Ruger 22/45 Mark III-Yea or Nay?

[1911NM]

I bought the 22/45 last summer for the same old, wanna shoot with something cheaper on ammo than my 1911. Love the way this little pistol shoots, loaded chamber and mag safety stuff have not been an issue, but I may infarct over the magazines. They want to nosedive the first round whether the mag is full, halffull, or has one round in it. Mags are going to the gunsmith I use unless I can find some decent after-market mags.

 

[ArmedBear]

There arent any after market grips

The slip-on Hogue works well. I took it off again, to regain that 1911 slim feel, but it does work nice.

I have a 22/45. The first thing I'd do if I got a new one is remove the mag disconnect.

My Mark II 22/45 is flawless. I can put 4 bricks through it without any cleaning besides stuffing a dry rag through the ejection port to get the really big buildup off every brick or two. Even after 4 bricks, I haven't had FTF or FTE. However, after about 1800 rounds without cleaning, as the fouling builds up so that the bolt doesn't meet the chamber face consistently, the groups open up. It still works perfectly, though. Now THAT'S reliable.

Note also: I don't usually gush over a gun unless I have a damn good reason. I think the 10/22 is an utter POS, lacking even basic reliability and accuracy, that's the most overrated firearm currently in production, and I sold mine in disgust. But my 22/45 has been a GREAT gun.

(It's a 22/45 Gov't Competition, blue with a 6 7/8" slabside bull barrel and adjustable target sights.)

 

[Gun Slinger]

IMO, Ruger really messed up a classic design (the MK I and MK II) with the introduction of the Mark III and all of the unnecessary safety additions and loaded chamber indicator that come with it. Thousands of MK I's and MK II's have functioned wonderfully without these "liability inspired devices" for many, many years and it is indeed sad to see another design fall victim to the insane effects of our screwed up legal system and it's inherent problems.

I have had a Stainless MK II Gov't Target (6 7/8") heavy (round, bull) barrel for many years and after handling and firing two different MK III's with similar charcateristics extensively while trying to keep an open mind about it, I just couldn't "warm up" to the MK III. I do like the new style fiber optic sights that come with the design and have added them to my Stainless MK II Gov't.

I really wish that Ruger would have left a great design untouched since it needed no "improvement", but in these days of seemingly constant product improvement programs manufacturers seem to want to fix what is not broken. What a shame.


GS

 

[Franksterm1]

Armed Bear which Hogue slip ons did you use?

 

[ChrisMG]

Gun Slinger AFAIK you can remove everything that makes in a Mark III (indicator, magazine disconnect, etc.) and take it back to a Mark II. Personally I thought I wouldn't like all that new stuff either but it never gets in my way and I hardly realize it's there.

 

[CoinMan]

Stay away from the Remington green box. -posted by Frankensterm1

Here, here. The Remingtons tend to jam into the bottom of the feed ramp while feeding, unless you point the top cartridge upward before inserting the mag (PITA). Then, I can usually cycle through all 10. I would suggest going with the cheap Federal brown bulk pack if you must shoot JHPs - my 22/45 loves 'em.

 

[Barr]

Very good gun. Especially if you do a grip modification. Accurate, cheap to shoot, and very fun.

 

[Gun Slinger]

Gun Slinger AFAIK you can remove everything that makes in a Mark III (indicator, magazine disconnect, etc.) and take it back to a Mark II. Personally I thought I wouldn't like all that new stuff either but it never gets in my way and I hardly realize it's there.

Eh, then you have the gap in the side of the reciever where the LCI was. Still can't warm up to it. Thanks for the thought.

GS

 

[ralphie98]

I won't say "nay", but I would say you can do better. I have a 22/45 MKIII and am not a big fan of the grip. Hadn't really thought about fitting it for some real 1911 grips, so I might look into that myself. The biggest gripe I have is the same as others have mentioned... the takedown and assembly. I'd like to think that it is totally un-necessary to have it that complicated.

reliability wise, there isn't a problem at all. I ran through about 700 rounds in a weekend out in Wyoming, and the gun got very dirty... wasn't until our last afternoon of shooting stuff that I had problems... and I'd even blame them on ammo. The stuff I was shooting was the federal bulk pack from walmart.

I really like my friend's Buckmark. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go with one of those. It's very similar, but the field strip is a lot easier.

Oh, and whatever you decide to get, do yourself a favor and find a magazine loader. It doesn't take much mag loading before you can sell yourself on getting one.

 

[Proteus AS-19]

I have a mark III, 678. It shoots great, but it's a bear to break down and clean. Not to mention putting the thing back together.