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Mk III vs MK IV finish

3K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Z400ACDC 
#1 ·
I though I would make a brief post in the Mk III forum on my latest impression on the old Mk III and truely new and improved Mk IV finish. In this forum, because it is a bit of a plug for the old III on appearance. I will be keeping mine.

I was looking at a Hunter in both III & IV yesterday. Side by side, the down graded finish on the IV is obvious and annoying. The old III has a shine and look far better than the IV. That is in addition to the fact that a III and be buffed and polished for a lifetime of beauty while the IV will get scuffed up and deteriorate over time. Right out of the box, big difference.
 
#2 ·
Hello, I too prefer the III. I just recently "hunted" up a new III, while my LGS has plenty of stock of IV's.

I prefer the feel and the build of the III, which is still true to the original design. I clearly understand the need for the IV, as many people have difficulty in taking it down.

I was almost talked out of buying my first Mk pistol, by a salesperson who said "takedown and reassembly is difficult". "Many people come to see our smith with a bag of parts".

I talked to the smith, and asked "if I can rebuild a car motor, would the Ruger be difficult for me to service?" His reply was "no". The rest is history.

I agree, in many ways, the IV is a departure. I didn't notice a decline in finish though. I did notice different materials used on the frame, as opposed to what we are used to. I think the top end is very similar.


Anyway, yes, we love our pre-IV's!!!!!!

Rich
 
#3 ·
I don't currently own a MKIII pistol, but do own a couple of MKII models, and I will not be giving them up for a MKIV. I agree with the above posts that I much prefer the finish on the MKII and MKIII pistols in both appearance and ease of touching up blemishes etc.

The MKIV pistol will need to build a following on it's own merits. Obviously ease of takedown process will be one of them and possibly the new one piece grip frame, either stainless steel or alloy, will prove itself to be either as good as or possibly better than the old two piece welded together grip frames of previous models.

As the new MKIV pistols begin to prove their merits, who knows? Maybe some of us may choose to enjoy the best of both worlds and own some of each!:D
 
#4 ·
Once you understand the MRKIII takedown / reassembly , get the internal parts the way you like them and lastly a fitted plate where the loaded chamber indicator used to be - the MRKIII is a nicer gun than the MRKIV . I would also over time become concerned over the way the MRKIV breaks open for cleaning and whether or not it might become loose and less accurate as a result ?
 
#6 ·
Hi Chris D, being the top end of the MK IV is one piece, or at least acts as one piece after barrel and receiver are put together ( same as the III and earlier) I can't imagine accuracy degrading. It operates on the same idea as the earlier model, except the grip frame is attached slightly different.

I know people who shoot very well, but are not mechanically inclined. To those people, a gun like the Mk IV opens a door that wasn't there before.

As I said, I prefer the earlier models, but the Mk IV sure has a place. They seem to sell well, and many purchasers also have the earlier models. If I lived in a place that didn't require a permit per gun, I may buy one for the heck of it. They do share magazines with MKIII which I see as a big bonus.
 
#7 ·
I had a mk1 standard a mkII bull barrel and now i have a mkIII 5 1/2 target and a 6 7/8 hunter with lots of Volquartsen upgrades which i'll never sell. I'll almost always take these to the range with me and I do some steel target matches with them also. Cleaning may be a little easier with a mkIV but i don't have to much problems cleaning my mkIIIs. For those people who listen to the horror stories or just aren't that mechanical by all means buy a mkIV but I'll keep my mkIIIs.
 
#8 ·
Well said...



I agree that now Ruger has a pistol for all individuals regardless of their mechanical abilities. For years I was just a collector and not much of a shooter, then my Grandsons wanted to shoot more. We shoot mostly Rimfire but have a little of everything to shoot especially Ruger Mark IIIs and now Mark IVs with different levels of modifications and sights. Have culled out most other brands that I had collected and put in more Rugers and have only had one that I had to send back to Ruger for repairs. I have doubles of some but have a son and two grandsons that wil some day have to decide to sell or keep them. There are still a couple I have not shot but maybe some day!
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=63089&d=1486701349
 
#9 ·
I have enjoyed my mkii, 3 and now 4 Ruger target pistols. I shot all three yesterday and they all ran great. I can take down the mkii and 3 without much trouble but the mkiv is a Great improvement! If you were rotating the tires on your truck, would you use the factory jack or your floor jack in your garage? I love my Lipseys mkii but the mag release on the mkiii (after mag disconnect removed) and the mkiv (that jump out) is better. I will give the factory trigger to the mkii. It has a factory #3 and my Mkiv has a 4.5. My mkiii has a VQ sear with a less than 2 pound trigger. The MKIV has to prove its dependability. But owning the MKIV for only 3 days and less than 500 rounds with no malfunction down range, I believe the MKIV is the best one Ruger has built.
 
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