Reliability and accuracy of Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite?

[surevaliance]

I was dreaming about new plinker Kel-Tec CP33, but it seems like the pistol will be outlawed in WA before distributors get it.
Therefore, I am considering Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite.
Will appreciate all opinions regarding its reliability and accuracy.

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[Alexx1401]

View attachment 542032
I was dreaming about new plinker Kel-Tec CP33, but it seems like the pistol will be outlawed in WA before distributors get it.
Therefore, I am considering Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Light.
Will appreciate all opinions regarding its reliability and accuracy.

I have 3 of them,MKII, MKIII and MKIV. LOVE them. One or both of the newest goes with me every range trip for some cheap fun. From bench they both make large holes at the indoor, have not yet tried them at more distance. They show me when I miss it's me not the pistol. Both seem to eat almost anything ammo wise. I have always stuck with CCI MM. During the great panic though I was buying any .22 ammo I could find. Been burning it up now and the pistols both don't seem to care. Only exception I found was some Aquila. Bought a couple boxes of the HV stuff of theirs. Had a real odd unpleasant odor and none of my pistols would work with it. Finally tossed the last of it in the trash. When they start to hang up it seems to be the mags getting junked up before the pistols and it takes a lot of shooting. When the mags start to get sticky I just blast them out with spray cleaner and use some Graphite on them. They are then good for a long while.
As with all the Ruger MK's the one big upside is after market. LOT's of stuff for them. I do prefer the MKIV for ease of take down. Both my MKIII and IV are models that allow you to change grips if you like too which is of course nice.
If you like the grip angle of the 22/45 I can't see why you would not be happy with one of the LITE models.

 

[surevaliance]

Thank you! I've heard bad things about Aquila before.
I, as well, bought approx. 8K of assorted .22 ammo during that panic - mostly Remington.
I am too poor to get a can, so I am waiting for new CCI Quiet-22 Semi-Auto that is coming to the stores soon, which 45-grain bullet makes 735 fps and produces approx. 85dB.

 

[Alexx1401]

Thank you! I've heard bad things about Aquila before.
I, as well, bought approx. 8K of assorted .22 ammo during that panic - mostly Remington.
I am too poor to get a can, so I am waiting for new CCI Quiet-22 Semi-Auto that is coming to the stores soon, which 45-grain bullet makes 735 fps and produces approx. 85dB.

I bought several boxes of the CCI Quiet when I found out about it and it finally showed up. 40 gr lead stated at 710fps. Took some to the range to try and was surprised by it. It is of course not like shooting with a can but the damn stuff is far less report. I was alone so I could slip out my plugs and even inside it was not unpleasant.
It of course would not cycle the slide but it did not cause jams. I could cycle by hand over and over. Stuff was scary accurate in both my 22/45 LITE's I had with me. I figured the stuff would be great for pest control in places where it is legal to shoot but neighbors are close enough you don't want them to hear it.

 

[Alexx1401]

Thank you! I've heard bad things about Aquila before.
I, as well, bought approx. 8K of assorted .22 ammo during that panic - mostly Remington.
I am too poor to get a can, so I am waiting for new CCI Quiet-22 Semi-Auto that is coming to the stores soon, which 45-grain bullet makes 735 fps and produces approx. 85dB.

When I bought the Quiet I bought it from Academy, where I get almost all my .22 ammo. Just checked and it's not in stock there now but Midway is showing a HP version of it in stock if you want to try some and can't find it locally. Looks like they will ship free if you spend $50 so could not hurt to just toss in enough other ammo to make that. Academy is great for this stuff as ship is free if you spend $25 and their price on .22 ammo seems to rival places like Wally. I have often wondered how the hell they make a buck off it by the time they pay the shipping but they have been great. Only problem has been FedEx, who they use to ship, has a few times left the damn package at the wrong address

 

[Heyjoe]

^damn, she perdy

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

If you like the grip angle of the 22/45 I can't see why you would not be happy with one of the LITE models.

+1 for the Ruger MkIV!

FYI, the lowers are interchangeable, so it's possible to have a MkIV Lite with a standard grip and steel frame.

 

[Bealzybub]

(Shameless plug) HEY !!!! Theres one here at NWFA for sale ?!?!?!?!!?!??!?!? (MK III)

WTS OR - Ruger 22/45 MKIII

 

[Joe13]

100 rounds with this gun




Personally I have no issue breaking down and reassembling a MK3

 

[ron]

I have owned several Mk 2 & 3 and a 22/45. I have owned so many MK2 and 3s over +25 years
that assembly is not an issue for me. I do not own a Lite but have shot one and
I do not shoot it as well. The 22/45 is a great trainer for shooting a 1911. If you put a dot
sight on your Ruger I think the 5.5" barrel is optimum. Longer sight radius is no longer an
advantage with a dot sight. IMHO
Love shooting this 5.5" MK 3. Super nice Volquartsen trigger/sear kit. Low mount FF 3.


Sold this one because the 5.5" I can shoot better. I had a FF 2 on it.

 

[Alexx1401]

100 rounds with this gun




Personally I have no issue breaking down and reassembling a MK3

Nice pistol and nice shooting. I can't do that with irons any more. I can with an electronic but sadly not with irons. I "thought" I had the MKIII take down down pat. Have MKII that's never a problem. Damned if I did not always end up having to look at the instructions again with the III. Then one day I don't know what I did but I turned it into a paper weight. I thought I would have to send it back so bought the IV since I love these so much for my weekly trips. Then when I called Ruger to see about price and return some woman there walked me through fixing it. Said she does this a LOT Ever since then I have been afraid to take it down again so I just clean with spray. I really need to just start taking it down again especially since I know that if I brick it, it's not the end of the pistol now
The guy who came up with the take down for the IV I sure hope he made a pile of money for it, he deserves it!!

 

[ron]

I hear you brother. I have struggled putting the MK 2 or 3 back together. They make this aftermarket
part that will prevent the hammer strut from jamming behind the cross pin of the grip. I heard they
work great.

Ruger Mk II-III Hammer Strut Support HSS Assembly Assist Upgrade - Hammer Strut Support (HSS) makes assembly easier.

 

[Goosebrown]

I love our 22/45. It's a mk III. I wanted my son to get a regular mk III but he likes the light weight. He was 10 when we bought it so it made a difference.

It is hard to reassemble, but the mk IV fixes that I believe.

You'll love it. Just get it and start shooting.

 

[Bealzybub]

I sighted in this dot on pennys at about 25 feet. I cant say enough about the accuracy of these pistols. Popped a quail, twice at about 90 yards leaning this on the pillar of an old subaru. Oh, and I made that holster out of one for a different model, Sig I believe it was back in about 2009 when they "didnt make holsters" for this model pistol.

 

[Mister Bisley]

For a while, I was kicking around the idea of getting a MkIV 22/45 Lite to use as a race gun build for speed steel, but ended up with a Browning Buck Mark Camper UFX in Stainless Steel, instead. It has a bull barrel and is only 9 ounces heavier than the 22/45 Lite. That's a lot more gun for only 9 ounces of extra weight and it's a tack driver! Something to consider is the Buck Mark is easier to assemble/disassemble than the 22/45s with the exception of the one button takedown on the MkIV.

I had the pleasure to shoot many 22/45s in the past 2 years including a few MkIII lites, Hunters and Targets, as well as all of the same models on the MkIV platform. The reason I went with the Buck Mark was that it has a superior factory trigger and I found them to be a touch more accurate. It was also about $200 cheaper because I got a $75 mail-in rebate through Browning. It does only come with one magazine, whereas the Ruger's come with two. You really can't go wrong with either pistol.

Good luck in your quest!

 

[Alexx1401]

I hear you brother. I have struggled putting the MK 2 or 3 back together. They make this aftermarket
part that will prevent the hammer strut from jamming behind the cross pin of the grip. I heard they
work great.
View attachment 542133
Ruger Mk II-III Hammer Strut Support HSS Assembly Assist Upgrade - Hammer Strut Support (HSS) makes assembly easier.

Nice!! Leave it to the after market to find a work around. Sadly all my MK's are 22/45 though and it does not work it says. For some reason I never have a bit of trouble with my MKII. I have to guess if I just made myself do my III a LOT it would become second nature. There is also a $10 bushing to eliminate the damn mag safety which is what always has me looking at the instructions again on the III. I really should buy one of those and give that a shot. If WA had not made it so hard to sell guns now I have no doubt I would have just sold the III by now. When the IV first hit and they had a mass recall shops were telling me 1 year plus to lay hands on one. Would have been a great time to get rid of the III but since I'm kind of stuck with it now I tend to shoot it weekly as they are just so much damn cheap fun.

 

[ron]

Nice!! Leave it to the after market to find a work around. Sadly all my MK's are 22/45 though and it does not work it says. For some reason I never have a bit of trouble with my MKII. I have to guess if I just made myself do my III a LOT it would become second nature. There is also a $10 bushing to eliminate the damn mag safety which is what always has me looking at the instructions again on the III. I really should buy one of those and give that a shot. If WA had not made it so hard to sell guns now I have no doubt I would have just sold the III by now. When the IV first hit and they had a mass recall shops were telling me 1 year plus to lay hands on one. Would have been a great time to get rid of the III but since I'm kind of stuck with it now I tend to shoot it weekly as they are just so much damn cheap fun.

I removed the mag safety on my MK 3. Mags eject MORE BETTER.

 

[Mike97124]

I was considering the Target or Hunter MKIV but decided to go with the Beretta M9-22lr. I had a thread in this forum about it but evidently a Beretta 22lr has to go into the rim fire forum and can't be in this one. Does that mean the Beretta isn't suppose to be seen with the big guns or the Ruger isn't worth the effort to move?

Mike

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

@Alexx1401

Have you considered finding a dealer that will let you trade the MkIII in on a MkIV?

 

[Alexx1401]

@Alexx1401

Have you considered finding a dealer that will let you trade the MkIII in on a MkIV?

When I was being told 1 year + for the IV Davidson's came through with one. They were getting in a hundred at a time and if you jumped on it quick you got one, which I did. I had thought of using the III as a trade in on something else but you take a good hit money wise doing that. I can't blame the shops for that. They are trying to make a buck too. So looks like it will be with me for the rest of the ride. Assuming the laws never go back to what they were, which I seriously doubt the way it's going. What the hell you can never have too many .22's
Funny part was when I got the III it was almost impossible to find. It was shortly after it hit and NO ONE had them. Wife shocked me at Christmas with it that year. She bought it from J&G.