Mark III & 22/45 Bushing

[SGW Gunsmith]

There are quite a few of the Ruger Mark III & 22/45 pistols still in use, even though the Ruger Mark IV is now out.
One of the main things that gives many owners of the Mark III variants, is the magazine disconnect parts. The requirement involved with the magazine disconnect is that the magazine MUST be in the pistol before the pistol can be fired. Some folks like that feature, but many more don't, when it comes to disassembly for cleaning. And, the magazine disconnect doesn't do much for the trigger pull in making it any better.

So, is there an alternative? Is there something available that will have your magazines "clicking more positively into place", and then zipping out completely when you hit the magazine release latch? Yes.

But, don't be duped into buying just any magazine disconnect bushing. Some will indeed replace those magazine disconnect parts, but the fit involved in the hammer will most likely be loose and create an even more inconsistent hammer pull weight.
We believe that the hammer bushing used to replace the magazine disconnect parts should be individually fit to each exclusive hammer due to the manufacturing tolerances involved with the diameter of the hammer bushing bore. Those bores are not perfectly the same diameter, so the bushing should be a snug fit and act like it is actually a part of the hammer and not wobble or drift sideways. If the replacement bushing doesn't improve your pistols operation................what good is it?

 

[osbornk]

I put the bushing in my 22/45 (don't remember which one of the two main ones) and it fit perfectly and has worked great for years. It was a simple and easy process and was the first thing I did when I got mine. I think I paid $10 plus some shipping.

 

[Prndll]

Been there....Done that....Tore the T-Shirt

"...is there an alternative?" Not sure I would want an alternative. Replacing the bushing was a valuable experience. Not only did I enjoy doing it, the process brought the pistol closer to my heart. It was dealing with the mainspring that was my biggest problem, even though I had to bring it to a smith for removal of the LCI (I didn't want to break anything). I bought the bushing from TandemKross and it works flawlessly. The only time I ever get any malfunctions at this point are when I feed it CCI's lead Christmas cartridges. Which isn't likely to happen again.

I love my MarkIII 22/45. I can't see myself ever parting with it. In some weird way, it's the one that appeals to me mechanically more than anything else.

 

[redlightrich]

I think a good fitting bushing, along with an LCI makes the MarkIII among the best. Takedown is no big deal really.

To be honest, it doesn't need takedown often. I ran one of mine for 6000 rounds before a takedown. Filthy inside, yes, but still running. You can clean a good bit thru the ejection port for normal maintenance.

Anyway, I agree with you SGW, a nice fitting bushing will improve the consistency of the trigger. The less expensive bushing methods are all over the charts. I think most bushings will improve the trigger some, but if you are going in there to change it, why not really improve it as best as can be?

I have done tests, and I have found Ruger hammers to vary by .002 in the bushing hole. I have a small test sample, but I would bet there are even greater variances than I have seen.


Anyway, if you own a MkIII, this really is a good upgrade, and SGW understands Ruger Mk pistols.