# Any opinions on the Ruger Mark IV ?



## Cannon

I owned a Ruger Mark III and while it was a very accurate 22 it was the biggest PIA when it came to field stripping the pistol to clean it. Fact is I sold the gun for this reason and picked up the Ruger SR-22 that is a blast to shoot and so easy to maintain & clean. So I'm thinking of trying the new Ruger MarkIV, anyone own this gun? Likes & dislikes?


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## Craigh

I'm also looking for an inexpensive plinker for my grandson as a Christmas gift. The Mark IV, Browning Buckmark and the new Smith and Wesson Victory are all on my short list. Right now, the Victory is at the top, but I've not actually seen a Mark IV yet locally.


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## CW

I've seen images of the MkIV and it looks impressive.
The field stripping appears to have been fixed - Magnificently!

I definitely would have got one instead of a Mosquito. 
For now my Berettas rule the .22 roost [71+87T]


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## high pockets

Got to handle a Mark IV at my LGS Tuesday. What a difference! I used to have a Mark III, and while it was incredibly accurate, it was very difficult to reassemble. The Mark IV is a dream. With the gun assembled, you press a catch at the rear, below the bolt and the gun breaks apart similar to an AR, in that it is hinged at the front of the frame. That rascally pin is still there, just sticking up in the air waiting for you to snap the rear of the barrel assembly back onto the pin.

The improvement is absolutely incredible. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the Mark IV, but the ease of disassembly/assembly is making me think seriously about getting another .22.


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## CW

At Cabelas: Saw a Mk IV Hunter $699 and a Target $600+ both in stainless and very nice.


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## Cannon

CW, stainless is nice but ouch the price of a stainless! If I decide to spring for one it will be a blued model.


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## fiasconva

BassProShops has the S&W Victory for $379 right now. Bud's Gun Shop has them for $352 for the cash price with free shipping.


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## Cannon

I think I owe it to myself to try both guns before I make a commitment. The S&W Victory has had some great reviews on You Tube, and while I'm sure the Ruger Mark IV will come down in price. I need to try them both before I decide.


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## Cannon

Just watched a great You Tube review of the Ruger MarkIV and the S&W Victory done by 22 Plinkster. Its nice to see a side by side comparison of two great 22 pistols, he pointed out the good & bad of both pistols. Many here shy away from reviews from You Tube they seem to think the people reviewing the pistol or gun are unqualified. Believe what you like, I find the reviews fair, unbiased and very accurate! I also like that they have no brand affiliation. But getting back to the pistols, I still need to visit my LGS and handle both before I decide, it will be the deciding factor but both are great IMO.


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## woodtam

Cannon

It sounds like you gave up on the mark iii. Good prices may be available with the change to the mark iv. If you want to reconsider the mark iii, just get with someone who has experience field stripping it. Once you get it, it is a breeze and very quick to clean. The mark iv though is very nice and very easy to disassemble. I thought it was a very nice gun but will not get rid of my mark iii. I will look for a good deal on some mark iii with the change in model. The only thing that bugs me about the Victory is the screws. I find they seem to work themselves loose when shooting. Good luck on your search

Woody


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## win231

You can watch a complete review of the Mark IV here including disassembly/reassembly:


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## Blackhawkman

Just keep your Ruger Mk4, it gets easier to take down after time. The Victory ain't the gun the Ruger is. JMHO


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## Greybeard

woodtam said:


> Cannon
> 
> It sounds like you gave up on the mark iii. Good prices may be available with the change to the mark iv. If you want to reconsider the mark iii, just get with someone who has experience field stripping it. Once you get it, it is a breeze and very quick to clean. The mark iv though is very nice and very easy to disassemble. I thought it was a very nice gun but will not get rid of my mark iii. I will look for a good deal on some mark iii with the change in model. The only thing that bugs me about the Victory is the screws. I find they seem to work themselves loose when shooting. Good luck on your search
> 
> Woody


I agree, the Mark III is like a puzzle and once you figure out how it comes apart and goes back together, it isn't that hard. I find the method that the Ruger video shows to be really poor. Here is the method I use:


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## Blackhawkman

Stainless Steel cleans up better and looks good too! I like the Mark IV too. and it's accurate too. jmho


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## vba

The MKII is my favorite Ruger .22 Pistol. I have absolutely no problem putting it together or taking it apart. I never take the barrel assembly off the receiver and I don't clean it after every range session.

I've owned one since 1983 and my two others are somewhat newer.

Edit: Sorry, didn't realize this was an older post.


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## Babbalou1956

Prices have come down since these pistols came out. Today I saw $324 for a Ruger MK 4 22/45 & $345 for the S&W Victory. (Bud's) I've field stripped my MK 3 22/45 four times & life is too short to ever do that again. I installed various upgrades & each time I walked through several Youtube videos (they're not all identical) followed the manual & spent all day troubleshooting why that never worked. The last time it locked up. Nothing moved so I paid a gunsmith to pull all the pins & reassemble it. One thing I've learned, some are easier than others to field strip & mine was a hard one. Anyway I bought an ultrasonic cleaner for $79.99 at Harbor Freight & next time it's too dirty to shoot I'll give that a try. If that's not a solution my Mk3 will quickly be replaced. I won't miss it.


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## yellowtr

I had the chance to shoot a Mark IV a few weeks ago at the pistol range. This pistol had about 200$ extras including a red dot, trigger and grips. It was very nice and I did well for a first time at 25'.
The owner wanted to try my totally stock SW22 Victory. Well he just loved it. The grip, trigger, sights and overall operation.
So we had a little test. Me shooting my S&W and him with the Mark IV. Well the S&W won hands down.
Now, that is not a valid comparison but he really liked my Victory. 
As far as take down? Well yes the Mark IV is simple but at home I have no trouble removing the one set screw. 
Well over 3000 rounds through the Victory with not one single problem.
In my mind, it is a keeper for sure.
I am not anti Ruger or pro S&W. I own pistols from both companies. And they all operate just great and I love them all.


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## Cannon

I owned a Mark IV I sold it in less than a year... Why? Its the biggest PIA to clean, I replaced it with the Ruger SR 22 best move I ever made IMO, size wise its similar to what I carry for my EDC (Taurus PT 111 G2) that's a plus and its so easy to clean & maintain compared the the Mark IV.


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## Steven

I have a Mark III Hunter and I really like it but my Mark IV is so easy to clean I enjoy shooting it much more.

After putting in the Volquartsen Accurizing Kit I love the trigger pull.


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## Cannon

Nice to see after years of owners frustration over trouble with cleaning the Mark series they finally listened.


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## Craigh

I'm also considering a new rimfire pistol. I'm looking at the S&W Victory, Ruger MKIV, and Browning Buckmark. I still have my S&W Model 41, but I want a cheaper holster gun for the ranch. Also, my doctor, a personal friend and shooter as well, has restricted me to rimfire only at the range for the next six months (except for emergency defense). 

I was quite poor in grad school when I got into Bullseye competition and needed a 22. All I could somewhat afford was a Ruger MKI bull-barrel model. I ended up spending a lot on that gun trying to make it a real target pistol. In the end, it looked cool, but even with a new trigger and even with smithing to that and another trigger, I could just never get it right for me. There was just a little mush in it no matter what I did. Remember, this was in the early 1970's. Along with being a mess to clean, I gave up and ended up with the Smith and Wesson 41 which, of course, was so much more refined out of the box. My scores reflected this. I'm mentioning this back story because I want a good trigger, if I decide on the new MKIV. I've just not shot a Ruger 22 since getting rid of that MKI. I'm sure the trigger is better, but maybe that mush is systemic in the design. It was back then. 

I also know the Buckmark trigger is nice enough out of the box and an old Browning Nomad I used to own was also, so the Buckmark would be a safe choice. I just don't know. 

On the other hand, I might just get the Browning 1911-22. It checks all the right boxes for me and it just the right size. I've shot that gun a bit in 380 and like it. Again, I just don't know.


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## hillman

My Mark IV, a Standard model, has a trigger quite distant from 'target' functionality. It's a plinking trigger - long, stiff and, um, 'draggy'. After-market 'fixes' are offered for the Mark IV, but I've paid no attention to them, so can't give details.

One thing, the gun is very easy to clean. :mrgreen:


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## Craigh

hillman said:


> My Mark IV, a Standard model, has a trigger quite distant from 'target' functionality. It's a plinking trigger - long, stiff and, um, 'draggy'. After-market 'fixes' are offered for the Mark IV, but I've paid no attention to them, so can't give details.
> 
> One thing, the gun is very easy to clean. :mrgreen:


Thank you, my friend. Sounds like that draggy trigger is still systemic in the design. Way back when I had the Mark I, my gunsmith told me that because of the design, a new trigger would just not quite get that out of it. I tried twice and though it was worlds better than the factory trigger, it wasn't good enough. I remember how shooters at those 2700 events would talk about the "Ruger Trigger." Some very few actually liked it, but most of us did not. I remember that first day at The Gunnery range in Minneapolis with my new Smith and Wesson Model 41 and how a smile spread across my face as I let go the first round. The contrast with that heavily modified Ruger trigger was huge. That's why I'm still so leery about the new Ruger MKIV.

That all said, part of the reason was the sport I was involved with, Bullseye competition. Over time and as you get fairly good, you get so sensitive to the subtle nuances of your handguns. For example, my best range and hunting buddy at the time shot PPC and other competitions, but not Bullseye. He teased me, telling me no way could I tell the difference after spending so much on the Ruger. He said it was a wonderful trigger. Today, the "old phart" me might be more like him and not so in tune with the pistol to feel that huge difference I felt back then. I just don't know. Times and we change. Still after hearing what you just said, I'm concerned about that Ruger Trigger. I should probably remove it from my short list.

I'm also really starting to consider a used Browning Nomad. My dad gave it to me as a high school graduation gift, and I let it get away from me by gifting it to my son. He absolutely loves it and it has that old deep blue quality Brownings made in Belgium used to have. It is also a very sweet shooter. They were a fairly inexpensive field gun back in the day.


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## Babbalou1956

The Volquartsen accurizing kit I put in my Ruger MK 3 made a huge difference. Trigger is very light & crisp. I adjusted out nearly all the take-up & over travel. Wasn't cheap, about $140. I've not tried Tandemkross products but their Victory Trigger is $41 for the S&W Victory or Ruger MK 4 & I've read good things about those. 22Plinkster (Youtube) likes the one in his S&W Victory. It lightens the pull & has adjustable take-up & overtravel also.


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## SGWGunsmith

The Ruger Mark IV is indeed a response from Ruger to "fix" more frustration involved with the previous pistols rather than any mechanical issues. They certainly over-did some of the additions that Ruger felt were needed to protect us from ourselves, but many of those 'devices' can easily be thwarted. 
I'm still experiencing and experimenting with the Ruger Mark IV version, and a couple of aftermarket parts ( actual ) manufacturers that I currently deal with are working to get this version working even better. These folks make the parts and don't just buy, rename and then resell, part bought from others. These folks KNOW what they are doing. Currently< I'm working on making the trigger pull both smoother and lighter, yet, making sure it's still a safe trigger:


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## SGWGunsmith

For the most part, and as far as .22 Long rifle pistols are concerned, I really like the Ruger Mark versions. Until recently, I never actually owned a Browning Buckmark, but have worked on quite a few that customers brought in. When this version was introduced, I snatched one up. Really like it:










But when I venture out back and do a walkabout on our 'empire', this is my favorite Ruger to accompany the trek:


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