Just got home from the Richmond gun show.... picked up my Ruger MkIII 22/45.... and some ammo! This is the "RP" model, for the 1911-style replaceable panels. Other 22/45 models simply have the molded grips as part of the frame.
Put about 150 rounds through it on the back yard range... it is cuh-hold out there! Out of the 150 rds, had 3 failure to fire, all Remington yellow jackets. No problems with the remainder. Win SuperX 37 gr and Remington Golden Bullet held the best groups. The rest of the ammo was respectable, but Aguila had the worst groups. I need to shoot some from a rest, the sights are a little high and left. I'd like to put some fiber optic sights on it, and maybe try out a red/green dot at some point since it came with a weaver rail. 4 more mags in the mail on the way, going to have some fun on Monday!
I just bought a 22/45, but the Hunter version, because I wanted a stainless barrel.
I am envious of your backyard range - I haven't had time to shoot mine yet
Is your hunter pre-RP? The Ruger website was just updated to indicate that there are lots of different 22/45's now have the RP option. I think I still would have chosen what I did, based on price. I can buy a ton of .22LR for the $200 I saved over a stainless barrel!
I have one I use nearly every range trip to work on marksmanship fundamentals that are unrelated to managing recoil or shooting multiple rounds quickly. I've found it to be an excellent and inexpensive training gun for accuracy improvement.
Many find that re-assembling it after field stripping for the first time is a frustrating challenge. It's not tough at all once you know a couple tricks. Let me know if you run into problems.
Competition is one of the "great levelers" of ego.
I just bought a 22/45, but the Hunter version, because I wanted a stainless barrel.
I am envious of your backyard range - I haven't had time to shoot mine yet
Is your hunter pre-RP? The Ruger website was just updated to indicate that there are lots of different 22/45's now have the RP option. I think I still would have chosen what I did, based on price. I can buy a ton of .22LR for the $200 I saved over a stainless barrel!
Sadly, no. I wonder if they would send me a RP frame for a reasonable price, given that I just bought the sucker a few days ago at the Fredericksburg show.
I really liked the hunter with the fluted barrel, and I was also partial to the 4.5 inch version because the sight radius is similar to my other handguns. Now all I need to do is get rid of the stupid V-notch rear sight, which just doesn't work for me (Well, that and remove all of the offending CA/MA friendly features).
FatAndy wrote:(Well, that and remove all of the offending CA/MA friendly features).
I don't mind the LCI for now, but will need to do something about the mag disconnect pretty soon. It's a pain to get the mags out- they should fall right out when I hit that release.
Chasbo00 wrote:Many find that re-assembling it after field stripping for the first time is a frustrating challenge. It's not tough at all once you know a couple tricks. Let me know if you run into problems.
One thing that has frustrated me... putting the receiver back on the frame. It's easy to get off with a swift blow of a rubber mallet, but putting it back on is even harder. I can't get it to seat back far enough to easily get the MSH back in. Do i just whack the muzzle end with the rubber mallet as well? That doesn't seem right...
meak99 wrote:
One thing that has frustrated me... putting the receiver back on the frame. It's easy to get off with a swift blow of a rubber mallet, but putting it back on is even harder. I can't get it to seat back far enough to easily get the MSH back in. Do i just whack the muzzle end with the rubber mallet as well? That doesn't seem right...
Most folks have trouble getting the mainspring housing back in and seated.
Given a stiff barrel-receiver assembly (almost always the case with new guns), I put the muzzle on the floor (newspaper or such to cushion) and use my body weight to help seat it onto the frame that I'm gripping normally while pushing it down.
Competition is one of the "great levelers" of ego.
I've tried the muzzle into hard yet cushioned surface using body weight... no luck. Hopefully after a few more times thing will start to loosen up. I don't plan on fully stripping it every time I shoot it (probably every day for the next week or two!), but maybe every 300-400 rds, depending on feed/eject performance.
Oh, I just ordered a "value" red dot sight from amazon. It has mixed reviews, but for $26 and free shipping, I've got to try it!
Interesting... I have one of these mounted on another 22/45 I have (Hunter Model). Works surprisingly well despite the low cost. Got mine from Amazon too nearly a year ago. Don't forget to Loctite the rail's mounting screws or it will come loose for sure.
Competition is one of the "great levelers" of ego.
nice 22/45. i love the RP feature. good move ruger
I put a few thousand rounds through my old mkii in a matter of months and never needed a blast shield.. gimmick? or do the mkiii's muck up worse? i found it easy to pop the receiver off the frame, blast it with some cleaner and a quick shot of lube after each few trips to the range, and i never had any trouble
nickf829 wrote:I put a few thousand rounds through my old mkii in a matter of months and never needed a blast shield.. gimmick? or do the mkiii's muck up worse? i found it easy to pop the receiver off the frame, blast it with some cleaner and a quick shot of lube after each few trips to the range, and i never had any trouble
There are two situations where a blast shield makes life a lot easier:
- using a silencer (major filth issues)
- using upgraded fire control parts (you notice the grit and crap a lot quicker with a nice trigger)
Outside of that it's mainly a convenience thing, so that you don't have to pull it apart and blow out the FCG routinely. I do consider the original design to be a flaw - putting the naked trigger group right underneath the chamber on a self-loading rimfire target pistol? Bill was drunk that day, I guess.
Some also say that it can tighten the fit between the upper and lower, improving accuracy, but I can't shoot well enough to notice.
Diomed wrote:
Some also say that it can tighten the fit between the upper and lower, improving accuracy...
No way my upper and lower can get ANY tighter than they are now. As things loosen up, that may change - but it's still taking a good blow with a rubber mallet to separate and then reconnect them. Though, the blast shield is on my list for future reference!
I followed the instructions at the bottom of page 1 on this thread - worked GREAT. I used a sall round file to slightly open the holes in the three washers (I chose 1 M5 and 2 #10's, all stainless) and then slipped them onto the hammer bushing in place of the magazine disconnect and it's spring. Put it all back together and now I can discharge with no magazine in the gun, I can assemble/disassemble without regard for whether a magazine is in the gun, and the mags fall right out when the mag release is hit. Total cost $0.75 + the file ($4, but a chainsaw sharpening rod file would work if I had thought about it).
