Ruger MK IV

Have any of you had a chance to run one of these new offerings from Ruger? It's supposed to be a "one button" takedown and "snap close" reassembly. Having performed all kinds of acrobatics in trying to reassemble my MK II's and MK III's, I'd love me some easy process/routine on a Mark WHATEVER frame from Ruger!! Here's the URL to get to Ruger's overview and sales pitch:

http://www.ruger.com/products/markIV/overview.html

I was at the local gun shop a couple of weeks ago when one came in. Pretty cool, they changed the safety, and slide stop/release, and the new takedown button is nice. Push the button and the top pivots off and then easily like clicks back on. So much better than the older ones.

If they really have fixed the assembly/disassembly procedure, then that's a huge plus. All the old models will immediately be worth less. The engineers at Ruger when those were designed should have been fired.

Yea they fixed it, it is much better. Only issue I seen was that the gun has to be on safe to disassemble, which could be a problem since once the button is depressed, it comes apart pretty easy. Could see it accidentally being depressed and the gun coming apart when you take it out of the holster, or possibly coming apart while riding an ATV, depending on holster style.

That's good, I'd like to buy one more Mk.II or two or three. I've seen some info on the new pistol and it sounds like Ruger's done well, but I find it odd that so many people can't reassemble the older pistols. Once you understand the mechanism it's a piece of cake.

Love my MKIII Target, hate stripping it down and reassembling.

Sounds like a nice development.

I'm a mechanical engineer so maybe I'm especially sensitive to design issues.

I only got mine out 2-3 times a year when I had it. Not enough to ever memorize the sequence or "figure out" the mechanism. That's why you don't design stuff that way. People shouldn't have to "learn" something to use your product.

It wasn't that I can't reassemble my II's and III's, it's that there is nothing intuitive about the process. Whenever I break them down for cleaning, I always go through the whole field stripping process 2 or 3 times, and by the end of the exercises they are a piece of cake. But I always seem to have to learn the process all over again, and with my other pistols that's not the case.

It's as simple as understanding that the hammer has to be released and in the forward position so that you're not compressing the hammer spring when you try to latch the mainspring housing. It's in the manual. How much simpler does it have to be??

I got a lead on a MK IV for sale in San Antonio. I'm heading down there this morning to check it out, armed with a stack of 100 dollar bills!

I guess I'm just an exceptionally slow learner. I never have been able to get one back together without a bit of a struggle on the first attempt.

Here's a solution for speed stripping the Mark III.

http://majesticarms.com/id10.html

Thanks, TexasVine!

I'm not unsympathetic...I had to fiddle with mine and review the manual a number of times before it clicked for me, but once I reached the point of comprehension it all became dirt simple. Just a question of tenacity and persistence.

I really want that hunter!

[video:youtube]MqbiyPMA7CE[/video]

Never cared for the grip angle on the MK series. If they do the same to the 22/45 models, I will have one...or maybe 2

Also, Cabelas in Allen had 2 of them a couple weeks ago.

Went to San Antonio and picked up a Target model of the MK IV. It really, truly, breaks down and reassembles in less than 15 seconds! Hope to get out and shoot it before the Thundering Herd arrives for Thanksgiving. If I do, I'll give you all a full report.

Your welcome! Since I located this solution I feel the my Mark III Hunter is a keeper. Although I do like the factory provided simplicity of the Mark IV.

That is the one that I am interested in. It looks very nice.

I'm a dinosaur. I still like the Mark I

See if you can lay your hands on one of these MK IV's and put it through its paces. You may be quite pleased and excited with the experience. Then break it apart, clean it, and reassemble it. May not change your mind about your MK I, but I assure you that you will like running the IV.

I think ALL the Ruger .22 pistols are winners.

IIRC, the MK.I had a 9-round mag. Is that right, poisonivie? It seems like someone told me you could take the later 10-round mags and move the mag catch button to the other side and it would work in a Mk.I. I never got to try it, though...I think I had a Mk.I way back in the 80s but I didn't keep it and hadn't learned that trick at the time.