NEW Ruger 22/45 Lite

[Jitterbug]

I picked one up for the wife, she likes it and we've been swapping pistols at the range, she never did like the weight of my MKII...after putting a few hundred rounds through it I'm thinking it's a nice little gun for the money.

I don't know if it's me or what, but the groups seemed to open up on it last time out. I'm going to clean and lube and then shoot is side by side with the MKII from a bench the next time out.

I can't help but think maybe something came loose with the barrel??? We'll see, soon as I can find some time to tinker with it....the sights are are nice and tight.

The feel of the pistol is nice, the trigger is a bit heavy, yep it has a different look to it, but the wife likes the light weight.

 

[DPris]

Don't play with that barrel.
The jam nut at the front end is factory-tightened to a certain torque & epoxied in place.
If it's not loose, leave it alone. If it is, return it to Ruger.
Denis

 

[Jitterbug]

Good to know, thanks Denis

 

[DPris]

That nut may look like it's removable, or capable of being tightened, if you have the right tool, but the way the upper is constructed there's nothing about the barrel that's user serviceable.

If the nut should loosen on its own, it's a trip back to the factory.
Denis

 

[Jitterbug]

I've done a little research and reading since your post about not removing the nut....I appreciate that and now have a better understanding of how the gun is built.

First thing is to clean up the gun and run some more groups with it. It "seemed" like groups where starting to open up while shooting the other day.

We did make a couple of ammo changes and of course that might have done it.

I was mostly shooting my MKII, but did swap guns for a few magazines to see if it was the wife or the gun. The groups did open up for me too, although not as bad.

Initially I sandbagged it side by side with my MKII and the groups where very similar.

So, after cleaning it, I need to redo that exercise as well as try some different ammo, it simply could have been the ammo or shooter fatigue.

I'm not exact about the round count on it now, but it's probably north of 500 rounds.

Obviously I wasn't all that familiar with how the gun was put together and my first thought after checking the sights was hmmmm...maybe something is loose with that barrel arrangement.

 

[DPris]

I have a cutaway side view of an upper that Ruger sent, but I can't forward it.
The barrel has a shoulder at the rear that the chamber end bears on in the receiver tube against forward motion, and the jam nut retains it by pulling forward from the front & locking the barrel & receiver tube in place together under front-loaded tension.

It's a specific factory setup & not meant to be fiddled with at home.
The jam nut should not loosen under regular use.

I'd look into the ammunition changes as a probable cause of any change in accuracy.
The one I worked with did change POI from brand to brand, which was expected.
Accuracy was roughly on par with my steel-upper 22/45.
Denis

 

[Jitterbug]

Thanks again, it will probably be a couple/few weeks before I get out again, but I do plan to do a more thorough side by side comparison and test a few different brands of ammo.

 

[DPris]

Good luck with it.
Denis

 

[Jon Coppenbarger]

have any of you shot it with a scope on one. thinking about putting the scope rail that came with the pistol on it but but have not even shot it yet .