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Ruger SR45 Review So far I have covered what's in the box, external features and disassembly of the Ruger S45 Pistol. In this part of the review I will stay focused on the internal features of the Ruger SR45 Pistol. Although I may not comment on each photo, I have tried to include many photos so that you can study them and form your own opinions about this pistol.
Slide Assembly Once the striker assembly and magazine disconnect are removed, The key components that make up the slide assembly are the slide, front and rear sights, loaded chamber indicator, striker cover plunger, extractor and striker blocker, along with the pins and springs associated with these components. Although further disassembly is not required or recommended, it is still possible to remove these components. There are aftermarket kits which include replacing the striker blocker with a polished stainless steel part to help reduce trigger pull force. The slide is an investment casting and is made from alloy steel with a black nitride finish. The exterior had a very nice look and finish. In certain areas on the interior, I could tell there was a roughness associated with a casting, but nothing I would consider to be negative on the quality of this pistol. Also, I could tell that critical areas were final machined to maintain critical interface features (i.e. slide slots, barrel contact areas, breech face, and I'm sure more). You can see for yourself by looking at the photos below. Barrel The barrel on the Ruger SR45 measures 4.50". Since barrel length is measured from the end of the barrel to the breech face, the barrel length is the total length of this part. The barrel is an investment casting which is made from SAE 410 (or UNS4100) stainless steel in Ruger's Pine Tree Casting facility. The photos below show the barrel from all sides. Since the barrel is a casting, critical areas get final machined into the configuration shown below. This machining is clearly seen by looking at the exterior barrel surface (shiny). Also, each barrel gets proof tested and you can see the proof mark "R" stamped into the barrel in the photo below. The barrel comes with a 6-groove 1:16" right hand twist and has a polished ramp integral to the barrel. Guide Rod Assembly The guide rod assembly measures 3.38" in length and is not intended to be disassembled by the user. The rod comes with a red painted area on the recoil spring which most likely helps to distinguish this spring from others used in the SR series of pistols. Striker Assembly The striker assembly is made up of the striker, cross pin, spring, spring cup and shaft. The striker is made from stainless steel and the shaft (or striker indicator) from a polymer material. There are aftermarket metallic shafts available for the SR9 and SR40. Since the Instruction Manual shows this shaft to be the same on the SR45 as the other pistols, the same aftermarket shafts should work on the SR45. Although I didn't do it, disassembly of the striker assembly looks fairly simple and is done by pressing out the single role pin. Frame Assembly The pistol frame is manufactured from glass-filled nylon. Glass-filled is a good thing because this increases structural and impact strength along with rigidity of the frame. There are lots of photos below to show the details of this assembly. After I studied the interior mechanism, they actually seem very simple. I'm not going to talk about every detailed feature of this assembly, but I will cover some items I think are significant. In the photo below, you can see that Ruger has a metallic stainless steel Camblock (1). This is a high stress and high wear area so the metallic part will be more durable than just the nylon frame. This block is also pinned in place by three different pins spread apart which gives it an even stronger attachment footprint to the frame. In the photo below you can see the Slide Stop (2). By inserting a magazine, you will see how the slide stop moves up when the magazine follower comes in contact with the stop. The Ejector (3) is shown in the down position and you can also see the Trigger Bar (4). It is hard to tell in this photo, but If you look closely on your pistol, you can see how the Manual Safety (6) blocks the Trigger Bar from moving back when the safety is engaged. The trigger bar also has a portion that sticks up (5) which pushes against the striker blocker when the trigger is pulled. This next photo is the same basic view as above, but shows the ejector in the up position. If you hold the trigger in the forward position and pull back on the Inner Trigger (7) (trigger safety), by looking into the frame similar to the view below, you can see how the Inner Trigger blocks the Outer Trigger (normal trigger) from being pulled by contacting the frame unless the Inner Trigger is pulled. You can also press the Magazine Latch Button and watch how the Magazine Latch (8) moves to the latch and unlatched positions.
Thoughts With this being my third look at the inside of a SR centerfire pistol, I seem to continue to come up with the same thoughts. The fire control and safety mechanisms in the SR45 (and other SR pistols) seem to be simple and functional. If you want to customize your SR45, there are several aftermarket parts immediately available due to the commonality of the SR45 to the SR9 and SR40 pistol. I think it is this commonality that helps Ruger deliver quality and value to the consumer. For more detailed photos and commentary, make sure you check out the other parts of this review and feel free to leave comments on my Reader's Comments page. The following links are provided to help you see other parts of this review.
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