The Ruger 22/45 Lite is lightweight version of the regular Ruger 22/45 that has been on the market in several variations the last few years. The 22/45 line as a whole has almost as many fans as it does enemies, when it was released many people screamed bloody murder because it was a radical departure from the time tested Ruger MK II platform. Recently Ruger decided to once again mess with their product line and announced that they were ending the current production of the model 22/45 Lite. It was this announcement that spurred us here at The Arms Guide to scour America’s gun supplies and find one of these pistols before it was too late.
When it comes to .22LR pistols for years the affordable choices were the Ruger MKII or the Browning Buckmark, both designs were old and dated but worked just fine. The Ruger 22/45 Lite has a few upgrades that the Ruger MkII does not have in it’s stock configuration, but we’ll get to that in a second. Make no mistake the Ruger 22/45 is similar to the Mark II but it’s a different animal all together. In fact the 22/45 Lite comes in at almost half the weight of the traditional Ruger Mk II.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Name: Ruger 22/45 Lite
Caliber: .22LR
Barrel Length: 4.4″ with 1/2″x28 Threaded end with protective cover
Overall Length: 8.5″
Overall Height: 5.5″
Overall Width: 1″
Lower Material: Polymer
Upper Material: Aluminum
Finishes/Colors Available: Anodized aluminum in Red, Blue, O.D. Green, Black, Grey
Weight: 22.7 Oz (Ruger Mk II 41 Oz approximately)
Magazine Capacity: 10 (Comes with two)
Misc: Features 1913 style top rail for red dot optics
The Ruger 22/45 will be undergoing an extensive indoor and outdoor series of field tests just as soon at the Burris FastFire II arrives from Primary Arms early next week. This pistol design just screams to have a small non magnified optic mounted on it to hunt squirrels, rabbits and bird such as ptarmigans and grouse. The fact Winter has finally reached me here in Alaska will make spotting these small game much easier since their coats and feathers have not changed to their winter camouflage yet.
My initial handling and inspection of the Ruger 22/45 yielded some surprises but none of them negative. The weight of the pistol is shocking if you are use to handling the older Ruger Mk II’s like I am. As we mentioned in the specifications section this pistol comes in at half the weight of the traditional all steel pistols Ruger produces. The trigger and controls are unremarkable, really and do exactly what they should do. This is one section of a gun I don’t like to be surprised in, I want my pistols to work how I want them to.
The final feature I want to quickly address is the 1/2×28 threaded barrel. This setup makes it ideal for suppressors of all varieties, and allows users to install a compensator if they choose. Not all users can or want a suppressor on their pistol because of the added weight or the regulatory paperwork required. The fact Ruger chose to use one of the most common thread pitches for their barrels is a nice feature. There are several manufacturers such as Madd Mac’s Precision Tactical that make a whole line of affordable compensators especially for the 22/45 Lite.
We look forward to really putting this pistol threw its paces in the next few weeks, be sure to check back with us for the 500 round review and see if it performs as good as it looks. I want to take this time to tell our readers that we are actively looking for new writers and content to make the page the best it can be. If you think you have the skills to write for the site drop us a line in the comment section or send us a private message on our Facebook page.
Rick
