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Ruger SR22

• easy
• Shop tier 2
• high confidence
• Rimfire Pistol
• rimfire
• blowback
• fixed barrel
• training

field strip ~1 min · reassembly ~2 min · detail strip ~20 min

Specifications

Model-specific safety

• A .22 LR round can be fired by a blow to the case rim, not just the centre. Keep ammunition out of the work area.
• A .22 LR case in a chamber is small and dull-coloured and is genuinely easy to miss. Use a light and a finger, every time.
• Fixed-barrel blowback. The recoil spring is around the barrel and is under compression when the slide comes off.
• Do not dry fire.

Under spring tension

• Recoil spring around the barrel
• Magazine spring

Easily lost parts

Takedown lever · Recoil spring

Tools

No tools required for the field strip.

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 2 Tier 2 — moderate among pistols, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. 69 parts: a two-piece frame insert with hammer, single-action sear, decocking hammer stop, magazine disconnect and a three-detent takedown/safety system, plus an adjustable rear sight with its own springs. Ruger says anything past the field strip is factory work.

Parts: 69 numbered parts (SR22 parts list, complete pistol incl. magazine (manual p. 40-41).), from Instruction Manual for Ruger SR22 Pistols — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., p. 40 ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1].

Bench time: about 25 min to strip, 40 min to rebuild (estimate). Slide (breech block, firing pin and blocker, extractor, adjustable rear sight) and frame (insert halves, hammer, sear, decocker stop, safety and detents, magazine disconnect, takedown lever detent); rebuild longer for the detents and two hammer springs.

Small parts: 12 pins, 16 springs, 6 detents or plungers (counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given))

What comes off for coating

• Slide: slide cross pin and breech block, firing pin, spring and blocker, extractor and spring, rear sight assembly (springs and screws), front sight — pin punches, sight pusher
• Frame: socket cap screws and frame insert halves, hammer, inner/outer hammer springs and guide, single-action sear and spring, decock hammer stop, safety levers, detent and spring, magazine disconnect and spring, takedown lever, detent plunger and spring, trigger, bar and springs, slide stop, magazine latch — hex keys, pin punches

Special tools

• hex keys — Frame insert socket cap screws
• dovetail sight pusher (or brass drift and padded vise) — Removing and refitting dovetailed sights for coating

Known pain points

• Ruger restricts slide and frame disassembly past the field strip to the factory. (both)
  Source: Instruction Manual for Ruger SR22 Pistols — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1] — “Further disassembly of the slide or frame components is not recommended and should only be undertaken by the factory.”

See also 2 documented reassembly problems and their fixes.

Fit or check on rebuild

• Ejector is factory fit — Ruger marks the ejector (16) as factory fit
  Source: Instruction Manual for Ruger SR22 Pistols — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1] — “*Parts designated by an asterisk must be factory fit.”
• Function check: trigger reset, sear/striker engagement, safeties — Standard post-reassembly check on any pistol whose fire-control parts were removed; a mis-seated spring shows up here, not on the bench

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Manufacturer videos

Official videos from Sturm, Ruger & Co.'s own channels, linked rather than copied. Where a video and the steps on this page differ, follow the manufacturer's manual and video.

• Ruger® SR22® Tech Tips RugerFirearms field strip, cleaning, reassembly · 2015-06-10
  Covers: Ruger SR22 pistol
• Ruger® SR22® Tech Tip RugerFirearms field strip, reassembly · 2016-06-27
  Covers: Ruger SR22 pistol
• Ruger® SR22® Threaded Barrel Kit RugerFirearms detail strip, detail reassembly · 2016-06-27
  Covers: Ruger SR22 pistol

Procedures

Patent drawings

not under copyright

Drawings from US patents on this design. A patent shows the invention as the inventor filed it; the firearm that shipped can differ in detail, and later production often does. Use them to see how the parts relate, not as a parts reference or a procedure. Per the USPTO, the text and drawings of a patent are typically not subject to copyright; each patent here was checked for a copyright notice.

US Patent 8,950,100 — Slide takedown system and method for firearm

Darin Nebeker, Amir Zonshine, James McGarry · assigned to Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. · filed 2012-12-07 · granted 2015-02-10. Full patent (USPTO)

The SR22's slide, frame insert and takedown lever system for removing the slide.

Why this is the Ruger SR22’s patent: listed on the maker’s patent-marking page — Ruger Patents — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. ruger.com [4]: “SR22® Pistol 8,950,100; D671,610”

Torque specifications

No sourced torque values from the manufacturer are recorded for this firearm. Where a fastener has a specified torque — action screws, scope bases, muzzle devices, barrel nuts — get it from the manufacturer or a gunsmith rather than estimating it.

What the manufacturer does say: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "While holding the barrel in place, turn the barrel screw until you feel it make contact with the barrel. From this point, rotate the Allen wrench another 45 - 90 degrees to fully tighten the barrel screw." (Instruction Manual for Ruger SR22 Pistols, PDF p. 27) "use the supplied adapter/cap wrench to hand-tighten the adapter firmly in place by turning it counter-clockwise" (Instruction Manual for Ruger SR22 Pistols, PDF p. 34)

Materials and factory finish

As stated by Sturm, Ruger & Co.. Prep, masking and cure depend on these; a polymer or aluminium part, a nitrided or anodised finish, and a blued steel part are each a different job. Variants with other finishes may exist — check the maker's page for the exact SKU on the bench.

Parts list

Transcribed from the manufacturer's parts list (Instruction Manual for Ruger SR22 Pistols — Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., p. 40 ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com [1]) — SR22 pistol. Exploded view on p. 41. Key numbers refer to the exploded view in that document.

Function check

• Verify the pistol is unloaded with no magazine inserted before each check.
• Rack the slide and press the trigger. The striker should release cleanly.
• Hold the trigger to the rear, rack the slide, then release slowly and confirm the reset.
• Press the trigger again to confirm the striker releases.
• Confirm the slide locks open on an empty magazine and the magazine drops free.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

• Frame rails where the slide rides
• Barrel hood and locking lug
• Outside of the barrel at the muzzle end
• Rear barrel lug where the recoil spring assembly bears

Cleaning notes

Clean the barrel exterior as well as the bore. Rimfire fouling collects between the barrel and slide.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 500 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Recoil spring assembly · Extractor · Magazine springs and followers

Common issues

Similar manual of arms

• Ruger Mark IV
• Walther P22

Sourcing