Ruger has lifted the embargo and has allowed us to announce one of their new products. This one is a remake of a previously remade gun, the Ruger 22 Auto – and it’s not simply an update. There are serious changes in product.
The Ruger Standard and Mark I pistol line was made from 1949 to 1982. Over 2 million copies of this game-changing pistol were made. The “Luger-ish” grip angle, tubular upper receiver with a cylindrical bolt – it seemed more like a rifle receiver than a pistol. Unlike previous 22 auto pistols, the Standard (and Mark I) had sights that didn’t move with a slide or bolt; they were affixed to the stationary tubular receiver.
The frame was stamped steel, two pieces that were joined. At the time, the Ruger had a 9-round magazine. The “target” models (Mark I) arrived in about 1963. The Mark II line, starting around 1982, added a bolt lock (held open on the last shot or manually) and a safety that locked the sear only – allowing one to have the safety on while opening the bolt to check the chamber. The magazine was reconfigured to hold ten rounds.
The later change, the Mark III, added a push button magazine release – meaning that previous magazines wouldn’t work in the new guns. They added a magazine disconnector, preventing the gun from firing without the magazine inserted. A “fin” chamber loaded indicator and an internal lock were also new parts of the new gun.
The disassembly button is at the rear of the gun on the lower receiver.
Now we have the Mark IV. Of anything about the Ruger 22 Auto pistol line, what do you like least? How about disassembly and reassembly?
That’s got to be the downside of the line. The big change is a one-button takedown for field-stripping. There’s a recessed button in the back of the frame. When pressed, the upper receiver can be tilted up and off of the grip frame – no tools. The bolt slides out of the receiver, according to the release, “the barrel can be properly cleaned from chamber to muzzle.”
I went to pick this up at the shop and the boss told me he had to confirm the serial number – licensees don’t go by the number on the box. I asked if he disassembled the gun. He smiled.
“I’ll be interested to see how this turns out,” he said.
I will too.
The gun is blued, has a 5.5″ bull barrel and adjustable sights. Like the rest of the non-stainless line, the sample has a one piece precision CNC machined aluminum lower receiver. The manual safety is now bilateral and the bolt stop is redesigned. The gun is supplied with two magazines. Weighing in at 35 ½ ounces, the new Mark IV feels solid.
Some fresh ammo had come in for the new gun. As all 22s tend to be finicky, it helps to try various types. The HV Match was superb in this gun, the CCI “Suppressor” wasn’t — though it’s quite accurate in other guns.
I took the chance to slip out to the range and try to get some shooting done before the announcement. I had a box of Winchester Super-X 40 grain ammo and the first five shots off of the Range Systems Sight-Bloc printed 4 ¾” left and about 1 ½” high. Reading the instructions – kind of a handy thing to do – I got the Mark IV sighted in.
At 25 yards, the first three loads I tried shot from “okay” to “dang!” The Winchester Super-X 40 grain solid load put five rounds into 3 ¾”. As this was the second group out of the gun and I’d been a little rough on the trigger on the first press, I checked the main 4-round cluster. It measured at 1 ¾”.
The Federal Gold Medal HV 40 grain ammo put five rounds into 1 3/8″ – this makes the Mark IV Target into a real target pistol. Finally, I shot CCI “Suppressed” – a 45 grain load that was inappropriate to this gun. The center of the group was 3″ below the HV Match group. The “Suppressed” load put five into 3 ¼”, with the best three into 1.5″. The “best three” weren’t the tight cluster of the Winchester Super-X, hence I don’t believe that it is best used in this individual gun.
There are a pair of fifty yard steel targets – a ca. 12″ round plate and an IPSC silhouette. It was no trouble keeping rounds on the round plate. I shifted to the silhouette and put six Super-X rounds into its center. I then printed six shots into the head of the IPSC target from 25 yards.
There are five hits in that group — a pair of the HV Match rounds went into the same hole.
At the Rimfire/Black Powder Range, there are a couple of near steel targets: a small, swinging “chicken” silhouette – the body of which is about 3 ¼” high – at 49 paces and a larger target, a steel pig silhouette, at 54 paces.
After finding it was no chore hitting the pig using a braced barricade position, I tried the chicken and nailed it with every round.
The Ruger Mark IV Target is showing a lot of promise. There were no stoppages, the safety is firm and positive and the trigger is fine as to weight – it does feel like there’s some loose movement, but I’m used to that with the line generally.
Problems? None. A pair of observations. I started with an original Standard Auto and followed with a Mark II. I only had a Mark III for a short time for a magazine review and never really got used to it. The result?
Every time the Mark IV hit slide lock, I went to the heel clip magazine release – that’s not there as it is on the Standard and the Mark II. The new gun feels like a Ruger 22 Auto, so I reflexively reach for the heel clip. That’s a software issue.
The magazines are tough to load at first. I remember a little key-chain loading aid made to fit over 22 pistol magazines to give more surface area to push the button down and hold it. After some shooting though, I noticed the stiff magazine springs less and I was shooting more – so I guess I don’t need a magazine loader.
What are the upsides? Well, several but the first one that comes to mind is that it’s more handy to take to the range than a .22 rifle – but it seems to shoot just as well for me so far.
There will be more shooting. We’ll keep you posted.
