The Ruger MKIV handguns

[Alex Clayton]

The body of the original style magazine will lock in the 22/45, but that won't do you any good without a baseplate. The original style baseplate is too wide for the 22/45, and will block it from seating. You have to switch baseplates if you want to do this.

Thanks, bummer but that was kind of what I was afraid of. Since I am not going to be getting rid of the 22/45 MK's it means just buy another dozen mags then when the Wife gets the new one then. LOVE Rugers .22's but the mags thing is frustrating no end.

 

[alfsauve]

I believe the only difference in the mags is the baseplate. Buy a bunch of baseplates and switch them over. Simple and quick job.

I tend to be a bull in a china shop. So I just cut a slot in the back of both my 22/45 Lites so they'd take MK III magazines. Problem solved once and for all.

 

[Alex Clayton]

I tend to be a bull in a china shop. So I just cut a slot in the back of both my 22/45 Lites so they'd take MK III magazines. Problem solved once and for all.

I like that idea!
If I still had my MKIII I would do that. I just want the damn mags to fit all the pistols Ruger Does not seem like it should be too much to ask LOL.
At least now that I only have a II and a IV I can just use MKIV mags for both. The problem will be when Wife buys the new one with the longer tube it at least for now, only comes in the original style. So more mags. Sure do not want to have to swap base plates every time I want to use the mags. If I was only keeping one style I would just swap the bases of course. The one "upside" is at least now when she buys the new one there is plenty of mags. When we bought the MKIII and and MKIV they had just hit and mags were impossible to find without paying scalper price for a while. Just no fun going to the range with only 2 mags
The worst was the one day I had one pistol and a dozen of the wrong mags in the range bag. If not for the one mag in the pistol there would have been no shooting it that day since I was not about to drive back home to grab some mags and then drive back.

 

[Alex Clayton]

Another thing while on Ruger .22 mags. This is not for the MK's but may come in handy for Ruger fans. Wife bought an LCPII in .22 just before the great plague hit. Great little pistol for her but again Ruger and their mag choices
The mags for these are damn hard to load without the little tool they send. With the tool they are a snap but I tried doing some without just to see if I could get used to them. All I ended up doing is cutting my thumb to the point I gave up. So figured I better get an extra loader or two so we do not end up at the range without one. So of course they have none in stock since the pistol is new. So I bought a couple of the same kind made for the LCP II .380 we have and used a Dremel to cut them to work with the .22 mags. Those 22 mags are just VERY hard to load without a tool.

 

[AlexanderA]

If you're going to perform surgery, it would be better to perform the surgery on the magazine than on the grip frame. The original style of baseplate has protrusions on the sides that are used as grips to extract the magazine (Luger style), but these block the magazine from fitting in the 22/45. I suppose you could chop those protrusions off. It would look like hell, and the mag would be sticky, but it would probably work.

 

[Alex Clayton]

If you're going to perform surgery, it would be better to perform the surgery on the magazine than on the grip frame. The original style of baseplate has protrusions on the sides that are used as grips to extract the magazine (Luger style), but these block the magazine from fitting in the 22/45. I suppose you could chop those protrusions off. It would look like hell, and the mag would be sticky, but it would probably work.

It's been so damn long since I had one of the old style I can't remember what they were like. When the Wife finally gets the new one at least now there is plenty of mags to buy. The thing that frosted me so much when we bought the III and then the IV was there was no damn mags to buy unless you wanted to pay a stiff premium. Took a little while for the pipe line to fill up. Probably because the guys re-selling them had bought everything coming from the vendor as fast as they could make them. At least now there is no problem buying them so will have to live with having 2 different kinds of mags for the 3 pistols.

 

[alfsauve]

If you're going to perform surgery, it would be better to perform the surgery on the magazine than on the grip frame.

"onTHE magazine" ah there's the rub. 12 magazines later. And what if I need to borrow somebody's and it's a MK III? For me modding the grip was the best answer, YMMV.​

 

[CraigC]

They're good guns but so are a lot of others. I've owned Brownings since 1989 and have had nary a problem with them. I've had four of the MK-series guns and the Brownings have been more accurate.

 

[mljdeckard]

I mostly run my Ciener conversion kit on my Kimber, but I have my dad's 1964 Ruger Standard model. I can't quite justify getting a new pretty Mk IV while I have it. But I am am member of some Owner groups that make me really think hard about a pretty Volquartsen or TacSol.

 

[AlexanderA]

The Ruger Mark series is a natural for a collection, at least the basic models. It's really interesting to trace the evolution. And they are affordable.