Last updated October 31, 2026 · By Nick Hall, Ruger Mark IV shooter who has owned the 22/45, Target, Hunter, and Lite variants
Affiliate disclaimer: We earn a small part of the sale price when you buy through our links. You won’t pay anything extra for products and services, and your purchase helps support the site.
- Treat every gun as loaded
- Point the muzzle in a safe direction
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot
- Know your target and what’s beyond
Quick Answer: The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite is the best Ruger Mark IV pistol you can buy in 2026 across the full lineup, a 10+1 round .22 LR target pistol with the 1911-style grip angle preferred by shooters who train on .45 ACP and the lightweight aluminum upper that reduces overall weight.
Best Mark IV target variant: the Mark IV Target with its bull barrel and adjustable rear sight. Cheapest way in: the plain Mark IV 22/45, about $410 on October 31, 2026. Best small-game and long-barrel gun: the Mark IV Hunter with a 6.88-inch fluted barrel. Best classic grip on a budget: the Mark IV Standard. Ruger’s threaded versions, like the 22/45 Lite and Tactical, are the suppressor hosts.
The biggest mistake new Mark IV owners make is feeding bulk-pack ammo through a tight-chamber match-style barrel and complaining about reliability. Stick with CCI Mini-Mag or SK Standard Plus for general use; reserve bulk ammo for guns explicitly designed for it (Ruger 10/22 carbine, Marlin 60). The Mark IV rewards quality ammo with sub-MOA accuracy at 25 yards.
How we tested: Every pick here is ranked against our testing methodology. Minimum round counts, accuracy and reliability protocols, the failures that disqualify a gun.
The Best Ruger Mark IV Models
The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite is the best Ruger Mark IV pistol on sale, but the gun has evolved into a model line and so there are other options.
| Image | Product | Detail | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite |
| See Live Prices |
 | Ruger Hunter |
| See Live Prices |
 | Ruger MkIV Tactical |
| See Live Prices |
 | Ruger MKIV Standard |
| See Live Prices |
 | Ruger MK4 Target |
| See Live Prices |
Intro
There’s a running joke that every single day someone professes an oddball and left-field love for the Ruger Mark IV semi-automatic pistol.
Basically, it’s one of those off-center choices that the whole world knows about and agrees with.
So, it isn’t hipster anymore. We can’t say hey this is our inside tip on our list of the best 22LR pistols for sale.
You won’t be the only one with a Ruger down the firing range, but it is spectacularly fun to shoot. There are also some major technical developments for the Mk4 and there are some gun deals around.
One-Button Takedown Fixes the Old Headache
It also comes with simple disassembly, which is a first for Ruger.
This is the one area where the manufacturer took some criticism in the past. The Ruger Mark III and its ancestors were a nightmare to strip and reassemble.
Now, the takedown button means it comes apart in seconds and goes together just as fast.
Easy field stripping and proper chamber to muzzle cleaning is all part of the fun. Press the takedown button and the upper receiver separates from the polymer grip frame in one fluid motion and the whole gun separates into four cleanable sections.
If you have struggled with previous generations of Rugers, this is worth the upgrade on its own.
A Whole Model Line
But it’s not just a simple matter of deciding to buy a new Ruger MK4. That’s just the start, because this semi-automatic pistol has evolved into an entire model line and they are not the same.
So which Ruger Mark IV should you buy in 2026?
Table of Contents
1. Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite
- Caliber: 22LR
- Action: Semi Auto
- Barrel Length: 4.40 inch
- Total Length: 8.5 inch
- Weight: 1.56lb
- Capacity: 10+1
The colors might be a bit much, especially the purple and gold versions, but you can order a Ruger Mk IV 22/45 Lite in silver or black, and it’s easily the best gun here. Ruger lists the threaded 43956 at $759, and it sells for far less at the bigger stores.
This relatively new arrival is the next step ahead of the Tactical you’ll see below. A ported barrel shroud on that lightweight aluminum upper receiver saves, well, grams, but it does look cool and it’s part of a committed weight saving effort that saves 0.5lb in the end. That’s a lot.
The cold hammer forged barrel is tensioned and the internal cylindrical bolt construction always maintains the sight to barrel alignment. That helps with target shooting. All shooting really…
A push button magazine release on the left side makes it easy to operate and the thumb safety is a relative treat with this kind of race gun.
Unless you’re a serious competitive shooter, in which case you’d opt for the Target anyway, this is overkill. As is the rail that is drilled and tapped for a scope. But it’s also fun, and sometimes that is enough.
2. Ruger Mk 4 Hunter
- Caliber: 22LR
- Action: Semi auto
- Barrel Length: 6.88 inch fluted on Ruger’s standard models, 5.5 inch on some distributor exclusives
- Capacity: 10+1
- Ruger MSRP: $1,019 and up
The Mk4 Hunter is a solid semi-auto pistol with a grip frame CNC machined from aluminum alloy with a longer barrel that is fluted to save weight and help heat dissipation.
This rimfire pistol is relatively simple compared to some of its siblings. It does have some premium touches, though, including the Cocobolo wood grips.
You can also opt for a stainless finish that is sexier than the blued gun we have for you here. But then it is more expensive.
The long barrel is great for long range shooting and the ergonomic bolt stop help you to focus on the target. That can be at the range, but as the name implies this rimfire pistol is really aimed at small game hunting.
It’s tapped for a Weaver rail or Picatinny rail for optics, scopes etc and that can be a blessing with smaller targets at long range. And people are nailing targets and animals at crazy distances, the accuracy potential is off the charts for a 22 pistol.
You get a fiber optic front sight and adjustable rear sight. The magazine disconnect prevents accidental discharges with no mag and a round in the chamber, among other safety features.
Mark IV Has Ambidextrous Manual Safety
It comes with an ambidextrous safety, but you can also remove the right-side one if it slows you down at the range and pinches. This new model rimfire Ruger is much kinder to left handed shooters, although it doesn’t cater to them entirely.
The lower is now one piece of CNC Machined Stainless Steel, or you can get a cheaper aluminum version.
It’s also a low recoil gun, so you can shoot it all day long.
3. Ruger Mark IV Tactical
- Caliber: 22LR
- Barrel Length: 4.40 inch, threaded 1/2-28
- Grip frame: Aluminum (polymer on the 22/45 Tactical)
- Capacity: 10+1
- Ruger MSRP: $759 aluminum, $689 for the 22/45 Tactical
The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Tactical is pretty much the sweet spot, the best compromise of all the possible rimfire Ruger options and price points. You can go further than this and go completely operator with your single action pistol, but you don’t really need to.
Ruger’s compact tactical pistol comes with Picatinny style rails for red dot sights or lasers/lights underneath.
There’s a threaded barrel for muzzle devices, contoured ejection port and fully adjustable target sights at the rear. It’s a fixed front, but you can take all that off and the Ruger semi auto pistol has a drilled and tapped receiver, ready for a scope, and an extended magazine release.
For plinking on range day, shooting rats with a silencer while living out your own bizarre hitman fantasies and for a snake gun, this compact tactical pistol just works. The single action pistol comes with a rolling break trigger pull, rather than a clean break, but that’s fine too.
4. Ruger Mark IV Standard
- Caliber: 22LR
- Barrel: 4.75 inch or 6 inch tapered
- Sights: Fixed
- Capacity: 10+1
- Ruger MSRP: $579
If you just want to take a rimfire pistol to a range day and have some fun, then you don’t need the range toppers.
Holsters and Range Gear
Best-scored accessories across 200+ retailers · Updated every 4 hours
Save some money, get the rimfire Ruger Standard and spend the extra $100 on a vast amount of 22 LR ammunition. OK, it’s not like the good old days, but rimfire ammo is still cheap, relatively speaking. You might find more gun deals for the standard semi auto pistol too, and you can opt for a 6 inch barrel version instead.
5. Ruger Mark IV Target
- Caliber: 22 Long Rifle
- Finish: Blued or stainless
- Barrel: 5.5 inch bull
- Capacity: 10+1
- Ruger MSRP: $689 aluminum frame, up to $909 stainless
This version is the dedicated target gun. The rimfire Ruger Mark IV Target looks great in stainless steel or with the blued finish, and its 5.5-inch bull barrel puts the weight out front where it helps you hold still.
The Hunter and Competition give you more barrel if you want it, but this is the one I’d start with for bullseye and steel.
It’s well balanced for its size and more fun than it has a right to be.
It comes with the standard Mark IV features, including the simple one-button takedown for quick and easy stripping.
It also has an easy to grasp bolt, tapered bolt ears allow for durable and reliable operation.
This gun is set up for optics and scopes. The bull barrel is ultra precise, with higher accuracy potential than the lighter models.
Aluminum-framed versions cost less than stainless ones and weigh less, so choose by how much you want to carry.
6. Ruger Mark IV Competition
- Caliber: 22 Long Rifle
- Barrel: 6.88 inch slab-side bull
- Grip frame: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 10+1
- Ruger MSRP: $989
This is the full blown Ruger Competition pistol that serious shooters take to war. Well, to punch paper in some form of competitive setting. Not war, obviously, that would be stupid.
That upper receiver is mated to a 6.88-inch slab-side bull barrel, and left handed shooters can change the ambi safety to ensure complete comfort.
Aside from that it has all the same features as the others, and target sights with permanent sight to barrel alignment. Interchangeable grip panels too.
Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Review: The One Most People Search For
The plain 22/45 isn’t a ranked pick above, but it’s the one to look at first if you want a Mark IV for as little as possible. Ruger lists the 40107 at $539, with a bull barrel, a polymer grip frame and the same one-button takedown. Palmetto State Armory had it at $411.99 on October 31, 2026, more than $150 less than a 22/45 Lite.
The 22/45 name is the point: the grip angle and the magazine release copy a 1911, so it makes sense as a trainer if you shoot a .45 1911. You give up the Lite’s aluminum shrouded upper and the factory thread on this model. If that doesn’t matter to you, buy this one and spend the difference on ammo.
Every Ruger Mark IV Compared
MSRPs come from Ruger’s current model pages, which list several variants for most guns. Street prices are the lowest new prices on our cards on October 31, 2026. Ruger’s site calls most of these Limited Availability, so street prices move.
| Model | Grip frame | Barrel | MSRP from | Street from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark IV 22/45 | Polymer | Bull | $449 | $411.99 |
| Mark IV Standard | Aluminum | 4.75″ or 6″ tapered | $579 | $459.99 |
| Mark IV Target | Aluminum or stainless | 5.5″ bull | $689 | $543.99 |
| Mark IV 22/45 Tactical | Polymer | 4.4″ threaded | $689 | $623.99 |
| Mark IV Tactical | Aluminum | 4.4″ threaded | $759 | $577.99 |
| Mark IV 22/45 Lite | Polymer | 4.4″ threaded | $759 | $563.99 |
| Mark IV Competition | Stainless | 6.88″ slab-side bull | $989 | $701.50 |
| Mark IV Hunter | Stainless or aluminum | 5.5″ or 6.88″ fluted | $1,019 | $571.99 |
Mark IV vs Mark III, and Is There a Ruger Mark V?
If you’re choosing between a used Mark III and a new Mark IV, the takedown is the whole story. On a Mark IV, you press a button in the back of the frame and the barrel-receiver assembly tilts up and off without tools. The Mark III earned its reputation for being a nightmare to reassemble, and that’s the main reason to pay more for the IV.
People do search for a Ruger Mark V, but we couldn’t find one on Ruger’s site on October 31, 2026. The Mark IV is still the current gun, so a listing that says Mark V is worth a second look.
Gun Parts & Accessories
There are tons of parts, upgrades & accessories for the rimfire Ruger Mk4, if you have a target, hunter, competition, tactical or standard handgun.
High capacity magazines, rails and a variety of scopes for long range target shooting will start you off. Then you might want a new model Mark IV 22 charger, bags & cases, accessories, magazines and more..
Accessories, magazines, optics, bags, cases and more are a cottage industry for the 22LR pistol and you can spend big money in a hurry.
Other Ruger Pistols to Consider
The Mk4 might be the best rimfire pistol from Ruger at the moment, but there are plenty of other options out there from the American manufacturer. Especially if you’re prepared to look at 380 Auto, or even 9mm compact tactical pistols and striker fired options.
They’re different guns, obviously, but they are very good and come with a vast amount of accessories, magazines and optional extras.
Here are just a few of our favorites.
1. Ruger LCP Max
- Caliber: 380 ACP
The Ruger LCP Max chambered in 380 Auto is a brilliant deep concealment gun, back-up gun or sock gun.
It is one of the best selling defensive pistols in the world and thoroughly deserves to be.
So if you want a bit more impact than a 22 and a bit less than a 9mm, the Ruger LCP Max could be perfect.
2. Ruger Max-9
- Caliber: 9mm
The Ruger Max-9 is one of the company’s best pistols right now and shows just what it can do when it ticks all the optional extras boxes.
Now the Ruger Max-9 centerfire pistol isn’t full on cheap like other Ruger pistols. It’s better than that.
You have a contained full length guide rod, high viz fiber optic sights and other treats. It’s a serious gun that costs way less than the Glock 43x you could choose instead.
This sub compact 9mm pistol is a solid choice and we like the Ruger Max-9 Security a lot.
And of Course You Can Have a Ruger Rifle
We have devoted entire pages to the best Ruger rifles in the past and will probably do so again. Essentially a Ruger centerfire rifle does what it does best in the long guns sector, too, and that is give exceptional value for money from a single shot rifle through to a cheap AR-15.
The Ruger American rimfire and the rimfire Ruger Precision rifle would obviously be the place to start for target shooters and long range specialists who want to stick with 22 ammo for shooting guns.
Now the Ruger American Rimfire is a simple bolt action rifle, while the Ruger Precision Rimfire is a massively complex bolt action rifle that is more of a precision rifle with a full chassis.
You get a lot of the joys of long range shooting without the bills with the Ruger Precision Rimfire. It’s just all on a smaller scale, but that means you can save a lot of money. Like a lot.
Of course you can run your rimfire Ruger Precision Rifle with a suppressor thanks to the threaded barrel. An adjustable length of pull and adjustable cheek rest are all part of the fun too.
What Published Testing Shows: Mark IV 22/45
Rimfire pistols have a reputation for being picky and filthy. One published test of a Mark IV 22/45 ran about 1,500 rounds, cleaned the gun once, and logged one failure to feed, which came from a magazine that wasn’t fully seated.
That’s the real case for this gun. The base of the magazine sits deep in the magwell, so seat it firmly and you’ve dealt with the only issue that test found. Those results are for the 22/45. Weight, barrel and balance change across the range, so don’t assume a Hunter or Competition will behave the same way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Ruger Mark IV?
The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite is the best all-around model. It is lightweight (25 oz), threaded for a suppressor, and has the 1911-style grip angle that most shooters prefer. For target shooting, the Mark IV Target or Competition with their bull barrels and adjustable sights are the better choice.
What is the cheapest Ruger Mark IV?
The plain Mark IV 22/45, about $410 new on October 31, 2026 against a $539 Ruger list on its main model. The Mark IV Standard was the next cheapest, at around $460 at most stores.
Is there a Ruger Mark V?
We couldn't find one on Ruger's site on October 31, 2026. The Mark IV is still the current gun.
What is the difference between Mark IV and 22/45?
The standard Mark IV has a traditional Ruger grip angle (steeper) and a metal grip frame. The 22/45 versions have a 1911-style grip angle, a polymer grip frame and a frame-mounted magazine release. Functionally, they are the same action.
Is the Ruger Mark IV a good first gun?
The Ruger Mark IV is an excellent first gun. The .22 LR caliber is low recoil, cheap to shoot, and the Mark IV platform is extremely reliable. The one-button takedown makes cleaning easy. It teaches fundamentals without the intimidation factor of a larger caliber.
Can you suppress a Ruger Mark IV?
Yes, on the threaded models. The 22/45 Lite and both Tactical versions come threaded 1/2-28 from the factory. Standard velocity .22 LR is subsonic, which makes a suppressed Mark IV very quiet.
How much does a Ruger Mark IV cost?
New street prices ran from about $410 for the 22/45 to more than $700 for the Competition on October 31, 2026. Ruger's list prices run from $449 to more than $1,000, so shop around.
What is the one-button takedown on the Mark IV?
The Mark IV has a single button on the back of the frame that lets the barrel-receiver assembly tilt up and off the grip frame without tools. This makes field stripping and cleaning far easier than the Mark III, which was notoriously difficult to disassemble.
Is the Ruger Mark IV a good pistol?
Yes, it is one of the best .22 LR target and plinking pistols made. The Mark IV is accurate, reliable and, thanks to its one-button takedown, finally easy to clean, fixing the main gripe about earlier Mark series guns.
4,005+ Gun & Ammo Deals
Updated daily from 200+ top retailers. Filter by category, caliber, action type, and price.
Related Guides