Bernice is ready to repel the illegal invaders.....
A blog dedicated to the love of guns, gun restoration, repair and customization
Bernice is ready to repel the illegal invaders.....
There is no point in telling you the whole story of the Ruger pistol, I have already done that as have others.
Instead, I will just tell you how this gun is different from the previous generations and why you might want to consider buying one.
The new pistol featured a polymer grip frame that mimicked the grip of the M1911 pistol (thus the "45" in the name). The other major change was the moving the magazine release from the heal to the side of the grip frame.
A graphic from American Rifleman showing the differences in grip angles and sizes of the trigger guards.
In 2004 the MkIII series replaced the MkII and the 22/45 got another revision.
The barrels had grills to reduce weight and came in a few different colors.
This new version also had replaceable, rubber grip panels that looked to be interchangeable with those of the 1911 pistol.
The new Mark series had a much easier, push button take down procedure along with better slide release and an ambidextrous safety.
The new models come with various barrel cuts and sight options as well as a host of different colors.
These pistols with the 4.4" barrel weigh in at just 25 ounces, which beats previous 22/45 models that were 31-33 ounces. Compared to the Ruger Mk II bull barrel that weighs 46 ounces, you can see why they call this the "LITE".
I purchased my 22/45 LITE last year, it came with adjustable rear sight and a picatinny rail for mounting optics.
If for some reason you are looking for additional options on your 22/45 LITE, Ruger now has a Tactical model.
as well as a silencer shop exclusive, designed specifically for suppressor use. Both models come in black or Flat Dark Earth
Ruger's 22/45: A Blend Of Two Legendary Pistols | An Official Journal Of The NRA (americanrifleman.org)
Mark IV: The Ruger Evolution | An Official Journal Of The NRA (americanrifleman.org)
Ruger® Mark IV™ 22/45™ Lite Rimfire Pistol Model 43927
This fine specimen was introduced at the 2024 SHOT Show and put up for auction.
The gun is a standard 7.5" Vaquero in 45 Colt, handed over to the Ruger Custom Shop for custom engraving by Paul Lantuch of Baron Engraving and then adorned with 24K gold. The grips were carved from Siberian Jade.
The hand-crafted display case features Nubian goat skin leather.
The photography was by Hunter Elliot of Range Hot.com.
The gun sold for just over $20K on Jan 26th.
Proceeds from the sale are going to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody Wyoming.
Anyone who has been in the gun hobby for any length of time knows how many facets there are to the hobby.
Some people only like to hunt, some only like to target shoot, some only shoot pistol, others only shoot rifle at loooong distances.
While I enjoy shoot at targets, especially reactive ones, I also revel in being able to hit one at a great distance. Before last month that distance was 100 yards give or take and the rifles were typically .22 rimfires.
Keep in mind I only own a few guns with scopes, most of my guns have open sights.
A friend of mine bought a Savage 110 BA rifle in 338 Lapua Magnum and had dreams of hitting targets beyond 1000 yards.
Another friend moved to Montana, bought himself a rifle for hunting and wanted to learn how to adjust his scope for longer shots.
One of them, or both of them, decided to attend a school for long range shooting. This particular one is run by the Long Range Shooters of Utah. After looking into it, they convinced me to attend along with them.
The school is held at the North Springs Shooting Range, a fantastic, world class facility outside of Price Utah (about 2-hour drive SE of Salt Lake City).
Here is the main building at the North Springs.
At the end of day one we went to the 100-yard range and zeroed our scopes, that is Bryce in the center of the picture.
Now you may be wondering what I was going to shoot if I didn't own a rifle with a scope capable of hitting a target at 1000 yards.
I rented one from Bryce. It was an Aero Precision Solus Sendero in 6.5 Creedmoor. The price was very affordable.
Here is the rifle, it was equipped with a Leupold Mark 5HD scope and a suppressor.
Day two was all shooting, taking the things they taught us about trigger control, breathing, checking your level and a host of others and hitting targets beginning at 200 yards and moving up.
The targets in the picture look small, but they are not. I believe they said that the targets past 400 yards were 2 foot square.
They weren't actual milk jugs, they were milk jug shaped steel targets 7.5" x 9" if I recall correctly, set at 1000 yards.
Even with the scopes magnification dialed all the way up, they were small dots on the horizon.
Thanks to the lessons learned in class and the expert tutelage from LRSU staff, all 19 of us hit the milk jug.....although some of us took longer than others :)
Here is our group, BJ, Bobby, Me and Danny with our trophies, a sticker really, but you can only get it by attending the class and hitting the milk jug at 1000 yards.
A warning though, this could be addictive and very expensive.....
If you are interested in attending a class, you need to book in advance as they sell out quick and weather in the fall/winter will most definitely play a factor.
Links:
Long Range Shooters of Utah: Home of Long Range Shooters of Utah
North Springs Shooting Range: North Springs Shooting Range – Carbon County Utah
Aero Precision Solus: SOLUS Competition Rifle - 22" 6.5 Creedmoor, Sendero | Aero Precision (aeroprecisionusa.com)
Leupold Mark 5 HD: Mark 5HD Rifle Scope | Leupold
Hornady Ammo: ELD® Match (Extremely Low Drag Match) - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc