Ruger 22/45 is junk

E

edteach

New member
This gun is junk. The first thing that I noticed is the mag well is not solid but has plastic fins to guide the mag. If you do not put the mag in just right it binds up. Second the mag fits too tight and I have to literally hit the bottom of the mag to make it snap into place. When I push the mag button it does not fall free but rather bumps the mag out about 1/4 inch, and you have to grab the mag with a finger nail to bring it out. JUNK. Next the less than desirable design of the Mark 2 take down does not work well with a plastic frame. Taking this gun down and putting it back together can be very trying. Look to get a cut finger and thumb trying to make all the parts fit right. Hammer must be down to take out the rear spring and cocked to put in and take out the bolt group. I am sure once you know how you can do it in 5 min or so but getting there is a pain in the arse. You have to really pay attention to where the hammer rod is or you get it together and its not going to have tension.


For the price this is way too much money for such a poor design. I would save my money and buy something else. I took it that Ruger was just going to put out a superior gun. They missed on this one. IMO. I carry every day an SR9C and have several Rugers all which I love, this on is JUNK.
 
It is a target gun, not a tacticool trainer. Many don't have drop free mags. Sounds like you might need to adjust the mag well guide a little.
SR22 might be more your style though.
 
edteach said:
This gun is junk. The first thing that I noticed is the mag well is not solid but has plastic fins to guide the mag. If you do not put the mag in just right it binds up.
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This is due to the adaptation from the standard steep-angled Mk II/Mk III grip design to the 22/45 grip design. The grip angle was changed to an angle mimicking the angle of the 1911, but Ruger kept the same mag well angle because the design required it. So just remember that the mag well is at a different angle than the outside of the grip. If this bothers you, you should have purchased a standard Mk III instead of the 22/45 version.

edteach said:
Second the mag fits too tight and I have to literally hit the bottom of the mag to make it snap into place. When I push the mag button it does not fall free but rather bumps the mag out about 1/4 inch, and you have to grab the mag with a finger nail to bring it out. JUNK.
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This is because the Mk III has a magazine disconnect that prevents the gun from firing with the magazine removed. If you don't like it, it's an easy fix that requires a $10 part.

edteach said:
Next the less than desirable design of the Mark 2 take down does not work well with a plastic frame. Taking this gun down and putting it back together can be very trying. Look to get a cut finger and thumb trying to make all the parts fit right. Hammer must be down to take out the rear spring and cocked to put in and take out the bolt group. I am sure once you know how you can do it in 5 min or so but getting there is a pain in the arse. You have to really pay attention to where the hammer rod is or you get it together and its not going to have tension.
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Disassembly and reassembly can be difficult if you don't know what you're doing, but just watch a YouTube video and follow the steps and it's pretty easy. Sure, it's an old design that's more difficult to disassemble than most modern pistols, but the Mk III more than makes up for that with its reliability. And because of its reliability, the Mk III rarely requires disassembly; the vast majority of cleaning sessions can be done just with the bolt locked to the rear and the magazine removed.

edteach said:
For the price this is way too much money for such a poor design. I would save my money and buy something else. I took it that Ruger was just going to put out a superior gun. They missed on this one. IMO. I carry every day an SR9C and have several Rugers all which I love, this on is JUNK.
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The Mk III is one of the most reliable and robust .22 pistols on the market. It seems to me that you don't understand how this gun works and you didn't know much about what you were buying, but that doesn't mean it's junk.
 
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I will admit that although i dont have a tone of rounds through my 22/45 lite, tge less than 500 of dirrefent ammos, it has proven itself a jam-o-matic. I think the solid built of the gun is very noce, along with the flush lines and bull barrel. I think overall it high quality piece, just mine is problematic
 
They are far from "junk" , mine are very accurate and once you learn how to disassemble and assemble it , it is not a problem, just different. I have both MK 11 and the MK111 22-45 and admit I had trouble at first with the 22-45 when trying to assemble it after cleaning , but soon learned how to do it right.
 
Mine must be a knock off then as I have 2 22/45's one with over 40 000 rounds through it with out replacing a part and never having something break.
Its reliable with a vast range of ammo, ejects mags with force and is accurate for what it is.
One of the best handguns made IMO.
 
That take down is a huge pain... With many areas that can cause grief. Even after a little practice, I still have the occasional issue


The mags will not drop free by design. The mag disconnect safety prevents it. You can buy a special bushing that allows you to remove the mag safety. Makes the Mags drop free and makes assembly easier.
 
Except for your difficulty disassembling and reassembling the gun, the undesirable features you describe are easily and plainly discernible when handling and checking out the gun before you plunk your money down. Didn't the sales person at the gun shop give you a little instruction? Kinda like just sitting in the driver's seat before buying the car.

And as far as disassembly and reassembly, like stated above, just check out a youtube video or two.
 
"The Mk III is one of the most reliable and robust .22 pistols on the market. It seems to me that you don't understand how this gun works and you didn't know much about what you were buying, but that doesn't mean it's junk."
BINGO
I don't particularly care for the MKIII mag disconnect(as mentioned, a cheap conversion) but the are many MkII out there w/o that feature. I've carried and used a MkII 22/45 more than any other pistol I own. It's been used and abused more than I will admit to on the trapline and has NEVER failed me. When I traded for this pistol, the previous owner's dog had got hold of it and done a pretty gnarly job of "stippling" the polymer grip frame(a more descriptive comment would be the dog gnawed the heck out of it). Doesn't affect how it shoots and makes for a solid grip while wearing gloves.
Takedown of Ruger 22 pistols can be aggravating BUT is seldom required. My old 22/45 was last stripped down 3-4 years back after it fell in the creek. Normal use maintenance is a drop of lube on the action rod/spring, a little lube on the bolt, and just a whiff of spray lube toward the trigger workings.
 
I think of these classic guns like classic cars. They are not very sophisticated or full featured, but that is part of the appeal. With the mag safety removed and a Volquartsen trigger, I love shooting my 22/45. It's like driving a classic Porsche with no power steering, A/C or GPS.
 
One man's junk is another man's treasure... I'll keep mine, as I've had none of the issues the OP lists.

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For the price this is way too much money for such a poor design.
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Around me locally they can be had for low $300 for the more basic model, low $400 for one of the threaded models. That's right in the ballpark of most 22 LR semiauto pistols. For being a "poor" design I've found the whole Ruger Mk. family to be one of the most tolerant of lower-quality 22 LR ammo. They can typically go hundreds if not thousands of rounds between cleanings and will run bulk ammo that many of the other semiautomatic options will have you clearing multiple rounds within just one magazine; that doesn't make for a fun day at the range. They are a pain to disassemble but really YouTube is your friend here and honestly in years of owning my Mk. III I disassembled it once when I got it and frankly I think that was unnecessary.
 
Phfft.
Sounds like a bunch of complaints over trivial and easily dealt with issues.
A poor crafstman blames the tools.
A really poor craftsman rants about their tools.
With few exceptions, the .22 pistols I've owned were all traditional Ruger.
And I'm not a fan of Ruger in general.
But their Mk 1, 2, and 22/45 are hard to beat.
Unless you're all thumbs and elbows and should stick with tiddle winks.
So there, now put down the espresso and take a Valium.
 
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Get rid of the magazine safety----mags will drop free.
Some people also eliminate the loaded chamber indicator, there
are "blanks" available to fill the hole.
Ruger extractors are sometimes less than optimal. If you have
problems, get a tool steel replacement. Avoid the titanium ones.
Trigger---up to you. Stock isn't terrible, Volquartzen is better,
several smiths that specialize in Rugers. If you send it in, send just the lower.
On a Ruger the upper is the gun (part with serial number). Lots cheaper
to ship just the lower.
The difficult re-assemble issue has been known for darned near 70 years--
if it's news to you you need to pay a little more attention.

If all this is too much to grasp--send it to my FFL. I'll pay the freight.:)
 
I had a Ruger 22/45 that I put thousands of rounds thrught it without any major problems. I paid $300 for it and after 3 years got $175 towards the purchase of a different gun. Can't complain.

Personally, I love these guns. I still have 2 of them and looking for more.
 
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