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Back in 1949, the Mark I .22 Long Rifle caliber pistol was introduced by Ruger, and it just so happens that this was their very first product! At the time, its general profile was somewhat similar to the German Luger of World Wars I & II fame. Fast forward to present day, Ruger is now on the Mark IV series.

The Mark I, II, and III series are all excellent pistols but they had one irking factor that shooters weren’t very fond of. More on that later, and why it led to the Mark IV series.

I confess that I’m a .22 Long Rifle whore. There, I said it. They tell me that the first step is admitting that it’s a problem. Except, it’s not a problem because I can stop any time I want, honestly! So a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 pistol followed me home.

Basic Features of the Ruger Mark IV 22/45

The pistol is chambered in .22 Long Rifle and features a 5.5-inch long bull barrel (complete with recessed target crown), which helps the pistol balance extremely well. It’s not a lightweight pistol, but the outstanding balance really evens things out. Immediately upon picking it up, It felt almost “heavy” in my hand. I say almost because it’s not a particularly heavy pistol, it’s just well put together. It’s 34.4 ounces, so it’s not a featherweight, but considering the heavy barrel, I don’t see the weight as being excessive. Perhaps “solid” is a better descriptive term.

The frame is Polymer and the grips (which are removable and can be replaced) are “synthetic.” Grips that are wood and comprised of other materials can also be had if the user desires. The grips resemble those of a 1911 and feel really comfortable in the hand.  I actually had to do a double take when I read that the frame is made from Polymer; I’d thought it was metal because it is so solid, and it actually feels like metal. The receiver is made from alloy steel. The front of the grip is serrated and the backstrap is checkered, which adds to the positive grip. Overall, the entire grip strongly resembles a 1911 in angle, girth, and feel.

On top of the receiver, there are holes drilled and tapped so that a Picatinny or Weaver rail can be easily added for mounting optics and such. Some other versions of the Mark IV actually come standard with the rail attached, and the option to add one easily is a welcomed option.

The overall length of the Ruger Mark IV 22/45 is 9.75 inches and the height is 5.5 inches. As far as pistols go, this one is on the larger side. But then, it’s not something you’re likely to try to slip into a pocket for concealed carry. There is a 22/45 Lite version that is smaller and…you guessed it…lighter, and such a pistol might be better suited in the event that someone would want to carry it concealed. That said, these pistols really aren’t intended for the concealed carry crowd.

Attracted to their accuracy and durability, I had wanted one of the Ruger Mark series pistols for a number of years, but I heard horror stories about field stripping and cleaning them. Those accounts always turned me off, as I’m not the most mechanically inclined person on the face of the earth. In fact, I’m a complete simpleton when it comes to such things. Ruger listened to peoples’ complaints, and in 2016, they introduced the Mark IV series.

What really turned me on to the Ruger Mark IV 22/45 was when I saw how easy it is to take down. Push one button, and the receiver pops up similarly to that of an AR-15, and the entire upper receiver detaches from the lower. The bolt pops right out! That’s it! So easy I can do it in about two seconds (literally). Remember that irking factor that I’d mentioned at the beginning of this article that shooters didn’t care for? Ruger is on top of their game and remedied that issue forever.

The construction of the bolt is cylindrical, as is the receiver, so the two fit together well.

The magazine release is conventionally located on the frame so that it can be activated with the thumb. It’s easily pressed and the magazine ejects positively (dare I say forcefully). Speaking of magazines, the Mark IV mags hold ten rounds and are constructed ruggedly. They’re very easy to load, as they have buttons on the mag that you can pull down, relaxing the spring, so the rounds can easily be loaded. Two magazines are shipped with each Mark IV pistol.

One thing that I don’t care for is the fact that there’s a magazine disconnect, so the pistol will not fire without a magazine inserted. I’d prefer to be able to fire it without a magazine. This isn’t a deal-breaker, but it is what it is.

Now we come to the safety, which is very well executed on this pistol. It operates very similarly to a standard 1911, and is easily swiped off without a lot of effort to fire the pistol. The placement is outstanding; it’s right there where you’d expect it to be. All in all, the safety gets the highest marks. An added bonus is that the safety is ambidextrous. Ruger had this one easy; they just emulated the 1911 style safety, and couldn’t have done a better job.

The slide release is just forward of the safety, and it is a good one. Normally, I don’t much concern myself with slide releases, instead preferring to release or withdraw the slide by grasping over the top of the slide and pulling back with my hand. However, with the MK IV, one cannot do that because the bolt is enclosed in the receiver (as we mentioned, like an AR-15). As such, there is no conventional slide, the bolt moves within the receiver; instead, one has to grasp the cocking tabs or “ears”, at the rear of the receiver to charge the pistol. To be fair, this is not difficult. However, for those who are used to simply going over the top of the slide with the palm of the hand, we will need to revamp our method for this pistol. It’s a mild inconvenience that I wouldn’t consider to be the end of the world, but just be aware of it.

When the last round is fired, the bolt is locked to the rear. At the range, though, I found that I naturally placed my thumb on the slide release, so the slide often did not hold open after the last round was fired. That’s a software problem (the shooter) and not a hardware problem (the firearm).

Next we come to the sights. There are things that I like, such as the rear sight being adjustable. One thing that I dislike is the fact that the front sight (a ramp type) is all black. For me, it really needs to have either a dot or some color on it. For that matter, the rear sight is also all black, though this is not as critical for me. I believe I’m going to use an old trick that a buddy taught me and put a dab of fluorescent nail polish on the top of the front sight ramp to help me to be able to see it better. Aside from that, the sights seem to be just fine with the pistol. I also understand that one can purchase a different front sight post, which is held on by a screw and should change out very easily. I will look into acquiring one of those.

Why did I buy the Ruger Mark IV 22/45?

It’s doubtful that I’m going to carry it concealed for protection. However, I will be using it to give my family some trigger time and run them through some shooting drills to get them more accustomed to such things.

It will also be used a bit just for fun. I seldom shoot for “fun” anymore. Each time I go to the range, I follow the advice of my friend and fellow instructor (Bob): always have an agenda, a schedule to improve one or more skills for each range session. Well, I’m still going to do that, but considering this pistol is a .22, I will also enjoy shooting it. I will still run drills incessantly, but there will be some fun had along with it all.

Beyond that, it’s just a good idea to have a .22 pistol that you can throw in a day pack and take with you on an outing, along with several hundred rounds. Between the pistol and ammo, the extra weight won’t add much to the pack, and you’ll likely not even realize you’re carrying it. Unless you happen to need it.

That brings me to my next point: the .22 Long Rifle. That’s really the reason that I bought this pistol, I wanted a .22 pistol.

Why the .22 LR? Those who know me might be rolling their eyes right now because they realize I’m going to beat a dead horse again about the virtues of the .22LR. If you haven’t heard this spiel yet, you may find it interesting. If you have…read it again anyway because it’s true.

.22 Long Rifle Virtues

It’s inexpensive. 

Which means you can stock up on a LOT of rounds for a rainy day (and currently, it appears that we may have a rainy day coming). What’s more, you can actually afford to practice and train a whole lot more with the .22LR than with, say, .45 ACP.  At the time of this writing, my local gunshop has .22LR for about $11.95 per 100 rounds of CCI, which is generally agreed to be the Gold Standard by which .22 ammo is judged. Bulk packs cost about $50 for 500 rounds, depending on the brand and quality. Some is more, some is a little less. Quality does vary, but generally, most of it is pretty decent stuff.

It’s light and compact.

The .22LR is smaller than almost any other round on the planet. Especially when compared to other pistol bullets. It weighs less and takes up far less space. A brick of 500 will fit into a backpack easily and weighs a couple pounds.

It’s than quieter than other calibers.

This helps the shooter if he’s trying to be more discreet, although this is more-so true in rifles than pistols. Still, it’s not as noisy as many other rounds. That makes it easier on the ears, and the sound does not carry as far, so shooting the .22 is more discreet.

Far less recoil than other calibers.

This is great for new shooters because they won’t become recoil sensitive as with some other calibers. For experienced shooters, this allows a high rate of fire without recoil throwing them off target. A win/win for all involved.

There is a wide variety of .22 ammo configurations available,

Options range from subsonic rounds to match rounds. Hunting rounds, target rounds, and all sorts in between. There’s even birdshot and snakeshot. Note that not all of them will cycle semi-autos reliably, so a bit of research and some testing on your part will be time well spent.

Its popularity ensures that it will be available wherever bullets are sold.

Those are many of the advantages, but there are a few disadvantages as well. The powder used in .22 ammo often burns dirtier than other rounds, and can gum up the action of your firearm(s). And the round itself is not as powerful as most others. Yes, there are tradeoffs, but I believe, for many purposes, the advantages outweigh the costs. Is the .22LR the ultimate round for every purpose? Not by a long shot. However, as a long-term survival round, it is very hard to beat!

I typically buy a few boxes of ammo each week, and over time, that adds up. I look at this caliber as a long-term investment, and long after I’ve expended my other calibers in a disaster scenario, I’ll still have .22LR in supply. My advice is to buy it when it’s available to you, as there is no guarantee how long it (or any other item these days) will be on the shelves. We’ve seen how panic buying can wipe out store shelves.

At The Range

As expected, reliability with the Ruger Mark IV 22/45 was superb. There was one misfire, which turned out to be a generic .22 round that I rechambered and it still would not fire. It turned out to be faulty ammo, rather than the pistol’s fault. In the end, the pistol’s reliability was perfect.

I ran several brands of ammunition through it, including CCI (the gold standard of .22 ammo), Aguila, Federal, and some other bulk pack ammo. Suffice to say that the 22/45 will likely run with anything that you can stuff into the magazines.

Regarding the magazines, as mentioned, the button on the side makes it nice to load them. When you pull down on the button, the spring tension is released so that feeding the rounds into the magazine is much easier. They are also fairly sturdy affairs and are likely to last a long time. I’m going to pick up a few more at GunMag Warehouse, as it’s always nice to have a few spares on hand.

Accuracy was, in my opinion, extremely good. The best group of the day that I shot was 2 ½ inches at 15 yards from the offhand position. Given the fact that I had a 25-mile-per-hour wind hitting me in the face when it was 40 degrees, I consider that to be pretty decent. Undoubtedly, the pistol is capable of better accuracy than I am, and under better conditions, I’ve no doubt that groups will improve. As it stands, that size of a group is pretty good for a pistol.

At one point, my daughter wanted to try the Mark IV out, so I let her shoot a few magazines through it. She exclaimed, “It’s pretty quiet and there’s almost no recoil!”

I replied, “Well, that’s kind of the point.” The .22LR just seems to endear itself to shooters with no effort on its part whatsoever. Incidentally, she shot the Ruger quite well, turning in respectable groups.

Despite the inhospitable weather, I felt my mood brightening the more I shot the Mark IV. It’s just a very fun gun to shoot! The recoil is so light that it almost feels as though the pistol isn’t cycling properly, but rest assured, it is.

The trigger is quite good; upon going through the takeup, there is a wall, followed by a very clean break. It’s not necessarily a “light” pull but is very crisp and predictable and should please all but the most discriminating shooters. Let’s face it, there will be complainers, but in my opinion, if you can’t make the Ruger trigger work for you, you probably have no business picking up a pistol anyway. As with most other pistol triggers, this one is likely to smooth up with use over time. And I can promise you, this pistol is going to see a lot more use in the future, as many range trips will be had.

Not only will I get more trigger time with the MK IV, but my family will as well, as some fun training time will be had by all.

If you’re in the market for a reasonably priced, accurate, comfortable pistol that you won’t go broke feeding, that has Ruger’s awesome reputation behind it, then you need to pick up a Ruger Mark IV 22/45. It will bring you years of enjoyment, as well as put a smile on your face.

Springfield Armory has just introduced a 9mm version of their popular Garrison 1911 and it looks like a winner. Coming on the heels of the popular .45 ACP version, the Garrison is a quality, versatile 1911 platform with a relatively inexpensive price tag. TheFireArmGuy [YouTube channel] gives us the rundown, complete with range footage and field strip, in the video linked below.

Let’s take a look at the specs before moving on:

• Caliber: 9mm
• Capacity: 9+1
• Recoil System: GI
• Barrel: 5-inch forged Stainless Steel, Match Grade, Fully Supported Ramp, 1:16
• Overall Length: 8.6 inches
• Height: 5.5 inches
• Weight: 38 ounces
• Sights: Low Profile Combat 3 Dot
• Colors: Stainless Steel or Hot Salt Blued
• MSRP: $899 Stainless Steel or $849 Blued

Our host has the stainless-steel model, so we’ll move forward with that. The frame and slide are forged steel with diamond checkered thin line wood grips featuring an attractive Springfield Armory crossed cannons logo. The gun has a textured backstrap and the front of the grip is smooth.

The contoured grip safety features an extended beavertail, and both the hammer and trigger are skeletonized. The extended thumb safety is not ambidextrous, being only on the left side of the frame.

The rear sight is a Novak style low profile ramped set up with the post front sight. Both are adjustable. The stainless-steel finish is glossy on the flats and matte on the rounds, including on top of the slide to mitigate glare. The same glossy and matte pattern comes on the blued version. The Garrison has standard 1911 dimensions and disassembly.

The gun ships with one 9-round single stack stainless-steel magazine and a padded soft carrying case. You’d think they would include an extra mag but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Right out of the gate, he says the “overall shooting impressions are excellent. When I took this to the range…it was very, very nice. No recoil and it kept you on target.” The trigger breaks at about 4.5 pounds and is “So smooth, so light, and the reset is, like, nothing.”

He notes that shooting 9mm ammo from a full-size 1911 like the Garrison will really build your confidence as a shooter. “When you shoot 9mm out of a full-size handgun like this, it is so smooth.” The 9mm barrel is fully ramped and being a 70 series gun, it doesn’t have a firing pin block. “Makes it nice and smooth. Easy to handle.”

Smooth seems to be the operative word in this review. Not a bad thing to say about any firearm. He notes that lots of people love 1911s but want to shoot 9mm because of the increased magazine capacity, softer recoil, and cheaper ammo. Coupled with the 1911 trigger, “You just can’t beat it. It’s a good-looking and shooting handgun. So, if you’re one of those people, you’ll love the Garrison.”

Does the Springfield Armory Garrison 1911 look like a winner to you, especially at that price point? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Happy shooting y’all.

I love lever action rifles. I just do. I’ve carried the same Marlin lever gun every deer season since 1978. It’s never given me a reason to switch to anything else. So, when I saw that Chris and Jake from 1911 Syndicate had a video called “Lever Actions — Why You Need One,” well, I couldn’t resist. The video linked below is partly an ode to the coolness and reliability of lever guns and partly a review of the Marlin Model 1894 CSBL chambered in .357 Magnum.

They start with a rundown of the Marlin’s specs, so I’ll do the same:

Marlin 1894 CSBL

• Caliber: .357 Magnum (also shoots .38 Special)
• Capacity: The website says 6+1 but Chris says it holds 8+1 in .357 and 9+1 in .38
• Barrel Length: 16.5 inches
• Overall Length: 38.5 inches
• Weight: 6.5 lbs. 7.1 lbs. with the Leupold VX Freedom 1.5-4x scope
• Barrel Twist Rate: 1/16
• Price: Around $1000.00, which Chris and Jake say is “More than reasonable.”

Note: The Leupold scope doesn’t look like that out of the box. It was Cerakoted to look like the one Chris Pratt had on his lever gun in one of the Jurassic Park movies. I don’t know which one. They all run together for me.

Speaking of Chris Pratt in Jurassic Park, it was that movie, and another called Wind River, that sparked Chris and Jake’s interest in lever guns. I totally get it. Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon is the primary reason I own a Beretta 92. You want what you want. And after hearing about Wind River, I want to see it now.

Anyway, Chris gives us a quick look at the origins of lever guns, starting with the 1860 Henry Rifle chambered in a .44 caliber rimfire, and transitioning to Marlins. He says of Marlin and Henry, “Those are the two big names. They’ve been around the longest.” I’m thinking he should have included Winchester there, but hey, it’s his video.

Marlin was founded in 1870 by John Marlin, who previously worked at Colt during the Civil War. He started out making .22, .32, and .38 caliber derringers. He made his first rifle in 1875, based on the 1861 design of Charles Ballard. Appropriately, he called it the “Ballard Rifle.” It was apparently a good firearm and quite popular with shooters of the day.

The first Marlin lever action rifle appeared in 1881, chambered in .45-70 Gov’t. It was very successful and established Marlin in the lever action market. The Model 1894 was introduced, strangely enough, in 1894 and was available in .25-30 Winchester, 32-20 Winchester, .38-40, and .44-40. Chris says it was chambered in .357 Magnum and .38 Special, but he is mistaken since those cartridges were not introduced until 1935 and 1898, respectively.

Pop culture references aside, Chris and Jake also wanted to get into lever guns because of their reliability in cold weather. Lever guns have historically been popular in cold environments and have held up well. Chris says he found out that guns with side ejection ports, like the Marlins, are a little better in the cold than guns with a top ejection port. The latter are apparently more susceptible to freezing. I never thought about that, but perhaps that’s because the top ports tend to be more exposed to rain and ice? Maybe.

Chris and Jake chose the 1894 CSBL because they wanted a gun that shared a cartridge with Jake’s newly purchased Korth .357 Magnum revolver on backcountry outings. They also considered a .45-70, never a bad choice, but the fact that a friend was willing to lend them this particular Marlin sealed the deal. I totally get that, too. One place they went just a bit wrong was they wanted that shared cartridge to be able to “put down a big animal if need be.” Chris says he feels like if he drills nine rounds of .357 Magnum into an animal, “if he gets me, he earned it.”

Well, maybe so, except they then talked to a Yellowstone Park Ranger who advised Jake to use the .357 on himself if encountered an angry grizzly. I was kind of thinking the same thing since my choice to protect myself from a grizzly would be .44 Magnum or .454 in the revolver and a hot .45-70 load in the lever gun. But that’s me. You do you.

But they understand that situation and the .357 will do fine against most anything else that wants to be unfriendly. Against aggressive mountain lions or black bears, they say, it’s “Probably gonna be awesome. Against a megalodon in the sea, which is like a [grizzly] bear on the ground, not gonna go so hot.”

But they love how the dude in Wind River apparently shoots a 500-grain 45-70 load that sounds pretty awesome. Chris says he confirmed that from some old-timers on the forums. Plus, he adds that “if Chris Pratt decides a .45-70 is what he’s gonna use to put down a T-Rex, well dammit, I want one also.” Personally, I’m in full agreement on that.

Chris does admit that he wouldn’t shoot a 45-70 much, but he says that the Marlin 1894 loaded with .38 Special “shoots like a 10/22,” and, “.357, through this gun, shoots like a 5.56.” That does sound nice. “It is super, super controllable,” he says. Jake adds, “I gotta be honest here, I want a .45-70.”

Chris makes a good point about why lever guns are so fun. When you played cowboys and Indians as a kid, what gun did both sides likely have? A lever gun of some kind. What was your first BB gun? For most of us, it was a Daisy lever action, probably a Red Ryder. We’ve had them all our lives and they are just fun guns all the way around. In fact, this whole thing reminds me of my colleague David Reeder’s article on Tactical Lever Guns. You should check it out.

Finally, we get to reliability. Chris and Jake say they’ve heard some things about the technology being old and complicated, and that can be true. But some time on the forums has convinced them that if gunsmiths in the 1890s can make them reliably, modern materials and techniques can do the same. You can learn a lot on the right forum.

I think part of the reputation for unreliability comes from the unfortunate period when Marlin was owned by Remington. Those guns were just garbage for the last few years of that arrangement. But I have high hopes for the Marlin brand now that Ruger is running the show. I think Marlin will be back to its old self.

Chris concludes by saying he thinks the lever gun is “a great option for cold weather, jungle, you know, on the island running from velociraptors and everything.” At which point Jake works the action, producing that lovely sound. If you don’t know that sound, man, you need to go get yourself a lever action. ‘Nuff said.

Last month we learned about the new Sig Sauer 22 pistol — the Sig P322 — that was modeled on the P320. As always, we appreciate reviews on new firearms, and Mr. Gunsngear himself breaks the P322 down for us in a recent video. 

He describes it as “relatively full-size,” following the contours of the P320 with a lot of the same features. It ships with two mags equipped with loading assist tabs which Mr. GnG says really come in handy when you get to the 19th and 20th rounds. As you may have guessed, the gun’s capacity is 20+1 rounds of .22 Long Rifle.

Sig P322 Features

The ergonomics are very nice with a generously flared mag well, which our fearless reviewer says he wishes was a feature on more centerfire guns. The grip angle is 1911-like with good texturing which gets more aggressive on the front and back straps. Not that you really need it on a .22, but Mr. GnG says, “It definitely stays locked very, very firmly in your hands.”

The controls are what you’d expect with a reversible mag release and ambidextrous slide release and thumb safety. The gun comes with a flat trigger shoe, but there’s an optional curved model in the box. All you have to do is switch them out if you want. The trigger guard is large, especially for a .22 and you shouldn’t have any issues reaching the trigger, even with gloves. There is a generous undercut at the rear of the trigger guard, allowing a nice, high grip.

The gun has a standard front Picatinny rail for accessories and nice shrouded fiber optic sights front and back. That last part is nice because those fiber optic sights can get knocked around or break. They’re easy to pick up, which is helped by the front dot being a bit larger than those on the rear, making it easier to tell what you’re looking at in the dark. The rear sights are removable for the addition of an optic. The gun has a Sig or Shield RMS/RMSc footprint.

Another nice feature is the threaded barrel adapter, with ½ x 28 threads. You can put a can on this thing from day one, with the added advantage of helping keep the rounds subsonic.

The P322 has an internal hammer, and the trigger is nice with some sponginess before a crisp break. When demonstrating the trigger break, our host had some trouble finding the wall, pulling through it before he knew it was there. He laughingly said, “That’s a good thing.” The reset is described as long but “super positive.”

What about Performance?

The gun is very accurate, and Mr. GnG says that “Everyone I’ve handed this pistol to so far has been able to shoot it extremely well.” He attributes that to several things:

• It’s a good pistol overall.
• The barrel and sights are accurate.
• Very little recoil so no flinching.
• It’s just an easy gun to shoot well with irons or an optic.

The gun fired very well with a couple of different standard 40-grain loads with a 1200 to 1250 fps rating. It didn’t like the high-velocity 30-grain cartridge he tried, but most .22s are a bit picky on ammo.

The Sig Sauer P322 is currently going in the low-to-mid 400-dollar range. So, if you’re in the market for a nice .22 semi-auto pistol, what are you waiting for? Let us know how you like it and, as always, happy shooting y’all.