Which model 22/45 do I have?

[Dirty Bob]

I recently purchased a blued MkIII 22/45 from a gunshop. It has fixed sights and the 4-3/4" tapered barrel, like the Ruger Standard.

I can't find it in the Ruger website, nor can I find anything by searching with what I thought was the model number (PMKIII4).

Do I have the right model number? It seems funny that I can't find anything.

Thanks in advance,
Dirty Bob

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum!
Ok, I'm pretty sure that is not a cataloged item from Ruger. Most likely, what has happened is that someone has swapped around 2 guns to get what they wanted in one gun, and put together the other 2 halves & sold them.

 

[Bearlaker]

Contender is right, as usual, Dirty Bob.
Here is a poor quality picture of my P4MKIII, with TechTeachs excellent aftermarket grip panels. There's nothing wrong with having one with the 4 3/4 tapered barrel though.

 

[Dirty Bob]

Wow, thanks. I bought the gun from my local Bass Pro Shop. They had at least a few of them in stock, so maybe this was a special run for Bass Pro?

A pic of the gun is at:

http://api.photoshop.com/home_70f7cd42f ... 4b872a3448

Thanks again,
Dirty Bob

 

[Bearlaker]

NICE.
How do those Remingtons work in your gun?

 

[Dirty Bob]

NICE.
How do those Remingtons work in your gun?

It's hard to say, as I'm still breaking it in. I'm at about 300 rounds.

So far, jams have mostly been from the Winchester bulk ammo, and best results were from the Federal bulk ammo and the CCI Mini Mags.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[chet15]

Dirty Bob:
Let us know what the Ruger's catalog number and model number are on the end of the box. This will help us to tell if this is somebody's distributor special issue (probably another model that's not being advertised by anybody!).
Chet15

 

[Dirty Bob]

Dirty Bob:
Let us know what the Ruger's catalog number and model number are on the end of the box. This will help us to tell if this is somebody's distributor special issue (probably another model that's not being advertised by anybody!).
Chet15

You know, it's funny. When I bought it, I thought that this variation should be widely available, because it's about the lightest Ruger MkIII you can have, unless you go with an aftermarket aluminum receiver. Mine weighs in at 24oz. on my kitchen scale.

Good idea regarding the box end!
On the box end, I see:

SERIAL NO. 228-99XXX
CATALOG NO. PMKIII4
CALIBER: .22 LR
MODEL 10138
BLUED

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[Dirty Bob]

I wanted to add -- concerning ammo -- that I tried those OLD Remington Thunderbolts in it and was surprised when two mags of the stuff fed, fired and ejected without any trouble.

Not enough rounds downrange to say anything definitive, but I'd say Ruger is still putting out a fairly reliable pistol, even with all the lawyer junk on it (some of which is probably coming out in the near future)

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[WyoGunner]

Change the extractor and remove the LCI if you start having problems...

 

[Dirty Bob]

Change the extractor and remove the LCI if you start having problems...

Those are possibilities, but what bugs me most is the lack of drop-free mags and not being able to "slingshot" the bolt to close it on a fresh mag. These two issues prevent me from practicing the same moves that I use with other pistols, so I need to remove the mag safety and do the slingshot mod first.

Regarding extractors: do most people recommend the VQ extractor (if needed)?

Thanks,
Dirty Bob