By Scott Smith | Contributing Editor
This past year I was humbled by my friends at Black Hills Ammunition when they sent me a Ruger (Phone: 336-949-5200; Online: ruger.com) 22/45 Lite. The shooting gods will strike me down for saying this; this is the first Ruger 22 pistol I have owned, for that matter shot. All the 22s I shot growing up were revolvers of various makes. The first 22 pistol I owned was a custom built 1911.
While a fine pistol, the Ruger 22/45 Lite could be improved thanks to Tandemkross.
When the pistol arrived I gave it a thorough look see. The OD anodizing of the barrel shroud was flawless; all the engraving was crisp and sharp. All moving parts were smooth and positive when operated. The texturing of the front and rear straps of the polymer frame were perfect and the pistol felt good in the hand. Overall the fit and finish of the pistol was, for lack of a better term, perfect.
The most notable feature of the 22/45 Lite is the Picatinny rail that attaches to the barrel shroud. It allows you to mount any number of red dot or pistol optics to the pistol. Ruger took care to ensure you could use good old fashioned “iron” sights without having to remove the rail. I like this design because not all folks want to use a dot sight, but it allows for quick installation for those who do. This feature makes the 22/45 Lite a good teaching pistol.
These two items, the Blast Shield (top) and flat trigger (left bottom) vastly improve the 22/45, removing the magazine safety and reducing the trigger pull length.
Ruger reduced the weight of the pistol with a dozen sculpted lightening/cooling ports in the barrel shroud. This shroud gives you a free-floated barrel, ensuring your optics and any rest you use will not interfere with the barrel. We know variances in pressure on the barrel will affect your accuracy, even on a fast handling pistol like this.
Another feature that sets this pistol apart from others is the factory sights. The rear is fully adjustable to aid in zeroing the pistol to the load. Over the years shooting 22 caliber rifles, I have found factory 22s’ points of aim/impact vary greatly. Having an adjustable rear sight allows the shooter to compensate for this.
Ruger also allows shooters to swap out the front sight if the factory partridge sight is not to your liking. I opted for HiViz LightWave fiber optic front sight that I ordered from Brownells (Phone: 800-741-0015 Online: brownells.com). This sight allows you to choose from a red or green fiber optic or a solid white insert fiber optic sight. This sight retails for $34.95. LiteWaves are a godsend for my nearly 60-year-old eyes.
One-Button Takedown
What sets current production Mark IV pistols apart from earlier models is the one button takedown. This is probably one of the reasons I never owned one earlier; they were an incredible pain to clean. With the one button takedown, ensure the pistol is empty, hammer cocked, safety on and push the button on the rear of the frame. This allows for removal of the barrel from the receiver. Then you can remove the bolt for easy cleaning. I found this operation quick and easy.
When coupled with Extended Magazine Release, Tandemkross’s Flat Trigger makes the 22/45 Lite much easier to shoot and manipulate.
After a quick lubricating of the pistol I headed out to the range. I am not sure the manufacture of the ammunition I used to test the 22/45 because I had dumped several 50-round cardboard boxes into a plastic container. What I found was the pistol chugged along.
I found the trigger was good. There was little if any slack; reset was short and easily felt. To me the trigger pull is nearly perfect. About the only thing I did not like was the narrow trigger; it was too easy to get too much of my trigger finger on the trigger, causing me to pull shots.
While reloading I found the cocking extensions on the bolt were problematic in the rain and near-tropical humidity we had throughout the summer. There just was not enough metal to get a firm grasp with wet hands. With the custom Herrett grips I found the magazine release and safety were also hard to manipulate. Using the factory polymer grips this was not the case, but I wanted to show off the laser etched Herrett grips. I knew I could resolve these issues once back at my computer.
Truglo’s Tru-Tec Micro Red Dot is a godsend; it gives fast target-to-target transitions and allows for fast, accurate shots.
Before I could remedy these minor issues, I wanted to put more rounds down range. By the time I was finished, over 200 hundred rounds were fired. There were no failures to feed, fire or eject. At 15 yards, free style it was easy to keep to keep ten rounds in the upper A zone of an USPSA target. If I fired them slow fire, ten shots consistently hovered around two inches.
When I got home from the range, I emailed Tandemkross (Phone: 603-369-7060; Online: tandemkross.com). TK manufactures parts to enhance most popular “22” pistols on the market. I knew they could help the 22/45 Lite fit, feel and perform better. The Race Gun Kit ($136.99), Cornerstone Thumb Safety ($59.99), Blast Shield ($19.99) and Game Changer Pro Compensator ($59.99) would improve the fit and feel of the 22/45 Lite.
I installed the Game Changer Pro Compensator and Halo Charging Ring, because they required no real work, just tighten them on. Next it was time to replace the Cornerstone Thumb Safety, Blast Shield which replaces the magazine disconnect, extended magazine release and the trigger. Unless you have replaced parts on a Mark IV before, I highly recommend the how-to videos on Tandemkross’ website. Watch the videos first; it will make following them as you install the parts much easier. You will also find Youtube helpful. I initially attempted to follow along and install the parts. I was nearly bald from frustration. You need to see how all the parts interface first. Then they do go in fairly quickly.
With the Tandemkross parts installed, I found the 22/45 felt like a flyweight 1911. The Extended Thumb Safety allows you to ride on top of it like a 1911. The flat trigger felt like it pulled straight back and the larger surface area gave better trigger finger placement. The extended magazine release allowed me to change magazines without altering grip and the extended base pads made seating magazines a breeze. If you have big hands like me, the factory base pads made me release my grip because they are thin. The Tandemkross pads will also protect your magazine when doing speed reloads by virtue of them being thick polymer.
Magazine Disconnect
Some may question why replace the magazine disconnect safety with the Blast Shield. First, magazine disconnects always degrade the trigger pull. Second, I plan to use the 22/45 Lite for plinking and 22 competition and I’d like to be able to get off a shot without the magazine in place if I have to.
The Game Changer Pro Compensator makes the 22/45 Lite balance like a 1911 while reducing what little recoil a 22LR creates.
This is also why I installed the Game Changer Pro Compensator. The size and weight of 22 bullets really do not make a compensator function like they do on a centerfire pistol. There will be minimal recoil reduction effect but the added weight at the muzzle gives better balance for faster controlled pairs.
After installing the Tandemkross parts, it was time to hit the range. I found the improved 22/45 Lite handled better and fit better. The flat Victory Trigger in the Race Gun Kit helped cure my throwing shots while shooting fast strings. The Victory is wider and aggressively checkered, keeping me from hooking my trigger finger around the trigger. Coupled with the Extended Thumb Safety which allowed me to ride the safety, I was not putting a death grip on the pistol. I was shooting faster tighter-controlled pairs at 15 yards and consistently going ten for ten on a hanging bowling pin.
When I benched the Tandemkross 22/45 Lite I found accuracy was as good as I can shoot. Ten shot groups at 15 yards averaged just over two inches. In the hands of someone who shoots PPC/CMP I have no doubt the pistol is capable of shooting one-inch groups.
Loading Tool
A part I overlooked from Tandemkross that shined on the range is their Loading Tool. It looks like a simple piece of Plexiglas with an oval cut out on a lanyard. The cut out is designed to fit over the magazine to give you leverage on the small loading tab. It makes loading a breeze; it’s the best $5.99 you will spend for your pistol.
Tandemkross’s magazine pads protect the magazines from damage when dropped on concrete and add a little length to help ensure you seat the magazine properly.
To increase the ease of shooting, I mounted a Truglo Tru-Tec Micro RedDot Phone: 972-774-0300; Online: Truglo.com). With a MSRP of $246 it is one of the best buys on the market. Having used this sight on various ARs, I knew it would endure use on the 22/45 Lite. The 3MOA dot would also allow for precision shooting at much longer distances where the front sight would totally cover a target.
The Tru-Tec Micro is ideal for use on pistols like the 22/45. Its low profile puts it just above the plane of the iron sights. This puts the dot where you would expect the front sight to be which means you are not “searching” for the dot. Using the Micro Tru-Tec it was easy to hit my Birchwood Casey (Phone: 800- 746-6862; Online: birchwoodcasey.com) World of Steel Popper offhand at fifty yards. This $299.99 steel target is man portable and provides instant feedback when hit with a 22LR; you get a loud ping. I use this target with 22s at distances from 15 to 50 yards. It is perfect for working on your trigger speed. It just pings and you do not have to worry about replacing it like you do with a paper target.
The HALO charging Ring attaches to the small charging handle to give you a better grip in any weather conditions.
Over the last few years I have found adding a red dot and fiber optic sights to pistols allows me to shoot faster and more accurately. I know this is not earth-shaking news, USPSA competitors proved this years ago. While my days of being a true competitor are over, I still like to shoot matches and these sights allow those of us with aging eyes to get out and have fun.
Having a pistol like the 22/45 Lite also allows us to get trigger time without beating up aging hands and wrists. Running a few hundred rounds of 22 ammo does not beat up the hands like my 45s do, especially on a cold wintery day. Reducing aches and pains means we can practice and thanks to its design the 22/45 replicates the feel of a 1911.
Ruger’s custom 22/45 Lite rides well in this custom shoulder rig from Badlands Leather.
Another huge advantage of this pistol is the massive cost saving for practice or just fun plinking. You can shoot a couple hundred round of rimfire for less than the cost of a magazine of centerfire cartridges. I find not worrying about picking up the brass when the weather is bad is great too. All one has to do with expended rimfires is sweep the brass into the gravel and the range is clean.
While I was late to the parade shooting and owning a Ruger 22/45 Lite, I am glad to have one. I am humbled by the folks at Black Hills Ammunition for their graciousness. Having put several thousand rounds through it this year, I can say it is a great pistol and it is fun to shoot. If you are searching for an addition to your collection Ruger’s 22/45 Lite is a pistol I highly recommend. This pistol will help you shoot accurately, improve your trigger speed and make shooting fun.
