Ruger 22/45 owners, please help me out

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hanno

hanno

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I'm a long time shooter and have a collection of pistols (1911s) and revolvers but have never owned a 22/45. I'd appreciate it if folks who already own a 22/45 would please assist me the with following:
Any problems with the 22/45?
Anything to watch out for?
A better alternative for around the same price?

Or, is this just one of those pistols that works, is accurate, and I should go out and buy right now?

Thanks and regards,
hanno
 
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I have a Mark III 5 1/2" bull barreled version. I haven't had any problems. It's a good, accurate handgun at a great price. The only thing I'd change is the polymber frame.

The 22/45 is a good companion for the 1911 pistol. The grip is thinner, but the angle is the same and the controls are in the same places. If you are a 1911 guy (I am), getting this pistol is a no-brainer. My 22/45 was my first firearm and it is still the one I shoot the most. I've introduced a couple of people to shooting using this pistol, and both of them liked it.

The only potential problem comes when you clean it. Some people have difficulty reassembling Ruger pistols. Just follow the directions in the manual and you should be good to go.

Go get the pistol. You won't regret it.
 
I love mine... 5 1/2 inch bull barrel with a Tasco Red-Dot on the top...NO problems so far except for the task of cleaning it. The job is doable but takes a bit of practice and fooling around the first couple of times... Just watch your fingertips while flipping the mainspring clip back into place... :eek:
 
I have a MII 5.5 Bull barrel model, with an Ultradot scope. Great shooter, very accurate. Once you field strip it a few times, and understand what your doing when you point up, point down, point back up......It will be a breeze to clean:D Mine has been picky on ammo, but most of my problems were on bulk, low powered ammo, never a problem with Mini Mags. The gun is top heavy, especially with the scope on it, but a dream to shoot. :)
 
I took mine to a friend of a friend's house this past saturday for a shoot. He really wanted me to sell it to him, but I will not part with it. Great gun, never any failure of any type. Highly accurate with ammo it likes, passably accurate even with poo ammo.

Read the manual and keep it handy when disassembling and reassembling and you'll be fine.

Got mine new last January for 260.00 out the door at the Raleigh, NC gunshow.
 
Anything to watch out for?
A better alternative for around the same price?
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I've had a Ruger Mark I since about 1960 and a MK II 22/45 since before 1995.
Excellent guns. Very accurate and almost impossible to wear out.

Recently I bought a Mark III 22/45. I wish I had spent the money on another MK II.

IMO, try to find a new or good used MK II and you will have no problems. From what I've seen the MK III is a crap shoot, so why take the chance.

I like the MK II 22/45 so well I installed a rail for a Streamlight TLR-2 laser/light, to use the gun as a walking around the place at night gun.
And it's good for low light laser and light/laser practice.:)
Ruger2245TLR2.gif
 
stay away from the MK IIIs. You should be able to find a MK II used no problem. Personally I have had only 2 complaints about the Ruger MK I/II series
1 The front sight always shoos loose Loctite appears to be a dirty word at Ruger.
2 The roll pin that holds the rear sight always has walked out on the pistols I have owned or owned by others I know.
Again a simple fix tap the pin out put a slight bend in the pin tap it back in olace and it stays put.
 
I appreciate the input from all of you who have helped, I was ready to go grab a MkIII but am concerned with these comments:

From what I've seen the MK III is a crap shoot
Click to expand...

stay away from the MK IIIs
Click to expand...

Assuming I can't find a good MkI or MkII in my area in the near future, what exactly is wrong with the MkIIIs?

Thanks again.
 
I still see new MK II's at the gun shows.

The, IMO, unnecessary loaded chamber indicator on my MK III was causing extraction and ejecting problems. The gun wouldn't empty a magazine without jamming a couple times. I removed the LCI and the gun immediately stopped jamming.

I also don't like the magazine "safety" so I removed that to.
 
A MK111 with 15 minutes and less than $2.00 invested is a MK11 with a loaded chamber indicator.:cool: The only problem I have had with My MK 11 22/45 is the loose front sight. I removed the detent ball for the slide release so I can slingshot the bolt. I went high class and ordered a MK11 hammer bushing from Clarks and eliminated the mag safety(or you can whittle down a couple of washers from the store to do the same thing for less than the $2.00) . Much easier to field strip now. Shoots great. OH YEAH get an ultimate clip loader.
Don't be afraid of the MK111s.
Go here for the best site devoted to the Ruger .22 autos:
http://www.guntalk-online.com/
Joe
 
Thanks again guys. looks like I will be getting a MkIII and will promptly remove the mag safety. Looks like MidwayUSA has the MkII hammer bushing so I will order one of those.

Do any of you guys have experience with the Majestic Arms Speed Strip Kit? Sure looks like a good idea but what do I know, I don't have a 22/45 yet.
http://majesticarms.com/id10.html
http://www.pafoa.org/forum/pistols-41/13750-review-speed-strip-kit-ruger-22s.html

The guntalk site looks good - lots of info there.

I'll keep my eye out for a MkII in the mean time, maybe I'll come across one.
 
The only two problems I see with the 22/45 is that the grips feel thin to some and you can't change the grips without some major reconstruction. On the upside, it took me about 10 rounds to acclimate to the skinny grips. The 22/45 is as accurate and reliable as the steel-frame Rugers.

The difference between a MKII and MKIII is the loaded chamber indicator and the magazine safety on the MKIII. As posted earlier, you can "fix" the magazine safety. I have a MKIII Hunter, MKIII 22/45 and a MKII GC. The MKIII's still have the LCI and mag safety and I've had both pistols completely apart. It just doesn't make any difference to me whether I have a mag safety or not. I treat every gun I have as though it will fire if the bolt/slide is closed.

As far as they way they shoot, there's not a hill of beans difference. I'd buy a MKII if I found one in good shape at the right price. I'd buy a MKIII if I found one in good shape at the right price. I wouldn't regret buying either and I wouldn't go out of my way to buy one instead of the other.
 
It is very reliable and very accurate.

It is also almost, but not completely, unlike a 1911. The grip angle is the same and the controls are in the same places, but they feel different, they actuate differently, and the weight balance on the thing is very top heavy (unlike a 1911). IMO, Ruger could have made it more like a 1911 and I'd have loved it more, but I ended up giving it to my sister. It shot well, but I just didn't love it that much. Good gun, but I bought it expecting it to be closer to the 1911 than it is. I found I preferred other .22 autoloaders instead, even if their controls weren't based on the 1911 design.
 
I have a 5 1/2" MkIII-22/45. As long as you can come to terms with the fact that the grips are not interchangeable, then it's cake. Mine is upwards of 13k rounds, by my best guess. (I was saving Golden Bullet box tops to keep track, but the stack got so thick I couldn't close the case). No problems with mine.
 
Hanno:

I think other people have variously covered these points previously, but let me distill a few:

Mk IIs are the best of the breed. They're an improvement on the already-excellent Mk I, but (obviously) aren't available new, anymore.

Mk IIIs will run just as well as a Mk II after some minor surgery. The Loaded Chamber Indicator (LCI) provokes FTF(eed), FTEs, and stovepiping. The Magazine Safety probably causes some bolt-lockback issues, although I'm less certain.

I think the metal frame of the standard Mk is much better than either polymer frame, but if you must go with the 1911 pattern, the Mk. III 22/45 is closer to true.

My 22/45 is fine, but doesn't evoke the love in me that my original Mk. II or my Mk. III Hunter does.
 
Thanks guys. I grabbed a 22/45 at my local dealer ($270) this morning.

Has anybody tried the Speed Strip Kit?
 
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Thanks again guys. I have checked all the local gun shops and there are no MkIIs to be found. I'll keep my eyes open. I've been real satisfied with my 22/45 MkIII so far.

I removed the detent ball for the slide release so I can slingshot the bolt. I went high class and ordered a MK11 hammer bushing from Clarks and eliminated the mag safety(or you can whittle down a couple of washers from the store to do the same thing for less than the $2.00) . Much easier to field strip now. Shoots great. OH YEAH get an ultimate clip loader.
Click to expand...

Done. I removed the bolt release detent ball and spring. I also removed the hammer bushing, magazine disconnector and spring, and replaced with a MkII hammer bushing (got mine from Brownells). I have an "Ultimate Cliploader" on order.

Neat little pistol.
 
I agree with kamagong.

Just go slow with re-assembly and you shouldn't have any problems.

I love the way the 22/45 has the same grip angle as my 1911. I had a MK I that I used to shoot competition with that I had to jerry-rig the grips to get the angle that I was comfortable with. I sure was glad when Ruger came out with the 22/45.
 
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