I have had upgraded Ruger, Scorpion, and Black Mamba...if you have the funds just get the Black Mamba. You will never be able to fully transform a Ruger MKIV into a Volquartsen.

 

That is not true. Volquartsen starts with a Ruger frame and adds their parts. There is no reason you can't do that yourself. I did. You can do it a little bit at a time as funds allow, or you can do it all at once. In the end, you will have the same pistol as purchasing a complete one from Volquartsen. I started out with a MK IV stainless frame I bought from Wirthwein and installed a Volquartsen Accurizing Kit, LLV upper, Competition Bolt and grips. If you are starting out with a complete pistol, try just adding the Volquartsen Accurizing Kit and see how it shoots. You might be surprised and decide to stop there.

 

Get the Black Mamba. This is mine along with my 22/45 Lite.

The Black Mamba is my go-to gun for Steel Challenge. It's 100% reliable but what I like most is the weight. It's easier to transition between targets when shooting fast.

It balances better in my hand then the Lite and shoots better groups.

Unless you like to tinker, get it already made from Volquartsen. You can build one yourself by ordering all the parts but you really won't save that much money. Know that VQ will take care of you if you build it yourself or they made it but if you buy direct you know it will be put together correctly the first time.

After I built mine I had to send it in because I was getting some failures to feed. Turns out it needed the extended magazine release that lifts the magazine just a tad higher which solved the problem. I wouldn't have foreseen the problem without it going back.

 

I’d agree for the all the reasons listed above. Get the Mamba directly from Volquartsen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thank you guys for your input. I think i will just look to get a Black Mamba. I'll have to probably special order it since threaded barrels are not allowed in my state.

 

Silverviper,

I don't own a Black Momba or a Scorpion, but I do have a Volquartsen frame with a Tactical Solutions upper, along with three other Ruger Mark pistols that all have the Volquarsen accurizing kits installed.

Living in a state that does not allow threaded barrels puts a limit on your options, especially in todays market.

I would order one from Volquartsen's custom shop.

 

for me

I apologize in advance for breaking from the pack on this issue but here goes. You did not state the use for the new pistol very important. Steel challenge requires something lite and easy to transition. Bullseye style, the pistols now weigh 41-48 ounces. The Mamba and Ruger Lites are usually lite around 32-34 ounces. Only the Ruger like in a 5 1/2" or longer Hunter model in stainless steel will get you near 45 ounces which is much better for accurate slow fire offhand or even over a rest.

My Mark II Comp Target (no threaded barrel) with only the Volquartsen trigger/sear (under $50 off eBay) has a spectacular trigger at 26 ounces. My stainless Scorpion 6" has a 2# trigger that has creep. Contacted Scott a week ago to send it in and have not heard back yet. Both off a rest shoot very comparable groups with a very slight edge to the Scorpion. I am talking 1/8" at 25 yards and I have shot both extensively.

In the event you want to go both lite and heavy, you can easily ($250 or less) add a superlight TacSol 6" barrel that only weighs 9 ounces. I did and its accuracy is equal or better than both of the other barrels. Now your heavy stainless lower with it will weigh around 30 ounces and they come non-threaded.

Open market for a stainless Mark II style (allegedly the best model they ever made) can be had for around $450. No threaded barrel and in the event you don't like it, pass it on for what you paid for it and move up to the $1200-1800 Mamba of your choosing. Whatever discipline you choose to shoot, may fall out of favor after a year and now you have a $500 vs $1800 paperweight.

Like me you can also own both + the extra barrel that now allows 3 different sight systems so you don't get bored doing the same thing all the time. I even acquired a Nelson .22 kit that makes my Ruger 1911 more fun to shoot than ALL of the rest!

Just read where Tacoma has a nice Mark II Stainless Comp Target like mine for around $460 you might be able to talk him into shipping. Since mine has the nice trigger, I like it better than the Scorpion at this point.

 

Thanks Jazz & Mike
I'm going to have to do some more research on Ruger Marks and such. I plan on using the pistol for Bullseye Matches. I'm currently using a S&W Model 41 and I'm looking for a backup Pistol for bullseye matches. I'm starting to lean towards Just a stock Ruger Mark 2 or 4 for now. My friend had a Mark 2 years ago and hated taking it apart for cleaning so I'm going to look for some videos on how it comes apart.

Thanks again for the input, 1800$ is a lot of money.

Bernie

 

No right or wrong answer here. Myself, I'm a dedicated MKII Ruger fan, and I like heavier target pistols. One of my MKII's is a Volquartsen custom direct from Carroll, IA. The second one is a stock MKII 5.5 in heavy bbl target pistol with Volquartsen components that I installed myself. Honestly, if I were in your shoes I'm not certain which way I would go.

 

for me

Important distinctions being made in these threads. I'm sure it's been said many times but I think most of the struggling with take down on a Mark II is from days of old when YouTube did not have numerous examples to follow. Today, I can't imagine anyone that was willing to play with one for 30 minutes with YouTube help could not have it memorized and be able to switch barrels like I do very easy in less than 90 seconds.

Since you are thinking Bullseye backup, you probably need something heavier than the current Volquardsen's that I think are around 34 ounces. No one I know goes that light. Now mine made of all stainless vs aluminum is 52 ounces not including the 4.5-ounce steel compensator. The aluminum compensators are 2 ounces. I have seen several of the all-stainless models one on Gunbroker for sure for just over $1700 that for your purposes would be the real deal. In a discussion with Scott at VQ he said that some have used a combination of stainless and aluminum to get the perfect Bullseye pistol. I forget if it was the upper or lower that was the heavier stainless. I do know that my Ruger Mark II Stainless lower weighs the same 19.5 ounces as my Scorpion Stainless lower. Both include the mainspring without a magazine for weight.

 

Agreed with the above. Mark II takedown is a no brainer once it makes sense and you see how it works. Until then it's sort of a mystery to some, but it doesn't take long once you see it in action.

In the end, it's your money. If you like nice new toys and want the VQ then buy it. If you want a backup Bullseye gun for less money, then the Ruger will fit the role for a lot less money.... probably $1000 less, or more.

I have less than $50 in my Mark II and it's not stopping me from shooting better scores. I'd say the trigger is as good or better than the HS Victor I picked up a few months back. It might be too light to be legal for BE matches, but every bit as crisp. And if I adjust the PITA overtravel that is covered as well, with only a little pretravel to deal with.

If I look at values of the two, dollar for dollar the Ruger probably wins.


If you think about the Rugers, look at both the regular and 22/45 models and shoot them if you can. The 22/45 is probably closer in grip angle to your 41.

 

It's a matter of personal tastes . Back when I purchased my Scorpion, I bought the entire gun as a package. It was nice but was cookie cutter and I never loved it. I eventually sold it off and I purchased a Mamba upper to which I added my own tricked out ( to my spec) Ruger Frame. That way, I saved a few $ and got exactly what I wanted. Specifically, I then get to chose grip type (22/45 or standard) and material ( Poly/Al/Stainless.). I also got to chose the specific mix of Ruger/TK and Volquartsen parts I preferred. That said, I have 3 MK IV's and the Mamba and I tend to shuffle my frames around as the urge strikes anyway.

 

I don't mean to dogpile but I'm in agreement with Mike_AK; one can utilize Volquartsen and Ruger parts to create a Mamba that will be just as reliable and accurate as if Volquartsen had assembled it themselves. It's obvious that there are some folks who just aren't up to the job of procuring parts and assembling a pistol from them and would prefer to have their pistol already assembled, then there are those who dive in head first and purchase everything to assemble themselves. Both will create the same result.

There is nothing magical about the Volquartsen grip frame; it's simply a housing for Volquartsen internal parts, the very same parts that are sold to the public.

There is nothing magical about Volquartsen assembling Volquartsen parts in a completely OEM Ruger grip housing; no special gnomes build them, just people like you and I.

What you're paying extra for with the Mamba is simply the assembly and testing (hopefully) of the pistol before it arrives at the dealer for transfer to its new owner.

Below is what I'll refer to as my RVQ, which is a Scorpion clone (sans the VQ grip frame), built from a Mark II grip frame and Volquartsen LLV upper, Competition bolt, Competition Kit, and Hogue grips. It shoots lights out and is just as accurate and reliable as any Volquartsen assembled pistol - it has to be because there's absolutely no reason why it shouldn't, other than operator error and/or improperly assembled parts.

 

Nice looking Scorpion there. I particularly like the use of MK II Standard frame over the 22/45 style for that build.

 

Bought a scorpion awhile back and also bought a 22/45 that morphed into a mamba. The latter was a combination of new volquartsen parts and gently used volquartsen parts. (At the time a few hundred cheaper than buying a factory mamba)

I had reliability issues with both the scorpion and mamba build that were resolved by a combination of volquartsen customer service and this site.

In the end I’d still default to building my own based on saving some money and enjoying the tinker aspect of rimfires. YMMV

 

Yes, building your own is an adventure and will help you in the future because you will know your gun. There's also the fun factor.

I built mine before the recall. Had to take all the VQ parts off to send it back to Ruger for the fix then replaced everything. Had to go back a second time. I just took all the VQ parts off and sent my frame back with the Ruger parts in a plastic bag. They reassembled it with no charge.

I've set up about 10 guns now with the VQ Accurizing Kit. It takes me less than 1/2 hour to do the work so I'm pretty confident that I know what I'm doing.

I've always been a tinkerer and the Mark IV just leads to doing extra work. It's a great platform.

 

for me

https://volquartsen.com/inventory_configurations/4951?clearance=1

I almost bit on this one and would have if I did not own it already! Add the heavy stainless barrel they have for only $300 more plus you will need a mainspring and bolt as well. Should come in under $1K and you will have a rare 50+ ounce heavy model. Go get em!

Sell the grip for $100 if you don't need it and that will help on the cost as well.

 

Just curious, is that a miss print on the Volquartsen link provided by jazzsax8? It indicates that the frame is nitride finished stainless steel. I thought the Volquartsen grip frame was made of aluminum?

 

yes

Not a missprint. They came out probably late 2017 according to:

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2017/06/30/brownells-volquartsen-stainless-scorpion/

I have one where the upper and lower is Black Nitride a super hard tough finish. It weighs again around 52 ounces naked, no comp that adds another 4.5 ounces if you can handle that much. This lower would be a great one to play with using your current lighter uppers or if you have an old Mark II Comp Target the barrels weigh just about the same. Mine is actually 3 ounces heavier.

The Stainless barrel also in the discount page is also heavy reported to be 1 1/2#'s. Since the grips that I could not use would bring just under $100, I should be buying 3 of these just for the heck of it. I have seen recent VQ Mainsprings on eBay bring $40+ tax another bargain that puts this as cheap or cheaper than most Ruger lowers!!!!! Not sure when they discontinued the pistol but they obviously found a drawer full or just a couple. Oops, they are down to 4!

 

I have a MK III 22/45 Lite with a Volquartsen accurizing kit and and a VQ Mamba. The Ruger is a fine pistol but the Mamba runs smoother and is more accurate than the Ruger. The Mamba cost quite a bit more, and I got more. For Steel Challenge I like a lighter pistol and I haven’t shot a Bullseye type match in a decade or three. I think Bullseye or Precision shooting is a lot easier with a heavy gun and/or heavy barrel. To each his own and everyone has a preference.

And some days I get my 617 out and have a blast with it. Wheelguns are what I started out with and I still like them. I have noticed one thing they all have in common; a brick of ammo just doesn’t last very long!

 

Which length barrel is better suited for the steel challenge the 6" or the 4.5" barrel version of the Black Mamba ?

 

If you are going to shoot with iron sights go with the 6 inch. If optics the 4.5 is long enough.

Some say they can tell the difference in transitions between the 4.5 and 6 but they have to be a much better shooter than me, which isn't hard these days.