The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

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ruger22
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The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by ruger22 » Sat Sep 24, 2016 12:18 pm

I'm greatly surprised it's not posted here yet (or did I miss it?) It's all over the other forums.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/products/ ... rview.html

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-MKIV.htm (the usual fluff review, but good info and photos)

I've learned I'm just not enamored of .22 semi-auto handguns, but this may be the ultimate Mark. Solid machined frame, hinged at front with a rear takedown button, no LCI and a mag safety that lets the mags fall out. Still uses Mark III mags. Three to pick from for now. Two Target models; one is blued with an aluminum frame, the other is all stainless. One stainless Hunter model.

A little more pricey, definitely not in my budget these days. Just as well I like my revolvers.
* 2 Ruger Bearcat stainless, w/ EWK ejector housings & Wolff springs
* Ruger SP-101 .22LR, w/ Wolff springs
* 2 NAA Guardian .32ACP
* 3 Zastava M70 .32ACP
* S&W 15-22 Sport (.22LR AR)
* 2 Ruger SR22 .22LR pistols

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Gatmandu
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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by Gatmandu » Sat Sep 24, 2016 8:10 pm

Someone at Ruger must have learned that S&W was bring out their SW22, Victory. :lol:

I know nothing.......

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by Bullseye » Sun Sep 25, 2016 7:43 am

You didn't miss anything. It was officially released on Sept. 23rd, although a few of the blog writers and gun magazines got an early chance to review them. I don't generally comment until I've had a good chance to inspect a new model. Some of the new features look interesting but the MSRP is a bit higher than the past versions. I don't know if Ruger's price point for the Mark IV is going to enhance their market share or drive some folks looking for a bargain toward the S&W Victory.

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by blue68f100 » Mon Sep 26, 2016 1:20 pm

CNC receiver I would think cost more to build than the stamped ones. Will have to see what the street values ends up at.

So they finally listened to the one having problem taking them apart for cleaning. :wink:

Still with 22 ammo available but scattered, limited supply.
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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by charlesb » Mon Oct 03, 2016 9:49 am

It seems like a definite improvement over the previous model. Switchable barrels would have been nice.

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by Bullseye » Tue Oct 04, 2016 5:56 am

The barrel is still the receiver on the Mark IV and that makes having multiple barrels impractical from a serial number perspective.

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by Georgezilla » Tue Oct 04, 2016 2:09 pm

Interesting... Reminds me of popping an AR open.

To be honest, I am glad that the Mark 1 through 3 are slightly tough to take apart. That fact really taught me so much about firearms, and brought me to this forum which over the years has been an incredible resource and gave me a baseline knowledge to learn a good bit on my own.

If I got one of these one button take down Mark 4s, I fear where I would have ended up :? .

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by Bullseye » Wed Oct 05, 2016 5:24 am

I agree with you George. I have met a lot of interesting people over the years just by helping them through the maintenance process with their Ruger pistols.

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by greener » Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:30 am

Maybe if I see one I'll add it to my collection. I haven't been all that tempted by the S&W Victory.

If you want to change barrels, the Buckmark is easy. I've never bought a second barrel. I have two barrels for my S&W22A. Turns out that I rarely use the 5.5" barrel after I added the 7" barrel. For me, the ability to change barrels is not a selling point. I think if I were going to add something like a Ruger Tactsol barrel, the original would mostly stay in a drawer.

I remember the hours and technical language after I bought my first Ruger and decided to field strip it. All they needed to do was to make the instructions clearer. And, like George, my subsequent mastery of the secret mysteries of the Ruger field strip has lead to a number of shooting acquaintances.

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by greener » Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:58 am


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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by greener » Thu Oct 27, 2016 9:16 am

I handled the MKIV Hunter at Greentop yesterday. Solid, good feel. Trigger slightly better than the stock MKIII. I even pressed the field strip button. Opens easily. The HiViz front sight looks smaller than the one on my MKIII. I think they may have made a hit.

Downside: the Hunter was $649. The target model: steel w/bull barrel was about $450.

GT had a sign that their MKIII's were on sale for $40-$140 off.

I'm not the proud owner of a new MKIV or MKIII. Yet?

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by jstanfield103 » Mon Dec 19, 2016 9:28 pm

I was not interested in a Mark series. I have had them over the years and sold all my 22's over the ammo shortage just from aggravation.
When I was looking on YouTube I saw Plinkster22 video and decided I had to have one now that I can finally find some 22 again. I went to my LGS and paid for the pistol and now I am in the waiting mode. It has been three weeks and still waiting. So what I did decide was that I wanted a both models. Mark III and a Mark IV, so I bought a Mark III Competition model. I just about have all the upgrades done on that pistol and very glad I bought it. The breakdown is an art form that should be taught to all. It really is no big deal for me to breakdown or put back together. I would almost cancel the Mark IV Hunter but I believe that I will just keep them both when I ever get one in. They probably hit a home run with the Mark IV, I like all the upgrades they did to it from what I read about it anyway.
One thing is really nice. I have not been on this forum for several years and it has brought me back. I now have 5 22 guns and I am enjoying the love of 22's again. This time I will start stocking up on 22LR and not be caught with my pants down again.
Aim Small & Miss Small

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by Bullseye » Wed Dec 21, 2016 4:47 pm

I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of your new .22 Rugers. You may not have needed two different models but at least you can compare the later version fairly against the earlier model. This new edition is significantly different from its predecessors in the style and maintenance procedures. I look forward to reading your experiences with both pistols in future posts.

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Re: The new Ruger Mark IV Target and Hunter

Post by gooch » Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:07 pm

I decided to get the Mark iv Hunter, loved the 6.88 inch fluted barrel. If you have a Field and Stream store nearby ( yes, I know they Played to the anti-gun media and took all ARs out) be aware that they do price matching. I showed an add from Bud's Guns on my phone and saved over $100 off their price.
For such a beautiful and pricey gun the trigger was very bad. Worse than my Mark III 22/45 before polishing. Groups were disappointing. After about 500 rounds through it I put the volquartsen kit in. It is now a joy to behold, i don't have a trigger pull gauge but it no longer feels like I'm pulling through the safety at each shot. Sad that such a nice looking gun that retails (before the price match) for $689.00 needed another $100.00 in aftermarket parts to shoot like a top notch target pistol. The kit also eliminated the magazine safety that I did not like.
I had some stove pipes about one every twenty rounds or so. I pulled the extractor and polished it along with the feed ramp. This helped to knock it to about one every fifty rounds. Federal auto-match, CCI Blazer, golden bullets, etc., all stove piped. Since I was in this far, I got the volquartsen extractor and that solved the malfunctioning.
One other complaint, the rear sight blade was a v-notch and the white line painted on it was off center. I e-mailed RUGER and they sent a new square notch rear blade for free. The square notch is easier for me to shoot.
It is now a great gun that shoots as well, or better, than my buddie's model 41.
My point is that for the price I should not have had to modify it to get a first rate shooter.
It is prettier than my mark II s and Mark III s, it is easy to field strip.
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