Ruger Standard Model .22 Pistol

The Ruger Standard Model was the first .22 semiautomatic I bought new at a store. I still remember the little Western Auto where I peered at the guns on display, searching as always for a bargain. All my purchases, both then and now were motivated by price first and then quality. Usually I bought the best I could get with the money I could spare. Not satisfied with the display guns, I chose the Ruger from the Western Auto catalog. The Ruger provided good quality at a good price and was American made, something I've learned to appreciate more every year. The outward shape of the gun, much like that of a Luger, made it point well. Chambered for the .22 long rifle cartridge, I could shoot this gun for a fraction of what .38 Special and larger calibers cost. That meant I could hopefully afford to practice enough to get good with the Ruger. The gun was a natural for quick point and shoot situations. The rear sight was not adjustable for elevation, so I never shot the gun as well as the adjustable sighted models I would handle later, but the gun never failed me.

The light, tapered barrel on the Ruger made it a good companion piece for carrying in a backpack for hiking or tucked away in the glovebox of a vehicle. The black composite grips had a nice, sharp checkering impressed in them which provided a very stable grip surface. The gun fired every type of ammo I ran through it without hesitation. Since I usually buy the cheapest rimfire ammo available, that in itself was a remarkable thing.

My biggest and probably only problem with the Ruger Standard Model came when stripping it down for cleaning. There is a metal lever in the rear of the pistol grip that unfolds like a pocket knife, allowing the barreled receiver to be separated from the frame. In this condition, the bolt could be removed from the receiver and the gun cleaned thoroughly. What I did not notice at the time was that the tiny rebound spring popped out of place on the bolt when I reassembled the gun. The bolt locked solidly into place and I couldn't get the gun back apart. This was years before I became a gunsmith, so I did the sensible thing and had the gun returned to the factory. I don't know what became of that Ruger, because they simply sent me a new one. That was many years ago and the replacement served me well, even being the recipient of some experimental work on my part in trigger tuning. Alas, a burglar relieved me of it some years ago along with most of my guns. If my readers come across serial number 15-89473 let me know, I'd like to bring it back home.

Information for this article was obtained at:http: //www.ruger.com/products/markIIIStandard/features.html