Picked up a Ruger 22/45 MKIII!!

[distra]

I've been kicking around the idea of another .22lr pistol and checked out the P22 which I was convinced NOT to purchase. I already have S&W Model 41 for bullseye shooting and wanted something fun for plinking and tinkering. Sooo, I found this Ruger 22/45 MKIII with 5.5" barrel, 3 mags, box and scope rail for $249.00. I think it was a fair price and the gun looks to be in great condition. From the documentation in the box, the gun was made in '07. I'm going to take it out this morning for a good function test. I've read the loaded chamber indicator and mags can have an influence on the feeding and ejection of spend case. Anyone have to remove the LCI for their 22/45 to function? I've ordered the Volquartsen extractor, but have not done any mods yet. I'd like to see if it functions stock before tinkering with it too much. Post up some cool mods of your MKIII's!

 

[M2 Carbine]

Anyone have to remove the LCI for their 22/45 to function?

Yes.
Until I removed the LCI the gun would jam 2-4 times a magazine.
Works OK now.

I use it for the first gun for new shooters.


I've had the MK I since 1961 and the 22/45 since 1995. Great guns. It's a shame Ruger junked up the gun with that lawyer crap.




.

 

[m2steven]

i didn't know there was an issue. I have a mkIII hunter and it performs flawlessly with everything intact. Congrats on your purchase. You can light cigarettes at 75 yards with the thing. It's a super pistol.

 

[mordechaianiliewicz]

I've used one, and it's one of the best. I'd say that's a reasonable (if not excellent) price as well.

 

[weregunner]

I've got the MK III and the 22/45 Mk III.

As has already been said didn't know there was a problem.
I've gone through a few thousnd rounds bullseye shooting and practice and have had no issues.

Both my pistols do like CCI Standard and Mini-Mags as THE accuracy rounds.

Remington ammo in several flavors are right behind the CCI ammo.

While I can't speak for the hundred or more shooters in my bullseye league, the majority of pistols on the range are MK IIIs and IIs.

Even the higher priced spread .22lrf pistols are getting stiff competition.

I did have the Volquartsen trigger modification accomplished to both pistols eventually. That is the only modification made to both guns.

 

[distra]

Mini range report

Took it to the range this afternoon and put ~300rds through it. A mixture of Remington Thunderbolt bulk pack, Eley Target Rifle, Federal bulk pack, and Federal High Velocity HP. By and large the Federal bulk pack was the best and the Remington was terrible. I had one fail-to-fire every mag with the Thunderbolt. The Eley and Federal High Velocity were great no problems as was the Federal bulk pack. I had a couple failure-to-eject after ~150rds with the spent case laying perpendicular to the need round which was about 1/2 way in the chamber. Made for a nasty little jam. I removed the LCI and just replaced the plastic cover over the slot. Functioned flawlessly for the remaining 150rds. Very accurate little 22lr pistol! I'm a happy camper with this one! I'm glad I chose the 22/45 over the P22.

 

[Geneseo1911]

That is a fantastic bargain! I just bought one after Christmas, and the best deal I could find was $253 from Bud's + $35 transfer.

I function tested mine box-stock with Fed. Am. Eagle as well as some dirty old steel-cased Rusky ammo, and experienced no hiccups; I'm quite pleased.

I did some reading on rimfirecentral, and found a couple of accessories you might want to look into. One is a bushing which disables the mag safety, and the other are grips which attach over the factory grips and actually make the gun feel like a 1911. I highly recommend them; search for "Dominic's grips". I also made an extension for the mag release as the thicker grips made it hard to get to. Here's a couple quick pics; I'll do some glamor shots later. Sorry they're a little fuzzy, but my light sucked.

 

[distra]

Sweet!!! Adding grips would be cool! Where did you pick up the extended mag release? I'd like to have one of those just make it easier to reach. Is that an extended butt plate on the magazine? Where could I find those?

 

[Geneseo1911]

The grips & extended mag base are both made by Dominic Notaro, AKA "tech teach" at rimfire central forum. The grips are a SCREAMING bargain at $12 or $17 shipped, depending if you want rubberized or hard. I got the rubberized & I really like them. Grippy, but not soft. They kinda feel like my factory CZ grips. They come in 6 or 8 colors. He sells the mag bases for $1 each. I mailed him a check and had the stuff back in about a week. If you drop an email to
Dominic dot Notaro at csinet dot net
He'll send you the info. I can't say enough about how they look & feel.

I made the mag release myself from an allen socket head cap screw. I can't remember the size I bought, but the hdwe. store had one that was already black phosphated & almost exactly the same diameter as the original button. I started by grinding the head of the factory release flat, then drilled it (broke two bits:banghead and tapped it (broke the tap off, too:banghead, so I gave up & cut the head off the screw & JB-welded it to the release. It looks decent after all that headache.

 

[distra]

Thanks! Did you happen to remove the mag disconnect? I'd like to remove that "feature".

 

[CajunBass]

The only time I had trouble with my MK III, 22/45 a couple of drops of oil took care of it. The LCI and mag disconnects were total non factors.

I lost interest in it after I got a Smith & Wesson 17, and traded it off, but there was nothing at all wrong with that gun.

Good choice.