Target 22 Selection ( Follow UP )

[Narragansett]

Thanks to all that posted their thoughts on a 22 target selection. I took possession of a new blued Ruger Target MK 4 5.5" bull barrel which I took to the range today and put 150+ rounds through it.

Here are some initial thoughts and comments. The trigger has got to be changed. Probably 6 pounds with sloppy take up and gritty creep. I had say half a dozen stove pipes, and 2 fail to fire rounds. The strikes looked light, and the rounds touched off fine in a revolver. Trigger will be replaced

I did not clean it from the factory, just placed a few drops of lube here and there. I will clean the the gun tomorrow. The mag springs feel weak. I will change them.

Hogue grips would be an improvement over the plastic.

I did not have any with me, but some hotter loads might fix the stove pipe issue.

The sights are adequate, and dialed the gun in well. Accuracy was good. I do not spend time shooting groups. I am more a center mass shooter and semi rapid. It is more than acceptable for that. Once the new trigger is installed, I will look for groups with different types of ammo.

The gun has potential, it is just a shame that it has to take time and money to make it right

 

[AJ]

Thanks to all that posted their thoughts on a 22 target selection. I took possession of a new blued Ruger Target MK 4 5.5" bull barrel which I took to the range today and put 150+ rounds through it.

Here are some initial thoughts and comments. The trigger has got to be changed. Probably 6 pounds with sloppy take up and gritty creep. I had say half a dozen stove pipes, and 2 fail to fire rounds. The strikes looked light, and the rounds touched off fine in a revolver. Trigger will be replaced

I did not clean it from the factory, just placed a few drops of lube here and there. I will clean the the gun tomorrow. The mag springs feel weak. I will change them.

Hogue grips would be an improvement over the plastic.

I did not have any with me, but some hotter loads might fix the stove pipe issue.

The sights are adequate, and dialed the gun in well. Accuracy was good. I do not spend time shooting groups. I am more a center mass shooter and semi rapid. It is more than acceptable for that. Once the new trigger is installed, I will look for groups with different types of ammo.

The gun has potential, it is just a shame that it has to take time and money to make it right

Wish you luck with it. Just like a boat...........a hole in the water that money get thrown into......

 

[chief38]

Thanks to all that posted their thoughts on a 22 target selection. I took possession of a new blued Ruger Target MK 4 5.5" bull barrel which I took to the range today and put 150+ rounds through it.

Here are some initial thoughts and comments. The trigger has got to be changed. Probably 6 pounds with sloppy take up and gritty creep. I had say half a dozen stove pipes, and 2 fail to fire rounds. The strikes looked light, and the rounds touched off fine in a revolver. Trigger will be replaced

I did not clean it from the factory, just placed a few drops of lube here and there. I will clean the the gun tomorrow. The mag springs feel weak. I will change them.

Hogue grips would be an improvement over the plastic.

I did not have any with me, but some hotter loads might fix the stove pipe issue.

The sights are adequate, and dialed the gun in well. Accuracy was good. I do not spend time shooting groups. I am more a center mass shooter and semi rapid. It is more than acceptable for that. Once the new trigger is installed, I will look for groups with different types of ammo.

The gun has potential, it is just a shame that it has to take time and money to make it right

Like I posted in your original thread, the Volquartsen trigger kit will make the Ruger MK4 into a real Target Pistol! You will wind up with a 2 pound, slick, light, no creep, no grit trigger that you can adjust for pre and post travel. The trigger will rival a M41's trigger! Just make sure you order the one you want - there are a few choices! When I recommend the Ruger MK4, I tell people upfront to automatically order the Volquartsen trigger kit at the same time - you will need it.

The installation instructions on the Volquartsen video (online) are simple, straight forward and not difficult for someone to install at home. All parts are drop in and no gun smithing is required. If you do have any questions you can call their factory and they will help you out. I have done a bunch of them and now have it down to 1/2 hour - give or take.

After the trigger kit installation you will not believe you are shooting the same gun! That is really the only accessory you need for the Ruger Mark 4. BTW, just be aware...... after the trigger kit is installed the magazine safety will not function (which is actually great)! The gun will fire if the trigger is pulled when there is a round chambered and no magazine is in the pistol. Just like a 1911 and most other pistols.

The last time I looked, the Volquartsen trigger kit was about $125-$140 (different variations). If you have any questions regarding the Volquartsen kit you can PM me.

BTW, all the Ruger Mark 4's my friends own function flawlessly with CCI standard velocity ammo and they usually shoot more accurately with that bullet as well. After 300-500 rounds and a good cleaning, your stovepipe issues should go away. You might try 100 CCI mini-mags as a break in procedure. It will break in the pistol slightly faster but will not give quite as good accuracy. You could just do that temporarily for break in, then after a good cleaning, switch to the standard velocity CCI's and see how that goes - you should be fine after that.

 

[Thiokol]

I installed the Volquartsen accurizing kit and the difference is night and day. This is the kit that you want: Accurizing Kit for the Ruger MK IV Pistol | Volquartsen Firearms

 

[bobsguns]

The gun has potential, it is just a shame that it has to take time and money to make it right

This has been known about Rugers for decades.

There're multiple options on the market that're tons better guns.

If you could do it over again, would you still pick the Riger?

 

[bobsguns]

Wish you luck with it. Just like a boat...........a hole in the water that money get thrown into......

Lots of rimfire models made today that don't require $150+ kits to make them shoot well.

I've never understood the attraction to the Ruger rimfire pistols.

 

[chief38]

Wish you luck with it. Just like a boat...........a hole in the water that money get thrown into......

Nahhhh, After the Volquartsen trigger kit is installed, nothing else is needed and you will have one fine target pistol! So for around $650 my feeling is that you will wind up with the best 22 target pistol you can own for anywhere near that price.

Ruger's CS is pretty darn good and Volquartsen's is superb!

 

[zeke]

Thanks to all that posted their thoughts on a 22 target selection. I took possession of a new blued Ruger Target MK 4 5.5" bull barrel which I took to the range today and put 150+ rounds through it.

Here are some initial thoughts and comments. The trigger has got to be changed. Probably 6 pounds with sloppy take up and gritty creep. I had say half a dozen stove pipes, and 2 fail to fire rounds. The strikes looked light, and the rounds touched off fine in a revolver. Trigger will be replaced

I did not clean it from the factory, just placed a few drops of lube here and there. I will clean the the gun tomorrow. The mag springs feel weak. I will change them.

Hogue grips would be an improvement over the plastic.

I did not have any with me, but some hotter loads might fix the stove pipe issue.

The sights are adequate, and dialed the gun in well. Accuracy was good. I do not spend time shooting groups. I am more a center mass shooter and semi rapid. It is more than acceptable for that. Once the new trigger is installed, I will look for groups with different types of ammo.

The gun has potential, it is just a shame that it has to take time and money to make it right

Might consider carefully scrutinizing breech end of barrel for burrs. My Mark II will feed an empty fired shell, one Mark IV won't.

The mags furnished with the Mark IV's owned have sharp edges affecting the thumbpiece that is used to manually compress the spring. Once smoothed, they worked better.

And thank you for the follow up, especially useful for others!

 

[M29since14]

Thanks for your impressions of your new pistol. It’s always interesting to learn what others think of pistols I don’t own, but might buy someday.

I’m always completely amazed that manufacturers pay so little attention to the quality of triggers they supply. My two old High Standards have super triggers without any mods and without an extra cent being spent. If we could do that 60+ years ago it seems odd to me that we don’t do it now. Is the fear of lawsuits somehow actually mitigated by supplying lousy triggers?

Speaking of old stuff, I’m also surprised at the market value of the High Standard .22 target pistols. They’ve been my hands down favorite for years, but the market doesn’t seem to place the value on them that they deserve, IMO.

Anyway, good luck with your new Ruger. Maybe you can follow up with info about your trigger fix.

 

[Yendor357]

The attraction of my Ruger rim fire pistol for me:

I bought a used MK II stainless, 4.5”, “fixed sights”, standard a couple of months ago ago. Two magazines. It had Pachmayers already, which I could take or leave. I left them. It had numerous tiny sun scratches, no rust. The judicious application of an ink eraser while watching tv, and it looks almost new.
$374.50 out the door. I paid approximately $125 for the Volquartzen kit. I installed it in surprisingly short order. The trigger pull is now at least as good as either of my M41s.
$500 invested.

It shot 2 inches low and 2 inches to the left. I tapped the rear sight over. I got lucky and it was hitting dead on for windage the first try. The elevation was corrected by taking the front sight down jut a bit. It is right on the button at 25 yards.
And accurate? I shoot it at least as good as my M41 with the 5 inch field barrel. The long sight radius of my 7 inch M41 is pretty hard to beat, tho.

As much as I love my 35 year old M41, that has never let me down, I like shooting and owning other platforms.
The Ruger is stainless, looks cool, shoots great. A M41 comes in 2 configurations, unless you’re lucky enough to have a 5 inch Sport barrel. The Ruger comes in numerous configurations. I like variety.

 

[swsig]

I have no idea how Ruger went so wrong on their Mark IV trigger design. I have a 1974 Standard (short-barrel Mark I) bought new. It has the best trigger I've ever pulled, maybe 2.5-3 lbs. and smooth as silk. Maybe the Mark IV's rough trigger was the result of making it easier to break down and reassemble, who knows? As to accuracy, the Standard is not a target pistol, but it improves with higher velocity ammo like Stingers and Velocitors. It's such a pleasure to shoot that I can live with its lesser accuracy, so I'm going to stick with my old Standard.

 

[Onomea]

Pete, re stovepipes and FTFs, what ammo were you shooting? Maybe it's the bolt spring needing breaking in?

When I first got my MKIV, I had some FTFs. I was shooting CCI standard velocity. Spent some time on the web and found several guys who said that this was common with a new MKIV, and that the solution was to shoot it more to break it in. Some guys suggested using mini mags for a while. Next time at the range I shot a bunch of minimags. Now SV feeds well.

(The Volquartzen enhanced bolt assembly comes with three bolt springs to match whatever ammo you are shooting. Have not bought it myself, but add the info here as a data point.)

I think if all you want is a serviceable plinker, the guns are fine as is. The trigger will improve with use. At my skill level, all I need (or deserve) is a serviceable plinker, but I had a lot of fun tinkering with the gun, adding aftermarket parts like the VQ trigger group. And at this point in life, I am fortunate in that I can afford to entertain myself, so why not?

 

[dave1918a2]

Glad You got something. I just hope You don't have to spend too much to make it right.

 

[JRB416]

Pete, if the stove pipe issues keep reoccurring after a break-in period on your pistol, I would recommend purchasing an Volquartsen Exact Edge extractor.

The cost is minimal and this part took care of stove pipe issues on my MK III. You will be amazed at the quality of the part compared to the factory original.

It is too bad that more than the initial outlay is required to bring a handgun up to acceptable standards. In my case, my MK III is so accurate the extra cost of a Volquartsen Accurizing Kit and the extractor were well worth the expense.

Good luck and enjoy your new MK IV.

 

[oink]

I assumed Ruger went to the horrible heavy trigger for liability concerns. The Volquartzen kit wonderfully fixes that problem. I've had people shoot mine and then go buy one. I do warn them about the OEM trigger and the need for the kit.

I love my MKIV. I bought the extra barrel from Volquartzen also, cheap. I don't know if they still sell those, but probably not. I think at the time they were buying the pistols just for the frame to build on, although the barrel is legally the gun. I think they build theirs from scratch now. It gives me the choice or an iron sight or red dot just by pushing the take down button and switching barrels. Pics in the other thread.

 

[AJ]

I assumed Ruger went to the horrible heavy trigger for liability concerns. The Volquartzen kit wonderfully fixes that problem. I've had people shoot mine and then go buy one. I do warn them about the OEM trigger and the need for the kit.

I love my MKIV. I bought the extra barrel from Volquartzen also, cheap. I don't know if they still sell those, but probably not. I think at the time they were buying the pistols just for the frame to build on, although the barrel is legally the gun. I think they build theirs from scratch now. It gives me the choice or an iron sight or red dot just by pushing the take down button and switching barrels. Pics in the other thread.

No, the barrel is not legally the gun. It is the receiver as it is the serialized component.

Just how much have you got tied up in it now?

 

[Narragansett]

No, the barrel is not legally the gun. It is the receiver as it is the serialized component.

Just how much have you got tied up in it now?

The serial number is on the barrel I do believe

 

[AJ]

The serial number is on the barrel I do believe

Only the receiver is serialized that is the reason for the 4473. A barrel is not serialized. so is considered a throw away item. Run it by your local FFL. You can buy a barrel and have it sent to your house. You can not buy a receiver without the use of a 4473 through an FFL dealer.

 

[GnarlsR2]

The sights are adequate, and dialed the gun in well. Accuracy was good. I do not spend time shooting groups. I am more a center mass shooter and semi rapid. It is more than acceptable for that. Once the new trigger is installed, I will look for groups with different types of ammo.

Can you please define "Accuracy was good." ?

What target https://a.co/d/dZBSMpQ ??

what distance(s), where on "center mass", how many rounds?

 

[Thiokol]

Only the receiver is serialized that is the reason for the 4473. A barrel is no serialized. so is considered a throw away item. Run it by your local FFL. You can buy a barrel and have it sent to your house. You can not buy a receiver without the use of a 4473 through an FFL dealer.

The serialized part on a Ruger MK IV is the upper, which is the complete barrel assembly, less the bolt, and cannot be mailed to your house. It must go through an FFL.