When it was first released, I purchased the Ruger MkIV Hunter as a range toy/ hunting pistol/ bug out bag pistol, which was a pretty poor decision. In fact, this little Ruger is the last straw for me, and I wont be purchasing another Ruger... ever again. What have your experiences with Ruger been like, and what is your favorite 22lr pistol?
I have never actually shot any of the Ruger mark series. The only similar type I have ever shot was the Browning Buckmark, which was excellent.
The Browning Buckmark, I believe, is a superior pistol in every way, except with how it is disassembled as compared to the Mk4 Ruger. The Buckmarks really are nice little shooters!
I don't have any experience with the MKIV but I've had several MKIIs and IIIs and have had great luck with them other than they are easy to disassemble and a real PITA to reassemble. If I was going to consider one to carry like you were thinking I would definitely look towards one of the Lite models or a replacement TacSol barrels
Yeah, I grew up with Mk2 and 3's, in fact I grew up with Rugers of all sorts, and they were all great. Man my luck between 2011 and now with Ruger has just been crap though. I will never buy another Ruger, but if I could go back to when I got this if they had the lites out, I would have gone that direction. This Ruger got traded towards a S&W 317, I am thinking that is going to be pretty epic
I'm a pushover for 22 handguns. I've been eyeballing that MK IV for the ease of assembly but haven't bit yet. I have a MK II stainless 6 7/8" and MK III 22/45 Lite that I've added Volquartzen & Tandemkross upgrades to. They shoot lights out but are still a pain to reassemble. My most recent Ruger is the 22LR LCRx 3". I had to swap out the front sight with the blade from the 38 LCRx in order to get the sight picture down another 3 inches or so. Other than that it's a pretty nifty little kit gun for my fishing vest. That being said, it is WAY overpriced and the finish on the aluminum frame sucks. Given the materials used, this revolver should be priced south of $300 rather than north of $400. The matte black finish shows wear and scratches way too easily. Anodizing would have been a far better choice. I think the bean counters run Ruger now. Say what you will about ol' Bill, but he never would have let some of the current crap out the door. I'd have to think long and hard before buying another Ruger.
The lites are pretty nice. The finish wears fast though but im not one for looks. The weight and accuracy are what brought me to them. I dont expect much from a 22 lr though.
Dude i wish you lived local because i REALLY want to compare the 317 to that ruger you have! The ruger is spendy, but the s&w 317 is $250 more. With that being said, i do think its probably more refined, and its the only gun i have purchased besides a Henry that came zeroed.
No comparison. The Smith is art and the Ruger is just a tool. Still, it fulfills the tasks I picked it up for. It's handy and accurate, but overpriced for what you get.
Replace the original Ruger hammer bushing with the TANDEMKROSS one and your MKIII will be easier to reassemble and your magazines will drop free.