[haertig]

Does anyone have any experience with the Ruger 22/45 Lite .22lr pistol? My wife handled one tonight at Cabelas's and liked it. She does not like my older Ruger Mark II with the longer barrel (too heavy). Are the 22/45's, specifically the Lite model, as robust and reliable as the Mark I/II/III pistols? Obviously they are a lot lighter - it looks like construction is plastic and some lightweight alloy. I noted the latch in the back of the handgrip, so I assume take-down is that same weird Ruger deal.

While my wife was looking, I handled the S&W SW22 Victory .22lr pistol. That one felt nice, and the .22lr I would probably get for myself. But the 22/45 would be the wifes gun. But I also liked the feel of that 22/45. I shot Uniongap's 22/45 at Phideaux's a few years back, and that was certainly a sweet shooter. Quite tricked out. But I don't think it was the Lite model. My wife wants a very lightweight pistol.

I also handled the Walther PPQ. Now, I definitely have to get me one of those! Very nice trigger and ergonomics. But they only had it in .45auto and I think I'd prefer a 9mm. I compared it to the Sig 320 and the HK VP9. These three guns are often called "the Glock Killers". And I agree. I liked the PPQ the best, the VP9 was a close second, and the 320 third. They all handily beat the Glock ergonomics (or lack thereof) IMHO. I gotta get me one of those PPQ's...

 

[guru2sum]

I've no experience with one, but here's a review:

http://www.majorpandemic.com/2013/02/Ruger-22-45-Lite-Rimfire-22-Pistol-Review.html

The steel barrel is amazingly thin, probably 1 mm. It is tensioned in an aluminum tube to stabilize it. This post says the thin barrel may heat up more, which is possible as I believe there is an air gap between the barrel and the aluminum tube:

http://rugerforum.net/ruger-rimfires/130620-22-45-lite-possible-barrel-lead-fouling.html

One attraction is that it is threaded to accept a silencer, and the light weight counterbalances the silencer weight somewhat.

 

[darkwriter77]

I was kinda thinking of getting a 22/45 Lite as a nice super-fancy plinker (y'know, just in the odd chance that .22 LR might someday become plentiful and readily available again ) until S&W came out with their new Victory pistol. I've previously had a "Mark II" version of the 22/45 and the controls were pretty much exactly where I wanted them to be, and it shot wonderfully, with a very crisp, light trigger. I wasn't wild about the rounded button-like thumb safety, but at least it was in the "right" place (like on a 1911, which the 22/45 tries to emulate), and it wasn't upside-down (like on my SR22) or difficult to click on or off.

I just hated, hated, HATED that stupid field-strip and reassembly process.

The newer "Mark III" style ones with the goofy magazine disconnect garbage make the steps involved even more convoluted and obnoxious. While I did have the process down well enough that I could field-strip and then reassemble the older 22/45 in something like 22 seconds flat, it was still a royal pain. The S&W 22A was something I also considered, because the takedown on that is WAY easy, except that I didn't care for the weird place they put the magazine release (right in the front of the grip itself - I would totally be dropping it by accident all of the time). The new S&W Victory fixes that and puts it back where it should be, and the field strip is just a matter of removing a single hex/Allen screw ... plus, most important of all, it's preeeeeeettyyyyyyyyy.

Anyway. The 22/45 Lite isn't terrible at all, but I really just despise the field-strip process with a passion, and the overall feel of the pistol (to me) is a little bit wonky. It's not nearly as top-heavy as the older 22/45 model that I had (which had a blued steel upper receiver that was like 90% of the firearm's total weight), but it still feels kinda weird in my hands. On the plus side, there's a TON of aftermarket goodies available for the 22/45's in general, including at least a couple of different companies that make kits that help simplify the field-strip process and make it WAY easier ... but you'll probably want to factor that into the total investment cost of the gun before you buy it. (Bear in mind that the S&W Victory also has a slew of barrel options and aftermarket goodies available already, too - just sayin'.) I don't think you would be too disappointed with the 22/45 Lite, per se, but I would definitely take a closer look at some of the alternatives on the market right now.

 

[lop]

They sell light weight barrels to drop onto your existing grip. One of our sponsors has one I think. Not sure if that would work on a mark II, but you might look at that.

And one more time, the strip down on the mk's is not hard. It is just lengthy. There are a bunch of simple steps. Yes, to many, but all simple. And once learned are easy to preform.

 

[TSiWRX]

This was a helpful thread on OFCC.org regarding the disassembly/reassembly of the Ruger 22/45.

Mine was purchased second-hand from a fellow shooter and OFCC'er, and it's been absolutely reliable through a variety of .22 LR. I haven't cleaned it in a long, long while.... Completely stock. The only concern was that the top rail became loose. A turn with a screwdriver took care of that.

It's a pure plinker for me, but in that role, it's been very pleasurable.

 

[haertig]

Well, last night right before bed, my wife declared "I want that 22/45"! So that pretty much settles it. The wife always knows best. The purchase happens, whether it's a good gun or not.

We did learn from an earlier purchase where she said, "I want that!", and we bought it on the spot, but it turned out to be a real dog of a gun (a Kimber Solo). So we vowed no more spur of the moment purchases without at least a little research. I usually try to research ahead of time - no waiting that way! - but her choice of the 22/45 was not something I predicted, since she doesn't like my Mark II. I had researched, and cleared, the Buckmark, the SW22, and a few others. (She is in the market for a .22lr.) So we didn't buy the 22/45 last night, per our vow. But we'll buy it tomorrow, when Cabela's puts it on sale for $30 off. What I've read here in this post has been fine, and other reviews haven't mentioned any real problems with it, and most seem to like it. So that's good enough research for a $400-ish gun, it's not expensive.

Now I have to think quickly about what gun I might slip in there for myself on the same purchase. Since Cabela's didn't have the PPQ 9mm I want in stock, I'm thinking maybe that S&W SW22 I handled. That seemed like a nice gun too. I would buy the Ruger Precision Rifle, but Cabela's didn't have that one in stock either.

 

[HardShell]

I have one (surprise, surprise! ), and it is a decent pistol and a pretty good suppressor host...




... but I personally prefer their standard (non-LITE) 22/45 MkIII model with the factory-threaded barrel (not sure if they still offer this one)...




... and my VERY favorite 22/45 MkIII is a standard model that I had chopped short and threaded by Tornado Technologies back when their backlog/turnaround time wasn't as ridiculous as I understand it is now...








Nice perks with the TT customized one above is their fitted thread protector makes it look like it isn't even threaded (you can barely see the seam, even up close) AND they remove the billbord's worth of warnings and other print from the bull bbl, giving it a much cleaner look.

 

[HardShell]

... The S&W 22A was something I also considered, because the takedown on that is WAY easy, except that I didn't care for the weird place they put the magazine release (right in the front of the grip itself - I would totally be dropping it by accident all of the time). The new S&W Victory fixes that and puts it back where it should be, and the field strip is just a matter of removing a single hex/Allen screw ... plus, most important of all, it's preeeeeeettyyyyyyyyy. ...

I love my 22A and 22S, and haven't had an issue with the mag release (but I have small hands for such a big guy)...



And, like you, I am VERY interested in the new Victory model. I'll likely buy one of those in the near future... perhaps more, if the kids like it as well.

 

[Pwndy]

I have a S&W 22a and I really like it. It's more accurate than I am and I have yet to have it fail beyond a dud round that wouldn't fire even on the 2nd strike. My one complaint with it is the odd placement of the mag release but it appears they have corrected that on the Victory model.

 

[flareside_ford]

Well since there has been so much discussion about the 22a. I have had a 22s since the late 90's and it is very accurate and reliable. Mine is just like the bottom one in Hardshells pic with out the pretty laminate grips. The mag release is in a weird spot, but it is recessed enough that nobody that has shot mine has bumped it. The gun is a plinker for me and I don't speed reload it so I have no issues with location of the mag release either. I'd like to get a 4" barreled one for when my daughter is a little older the 6" barrel is pretty heavy.

 

[haertig]

OK ... It's home!

I almost bought the SW22, but decided against it for the moment. It's so new that I decided I'd wait for a few more field reports to show up online. Currently, most of what I find are professional reviewer reviews. And - dang it! - I also passed on the Walther PPQ 9mm that just came in stock at my Cabela's store today. Held it in my hand. Loved it. But just couldn't quite pull the trigger to purchase something that is so similar to my HK P30. I'll have to think about it a little more. But dang, is that Walther a nice handgun! I also looked at the Burris Fastfire III dot sight that I mentioned in another thread. I would have bought that on the spot, but the only one they had in stock was the floor demo model, and some Neanderthal had really goobered up the screwdriver slot in the battery compartment. I'm not going to pay that kind of money for something that is marred up.

I can't decide if this 22/45 is hideously ugly, or so ugly that it's cute. But the wife likes it, and that's what counts!

 

[tx-rvr]

If momma is happy everybody is happy.

Steve

 

[phideaux]

Congrats to Ms Haertig...

I know she will enjoy it .

I always had my eye on that one ,in gold, for myself.
Just never got around toit.

I have a S&W 22A , that Guru2sum, can shoot the the eyeball out of a skeeter with it.

You may have shot it.

But I am really intrigued with the Victory model.

Here is my S&W 22...remember it?





Jim

 

[haertig]

Here is my S&W 22...remember it?

Oh, I definitely remember it! I was quite impressed when I shot it. At the time, I wasn't in the market for another .22lr pistol, so I didn't pursue one for myself. Now I am back in the .22lr market I guess. Funny how things change, and my interest swings from one thing to another over time.

 

[phideaux]

That Victory is awful enticing...

What is your hold back, other than being new on market?

I think that S&W has it together on that one.

I wish you would get it.......





then let me know..

Jim

 

[haertig]

I should have bought it today. My only hold back was that it's so new on the market. Also, Cabela's price was $399 and other stores around here are $369 (but those other stores don't have it in stock today). But there was not a thing I didn't like about it when I held it in my hand. A very nice pistol.

Reviews for it are good too:

https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/we-shoot-the-new-smith-wesson-victory-22-lr-pistol/

https://youtu.be/Ng-0FGrvBTg

 

[phideaux]

I WILL be looking at my LGSs,

That's the one ,

Just too much to like .

meh....you will probably have one before I get a chance ..





Jim

 

[haertig]

meh....you will probably have one before I get a chance ..

Was that a C H A L L E N G E ?!

I'm already kicking myself for being overly cautious and not buying it this morning. Hmmm, I wonder if the background check people will have a fit if I go back and end up with another check being run 6 hours after the last one...

 

[phideaux]

A challenge... nah,,

But I'm betting there will be one...(or 2) at the shoot this year.

That is an awesome little gun,
I like the LEGO effect.
I find myself already looking into spare barrels and other add ons.:gaah:



Jim

 

[lop]

Psst. If you are a retailer that can't get your hands on a new item in demand, advertise a low price. This will keep some buyers from buying from the competition until you can get yours in stock and raise the price.

Are you new at this?

Lop