Installing and Testing The Pac-Lite .22 Receiver

The Ruger 10/22 rifle has received its fair share of modification in the form of special barrels, stocks, and other operating mechanisms, but only lately has the Ruger semi-auto pistol received the same attention. The pistol, first introduced in 1948, is a great little gun, accurate, reliable, and generally responsive to custom touches. It’s not the easiest handgun to assemble and reassemble, though the manual is simple enough, and anyone familiar with handguns will master the maneuvers in short order.

The owner of the Ruger MK I and MK II, and now the new MK III, would be well advised to learn to field strip the piece on his own. The only malfunctions I’ve observed with this pistol seem directly related to cleaning and maintenance, and this is often because of the difficulty in taking the gun down for a thorough cleaning. Recently, I had the chance for a refresher course on field stripping when I tested anew upper receiver for the Ruger pistols.

The Pac-Lite upper unit, manufactured by Tactical Solutions is a well-made barreled upper receiver manufactured of aluminum for the most part, with a steel insert for the barrel. As such it is very light. Even on my Ruger MK I, the unit barely tripped 23 ounces, and it would go under 20 ounces on the polymer frame .22/45. The Pac-Lite bull barrel offers good balance and excellent accuracy (see Figure 1). With quality ammunition such as Winchester’s T 22, I was able to secure a 25-yard five-shot group of one inch.

Even garden-variety promotional ammunition such as the Winchester Wildcat seldom strayed over 1-1/2 inches for five shots. This is approximately the same level of accuracy displayed by my 6-inch bull barrel Ruger target model! This is unheard of for such a light assembly, but modern technology is achieving things that were unheard of a generation ago. The Pac-Lite assembly also sports excellent fully adjustable sights and a rail designed to accommodate an optical sight.

I am not a fan of optical sights on handguns, but here is a lightweight .22 accurate enough to make good use of the light handgun scopes currently available. When I received the Pac-Lite unit, it was obvious the assembly was of high quality. I followed the standard field-stripping procedure for all Ruger pistols. All went smoothly Units are made to fit the Ruger MK I, II, and III series, as well as the .22/45. The pistol at the bottom of the photo sports the standard Ruger bull barrel.

Right top and bottom: Seen here from both sides, the quality and precision manufacturing of the Pac-Lite uppers are impressive. and the assembly was mounted on the pistol and ready for testing in roughly 15 minutes. It doesn’t always go that quickly, however, as I was to learn later. To install the unit, first make certain the pistol is unloaded. Remove the magazine; work the bolt three times to ensure the gun is unloaded and the chamber is clear; then visually inspect the chamber.

When the bolt is racked to clear the pistol, the gun will be cocked. If the gun is cocked, you will not be able to disassemble the pistol. Carefully point the pistol toward a safe backstop and press the trigger. (The safety must be off, of course.) The Ruger has a firing-pin stop that allows safe, non-destructive dry fire, uncommon in .22-caliber handguns. The point of the mainspring housing can be caught and pulled with a paper clip or even a strong string.

Screwdrivers have been used, but they will mar the surface. I use the hooked end of a Smith and Wesson mainspring. The pointed tab on the rear of the mainspring housing should now be pulled out. This will unlock the bottom of the mainspring housing. The housing can now be swung out and pulled down. Some will be quite tight, even on a wellused handgun. As I mentioned, many Ruger owners never take their guns down for a thorough cleaning due to the supposed difficulty of the field-strip procedure.

The Ruger .22 semi-auto Figure 1. Accuracy Results (25 yards, firing five rounds from a bench rest) Winchester T 22 2.4 in. 1.0 in. Winchester Wildcat 2.5 in. 1.25 in. Winchester Powder Point 2.6 in. 1.3 in. PMC Zapper 3.5 in. 2.0 in. CCI Mini Mag 2.4 in. 1.5 in. is not as simple as a Glock, but is not a problem with a little practice. The mainspring housing sometimes must be rocked on a table top or other sturdy stabilized surface.

The retaining button on the top of the receiver may need to be pressed down to help get the housing out. (The retaining button is simply the top of the mainspring housing.) Remember, pull straight down on the mainspring housing. It must clear both the upper and lower receivers, sometimes referred to as the frame and receiver. Once the mainspring housing is broken down, the receiver can be moved forward off the frame. I’ve run into several that were very tight. Some were new and others had picked up corrosion.

Tapping the frame while supporting the receiver will usually work with stubborn frames. Once the receiver is clear of the frame, the bolt will back out of the receiver easily. Note: When reassembling the pistol with the Pac-Lite unit, be certain the firing-pin stop is in place. If the pistol is fired without the stop in place, the receiver can be dam w/Factory w/Pac Lite 6-inch Barrel 4.5-inch Barrel aged and the aluminum Pac-Lite unit could be ruined.

The hammer and strut are now visible from the rear of the pistol. The hammer can be pushed forward with a small punch or screwdriver. You need to press the trigger while doing this. When fitting the mainspring housing to the gun, the typical problem encountered will be a hammer strut in the way of the mainspring housing. The gun should be pointed down and shook to ensure proper positioning before fitting the housing.

To properly engage the mainspring and hammer strut, you must point the gun into the air and swing the mainspring housing closed. There will be considerable spring tension, but you should be able to pop the mainspring housing back in place. The final move is to slide the locking tab into place and you’re done. Pull the trigger to check that the gun dry fires properly.

I was able to go through the process several times without a hitch, but in the final few drills, when I repositioned the original Ruger Standard Model upper, I found that I had mis-positioned the hammer strut no less than three times. After a half dozen successful attempts earlier, and with no problem from the very first attempt, I was convinced I had broken something. Not so, I simply was experiencing difficulty with the hammer strut. After a few relocations, all was well.

Overall, I found the Tactical Solutions Pac-Lite barreled receiver to be a good addition to any .22-caliber Ruger. The increase in accuracy, combined with a decrease in weight, is a considerably achievement. This makes the lightweight .22 a very capable field gun, well worth consideration for any task a .22 is up to. ■