So after making a great trade for my last Mark III 22/45, I decided to pick up the Gold anodized Lite before it disappeared.  I wasn't fond of it when first released, but it certainly grew on me and after fondling one locally I loved the weight distribution compared to my old bull barrel.  Once I heard Ruger was discontinuing the gold I had to have it.



Still have yet to fire, but unlike my last Ruger which liked to choke from the plethora of safety "upgrades", I decided to dismantle this one.  Took out the Loaded Chamber Indicator, decided to just remove the entire portion, no filler necessary as far as I've read.

I also went ahead and removed the ball and detent spring from the slide release so as to have the "slingshot" mod.  

Finally, I shopped around and did the washer trick to rid myself of the most dreaded feature of all, the Mag catch.  This one was a bit tricker than the others, as I had to find the correct washers.  For those looking, I've done the research for you via internet.  Can't remember where I got the info, but here's the sizes you need:

   2 - M5 flat washers
   1 - #10 flat washer

I got mine in stainless steel.  Seems the center is just slightly too small and you will have to open them up a bit.  I opened the center with a Dremel tool and then used a debur tool after to clean up rough edges.  I'm going to assume guys attempting this have easy access to a dremel.  The M5 washer that goes next to the hammer will need a slight grind along one edge to fit flush against the hammer as well.  

Now my 22/45 is ready to go.  The freefall mag is AWESOME!  I can also disassemble now without a magazine inserted (Praise the Lord!).  Hoping to put a few rounds through it tomorrow.  I've had a 22/45 before, but it was a little ammo picky and as stated, I do like the feel of the lighter barrel.  Hoping for much better reliability with this one.

(Note):  For guys that want to do this and don't want to buy a part but rather just go the washer method for magazine disconnect, these links are crucial if you've never tore your 22/45 down to this level.  Here's where I got my info, credit where due.  Read the whole thread, the washers I used are mentioned later, limit all the modification to the washers.

Washer mod

And to put it all back together, albeit Nutnfancy is installing the Volquartsen trigger kit.  Good up-close camera, though.

Nutnfancy Volquartsen Trigger Install