Turnbull finished Ruger Mark IV

I would not spend the money on a Mark anything pistol. If I were spending the money to refinish anything it would be on a revolver or levergun.

Kano383 said:

If I may be irreverent... All the artillery-like aerodynamics with Wehrmacht camouflage, perched on top of Luger grips strongly make me think of a PanzerKampfWagen Howitzer Gross Bertha MkVIII...

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Before clicking on the link, I was sure I wouldn't like it. Once I clicked on the link, I was surprised that I find it pretty neat looking. Then you go and give that description and now I find that gun downright awesome.

If Andy Wohol was alive and put finishes on guns....you'd get this.

Hey, everyone has different tastes. Enjoy what you like.

Actually I think it will wear just fine unless you are the kind of guy who tosses it under the seat of your pickup. The receiver doesn't get that much handling in my experience. I still own MK lls from the 80s and the bluing isn't showing any wear on the receiver - the wear is all on the grip frame. That gun has spent its whole life going in and out of a holster too.

Looks odd on that gun. I like the idea, not the execution.

I have held a Turnbull Mark IV in my hands, and it is a work of art. I find no photo yet discovered that shows the elegance.

Does color case hardening improve the effectiveness of a semi-auto? No. Neither does engraving. Looks matter to some folks, and it will appeal to some potential buyers if you ever choose to sell the weapon.

A great paint job on a car doesn't really improve anything but looks, but some folks will spent a small fortune on such work... or "chroming" up various things under the hood. "Looks": count to some owners.

I agree with everything you are saying. Today for some reason "looks" have become the main deciding factor for many people regarding many products. It baffles me personally. I see people buying cars and firearms and even houses based solely on their "looks". I like to crawl underneath cars and look in the attic and basement and see how it was actually designed and built. I have freaked out a number of car salesman and real estate agents when doing that.

Buying a turnbull finished Mark IV isn't really the same as inspecting a car or home. It's a Ruger Mark IV, it's going to shoot well and run well - that's a given. Assured function is not so easily expected when buying a used car. So then the only decision point for the owner is how they want it to look.

I'm not sure what to think. About 10 seconds out of 20, I really like it, the rest, I don't, and my mind changes back and forth that quickly and that often. I'm a stainless steel guy, so I wouldn't buy one either way, but I do love the look of well executed (cough, Turnbull, cough) CCH on many firearms. The Mark IV, I'm just not quite sure about yet, and might never be.

Drail said:

And rivets!

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Lots and lots of rivets!

Set by hand with an antique hammer........

Drail said:

Set by hand with an antique hammer........

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Is there any other way?

Lipstick on a pig..
Just saying

Taroman said:

Lipstick on a pig.

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I wonder if the boy pigs (boars) like that?

It just doesn't look right on that Ruger model. Now I've seen it on any number of other guns, including an HK P7 semi-auto, that were just beautiful with it as a finish.

Nuclear said:

HK P7 semi-auto

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Yes, looks matter to some folks. Looks matter A LOT to some folks. But I don't understand why other folks feel the need to be condescending about it, or why one would assume that looks are the ONLY thing that matters. Physical appearance obviously matters a lot to me. I am a hopeless romantic and that has a dramatic effect on my passion for firearms. Otherwise I wouldn't love engraving, color case hardening, fancy wood, ivory, and hand-built goodness. Suffice to say that it matters to everyone who pays for Turnbull's work. Believe it or not, it is possible to have everything. My custom .500 is engraved, stocked in ivory and sports fancy finishes to make it beautiful. However, the chambering makes effective on game up to and including elephant. The custom fitted stocks make it comfortable to shoot. The post front sight gives me an excellent sight picture. The linebored cylinder, premium Pac-Nor barrel, blocked action and minimum spec chambers make it accurate. The crisp 2lb trigger allows me to shoot it accurately. The crescent ejector allows me to eject empties more quickly. The smooth action allows me to cock it more quickly. The free-spin cylinder allows me to untie the gun if a bullet jumps crimp. The custom basepin allows easy withdrawal with sweaty hands. Even the carbona blue finish is more durable than more modern bluing. So for the life of me, I cannot understand why one would assume that a beautiful firearm is not also functional, if not MORE functional than something plainer. I have a theory.....

I think if you swapped out the factory grips with some white Corian or ivory, g10's, etc., it would change a lot of people's minds.

Sam

Meh. I like case colored revolvers and 1911 frames that are topped with a nice brush polished, blued slide. Not crazy about the look of that there MK IV.

The frame clashes, the grips are ugly, and the bull barrel looks inelegant.

Put a nice tapered barrel on there, engrave the frame, and put some fancy wood grips on there. Then you'd have something.