Ruger 22/45 lite JUNK

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castile

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This gun is junk. The first thing that I noticed is the mag well is not solid but has plastic fins to guide the mag. If you do not put the mag in just right it binds up. Second the mag fits too tight and I have to literally hit the bottom of the mag to make it snap into place. When I push the mag button it does not fall free but rather bumps the mag out about 1/4 inch, and you have to grab the mag with a finger nail to bring it out. JUNK. Next the less than desirable design of the Mark 2 take down does not work well with a plastic frame. Taking this gun down and putting it back together can be very trying. Look to get a cut finger and thumb trying to make all the parts fit right. Hammer must be down to take out the rear spring and cocked to put in and take out the bolt group. I am sure once you know how you can do it in 5 min or so but getting there is a pain in the arse. You have to really pay attention to where the hammer rod is or you get it together and its not going to have tension.


For the price this is way too much money for such a poor design. I would save my money and buy something else. I took it that Ruger was just going to put out a superior gun. They missed on this one. IMO. I carry every day an SR9C and have several Rugers all which I love, this on is JUNK.
 
So did you just shoot one or did you buy one? If you bought one, it sounds like you didn't do your research. All of these things that make it "junk" could have been discovered in 5 minutes reading on the internet.

I have a 22/45 with a steel upper. There are things I like about it and things I don't but the things I like outweigh negatives.

Guns are a matter of taste. You don't like this one. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
 
Well I did not ask anyone to lose any sleep. The fact is I bought it after looking at one at a gun shop. The shop owner removed the mag so I did not see that little gem. The take down is just utter garbage. Its such a pain that should be a deal breaker right there. Second the reason I am posting this is so others will take a second look.
 
So you bought a pistol that is reliable, durable, and accurate, and whose basic design has been around for over 60 years, but complain that it's junk because you don't like the takedown procedure?

Sorry, but that reeks of laziness on your part. Laziness in researching the features of the pistol you were buying and laziness in the part of reading the very good instruction manual that comes with these pistols.

Don't blame the pistol. Blame yourself.

/thread
 
Insertion of the magazine into a 22/45 is a bit deceptive. Lay the magazine on top of the grip to see the angle of the magazine in the hilt. Use the floor plate to line it up right. That will show you the proper angle for magazine insertion. Once you get used to that, magazine insertion goes easily.

As far as takedown goes, if you practice it, it becomes easy. Or, have a youtube video running as you disassemble/reassemble, if like me, you do that infrequently. However, as the method of assembly has been pretty much standard for this pattern of firearm since 1949, you are not going to be getting a great deal of sympathy.

The Ruger Mark series of 22lr pistols has a remarkable history of accuracy and reliability. Since its inception in 1949, there have only been 2 revisions of the basic model, and most people would be hard pressed to call them major revisions.

Only two other pistols come to mind that rival the Ruger are the Smith and Wesson Model 41 (introduced in 1957) and the Browning Buckmark (introduced in 1985). In the world of semi-automatic 22lr pistols, nothing else has stood the test of time.

Feel free to hate the Ruger Mark III pistols. Plenty of people do. Sell your 22/45. I will gladly recommend both the S&W and the Browning to you. Or, if you want a revolver, I recommend the Ruger Single Six or Single Ten. I do not recommend ANY double action 22lr revolver, as DA trigger pull is typically too heavy, for ignition requirements.

FWIW, I have owned and/tried dozens of 22lr pistols and revolvers. Most I have gotten rid of, or never bothered to buy.

Those I liked include:

Izmash 35m
Hammmerli (unknown model)

Those I liked enough to own:

Ruger 22/45 (Volquartzen modified)
Ruger Single Six 6.5" fixed sight
Ruger Single Six 3.75" Talo Birdshead
 
"JUNK"? Well Ruger has sold millions of these pistols and I have one MK 111 22-45 and consider it to be a very good shooter. That said, assembly of the pistol is not that difficult once you learn how to do it. If you do not like it then sell it and move on to something else, but don't call it junk because you do not know how to use it.
 
There will always be those who will taken and excrement from a company just because it is from that company. Just like some who will take the most feeble words of Shakespeare and hole them as divine. The take down is and has been overly complicated, and I own a mark 2 but my problem is with it not working well on a polymer frame. And the magazine well guides I.E. plastic fins and the release not working well along with it not catching the mag well properly. So if you want to eat crap pies and go yum that is your business.
 
I don't know anybody who has ever bought the perfect gun. Now days, buyer remorse can be mitigated with proper research and hands on efforts.

I always tell people two things: shoot many; buy one. And expect every gun to have its operational "quirks".

If you dislike the 22/45, you're not alone. But the gun was always exactly just what it was, you not knowing that is not the gun's fault.
 
I don't agree with your assessment on putting flaws as the fault of the buyer. First off if people like me do not yell past the idiots who will say any ole thing that comes from some company they are in love with then others will not know what to look for or if they even are alone in their similar problems. In my case I am keeping the gun, because it is does shoot well. I have no problem with the way it shoots. Second Ruger does take care of problems and I may send it back for the mag issue. Third I am not using it for self defense so its not anything more than an annoyance with design problems. Look I know many gun people are so inclined to love a gun type, or company they will take a gut punch before they would ever think of criticizing a name.

Ruger makes some very fine guns, This one does not work well with a plastic frame. My Mark 2 has IMO an overly complicated take down but it does work on a metal frame. The mag works well in it also. It just does not work well with a plastic frame. It does work not well. But for the 275 I paid at auction for it new I am not rally worried. I would be a bit more miffed if I paid 400 plus that the Manufacture sug. it should go for.
I remember a bit back on a different site where I said that I felt the Taurus PT92 was every bit as good as the Beretta. I own both and the Taurus is every bit as good. I am not a real taurus fan either. I have had several guns that just blew. The 709 being one that was a very poor design. The Beretta people came out of the wood work like vampires to a virgin to tell me I did not own a Beretta or I would know better than to say stupid things like that. LOL. Some people will defend a brand they identify with that makes them feel like a part of something in a small life.

Its a lot like Glock people, who will jump on you and do ad hominem attacks instead of really looking at a problem the gun may have. Its how simple minds defend things.
 
From the models I've owned (I have owned a lite), I think the plastic frame is actually easier to take down. It's also very easy to modify so it's quicker to field strip and also to make the mag drop free. Sure it's not perfect but it's not THAT bad. A lot of .22 pistols have quirks in general.
 
Castile, you may have gotten a bad one or one that should go back to Ruger to have them look at it. They do not always "get it right" either. If I was dissatisfied with it I would call them , they are an excellent company with a very good customer service. If not, sell it and move on.
 
Next the less than desirable design of the Mark 2 take down does not work well with a plastic frame. Taking this gun down and putting it back together can be very trying.
Personally, I find most semi-auto .22's to be a PITA to takedown.
 
I'm with the OP. The Ruger is a PITA to take down and even if you've got lots of experience, it still sucks.

That said my MK 3 has over 10,000 trouble free rounds through it and I've done a full disassembly only once. They're solid guns known for their reliability. If you'd looked online you'd have known what you were in for. Sounds like you should check out the Buckmark, SR22, or the Neos. All of these are simpler to maintain and are still good quality guns.
 
The MK II was the best rimfire pistol Ruger ever came up with but people today seem to "demand" guns constructed with lots of plastic (which is cheaper to make as well). The Ruger is not "a pain to take down" if you understand how it works. If you don't - then you won't like it.
 
My FiL has a Mark II target model which is absolutely outstanding.

That being said, my Browning Buck Mark is every bit as good, and easier to field strip.

The OP might be better off to trade the Ruger in on a Browning, if it bothers him that much.
 
1. mags go in fine if you aren't a hamfisted doofus. Magbumpers help ensure they get locked in properly.
2. they come out slick as a whistle if you remove the mag safety. this, combined with a VQ sear makes for a very nice 2 lb break
3. anyone with a basic mechanical aptitude can completely strip and reassemble these. It's very straightforward. Particularly with bullseye's excellent online how-to pages with pics.
4. I shot my MKIII 22/45 (steel upper) over 10,000 rounds without cleaning. It was still running when I cleaned it. Started having some misfires and found a broken firing pin rebound spring... $2 later and it's back to normal.


I don't agree with the LCI, the mag disconnect safety, or the no-slingshot slide stop. But all are easily rectified and the result is a very sweet shooter.
 
I don't agree with your assessment on putting flaws as the fault of the buyer.
A gun's "flaws" are not the fault of the buyer ... I never said that. The gun is simply what it is, perceived flaws and all. If you buy a gun and find you don't like it for whatever reason, the variable in the equation is the buyer not the gun. The gun doesn't suddenly change when you get it home. You simply made a less than optimum decision and now you're upset about that. We've all been there and likely that will only stop when we die.

If you don't like the gun, sell it. It's a gun ... a mass produced commonly available item and there are other choices. But this time you might want to think about a test drive before you plop down your hard earned cash. Many ranges rent guns or maybe some of your shooting buddies can let you try theirs.
 
The gun is functioning exactly as designed. There are plenty of other options out there if you don't care for the Ruger. The takedown procedure has been almost identical going back to the first standard auto in 1949, so there must be a few people who think it works fine.
 
The take down procedure can be difficult when you are ignorant. Once you become educated in the process it is quite simple.
 
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??....how often are you needing to take down your pistol?.....

I mean, you do it once when you first get it......and then what?...maybe every 10k rounds?

I mean, pulling the bolt is really all you need to do to get them clean....
 
sigh, I think I've assembled 3 or 4 Rugers for people who couldn't get them back together. Yeah its a fiendish contraption but a darn good gun. Love my MK3 and my Volquarsten/Paclite combo.
 
The more you shoot it, the easier it becomes to disassemble and reassemble again. I have the Lite Cobalt. You need to have patience. I also think the design is a little ridiculous to disassemble and reassemble, but it gets easier the more you do it. You can also install an aftermarket bushing and that allows the mags to drop completely free. I stilled the bushing, VQ sear, and VQ trimmer in my Lite Cobalt and it's a wonderful shooter. It does however, take a good bump with the heal of your hand to fully seat the mag. Just one of those things.
 
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