Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. just released two new Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite rimfire pistols. The new pistols offer a custom look and custom features without a custom price tag.
Like the rest of the MK IV series, the new pistols are chambered for .22 LR. That’s to be expected, although it might be interesting to see a .21 Sharp version at some point. The new 22/45 Lite’s have 4.40″ threaded cold-hammer forged barrels, adjustable sights, a Picatinny top rail and an ambidextrous manual safety. The receiver and barrel shroud is a monolithic unit and it’s machined from aerospace-grade aluminum. It’s ventilated and lightweight.
The polymer grip frame is precision-molded and has a 1911 style grip angle and uses replaceable checkered 1911-style grip panels. The factory grips are just fine, but that does allow the user to customize the pistol to their tastes, something you don’t get to do with most polymer framed pistols. Ruger bills the Mark IV 22/45 Lite is being perfect for outdoors use for target shooting, plinking, small game hunting or competitive shooting. I have an older 22/45 Lite and have to agree,, it’s a great fit for any or all of those purposes. It uses the one-button take down system that came about with the MK IV design and, if you ever broke down an older generation Ruger you know what a godsend that is.
Aside from the receiver styling updates, one pistol features a black receiver, black grip panels and a gold trigger and a gold barrel. The other features a champagne-colored receiver, black grip panels, and a black trigger. Both pistols ship with two 10-round magazines and have an MSRP of $739.
For more information, check out Ruger’s website at Ruger.com.
