Traded for a strange Ruger .22/45. Questions.

[davethedog]

Traded for a Ruger Mark III .22/45 target recently. I'm not familiar with these models although i had a Mark I a long time ago. It turns out after some research it's a Mark III with a production date of 2010. It has a Mark II lower with the standard one piece? black grip. The loaded chamber indicator has been removed and replaced with a blank insert. Now i know why this was done but why would someone replace the lower with a Mark II? Seems like an awful lot of trouble just to make it look different. Is there some kind of advantage in doing this/

 

[Bazoo]

My guess would be they were into building them and what you have is the leftovers.

 

[1KPerDay]

Some people prefer the grip shape and integral panels of the 22/45 mark ii. But IMO Bazoo is most likely correct.

 

[1KPerDay]

Also FYI I believe the mag baseplates are different.

 

[davethedog]

I like the Mark II grip shape and the looks too, which is really why i traded for it. Someone may have had a Ruger hobby. I don't think anyone would replace the loaded chamber indicator with the blank insert unless they were fairly knowledgeable about the firearm. Anyways it works for me.

 

[1KPerDay]

so sounds like you knew the answer to your question

 

[davethedog]

Yeah sort of but if you liked the looks and feel of the Ruger .22/45 Mark II, why not just buy one to begin with?

 

[kidneyboy]

If you are over a certain age the MK2 was/is the holy grail of the MK series. Combining any MK2 parts with other MK series pistols automatically makes the newer models better.
Yes, I shoot with someone who has this same combo. The MK2 has the best trigger ever and the MK3 has the best barrel ever. So it made sense to him to combine the 2. It is a great shooter.

 

[davethedog]

Hmmm. Thanks for that information. The reasons for the gun modification are a bit clearer now. Fellow i traded with got it from a pawnshop and didn't realize it had been modified, nor did i until i did a little internet research. I'm happy with it.

 

[Demi-human]

Traded for a Ruger Mark III .22/45 target recently. I'm not familiar with these models although i had a Mark I a long time ago. It turns out after some research it's a Mark III with a production date of 2010. It has a Mark II lower with the standard one piece? black grip. The loaded chamber indicator has been removed and replaced with a blank insert. Now i know why this was done but why would someone replace the lower with a Mark II? Seems like an awful lot of trouble just to make it look different. Is there some kind of advantage in doing this/

I was just about to say exactly this, then my phone reloaded.

If you are over a certain age the MK2 was/is the holy grail of the MK series. Combining any MK2 parts with other MK series pistols automatically makes the newer models better.
Yes, I shoot with someone who has this same combo. The MK2 has the best trigger ever and the MK3 has the best barrel ever. So it made sense to him to combine the 2. It is a great shooter.

So, I’ll say this and see if it loads out here on the lake…

The MKII is the best iteration of the Ruger pistols. There is no magazine disconnect and a better trigger, in my opinion, than the later models.

Any top will work with any lower, so swapping is a thing, but mostly lowers as the upper is the serialized part.

What you have is a shooter.
And a good one I expect. A MKII lower with a new tensioned barrel is a good thing. I find the aluminum sleeved and tensioned barrels to be quite accurate. The LCI has been deleted, which is the hard modification to do.

I’d like to steal my dads MKII Standard from him, but since I bought it for him, I’ll just have to enjoy it with him.

 

[1KPerDay]

.

The LCI has been deleted, which is the hard modification to do.

Remove upper

pull one slip fit pin with a magnet

LCI falls out

reinstall upper

Go shoot

 

[Demi-human]

Removed upper.
Grabbed pin with magnet. Won’t move.
Grabbed pin with pliers hard enough to mar it. Won’t move.
Put in freezer to shrink it. No dice.
Heated with a heat gun to expand it. Burned fingers, not removed.

Saw online that some of the pins were glued in on some of the 22/45 Lites.

I agree,.
I relented, it remained, and hasn’t caused any issues. I still don’t like it.

Now that it’s been brought up, I’ll probably attempt the removal again.
Wish me luck!

 

[1KPerDay]

Removed upper.
Grabbed pin with magnet. Won’t move.
Grabbed pin with pliers hard enough to mar it. Won’t move.
Put in freezer to shrink it. No dice.
Heated with a heat gun to expand it. Burned fingers, not removed.

Saw online that some of the pins were glued in on some of the 22/45 Lites.

I agree,.
I relented, it remained, and hasn’t caused any issues. I still don’t like it.

Now that it’s been brought up, I’ll probably attempt the removal again.
Wish me luck!

Wow.... that sucks! Mine came right out. I'd try penetrating oil and then a drill I guess, if I hated it that much.

 

[Demi-human]

Wow.... that sucks! Mine came right out. I'd try penetrating oil and then a drill I guess, if I hated it that much.

I don’t mind it too bad. I did Kroil it. If I had problems like some of them, I’d be more determined to remove it. It runs and runs though. Eats everything.
Once I delete the LCI it will essentially be what the OP has. The best of the Marks.

While the fourth MK is another good forward step in evolution, I kinda like the Misterioso of the reassembly of the “originals”. It shows who listens and who doesn’t.
I’ve put more then a few back together that weren’t mine.

Okay, time to find the Very Small Drill Bits box.

 

[1KPerDay]

Totally agree. I don’t think I’ll ever get a MKIV