Another Ruger...

[Yamaki]

So I did a little self-gifting this year. My wife won't purchase firearms for me so I have to do it all by myself.

This year's addition to the armory consists of a Ruger Mark IV Target model with a 5.5" bull barrel. Chambered in .22LR, Ruger has been making the Mark series of pistols since 1949 and this one pistol basically launched the company.

I've owned a Mark III and it was a fine shooter with a few tweaks. The only complaint I had about it, and this is common across the line through the Mark III model, was the take down and reassembly process. I'm sure hundreds of Mark I, II & III owners found they could not reassemble their pistol and they ended up in boxes to be sold or reassembled by a gunsmith. Many of those owners had a love/hate relationship with the Mark.

Ruger introduced the Mark IV this year and for us Mark owners, it was a revelation! They look the same as previous Marks, they shoot the same and the quality is excellent. However, Ruger redesigned the internal bolt assembly, the upper & lower frames were separated and, now, pushing one button breaks open the weapon - much like the venerable AR design - making break down, cleaning and reassembly a simple and efficient task.

Can't wait to get to the indoor range this week to sight it in!