New Ruger 22/45 - Range Report

[Mike H]

Well I finally treated myself to a new Ruger, a 22/45 style stainless model KP4. Cost me $248 which seems about right, it was interesting to note that the gun store warranty covers the gun for 1 year of on site repairs with them which was nice.

So it was that I went straight to a convenient outdoor range for some testing.

The Ruger suffered maybe 5 FTF's that all seemed to be mag related, a strip down, clean and lube of the mags solved the problem, along with remembering to ensure that the first round in the magazine sits up against the feed lips on insertion into the gun. 500 rounds in and the Ruger was running like clockwork.

Accuracy was good but difficult to test properly, it hit whatever I aimed at, and that's usually as far as my accuracy interest runs.

22LR has always fascinated me as a round, having taken in its time everything from mice to elephants (well, one elephant at least) so I picked up some cheap Remington 36 grain Golden hollow points (525 for $11, I like them already) and some Remington Vipers (36 grain truncated cone solids). A large vine tomato and 3 large grapefruit also made the trip, but lunch was not on the menu.

The Vipers made neat entrance and exit "wounds" with only slight tearing at the exit point. The first application of a hollowpoint turned the tomato into pulp and tore a jagged inch and a quarter wide hole through the grapefruit. It looked for all the world like it had been hit by something much, much bigger. I was genuinely surprised at the massive difference, somehow I didn't expect the HP's to work quite so well.

The Vipers are supposedly hot, deep penetrating rounds, and I purchased them primarily with my wife's preference for .22 in a defensive application in mind (in spite of her having other choices she will always pick the .22). But seeing the damage that a regular hollowpoint can cause gave me some doubt about using solids for SD, even bearing in mind problems associated with HP's shallowing out.

.22LR you've gotta love it.

PS - The Ruger really is a pain to re-assemble but it's fairly easy to clean, I agree with all those thousands of owners who recommend these guns to others. Buy it.

Mike H

[Prodigalshooter]

I too recently picked up a 22/45, though mine is a blued model. They can be a bit finicky to reassemble, I agree, my first try had me swearing under my breath.
I havn't had any problems with any ammo I've tried yet, although I was a bit dissappointed with some expensive match ammo, that didn't shoot to point of aim as well as the CCI Mini-mags. Oh well, cheaper is sometomes better. My only problem is that the 8" bull barrel can be difficult to hold steady! But with a rest, very accurate!
Blurry pic below

[Hal]

Mike,
How ya been?

Good buy on the Ruger .22/45. Don't sweat it too much on the reassembly, it gets easier the more you do it. After 10 or 20 times you can almost do it in your sleep. $248. is an excellent price for the stainless model. I paid $2-something for one in a blued model. Mine is something like Prodigalshooter's both in looks and function. It prefers the El Cheapo Thunderbolts and Federal bulk pack to the expensive match grade ammo. Keep the magazines clean and it'll shoot like a champ. Nice thing about the polymer frame on the .22/45 is the more you shoot it, the more it smooths up as the metal works against the polymer. After a couple of bricks of ammo, the trigger gets a nice smooth buttery feel to it.

IIRC, you had a S&W 22a last time you were here right? I think you'll find the .22/45 a lot more robust than the Smith, but not quite as accurate. Enjoy it! Good little guns.

[Mike H]

RAE

I'm doin' fine thanks, hope the same is holding true for you.

You have an incredible memory, I had a S&W 22A 4 inch in blue when I was last here as a "visitor", now that I'm a permanent resident I don't have to sell my guns at the end of a 2 week vacation (crazy, but it shows commitment ).

Always a pleasure talking, the initials RAE always read "Rational And Educated" when I see them.

My best as ever.

Mike

[Cavè Canem]

I just recently picked up one of these 22/45's for $238.

Havn 't had a chance to shoot it yet but im looking forward to it and I am glad to hear such good responses from those who have.

[Onslaught]

I've had my eye on them ever since I "donated" my MkII to my father... he gets out way more than I do since he's retired, and I hadn't shot it in a LOOONG time.

One thing I've wondered... Is that 4" barrel lacking over the 5 1/2? My MkII was the 5.5" Bull barrel, but the 4" is closer to the size of a "regular" pistol, which is kinda what I want. Any thoughts?

One thing I've found that makes reassembly much easier. After you get the "swingin peg" back in the hole through the rear of the frame and barrel, if you hold the gun level, then raise the barrel up about 30degrees and squeeze the trigger to the back of the guard, then lower the barrel again, the "lever" portion of the peg just falls into place (for me).

Great report BTW...

[CZ Gunner]

Like you said .. field stripping and cleaning this model is a major pain in the butt. You'd think they could (would) come up with a better design! Rating: A 10 on fun(!), 1 on ease of maintenance.

[bj426]

the prices quoted seem kinda high to me.... the going rate around here is about $180 for a 22/45 5.5

love mine.... stone cold reliable....and outshoots me everytime

[SkarodoM]

I've had a stainless 5.5" heavy barreled 22/45 for about 5 or 6 years & have put more bricks through it than i can count.

It has yet to fail or falter.. my favorite firearm for fun .

IIRC it was $250ish back then

Maintenance isnt bad once you figure it out. I think alot of people are guilty of not following the manual's reassembly instructions exactly. Doing so, i cant say i've ever had issues with it... though compared to other stuffs, it is somewhat involved .

Enjoy it!

-Phil

[plunker]

Onslaught....4" to the 5 1/2" barrel probably less velocity. I like my 5 1/2 bull barrel it seems to feel really balanced to me. I have never shot a 4" barrel. Is that the regular not the bull barrel.

The bull barrel seems more accurate than a longer regular barrel to me. I'm not sure that the regular barrel was longer now that I think about it. I'll try and find out and repost here.

10'-15' hit bottle beer caps

plunker

[mini14jac]

Congrats on your Ruger Mike.
I got a stainless MKII last year, (before the rebate started!).
Mine was $289 +tax +bg check, so you didn't do too bad.

There is a company that makes a .22 round with a lead nose that is made of 3 pieces mashed together.
You shoot one of those into an apple, and it's instant apple sauce!
I can't think of the name right now, but I bet someone can.
Only problem, that is the only .22 brand that neither of my MKIIs will feed.

[wingnutx]

mini14jac-

Those are Quick-Shok rounds. Not very good penetrators, but they do break up nicely into their 3 pieces.