Posted on 09/23/2009 6:19:16 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!
so... how about a .45 that is the size of your PPS?
I soooo need one of these.
When we last left the near-stock Ruger, this was the best I could do after installing a quick(er) takedown feature, and relieving it of a hazardous safety feature called a "magazine safety", effectively making it a Mark II internally.
The left target shows improved reliability of RWS subsonic, if not accuracy, with only 50% failure-to-feed. The right-hand target is 50 rounds of Remington subsonic, with one failure, because things were pretty filthy by then.
I rebuilt almost the entire inner mechanism of the gun with Volquartsen aftermarket parts. I realized I had to eliminate any bit of internal friction I could to have enough energy left over to reliably work the mechanism with less-than-zippy subsonic ammo.
Internally, there's now a lightened hammer, titanium trigger bar, adjustable trigger, precision EDM-machined sear, extractor, and other parts, and modified spring rates. Before assembly, I worked-in any two parts that touched each other by using Nanolube as a diamond hone. After assembly, another Nanolube work-in, followed by another complete teardown, scrubbing, and reassembly with lube for regular shooting purposes.
It still looks the same, but works a lot better, with 100% reliability with even the creampuff subsonic rounds, and accuracy that probably greatly exceeds my abilities.
The Remington rounds are are the left, and RWS on the right. I've come to the conclusion that there is something slightly funky about the RWS bullet shape, because the target shows a number of them tumbling, perhaps due to the longer bearing surface. Maybe the ammo is intended for a bolt action rifle. It seems ammo makers just mark the stuff "subsonic", without realizing that suppressed pistols are probably the most finicky feeders out there. Still, this is a new piece of data for me, and one of the reasons I've busted my ass on this Ruger.
And the weapon was already filthy after firing 200 rounds of some of the most mis-matched .22 ammo I could find just to further challenge reliability. 300 rounds without a hitch, and the trigger pull remains a safe two pounds, +/- one ounce. It took me several hours to adjust the trigger, and keep it safe from idiotic mishandling, like letting the bolt slam forward while my finger was already pulling the trigger. I found, and fixed, some vey interesting failure modes. When it comes to trigger work, I don't even trust myself.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the investment in money and effort, so far. I now have what seems to be a very reliable, accurate target pistol that I can now use to compare the various brands of subsonic ammo I've accumulated. They may not all perform as well, and some might work better in other weapons than the Ruger. But I have eliminated a lot of variables by using the Ruger as the test weapon. And it's getting be a lot of fun to shoot, even though I still don't have a real can for it.
One of the biggest additions to the fun, after doing all the debugging, was finding this gadget, the McFadden Machine "Ultimate Cliploader", made just for loading Ruger Mark II and Mark III magazines.
It makes loading the usual PITA Ruger magazine so much fun, I bought a fifth magazine just so I could load up a whole box of .22s in just a couple of minutes. I've never seen anything else load .22s this fast. Start by sliding open the top cover, and dumping all 50 rounds into the hopper.
Then, close the lid, and shake gently until a bunch of them have slid down the sloping sides of the hopper, and fall, nose-first, into the "gutter".
Next, you would hold the loader almost vertically, insert the empty magazine, and watch all the ingenuity go to work. Here's the final result, but shown on the floor so you can get a good look at the final results.
Inserting the magazine causes the follower to be held at the bottom, while the lip of the mag depresses a ball bearing that lets ten rounds fall into place. Remove the magazine, and everything is ready for some more rounds to be shaken into the feed trough, and another empty magazine. After loading 300 rounds, there was a noticeable amount of "dry" lubricant smeared all over the inside of the loader, but it cleaned up instantly with a little rubbing alcchol.
A gadget this simple and effective always brings a grin to my face. If you own a Ruger MK II or MK III, you owe it to yourself to buy one of these things, and enough extra mags that you don't have to interrupt your fun by shooting them off before reloading some more. If you don't own a Ruger, buy one, just to justify buying the reloader.
Just don't expect "target" accuracy and reliability with a box-stock Ruger. Plan on an extended come-to-Jesus session with it, like I did. The results are benefits in several areas, including having an accurate, reliable testbed for evaluating different brands of ammunition.
I've come to the conclusion that there is something slightly funky about the RWS bullet shape, because the target shows a number of them tumbling, perhaps due to the longer bearing surface.
IIRC when the Aquila sub-sonic rds were marketed they also showed a lot of key-holing with the Ruger 10/22. It was the twist rate that caused the instability of the longer/heavier bullet. Clark or Volquartsen came out with after market barrels designed specifically for the sub-sonic rounds. All of my gun mags are packed up but I'm sure that the info is somewhere on the web.
I was intrigued by the Aquila sub-sonic and had planned to make a take-down 10/22 for my bug-out kit but life intervened. Somewhere in my sketch books I have drawings of a skeletonized alum plate stock that in take down mode would fit in a light weight day pack.
I've been down with a bug since Thursday-- just about over it, and will probably go to work tomorrow-- and so missed out on the local gun shows yesterday.
Yes, gun shows.
For 20+ years there has been a just-about-bi-monthly gun show at a venue north of town. At the last one I attended, I was handed a card by the ticket taker stating that the next and subsequent shows would be held in a former department store in a formerly popular shopping area.
In the intervening time, billboards have gone up announcing the show at the new location.
A couple of weeks ago, a fellow hoplophile suggested I check the website for the customary venue. I did so, and was surprised to see that there was going to be a show there as well; the message was "don't be fooled by imitators; we're still here."
>Recalling that I had received notification of the move from a show staff member, I formed the intention to go to both shows, and (a) determine which was "original" and which the "imitator"; (b) judge (according to my own subjective criteria) which one was "better", if there was a difference; and (c) decide which show to attend in the future, should they continue to maintain competing schedules.
This bug, however, thwarted these plans (and others; my baby cousin will go un-tickled this week).
I harbor a suspicion that there has been some kind of split. If so, I guess I'd be choosing between the People's Front of Judea and the Judean People's Front ("Splitters!").
Good Evening Win-Mag : We were in ‘series’ withdrawl from your ‘gun pron’ postings. As always, informative and well done. Thank you for your efforts.
That has been a quality overhall on your ruger kudos again. The subsonic functioning issues is news to me, Glad you got it ironed out.
Thanks for the report on mag filler, I always wondered if those things really worked. That mag button can do a number on your thumb. The red button depressor I got gets the job done but yours is a much better solution. One can never have too many mags.
Been doing yard work, it’s amazing weather for February, heck the whole winter has been wonderful this year.
OB
We have a similar situation around here, every couple of months there is a ‘gun show’. Two promoters, usually on our side of state line but some on the other side. Admission is getting a bit too pricey for regular attendance, ten bucks. ouch.
Now, of course, until one or the other loses whatever fightin' is goin' on, that's six each.
And no, I don't mind going to both, with a lunch break between, unless one of them just sucks.
(To me, sucks would require a preponderance of knife, coin, fur, jerky, fuzzy hat, special interest group, or other not-selling-guns tables. Too many of those as it is, IMHO.)
Thank you for the kind words. Toiling away in obscurity can sometimes be its own reward.
This really started when I knew I'd have a suppressor sometimes this decade, so I started research online. I'd find dozens of posts about can-owners whining about getting subsonic ammo to work, but damn little about what to do about it, except use regular ammo. I asked about subsonic ammo at my regular EBR store where I bought the Ruger, and the owner brought out Remington CB caps. Fortunately, I had a box of real Remington subsonic in my pocket to show him. I don't blame him if he doesn't stock this stuff, but this shouldn't be rocket science. Thankfully, I was able to buy eight different brands by the brick from Midway. That will last me through lots of weapon/ammo test combinations.
I hate being a pioneer (all those arrows in the back) when it seems it should be something that is common, or semi-common knowledge. I suppose this is common knowledge if you are the armorer for some SOF or spook operation. But I'm just Joe Average, and I feel I should not need a secret handshake to learn something this simple.
My first session with the Ruger told me filthy .22 ammo and low power were the root of the problem. Even when things started to slow down, the regular ammo powered on through. It just wasn't what I really looking for.
Thanks to your tip about Volquartsen, OB, that was the first place I went to look. Considering they even make their own complete Ruger clones, I think they're probably the source for what I needed.
I'm also getting a hint that the best suppressed pistols may be ones built on "old school" designs where everything is steel, or at least aluminum. The plastic frame of the Ruger 22/45 seems to have flex in areas I'd rather not see it in. It's probably 100% serviceable, but a demanding environment like this makes me feel better if the basic weapon starts out "built like a brick sh!thouse".
Great posts... I always learn a lot. I wish I had your patience and diligence.
I really like that loader gizmo. I’ll look for that.
It's the most fun you can have for $24.
RIP Davy Jones, Monkee and actor, and the reason another David Jones changed his professional name to David Bowie.
...there he goes, walking down the street...
Awww...man....
I knew who he was, and liked his music.
"We have videos, and they're going to come out. This is war." -- AB at CPAC, 2/12/12
New PJ Hobbit video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjYn845i08A&feature=player_embedded
Includes barrel-riding :)
Kewl! But I thought that the dwarves were supposed to be sealed up inside those barrels.
God Bless all those guys! I enjoyed Neil McDonough’s portrayal of Buck Compton in the miniseries.
Davy was too young to go! My younger sister, and our girl cousins saw The Monkees in concert, in Mobile, AL, in the summer of 1967. I still have the concert book! Such fun. Peter was my favorite!
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