Ruger 22/45 MKIII questions

[AndersonG22]

Can you use the cheapest .22lr ammo you can find without problems?

I want a cheap semi auto .22lr training pistol that eats the cheapest of the cheap ammo without problems, is there a better gun for the job?

This is the one I'm looking at.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p....5+BL+AS+10140

[Merad]

I've had mine for about 6 months and probably put close to 2000 rounds through it. I pretty much exclusively use Federal bulk .22 cheap stuff in it. I've had exactly one round that didn't fully eject and stovepiped. Maybe 3 rounds that didn't fire due to bad priming (not the gun's fault).

I don't think you'll find a better .22LR pistol in the same price range.

[AH.74]

I've found that WWB 555 round bulk box stuff works pretty well. Not many failures.

I have also found that Remington Thunderbolts bulk box rounds have many more failures. I have been told that with some cheap stuff there is inconsistent application of primer around the rim.

Get the gun, you'll love it. Buy some different stuff and find what works best for you. You really can't go wrong.

[hulley]

I bought my 22/45 about 3 months ago and have tried probably 8-10 different ammo types. Fedral bulk and CCI SV worked the best.

[AndersonG22]

I've found that WWB 555 round bulk box stuff works pretty well. Not many failures.

- AH.74

You're talking about failures of the rounds only, right?

[Hal]

I put ~ 150,000 rounds through my .22/45 Mark II.
Same basic gun.

98% of those rounds were junk ammo of one sort or another.

The only times I ever had gun related failures, it was when trying to get hollow points under 40 grains (Winchester X-pert 36 grain) to feed.
They were too short and would hang up on the feed ramp.
I've had two other Ruger Mark I and Mark II that would hang up with any hollow points.

The Browning Buckmark has a more refined feed ramp & handles those types of ammunition better.

A down and dirty "fix" for the Ruger is to put a dab of hot melt glue on the front of the magazine, up near the top. That holds the magazine back against the frame and prevents the rounds from nose diving into the edge of the feed ramp.

Always sticking with 40 grain solids though is the best way to avoid any possible issues.

Nice guns.
I like the looks of the Mark III better than my older Mark II.

[fender1974]

I picked up a Mark III about 2 months ago ($244 at a show - new!) and have only been running CCI Mini-Mags through it. Zero problems. Love how the gun feels/shoots. I've been hesitant to run some of my bulk unjacketed ammo through it as I wasn't sure how the barrel or feed ramp would feel about lead build up. Has anyone had any experience with this? Thanks!

(Note to the OP - This is a great gun that you're going to have a lot of fun with!)

[Fishbed77]

Have have a Mark III (all steel version, not 22/45, but for all practical purposes, they are the same gun) and usually shoot the cheapest bulk Federal ammo I can find. It loves to shoot them all day long. In about 5000 rounds, I've had exactly 1 stovepipe and maybe 2 primers that failed to ignite.

For rimfire reliability, the Ruger pistols can't be beat.

[overkill0084]

My MK3 has seen hardly anything but CCI Blazers from me (maybe the odd mini mag now & then). Aside from dud priming on a several, it's been fine.

[aarondhgraham]

All three of my 22/45 Mk-III's run very well with Federal Bulk Pack,,,
I try to stay away from lead bullets and stick with copper plated bullets.

None of my three run well with Remington Golden Bullet bulk pack ammo,,,
I don't know if it's that they don't have enough oomph,,,
But I get a lot of fail to feed and fail to eject.

Aarond

[m_liebst]

Got my 22/45 just about a year ago and have had about 5000 rounds of pleasure. There are very few of the cheap ammos that will present issues with the ruger. I also find that the only issues I've really noticed have to do with the hollow points under 36-38 grains. I shoot mostly lead solids-40 grains. Probably shot 3500 rounds of the cci blazer bulk with very few issues except that they gunk your internal parts faster than other brands.

Jus find a brand ya like and stick with it.

There are'nt any jacketed rounds available for the .22lr cartridge. The term is copper washed which is a much thinner almost infused type of brush coating- instead of an actual jacket.

The barrel life of your .22lr would be "much shorter" if we were shooting the real copper jackets.

[fender1974]

There are'nt any jacketed rounds available for the .22lr cartridge. The term is copper washed which is a much thinner almost infused type of brush coating- instead of an actual jacket.

The barrel life of your .22lr would be "much shorter" if we were shooting the real copper jackets.

Wasn't sure of the proper termanology, thanks!

[jimbob86]

Can you use the cheapest .22lr ammo you can find without problems?

I do, though not without a few problems- There are a few failures to fire, but that is the ammo- you get what you pay for..... and sometimes, the thing won't feed 100%, because the kids have put more than a brick through it in short order- gets hot and dirty quick with 3-4 kids each with their own magazine to load.

I have a stainless bull barrel version of the .22/45 - I have certainly got my money's worth with it, and would like to get one of the new ones with the standard grip panels and the threaded barrel ......

[1goodi]

I've tested just about every bulk ammo available. I'd've had mine for just over a year.

I recommend lead round nose. Stay away from the super cheapo hollow point.
My favorite is CCI blazer bulk box Followed next by Federal (red box) from Wally World. If I'm being particular I'll go with Mini-Mags. Either way I never ever pay more than $20 for any bulk box of 22 lr. From experience and research each 22 lr will be different and love / hate different ammo. You can always stop by your lgs or show and pick up a multitude of 50 rd boxes for $2-$3 each to test out.

[AndersonG22]

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw a used MKI today, I might be able to buy it. Is there any reason I wouldn't want it? Its $169 and I dont care if its over priced for a MKI, I just want a decent MK what ever ASAP.

Thanks for the responses, this forum AWESOME!!!

[jimbob86]

I like the ballance of the bull barrel models much better than the plain janes .... YMMV .....

The MK 1's will have a nicer trigger and no stupid magazine safety!

[shortwave]

I own two MK-I, a MK-II and a III. All will cycle most all ammo that's been shot through them. I once stopped at Wally World on the way to shoot to get ammo for the MK-II I had with me. I bought a brick of CCI but on the counter was a plastic crate with individual 50rd boxes of some 'off-the-wall' ammo from the Philippines for, if I remember right, two boxes for a quarter.

I grabbed about ten boxes. Got just what I paid for.

Although my poor little MK-II cycled these rds, I noticed the more I shot it the slower the action seemed to cycle. After about 2-250 rds, I could actually see what looked like fine grains of sand in the slide and throughout the whole workings of the pistol. No doubt if I continue'd the pistol would have stopped cycling as you could actually feel a gritty feeling when operating the slide manually.

Needless to say, I know I didn't do my pistol any favors shooting this junk through it. Too, there's no doubt in my mind a steady diet of this very cheap, poorly made ammo, with who knows what was used as a filler in the powder, would very prematurely wear a gun out.

So, to answer your question as to the cheapest ammo...IMO, your pistol may cycle it but, if you care about your pistol, you better be watching the working of your pistol in the process of shooting some of the 'cheapest' stuff. Decent grade 22's just aren't that expensive compared to the damage some of the cheapest can do to your pistol.

[AndersonG22]

So, to answer your question as to the cheapest ammo...IMO, your pistol may cycle it but, if you care about your pistol, you better be watching the working of your pistol in the process of shooting some of the 'cheapest' stuff. Decent grade 22's just aren't that expensive compared to the damage some of the cheapest can do to your pistol.

- shortwave

I will buy my ammo at walmart, the ammo made by remington/federal is decent right?

[shortwave]

AndersonG22,

$169 is by no means overpriced for a 'decent' MK-I.

I'd by decent MK-I's all day long at that price given the fact that I could inspect them prior to purchase.

Your post sounds as though you are very excited about this find but my advice would be to examine the pistol very carefully prior to purchase. Check not only the function of the action but the barrel for pitting. Most all parts are replaceable through Ruger but you don't want to buy what should be sold as a 'parts gun' and have enough $'s in it getting the pistol to run right as you would if you bought a solid gun for a few more dollars.

The MK series pistols are great pistols but are a pain to learn to take down and therefore, you see a lot of used ones out there that have not been very well maintained.

Just a word of caution.

[AndersonG22]

Should I have a guy at the store take the bolt down and inspect the firing pin and spring? What would an unacceptable bolt look like? And should I only check the inside of the barrel for pitting? What would make this gun unacceptable?

I'm watching the disassembly of a MKII and III right now so I have an idea of what the parts should look like.

[shortwave]

AndersonG22

pm sent

[Hal]

Should I have a guy at the store take the bolt down and inspect the firing pin and spring? What would an unacceptable bolt look like? And should I only check the inside of the barrel for pitting? What would make this gun unacceptable?

LOL!
That could be good for a laugh.....

It all depends on how well the guy at the store knows how to put a Ruger back together after taking it apart.

I'd say go for it. Have him field strip it and check the firing pin and spring.

Pay real close attention while he puts it back together.
They can be a real bear the first half dozen times you take one down.

If the guy does know what he's doing, give it a try yourself right there in the store and have him show you what you're doing wrong.

Re: Remington @ WalMart.
Usually it's Thunderbolts.
Thunderbolts are a mix of smokeless powder, floor sweepings, charcoal from forest fires and the stuff that's too nasty to put into hot dogs...
Basicly - filthy nasty stuff to shoot.
The biggest problem is that, as nasty as they are, there are some guns that prefer them to anything else.
.22's are like that. They usually have one brand of ammo they prefer over anything else.

Federal bulk pack - the 550 round box has always shot pretty clean in my guns.

[chris in va]

I had one of the first MKIII 22/45's when they came out. It was my first handgun, and was very disappointed when hollowpoints would jam on the feed ramp. Ended up selling it and bought a 5" MKII 22/45 that fed everything, but it was really unbalanced and I was ready to move up to a 9pm anyway.

I'm sure the latest model has the bugs worked out though.

[AndersonG22]

I've decided against the used one, there's just to much risk involved. I'm going to get a new MKIII. I will hold them tomorrow to see if I want the plastic frame or the metal, then order next week on payday. lol

Do the adjustable sights look like the stock fixed sights? I remember looking at a few MKIII's (or II's idk) today and most had the blacked out standard looking sights but one had a very obtuse V rear sight with a white dot at the bottom, I didn't like those sights.

Do all the adjustable's look the same? BTW I'm going to be ordering online from budsgunshop.com.

Thanks for the advice guys, anything else I should look for?

[Merad]

Originally Posted by chris in va

I had one of the first MKIII 22/45's when they came out. It was my first handgun, and was very disappointed when hollowpoints would jam on the feed ramp. Ended up selling it and bought a 5" MKII 22/45 that fed everything, but it was really unbalanced and I was ready to move up to a 9pm anyway.

I'm sure the latest model has the bugs worked out though.

The Federal bulk packs are HP's and I've never had a feed issue with them (knock on wood).