combination (much better than me). Perfect? Perhaps not in my hands, but still pretty darn good. Too Heavy? Not that I can tell.
Then this dang forum did me in again…reading with an obsession for accuracy is dangerous. Read about shortening the barrels on Ruger target 22s. Found out that shortening a lined barrel would pose no problems. So, in 2022, I went to a rather well-known local gunsmith (Andy Horvath) and had him shorten the barrel to 5 ½”, install a new fiber optic front sight (just in case I wanted to shoot “irons” with my aging eyes). The TRS-25 is now back on this pistol. Still shoots great.
 
In the near future, I plan on getting an Ultradot MatchDot II red dot sight for this Ruger pistol. That way I will be using the same sight I use in my Nelson 22 conversion and my 1911 .45 ACP (both are Jon Eulette builds…but these are stories for another time).
I am not sure if this missive will be of any help to you, but I thought sharing my experience with a Ruger Mark II 22/45 Target pistol would at least be somewhat interesting. Good luck in your endeavors.

Joe

Riverchicken wrote:I'm just starting in bullseye shooting. My Ruger Goverment Model has a heavy 6 7/8 barrel. My question is this too heavy a pistol to use for competition ?

An outstanding shooter and even better friend told me years ago that you will get the best scores by shooting the heaviest barrel you can effectively handle. The greater weight dampens movement because there is greater mass to move. I started with a Ruger Tgt Government and it got me started on the right path. So the answer to your question is no.