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tAFFIN tests
Continued from page 38
variety with both front and rear being
set in a dovetail, and the rear sight is
fully adjustable. As 3-dot sights go, they
are excellent. The aluminum slide has
grooves on both sides below the front
and rear sight for ease of operation of
the slide.
The stainless steel barrel does not
move, but is fixed to the frame. Takedown
is quite easy with the takedown
latch found in front of the trigger.
When this is opened 90 degrees downward,
the slide can be retracted and
lifted off the frame. This is a double
action pistol for the first shot, and then
single action for following shots. The
ambidextrous safety is easily reached
with the thumb. Shooting the SR22 is
most pleasurable as this is a fun pistol,
which feels good in the hand, points
naturally, and shoots well.
Lightweight 1911-Style
Years ago in a major departure from
their standard semi-auto pistols, Ruger
began offering the 22/45 which, as the
name implies, is a .22 with a .45 feel.
This is a another polymer-framed gun
and the original version had an integrally
molded grip frame without grip
panels. Today’s version, the 22/45 Lite,
not only has grip panels they are basically
the same size as grip panels found
on 1911s. The original 22/45s also had
a steel upper, however the “Lite” comes
from the fact this newest version has a
lightweight barrel. Actually the barrel
is a steel liner within an alloy shroud.
With its 4" barrel the 22/45 Lite weighs
in at a feathery 22 ounces.
The upper of this .22 is a light goldcolored
finish, and it mates up nicely
with the flat black of the mainframe.
Grips are double-diamond checkered
rubber, with a Ruger medallion in the
center of each panel. More and more
shooters are going to suppressors, and
this Ruger is threaded to accept a suppressor
and features a round nut at the
end of the barrel to protect the threads
when not in use. Amusingly, Ruger
never says the “suppressor” word, but
simply says the barrel is threaded for
“muzzle accessories.”
Sights are excellent, with the front
sight being a post on a ramp and
held to the barrel with a screw, while
the rear sight is fully adjustable for
windage and elevation. They are bold,
square and black, just the way I like
them. The top of the barrel shroud
is tapped for a scope mount, which
comes as standard equipment. For
some reason the scope mount is about
an eighth of an inch too long to fit in
between the front of the back sight
and back of the front sight ramp which
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