Improving the Ruger Mark III...BUT How?

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Confederate

Confederate

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I have two Mark III 22/45s and they're both a joy to shoot. I'm not very happy about the so-called magazine safeties, though, and am considering disabling them so I can drop the mags from the guns more readily.

The question is, how to do it. Yeah, I know eBay sells the part for a little more than ten bucks, but would I be spending $24 for parts I can get for 98¢ each at a Home Depot? If i can get the parts at the hardware store, what would I be looking for?

Another product I'm considering is a kit that lets you convert 10-shot mags to 12-shot mags. I've yet to see any reviews on them. I've also never seen any Ruger Mark .22LR mags that come with a capacity greater than 10 shots (which has always struck me as strange). Years ago, Ramline produced a cheap 12-shot plastic model that worked flawlessly, despite my suspicions at the time that the magazine springs were made from rubber bands.

What do you think/recommend?

RugerAutos.jpg


°°°
 
Save some headache and buy the hammer bushing, and while you're in there you might consider adding a VQ sear and trigger. Makes a good pistol an outstanding one.
 
I've never been bothered by the 10 round capacity.

On my MkIII I did remove the mag disconnect by installing a Clark MkII bushing.

I did also replace the LCI with a stainless steel filler plate. Not that the LCI gave me any trouble, but it's ugly and pointless IMO.

I bought my MkIII before they offered removable panels so I had ground my grip flat and installed bushings and grips. Big improvement in feel. These days I'd sell my MkIII and buy a newer one with the panels as opposed to modify it but that option didn't exist when I did mine.

Check out the Volquartsen parts as well.

Or, you could try and pick up a used MkII.
 
Save some headache and buy the hammer bushing, and while you're in there you might consider adding a VQ sear and trigger. Makes a good pistol an outstanding one.

Plus 1 to that!!
will make a night/day difference!!
Also added a VQ extractor due to nonstop stove pipes.
removed the ball and detent for the free slingshot mod
and added Williams fire sights
 
i installed a VQ hammer bushing n sear. in my 22/45.
i now have a a competition quality pistol.
it will give me a 1'' group at 25 yards.
with my level of skill that's amazing.
 
Buy a Mark2 bushing and the VQ trigger parts. The stock hammer is fine. It will cost more than a couple hardware store items, but you will be very happy with the result.
 
I have four MK II's of various barrel lengths, and flavors. I won't buy a MK III. That being said, as others have stated you can make the MK III very serviceable by removing the mag disconnect, LCI, and adding some VQ parts.
 
Get the bushing,filler for the lci and replace the stock extractor with a Volquartson,Power or Tamdenkross extractor. Ages ago I had the Ramline mags they worked reasonably well but they felt cheap stick to the factory mags you'll be much happier. If you don't have one look into the Ultimate Cliploader your thumbs will thank you for it.
 
Forget trying to save a few bucks by trying to make something work that wasn't designed to work.

Things to buy: hammer bushing, VQ sear, VQ trigger, LCI filler, and AMMO!
 
I installed the Majestic Arms Speed Strip 3.2 kit on all 4 of my Ruger pistols. NOT because I cant dis/reassemble the Ruger, but for around $60, you get the mag-disco removal bushing, a new hammer that improves the trigger pull dramatically, AND gives you the benefit of the speed strip. Fiber Optic sights are a nice addition, if you have eyes that arent the best, seeing the black on black sights can be difficult. The magazines can be difficult to seat on the 22/45 III, so I bought extended baseplates(the ones I bought do not add capacity). MUCH better now. The gravity "slingshot" mod is free, but one of my 22/45s would not reliably drop the bolt lock lever, no matter how much I adjusted things, so I installed one of the spring loaded kits, and now it drops every time.

The McFadden Ultimate Cliploader is a great extra. Once adjusted, 10 rounds literally drop into the magazine. When plinking for hours, its a must.

Triple K makes a great holster for the Mark and 22/45s Its #754 and has a sight channel for Fiber Optic sights

All these mods make a great pistol into an exceptional pistol. I have a Mark II Target from the late 1980s that I bought new. The Mark III pistols are every bit as well made, and accurate as the Mark II, they just have the added mag-disco, and LCI.

The best thing I did for my Mark pistols, screws onto the muzzle...

IMG_0202_zps8d263dd5.jpg

2245standard_zps0a21fab6.jpg
 
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It doesn't matter whether you buy a MK1 MKII, or MKIII. They ALL will shoot better with aftermarket parts installed. I disliked the plastic frame on my 22/45 so much (even after installing full VQ parts in it), that I bought a full VQ alloy frame. Now I have a real shooter.

b0743504-d893-4bc9-9d89-29cf6e17203d_zps239fdf41.gif
 
If they have that stupid loaded round indicator, get the part to get rid of it if you haven't done so already. I have had two of them that were entirely unreliable and that Indicator was the cause of the problem on both of them. Once it gets a little carbon or grit in it, it will cause all sorts of malfunctions.
Other than that, any of the VQ parts will be an improvement and extended pads for the mags are a nice upgrade.
 
Removing the LCI can be difficult. Getting the pin out is the issue. It seems Ruger has gone to epoxying the pin in. I simply reach into the ejection port with a pair of needle nosed pliers, and twist off the little metal tab that touches the rim of the cartridge when one is chambered. Leave the rest of the LCI installed. It doesnt hurt anything, and keeps you from serious frustration
 
I just installed a VQ trigger group when I bought the gun, and it'd worked well. The mag disconnect and LCI on my MkIII have been non-issues, and haven't given me any trouble. You can get rid of the disconnect and LCI if they bug you, but I agree with others who suggest that functionally, a trigger upgrade is the low hanging fruit.

May2012PostalRuger.jpg
 
I've been putting off removing the mag safety from my 22/45 since I got it. I'll probably never do it as that would mean taking it apart; I've only taken it down 3 times in nearly 8000 rounds and have had a single issue.


f5ab0e04-3006-456a-b4d8-1b2a88b4f431.jpg
 
Redlg posted the link to Tandemkross. Great bushing. Do watch the videos. It really is an easy job.

I put the bushing and LCI replacement plate in my 22/45. What a great difference.

1. No more prying the mags out with my fingernails. They just drop out as pretty as you please. That alone was worth the bushing!
2. Some have suggested that the bushing alone would improve the trigger. I cannot confirm. But I never thought the trigger was that bad anyway.
3. Makes takedown and reassembly a breeze. You still have to do the secret handshake, but now I don't have to remember when to put the mag back in to release the trigger.
4. Replacing the LCI with the filler was a bit of a bear. But with excess lubricant, a strong magnet and a rubber mallet I finally got the original pin out. The benefit here was mostly cleaning. I was amazed at the amount of gunk that had built up in that small area. Didn't really cause any feed problems but it was impossible to clean. The filler fixed that little issue.

I've pondered a new trigger group but honestly, I'm happy plinking with it the way it is now. These little mods made a wonderful and reliable pistol even better. And it already was a sweet little talk driver.

Dan
 
After having a problem reassembling my MK III, I jammed it so badly that I had to send it back to Ruger, I have not taken it apart in 4000 rounds.
I do spray it and "toothbrush" the innards a bit however.
Magazine disconnect LCI have not been a problem!
 
I made multiple changes to my Ruger 22/45 Lite.

From TandemKross (great people)
1. MkII hammer bushing to eliminate that magazine disconnect safety
2. LCI replacement (my original Ruger LCI came out easily; apparently the new LCI are not so easy to remove)
3. KaneWolf slingshot upgrade (not really needed but I like to recharge the chamber from a fresh magazine by just pulling back on the bolt ears.
4. Plus 1 PRO Magazine Bumpers (the extra length of these bumpers make it easier to lock the magazines into the frame)

From Volquartsen Custom (also great people)
1. Target Sear (improved let off compared to the Ruger OEM sear)
2. Target Trigger (improves trigger take up and over travel, again, compared to the Ruger OEM trigger)
3. Bolt Tune-Up Kit (improved firing pin, extractor and firing pin spring makes firing and extracting more reliable)

I added a Majestic Arms Speed Strip 3.2 kit to make take down easier.

I also put on a fiber optic front sight but can't remember the vendor or maker.

All of these totally transformed the 22/45 Lite to a reliable and more shootable pistol. BTW, it love CCI Standard Velocity ammunition.

I hope you enjoy your Mk III as much as I do this 22/45 Lite
 
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To answer your question directly, all you need is a #10 washer and a little time and patience.
You've probably got the washer in your tool box and the hole thing will cost you nothing.
The process is on the web, do a Google search for it and you may find mine.
 
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