Andrew’s Ruger 22/45
I like my Ruger 22/45. It’s super fun. I enjoy shooting it as much as my 9mm EDC pistol. However, there are some high value upgrades and accessoriesfor the 22/45. Everything on this list will make shooting your 22/45 more fun and more effective as a practice pistol.
I own and like all of the accessories in this list. I made an effort to rank them in order of importance.
Hiviz LIGHTWAVE Front Sight
The fact that Ruger does not put a dot on the front sight is mind blowing. This front sight solves this problem.It features user replaceable pipes. Hiviz includes 1 green light pipes, 1 red light pipes, and a solid white pipe. I like the red light pipe the most. I think the red pipe provides good contrast against the rear sight blades, and the black color of the front sight base. Also, a red front sight makes the 22/45 look all dark side and Sith lord. With white being the opposite of black, the white pipe might provide the most contrast between the front and black rear sight blades.
You can try all three colors and store the pipes you don’t use in the included carry case. The little red carry case holds up to 6 sight pipes. Also, it has a pointy section to push pipes out of the front sight.
Hiviz recommends using thread locker on the front sight screw. I recommend the removable “BLUE 242” thread locker from Loctite. A thin coat of this will stop the front sight screw from backing out and getting lost. This thread locker is sold on Amazon so you can purchase it with this front sight upgrade.
The front sight will fit the Mark II, Mark III and Mark IV 22/45s. As a I write this, the product description on Amazon does not mention to Mark IV, but it will work with it. My 22/45 is a Mark IV and this front sight upgrade fits and stays in it.
Feyachi RS-29 Reflex Sight
Tired of aligning the front and rear sight? This value reflex sight will take care of that problem for you. It has 4 different reticles. The reticle color can set to green or red. There are 3 brightness intensities. I like a green dot as my reticle.
The pictures below show the reticles in red and green. The green reticles were not good at accepting photography. The ghost reticles are only in the picture. Also, both the red and green reticles are larger in real life. The reticles appear smaller in the photos than they actually are.
A lens cover, Allen wrench, lens cloth, CR2032 battery, and a 5 year warranty are included with the sight.
IWB Leather Holster
This leather holster has served me well. I used to use it to IWB concealed carry my EDC pistol. I still use it with my 22/45 for concealed carry drills.
The belt clip is made of thick metal. It does a good job keeping the holster on a belt and restricting holster movement.
The leather is thick. It’s 1/8 of an inch at the thin section that covers the trigger.
The stitching is still going strong. My holster’s stitching has no cut or loose threads.
A left-handed version is available.
The holster will not accept your 22/45 with an optic or a light attached to the rails.
You can watch my video review of the holster with the video below.
3M Worktunes Hearing Protector
This is my favorite set of hearing protection. I bluetooth it to my phone and listen to music when I am shooting. The headband and ear cups are comfortable. I can wear these earmuffs all day. The battery lasts several hours. It recharges with USB.
The NRR(Noise Reduction Rating) is 24. That’s a bit low for shooting centerfire cartridges like 9mm and 556. I recommend using ear plug and these earmuffs together when shooting anything more powerful than 22LR.
Raiseek Molle Double Magazine Pouch
This is my plinking and training double magazine pouch. It’s a low cost and highly functional magazine carrier. Strong velcro holds the cover flaps down. As the image shows, it will hold the factory 10 round magazines and magazines with Tandem Kross’ +5 magazine extension. Also, it works great with single and double stack 9mm magazines. This pouch does a good job holding my CZ P 10C magazines.
There is a drain hole near the bottom of the pouches to allow water flow through. Included caliber labels can be attached to the cover flaps. The included labels are 9mm, .40, and .45 ACP.
I would not go to war with this pouch, but it’s fantastic for recreational shooting.
My video review of the pouch is below.
TekMat Cleaning Mat
This is the best mat for cleaning and installing upgrades. Itwill absorb cleaning products so they don’t get on the table. Because TekMats are made of a thick thermoplastic fiber it will stop tables and pistols from scratching each other. The back of the mat is made of 3mm neoprene that will prevent the mat from sliding.
The mat is 11 x17. That’s plenty of room for a dissembled pistol, cleaning products, tools, and wipes.
The parts diagram is super useful. Knowing the names of each part makes looking up tutorials and how to videos easier.
SilencerCo Sparrow 22 Suppressor
Suppressors take shooting 22LR to the next level. The Sparrow 22 makes shooting my 22/45 pleasant to shoot without hearing protection. It’s 100% hearing safe to shoot a suppressed 22/45 without hearing protection. With subsonic ammunition, the 22/45 will be as quiet as a pellet gun. My Sparrow 22 suppressor has been shot thousands of times and it still works great.
The Sparrow 22 is by design super easy to disassemble and clean. This a big deal because 22LR is a dirty round and it puts a lot of debris in suppressors. Disassembly is done by unscrewing the back cap from the outer tube and removing the outer tube from the half tubes. The half tubes separate from the monolithic baffle core. The baffles and the half tubes can be cleaned with any popular de-leading product. The half tube are easy to clean and they receive most of the debris buildup.
The video below shows how quiet my 22/45 is with this suppressor
