Volquartsen Mark IV Accurizing Kit?

[berettaprofessor]

How hard is it to put the Ruger Mark IV Volquartsen kit in yourself? Better to pay Volquartsen or is it doable by a semi-gifted amateur who builds AR's and has repaired a half-dozen handguns with various issues? The Mark IV thread has me interested in improving my stainless Hunter.

 

[King Medallion]

I watched the video on their site just this morning, looks doable if you have your laptop handy for reference. I'm thinking I'm going to try it. I've replaces 2 triggers on different AR15's with Timney triggers, it wasn't that difficult at all.

 

[AzShooter1]

It's a very easy job. One trick is to have a third hand. I use a set of forceps which work much better than needle nose pilers.

First time may take you an hour but after you do it once or twice it can be done in 10 minutes.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Easy job.

 

[jmohme]

I have not done a Mark IV, but I did do my Mark III and it was big deal.

 

[sparkyv]

If you have these skills, you can do it. I highly recommend this upgrade to your Hunter.

How hard is it to put the Ruger Mark IV Volquartsen kit in yourself? Better to pay Volquartsen or is it doable by a semi-gifted amateur who builds AR's and has repaired a half-dozen handguns with various issues? The Mark IV thread has me interested in improving my stainless Hunter.

 

[doubleh]

It is pretty easy. I have done two of them. A good pair of tweezers really helps with hanging on to the extremely slick sear. The improvement is certainly worth the effort IMO.

 

[Frankl03]

Easy!

 

[AlexanderA]

No need to get the Volquartsen kit. 90% of the improvement comes from the sear alone, which is available from Volquartsen separately. The other major components of the kit have their own problems: the hammer is skeletonized, and the trigger has an odd profile. (A skeletonized hammer supposedly reduces lock time, but at the cost of a lighter primer strike.) I use the combination of a Volquartsen sear, a standard Mark II hammer, and a Clark trigger. In any case, the main thing to do to improve the Mark IV trigger pull is to remove the magazine-disconnect mechanism.

 

[berettaprofessor]

AlexanderA...can the original trigger work with the rest of the kit? Not crazy about that trigger.

 

[AlexanderA]

AlexanderA...can the original trigger work with the rest of the kit? Not crazy about that trigger.

Sure, because it works through a linkage, and is thus independent of the sear / hammer interface.

Be aware, however, that the Ruger trigger has a "nub" on the back, that engages a notch on the front of the magazine. (The intention seems to be to raise the magazine, if it is not fully seated.) This feature is not desirable if you are looking for an optimal trigger pull.

In the following picture, the Ruger trigger is shown below the gun, on the left, next to the Clark trigger. Neither the Clark trigger nor the Volquartsen trigger has that projection. (Incidentally, the front sights are the original sight, on the left, and a modified Single Six sight. The idea is to make the gun more "holster friendly." The original sight would tend to snag.)

 

[berettaprofessor]

It is done. Thank you everyone for the encouragement. In fact, an untrained monkey with minor skills CAN do it themselves. Came Thursday and I put it in today. Took 1 hour and 8 minutes including opening the packaging and rummaging for tools at times. It was pretty easy, the only delicate part being to get the safety, hammer, and transfer bar all lined up at once on the hammer pivot pin and seated...took a little moment of holding my mouth right. It would help to prepare beforehand to have a pistol clamp or rest to hold the lower, and to have the proper screwdriver bits ready to go. Take it slow and patiently and read every step twice before you do it. And for gosh darn sake, listen to the Volquartsen guy doing the video and adjust the takeup and overtravel trigger screws before you place the trigger into the frame...i was working off their printed instructions, even though I watched the video once a couple days back, and once everything was together I realized the screws were almost all the way out and I had to slowly turn them in a 1/6th turn at a time because it's tight spaces in that trigger guard.

Trigger is now 2.4 ozs and short pull and consistent instead of its previously variable 4.5-5.5 lbs and lots of overtravel. The only thing I'd do different is use the thicker of the two trigger bushings of the kit. I used the thinner one and there's just a touch of side to side play left.

And good riddance magazine disconnect!

 

[whatnickname]

I’ve installed better than a dozen of these kits. The last one I installed was on my MKIV Hunter Model. I found the kit easier to install in the MKIV than the MKII pistols. A couple of pointers if you don’t mind. Watch Volquartsen’s video. The small springs have a tendency to depart for places unknown. Only install them when you reassemble that particular component. When you pull the grips off, remove the spring loaded plunger in the butt that assists in the ejection of the magazine. That little guy is just sitting in it’s recess and is easily flipped up when working on the pistol. It’s under tension and will take off like a rocket. That’s the last part you put back in! Some people discard the part completely as the magazine ejects just fine without it. This is a matter of personal preference.

I find a small pair of forceps (available from Brownells) helpful for holding small parts ( sear and sear spring) in alignment when inserting pins through them. The sear pin has practically no resistance in the frame holes. Once you put the sear and sear spring in the frame, I suggest you place a small piece of masking or blue painters tape over the end of the pin on both sides of the frame. This will prevent it from falling out during the remaining reassembly process. The spring loaded detent plunger mounted in the thumb piece safety lever is perhaps the trickiest part of the whole project. Set the spring and plunger aside until you are ready to reinstall the thumb piece (Safety lever). You’re going to have to compress the plunger to fit the thumb piece into the recess milled into the frame. Use care in doing so. That part will fly across the room if you let it get away from you.

Label and store the original parts for your pistol. If you have to return your pistol to Ruger for service they will replace these parts with OEM parts and charge you accordingly. I wouldn’t put it past Ruger to confiscate the Volquartsen parts.

 

[Riomouse911]

Glad you did it yourself, I also found it not too difficult at all.

2.4 oz trigger pull, man that is light. Mine is 1lb 13 oz, but crisp with zero overtravel.



Let us know how it shoots for you with the new trigger guts.

Stay safe.