Post by TMan on May 2, 2007 8:27:18 GMT -5
My first 22LR handgun was a Ruger 22/45. I hated, hated, hated, it. It would jam, and I'd read about problems with bad ammo. Since I was using Federal Classic, not some cheap junk, I knew ammo couldn't be the problem.
I'd paid slightly less than $200 for the gun so I didn't have a lot invested. I was ready to junk the gun. I complained to a local gunsmith about it, and he thought it could have been ammo. I just wanted to get rid of it. He offered me $150 in trade for another gun. I jumped at it. I swore I'd never buy another Ruger and hades would freeze over before I would buy another 22/45. So now there are millions of people freezing their butts off wondering what happened - "who is responsible for this... it used to be so nice and warm..."
Enter KP678HMKIII
The sights are the same as on my MK III Hunter: a fiber optic front and a V-shaped adjustable in the back. I love the sights.
Trigger pull: 4lbs - whoops. That won't do, but rather than ordering parts from Volquartsen, I decided to do a non-aggressive trigger job on the pistol i.e. using a Power Custom Series I fixture set at 28 clicks, I stoned the sear. I also lowered the hammer hooks from .030 to .022 (told you I wasn't going to get too aggressive). The results is a 2-3/4 pull trigger. About 1/4 lb more than I would have liked, but I can live with it.
Now about the gun itself, and comparing it to the Mark III Standard version: The Standard version has a steel frame whereas the 22/45 has a polymer (plastic frame). Steel good!!! Plastic bad!!!! Yeah right; sorry guys in Pittsburgh, but this is some good plastic.
The first thing I noticed in field stripping is that I couldn't pull the latch on the mainspring housing out. I missed that last sentence in the manual for step 1: "Remove the empty magazine." There is a cutout in the frame that allows the back of the latch to go into the magazine well.
Now one of the things that I find slightly difficult working on the Standard version is removing the barrel/receiver. I usually have to use a plastic hammer to get it off. Not the case with the 22/45; it just easily slid off the frame. I figure it must be because of the polymer. However, with the standard version, if the barrel/receiver isn't tight enough you can squeeze the front of the frame slightly in a vise to tighten the fit. I wouldn't recommend doing that with polymer.
After you remove the grips from the Standard version, you have access to the hammer and sear pins. With the 22/45 the pins are visible all the time. So what keeps them from walking out? The sear spring. The anchor of the spring has to be moved out of the way in order to remove the hammer spring because it is resting in a groove in the pin.
Another difference is that the 22/45 doesn't have that pesky crosspin in the back that loves to catch the hammer strut when you are trying to put the gun back together.
So the next question is: how does it shoot? Don't know. If I could put down the laptop long enough to go to the range...
I'd paid slightly less than $200 for the gun so I didn't have a lot invested. I was ready to junk the gun. I complained to a local gunsmith about it, and he thought it could have been ammo. I just wanted to get rid of it. He offered me $150 in trade for another gun. I jumped at it. I swore I'd never buy another Ruger and hades would freeze over before I would buy another 22/45. So now there are millions of people freezing their butts off wondering what happened - "who is responsible for this... it used to be so nice and warm..."
Enter KP678HMKIII
The sights are the same as on my MK III Hunter: a fiber optic front and a V-shaped adjustable in the back. I love the sights.
Trigger pull: 4lbs - whoops. That won't do, but rather than ordering parts from Volquartsen, I decided to do a non-aggressive trigger job on the pistol i.e. using a Power Custom Series I fixture set at 28 clicks, I stoned the sear. I also lowered the hammer hooks from .030 to .022 (told you I wasn't going to get too aggressive). The results is a 2-3/4 pull trigger. About 1/4 lb more than I would have liked, but I can live with it.
Now about the gun itself, and comparing it to the Mark III Standard version: The Standard version has a steel frame whereas the 22/45 has a polymer (plastic frame). Steel good!!! Plastic bad!!!! Yeah right; sorry guys in Pittsburgh, but this is some good plastic.
The first thing I noticed in field stripping is that I couldn't pull the latch on the mainspring housing out. I missed that last sentence in the manual for step 1: "Remove the empty magazine." There is a cutout in the frame that allows the back of the latch to go into the magazine well.
Now one of the things that I find slightly difficult working on the Standard version is removing the barrel/receiver. I usually have to use a plastic hammer to get it off. Not the case with the 22/45; it just easily slid off the frame. I figure it must be because of the polymer. However, with the standard version, if the barrel/receiver isn't tight enough you can squeeze the front of the frame slightly in a vise to tighten the fit. I wouldn't recommend doing that with polymer.
After you remove the grips from the Standard version, you have access to the hammer and sear pins. With the 22/45 the pins are visible all the time. So what keeps them from walking out? The sear spring. The anchor of the spring has to be moved out of the way in order to remove the hammer spring because it is resting in a groove in the pin.
Another difference is that the 22/45 doesn't have that pesky crosspin in the back that loves to catch the hammer strut when you are trying to put the gun back together.
So the next question is: how does it shoot? Don't know. If I could put down the laptop long enough to go to the range...
