ZeSpectre
Member
Range Review
Ruger 2245- P4MKIII bull barrel
(Ruger 22/45 MK III “Target” model) with 4” bull barrel.
Took this new purchase to the range for the first time and ran 350 rounds through it (a mix of 31 grain Federal Spitfire hollowpoints and 40 grain CCI Blazer solids). I then took it home, field stripped, cleaned, and re-assembled it.
At the range I found the pistol to be extremely accurate. The trigger action was nice enough though nothing to write home about. In terms of the new features I found the loaded chamber indicator to be a nice touch and also liked the re-located magazine release. However this pistol is simply NOT southpaw friendly, especially where the safety and bolt release are concerned.
The new “magazine safety” (where the trigger does not engage if a magazine is not inserted) is a royal pain in the ass and if I can figure out a good way to disable it I will do so. It becomes an exceptional hinderance when field stripping and re-assembling the pistol (which is already stupidly complex in the first place and reminds me of my Rossi 92 levergun).
Action felt a little rough at first but smoothed out noticably after about 150 rounds. No FTE issues but I hit several FTF issues, mostly with the hollowpoint Federal Spitfire rounds although it also happened once with the solid point CCI Blazer rounds.
Some of this may be related to cartridge length because the Hollowpoint Federal Spitfire is .93 inches OAL, the Solid point CCI Blazer .98 inches OAL (and my orange plastic snap caps .95 inches OAL). What I noticed was that the shorter rounds can sometimes “lay flat” in the magazine and when the bolt comes forward it simply “spikes” the bullet on the sharp tip of the feed ramp. (see photos below)
It’ is my opinion that this problem could be fixed with either a slight magazine re-design or more likely by extending the feed ramp about 2-3mm.
Now about field strip, cleaning and re-assembly.
Following Ruger’s directions step by step the teardown was relatively quick and painless although the magazine safety adds several otherwise unnecessary steps to the process. (I think it’s a royal pain to have to insert the magazine so you can release the firing pin, then remove the magazine so you can unlatch the retaining lever, etc.)
With the bolt out cleaning was extremely simple and straightforward.
Then came re-assembly. Even following the user manual step by step it took me three tries to get this thing back together because I kept holding the gun at an angle and missing this one little metal “finger” that you have to capture in just the right place in order for the trigger to work. Then the same “magazine-out, magazine-in, magazine-out dance again because of the magazine safety.
My final verdict.
It’s a nice shooting gun and although I could wish for a more crisp trigger I’m not complaining because with the over-complicated internal trigger mechanisim the “stack up” could have made things much worse. I have already developed a healthy hatred for the magazine safety but can work with it. I wish it was more “lefty” friendly.
And with all of that I still like the gun. The bull barrel gives it a nice weight and balance in my hand and since this gun is intended as a “plinker” and not something I will ever depend on in a critical situation, I am willing to overlook it’s quirks because it is both accurate and inexpensive.
Ruger 2245- P4MKIII bull barrel
(Ruger 22/45 MK III “Target” model) with 4” bull barrel.
Took this new purchase to the range for the first time and ran 350 rounds through it (a mix of 31 grain Federal Spitfire hollowpoints and 40 grain CCI Blazer solids). I then took it home, field stripped, cleaned, and re-assembled it.
At the range I found the pistol to be extremely accurate. The trigger action was nice enough though nothing to write home about. In terms of the new features I found the loaded chamber indicator to be a nice touch and also liked the re-located magazine release. However this pistol is simply NOT southpaw friendly, especially where the safety and bolt release are concerned.
The new “magazine safety” (where the trigger does not engage if a magazine is not inserted) is a royal pain in the ass and if I can figure out a good way to disable it I will do so. It becomes an exceptional hinderance when field stripping and re-assembling the pistol (which is already stupidly complex in the first place and reminds me of my Rossi 92 levergun).
Action felt a little rough at first but smoothed out noticably after about 150 rounds. No FTE issues but I hit several FTF issues, mostly with the hollowpoint Federal Spitfire rounds although it also happened once with the solid point CCI Blazer rounds.
Some of this may be related to cartridge length because the Hollowpoint Federal Spitfire is .93 inches OAL, the Solid point CCI Blazer .98 inches OAL (and my orange plastic snap caps .95 inches OAL). What I noticed was that the shorter rounds can sometimes “lay flat” in the magazine and when the bolt comes forward it simply “spikes” the bullet on the sharp tip of the feed ramp. (see photos below)
It’ is my opinion that this problem could be fixed with either a slight magazine re-design or more likely by extending the feed ramp about 2-3mm.
Now about field strip, cleaning and re-assembly.
Following Ruger’s directions step by step the teardown was relatively quick and painless although the magazine safety adds several otherwise unnecessary steps to the process. (I think it’s a royal pain to have to insert the magazine so you can release the firing pin, then remove the magazine so you can unlatch the retaining lever, etc.)
With the bolt out cleaning was extremely simple and straightforward.
Then came re-assembly. Even following the user manual step by step it took me three tries to get this thing back together because I kept holding the gun at an angle and missing this one little metal “finger” that you have to capture in just the right place in order for the trigger to work. Then the same “magazine-out, magazine-in, magazine-out dance again because of the magazine safety.
My final verdict.
It’s a nice shooting gun and although I could wish for a more crisp trigger I’m not complaining because with the over-complicated internal trigger mechanisim the “stack up” could have made things much worse. I have already developed a healthy hatred for the magazine safety but can work with it. I wish it was more “lefty” friendly.
And with all of that I still like the gun. The bull barrel gives it a nice weight and balance in my hand and since this gun is intended as a “plinker” and not something I will ever depend on in a critical situation, I am willing to overlook it’s quirks because it is both accurate and inexpensive.
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I didn't change ammo, I have always used CCI target.
