New New MKIV was at best a real disappointment until I installed the Valquartsen competition accurizing kit before this upgrade my MKIV looked like a shotgun patern at 7 yards now its right in there with my Victory and Buckmark at 7yards one ragged hole at 15 yards consistent tight 1.5 grouping average ,open sights freehand.
new MK IV
- Thread starter ChubbyD
- Start date
contender
Ruger Guru
Glad you got it where you want it. Too bad it took a bit of work.
I've shot a few MK IV's,, and didn't find any problems. And I usually shoot a lot further than 7 yds.
I've shot a few MK IV's,, and didn't find any problems. And I usually shoot a lot further than 7 yds.
Ditmo64
Bearcat
I bought the 75th Anniversary MK IV and it had a decent trigger. My MK II and 22/45 MK II both had Volq. kits I put in. Had to upgrade the MK IV as well. 
Ruger ships the Mark IV as a reliable, functional, safe platform. It is not, and has never been, a refined target pistol in its out-of-the-box state. The factory trigger is famously heavy, gritty, and has a long, vague reset. The sear engagement is often rough. This makes precise shooting, especially with iron sights, an exercise in fighting the gun. That "shotgun pattern" wasn't you; it was the pistol's mechanics working against you.
At 7yds I'm not blaming a weapon...especially a 22LR Semi...jus say'n
I always start testing at 7 -10 yards if a un can’t be accurate at those distances then there is an issue,also get a little tired of the guys always saying must be the shooter when they have no idea of the shooters capabilities,a bad gun is a bad gun no matter how much love you have for it or its brand,that’s why when you get an opinion from a fan boy it’s usually them saying it must be the shooter.
I bought a new 22/45 III that was very disappointing until it had 300-400 rounds down the bore. As it 'came around', I added options to see just how good it was. Turned out to be around 3MOA @ 100 yards (the limit of my added optics).
I just purchased a Mark IV tactical a few weeks ago. I haven’t had it to the range yet but it has a pretty good factory trigger at 4.5 lbs. I typically replace the factory trigger’s on my Rugers with Volquartsen or Kidd parts. This one feels pretty good so I’m waiting on the weather to cooperate so I can get it to the range before I make a decision on what it needs upgraded.
Congrats, glad you got it worked out! 
I have lots of the Ruger pistols and have never upgraded the trigger. I will say I don’t shoot the Mark IVs as accurate as the others. I think I’m just use to the weight and feel of the earlier models.
I have lots of the Ruger pistols and have never upgraded the trigger. I will say I don’t shoot the Mark IVs as accurate as the others. I think I’m just use to the weight and feel of the earlier models.
ammo dave
Single-Sixer
Purchased a NIB MkIII recently. The trigger was a gritty 4.5 lbs; no fun to shoot. It’s at my smithy now for a new sear and a trigger job. He promises a smooth 2.5 lb triger.
After installing a M*CARBO trigger kit in my MKIV I won't spend the money for a Volquartsen anymore. Not for a plinker anyway.
Would this be something they may have discontinued?
I’ve searched the MCarbo website, as well as the web generally, and can’t find anything they offer or have offered for the Ruger Mark pistols.
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I for some reason typed M*CARBO when I should have typed Tandemkross. Probably because at the time I was dong that MKIV project I also ordered parts for my PC Carbine from M*CARBO.....or had a bourbon or three in me.....
Apologies for the goose chase you went on. Here's a link to my Tandemkross trigger install thread....includes more brain short circuiting from me.
I have always preferred the Mark II to any of Rugers later offerings because the talent pool was greater back then and I was assured of a quality firearm. I've had at least a half dozen of them and I put a Volquartsen sear in most of them. Yes, just the sear, I did nothing else to the trigger group and the results have usually been good, although not 100 percent consistent. The results have ranged from about 2# to 4# but mostly around 2 1/2# to 3#. The sear cost about $37 shipped back then.
But today with failing eyesight and new toys available, I'm interested in 22's with green dot sights and I don't see the economics of paying a gunsmith to drill and tap old Mark II's, and I'm not impressed with the ruggedness of dot sight adapters that slide into the rear sight dovetail.
So I'm thinking of buying a Mark IV 22/45 since they are already drilled and tapped and I have a question for Mark IV owners. Have you tried just replacing the sear without all the other expensive parts? Can you even buy just the Volquartsen sear by itself for a Mark IV?
But today with failing eyesight and new toys available, I'm interested in 22's with green dot sights and I don't see the economics of paying a gunsmith to drill and tap old Mark II's, and I'm not impressed with the ruggedness of dot sight adapters that slide into the rear sight dovetail.
So I'm thinking of buying a Mark IV 22/45 since they are already drilled and tapped and I have a question for Mark IV owners. Have you tried just replacing the sear without all the other expensive parts? Can you even buy just the Volquartsen sear by itself for a Mark IV?
Nice. Does the 22/45 have less grip angle than the regular Mark II and IV?I put the whole kit in and it's FABULOUS.....
J.
Sadly, no. They only offer the comprehensive accurizing and competition kits for the Mark IV.
I haven't actually compared Volquartsen's Mark II and Mark IV sears to see how they differ. I assume they're different, but I can't say for sure. Perhaps someone who has looked into this will chime in.
Part of the benefit you got from your Mark II sear-only swaps came from the reduced pressure sear spring included with the sear, which, combined with the reprofiled design, makes for the most cost effective low cost upgrade for the Mark II.
I've also used their Mark II-minus-trigger accurizing kit with good results, particularly after adjusting the over-travel adjustment screw included on the front face of the triggers Ruger installed only on the adjustable sight models:
https://volquartsen.com/inventory_configurations/7940
Many are not aware an over-travel screw was fitted to the target model triggers. I sometimes like a little roll into the break, and so I don't mind the lack of a pre-travel adjustment on the factory triggers, though I sometimes drill and tap one into the lower front angle of the factory trigger, a la' Volquartsen's trigger pre-travel screws.
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If all handguns were sold with 3 pound triggers, I would be buying lots of handguns and trying them out. The Lawyers have stifled gun sales because now we look at guns for sale and think "Am I sure I like it enough to put $200 into the trigger and not be able to recoup that if I decide to sell it?".
I can't answer that; I'm not one who notices details. I can tell you that I like it and especially like that Volq. trigger kit. I never knew there was a difference; in fact, I really didn't realize mine is a "22/45".....
J.
The only reason I notice is my paw comes out pretty square and when I point most handguns I have to bring the front sight down. The steel frame Mark II has a pretty extreme angle and doesn't point naturally for me. Volquartsen makes good stuff and they deserve what they get, I'm just sick of buying so many guns and doing trigger jobs on them and selling them later not recouping the trigger investment.
If you still have a nice Mark I or II that you enjoy shooting, there's an easy way to adapt a dot sight or pistol scope to them. For many years B-Square made slip-on mounts that were easy to mount/dismount. They slid onto the receiver from the front end, and usually required removing and then remounting the front sight, depending on the particular pistol's barrel, and avoided any mount slippage by having the rear screw rest up against the back of the factory rear sight. (It was a good idea to put a small piece of black electrical tape across the rear of the sight to keep the screw threads from leaving tiny silver marks where it rests against the sight.)
A big plus of this design is that you're still able to use the iron sights down through the channel below the optic rail.
B-Square offered them for several decades in 3, 5, 6, & 7 slot configurations, but they are long discontinued, but still turn up occasionally on Ebay, usually at a premium price. However, Sun Optics offers both black & silver models with modern, 13-slot picatinny/1913 rails on top:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1491803-REG/sun_optics_sm4878_1_piece_scope_mount_for.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1491802-REG/sun_optics_sm4877_1_piece_scope_mount_for.html
B&H Photo is the only place I've seen them available for years, except very rarely on Amazon. Shipping's reasonable, I didn't have to drill & tap anything, and I can use it on more than one pistol if I want to.
Some reviews complain about screws stripping out of the aluminum body, but having used the originals for decades, I'm pretty sure these problems came from over-tightening the screws. You just have to snug them up nicely, and the rear screw prevents any slipping forward from the accumulated 22LR recoil. They've worked great for me.
All that said, I also really like the Mark IV, though I still prefer the quality of the Mark II. If you decide to go with a Mark IV, the best value available today is their relatively new model 40190, which comes with a removable rail already mounted and includes a 4.4" threaded barrel (which wouldn't be available to those in states that prohibit their citizens from buying threaded firearms). They're often available in competitivestores for $380-$400:
https://ruger.com/products/markIV2245/specSheets/40190.html
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Thanks for the informative post fwb124. I didn't know about the slip on mount, it's a good idea but the rail sits higher above the barrel than I would like.
I think the Ruger 40190 is a good idea, I thought they were more pricey than that, but after doing some searching, I see PSA was offering them a while back for $299 with 2 mags! I think I'll just have to hunt a bargain 40190 and then I'll have another Ruger to add to my collection.
I think the Ruger 40190 is a good idea, I thought they were more pricey than that, but after doing some searching, I see PSA was offering them a while back for $299 with 2 mags! I think I'll just have to hunt a bargain 40190 and then I'll have another Ruger to add to my collection.
Glad it was helpful! I completely understand preferring the lower dot mount height you can get on the 40190 with Ruger factory rail. Ruger currently markets that model for noticeably less than the standard 40107 5.5" bull barrel model, which you think would be less costly to produce, given its lack of threading, thread protector, and rail, but go figure.
The attraction of the slip-on mount is that it allows anyone to use classic Marks II's any way they want (I use both compact and UltraDot tube dots, as well as long eye relief scopes ranging from 2x to 6x) while still allowing use of the factory iron sights at the same time if desired. It's not the most elegant looking mount (though better looking than some of the other Mark I/II no-drill mounts offered in the past), but it's extremely practical. For long range (75-100yds+), I've occasionally mounted 4-12x and 6-18X rifle scopes on a Mark II for temporary bench rest shooting.
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This one has been rock solid for me, and looks slick:
Ruger Mark IV 75th Anniversary lower, Volquartsen match-barreled 4.5" threaded upper w/Volquartsen accurizing kit, Crimson Trace dot on a RedDotMate Docter/Noblex base. The base was $28.81 to my door & very nicely machined & finished, with a good selection of screw lengths included. Ships from China, though, taking about 8-10 days. They offer _nine_ different dot footprints in this unit. I plan to order one or two more.
I like buying American, too, but with US-equivalent models costing from $35-$69 plus shipping and sometimes tax, you can't beat this one for performance and value. reddotmates.com, and the guy was extremely responsive to questions as of Dec. 2025. They offer adapters for a surprising range of different guns.
The only downside to the rear sight replacement mounts is that removing the Mark rear sight can sometimes be a bear, given the cylindrical receiver being hard to get a good grip on without damage. In the old days, most dovetails were tapered so that you removed the sight from left to right, but the Ruger Mark dovetails are cut straight through, with both some friction fit and the two rear sight locking screws (one in older models) holding it in place. The well-known Sarona Gun works guy, now deceased, said: "The Ruger Mark rear sight dovetail slot is milled straight through, so it's the same size at each side. Doesn't matter which direction you drift it out. I've done it both ways, just to prove a point. Don't forget to loosen up the hold down screw though. :shock:"
Highly recommend a non-marring punch, preferably hard brass, and some duct tape on the side of the sight and on the receiver just below the dovetail just to be safe. The duct tape is a must if you can't resist the temptation to smack on it with a steel punch.
Paraphrasing an old adage about marriage: Smack in haste, repent at leisure!
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My biggest complaint was with the reflex dot I had on it, because it required removing the sight to replace the battery. There was always a change in POI afterwards. I resolved that issue by going to a reflex that allows access to the battery.
TestEngineer
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2022
- Messages
- 286
I didn't keep my mk4 long enough to worry about replacing any trigger parts. But... my 1st mk3 had a HORRIBLE grooved sear that gave a pull of over 7lbs.
I replaced the sear with a VQ and the pull dropped to a very nice 2.2lbs. A couple years later, I was bored and decided to see what I could do with the original Ruger sear. After I got the mating surface shiny smooth, I put it back in. It came in at 2.3lbs. Close enough to the VQ that you couldn't tell the difference without a pull gage.
That said, I don't recommend working on hammers or sears without a jig. Power Custom makes a good one. Mine was makeshift, but it was good enough for the one-off test with a trash sear.
I replaced the sear with a VQ and the pull dropped to a very nice 2.2lbs. A couple years later, I was bored and decided to see what I could do with the original Ruger sear. After I got the mating surface shiny smooth, I put it back in. It came in at 2.3lbs. Close enough to the VQ that you couldn't tell the difference without a pull gage.
That said, I don't recommend working on hammers or sears without a jig. Power Custom makes a good one. Mine was makeshift, but it was good enough for the one-off test with a trash sear.
