I did some work on my Ruger Mark II and 22/45 pistol mags

[Big Frank]

To celebrate Ruger day this year, 10/22/25, I ordered some parts for my 10/22 rifle, and Mark II and 22/45 pistols. I already bought a pair of TANDEMKROSS Plus 1 Magazine Bumpers for the Mark II mags, which have since been discontinued. And I had more than enough TANDEMKROSS Green Springs, 2 3-packs. So I removed the magazine block retaining plungers from all 4 mags, chucked them in a cordless drill and spun them in 220 grit sandpaper to polish them up. One from a Mark II mag is a much different shape (pic 1). I also sanded the molding flash off the top, front, and back of all 4 mag followers and cleaned them off.

I think that was the mag that the bottom of the tube was squeezed in on, and I forced a very large screwdriver into it to spread it out farther. That was probably the one with a much shorter spring in it (pic 2). The Green Springs are longer than the longest of the 4 springs. One of the Mark II base pads was solid black like the ones for the 22/45, and the other one had a silver color piece stuck on, and looks kind of like a hollow rivet on the inside. The logo is upside down compared to the one molded in on the black mag (pic 3).

I replaced the Mark II base pads with the TANDEMKROSS Plus 1 Magazine Bumpers (pic 4). There were 3 different mag follower buttons on these, one was grooved and 2 others were the same size but smooth, and one was smooth but smaller than the other 3 (pic 5). I replaced all 4 with Volquartsen Magazine Follower Buttons I already had. I was working on a Gadsden Flag TekMat (pic 6) to keep everything clean, and make the parts easy to see.

https://tandemkross.com/green-springs-magazine-springs-for-ruger-mark-series-3-pack/

https://volquartsen.com/products/1236-magazine-follower-button-for-ruger-pistols

[Big Frank]

Then I ordered 2 2-Packs of TANDEMKROSS Maximus Plus1 Follower for Ruger Mark Series Pistols, and replaced all 4 followers. You can see the Volquartsen Magazine Follower Buttons in the picture, and the magazine followers. All 4 mags now hold 11 rounds, even the 2 with +1 base pads. They won't hold 12 rounds, but will hold 11 with either the Plus 1 Magazine Bumpers, the Maximus Plus1 Follower, or both. The new mag bumpers do make them easier to get hold of, but changing mags is still a bit of a hassle. I still want to get an extended mag release for the Mark II, but I may be done modifying the 22/45. Unless I get the bull barrel turned down and threaded for a suppressor. Then I'll probably get an optics mount installed too.

P.S. A spare M16 firing pin is a most excellent tool for depressing the mag base latch pins. And most pins on a Ruger 10/22, Remington 1100, or most other firearms. I think Uncle Sam gave me one when I was in the army.   I remember in basic training the drill sergeants would always have one tucked in their pistols belt for adjust rifle sights when we went to the range.

https://tandemkross.com/plus1roundinfactorymagazines-rugermkseries



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBxnwulVigk

[alfsauve]

No end to what you can do with TandemKross parts.  I don’t need the extra capacity as Steel Challenge only NEEDS 5 rounds then maybe 1 or 2 makeups. I spent my money on magazines. I bought a variety from MK III to MK IV, and standard   To 22/45.  Simply changing the base pad made them all work in my 22/45 MK IVs.   That and I ground a notch in the back of my 22/45s so they’ll accept either MK III or IV magazines.

 Hate to admit it but I have 40 which means I can shoot a whole 8 stage Steel match without recharging a mag.  And of course with 3-5 round left in each mag after each string I have plenty of spare ammo in case of reshoots.  What some find odd is that after each stage I empty the used mags.  That way there’s never a doubt about which mags to use next.  They’re either completely empty or completely full. 

[Big Frank]

Having your mags completely empty or completely full is a good way to avoid "whoopsies" with a half full mag. I didn't need to spend 30 bucks on the new +1 mag followers, but they feel smoother than the factory mag followers, even after I sanded the mold parting lines off them. And I think they're less likely to cause malfunctions. I'll probably only load 10 rounds most of the time, but I like having the extra room to move the button up and down to settle the rounds.