Posted: 6/1/2026 2:35:41 AM EDT
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https://www.silencershop.com/ruger-mark-iv-lite-silencer-shop-exclusive.html It is a 22/45 Lite, it is not slab sided, doesn't have vent holes but it does have a fiber optic front sight and thicker, high traction grips. To me this is a really good looking MKIV Lite pistol. The thicker grips prevent contact with the ambidextrous safety for my right handed grip. They fill the hand better than the narrower black grips on the Tactical and silver rail MKIVs. To use an under the barrel laser/light a saddle picatinny rail has to be used and the top pic rail has to be removed or shortened for the saddle to fit. Performance makes a nice saddle rail, the Lite needs the 1" version, not the 7/8" version that the 40190 model uses. There are less expensive saddle pic rails made, intended for use on 1" scope tubes, eventually I used one of these. This MKIV Lite was new, the bore looked good using a hand lens, and appeared to have traces of a few test shots being fired. A Dead Air Mask screwed on and bottomed correctly, so I put a drop of CLP on the places that need that and off to the range we went. Using the two mags that came with it I shot 40 Remington Golden Bullet Hollow Points and then 60 Remington Standard Velocity. This ammo shoots very well in the Tactical, 40190 silver rail and in other 22s. Shooting was fast present and double tap or triple tap from 8 yards, so accuracy was not tested. All holes were clean with no keyholing. The grips just felt better, more steady, to me than those on the Tactical or 40190 model. I did notice the lighter weight compared to those steel upper MKIVs. Trigger pull was fine for this kind of shooting. Back home I could see significant lead in the bore, a bare cleaning rod (no jag, no brush) would not pass through the barrel in either direction. Some CLP was put into the bore and the bare rod was tapped through using the palm of my hand. Lead came out, next I pulled a brush through using lots of force. The brush force gradually faded over 20 or 30 pull throughs, lead flakes came out. Patches and brushing got the bore to look good and then I polished the bore using Flitz on patches. Next range session used 110 Remington GBHPs, function was 100 percent. Sighting was done using a Baldr S Green laser, this works really well for fast present and shoot. I took a Chrony this time, velocity ranged from 1046 to 1064 fps, all subsonic. The speed of sound was around 1140 fps on this day. The bore had two or three tiny lead spots, it cleaned easily and was Flitz polished again. Back at the range the Lite shot 50 RGBHPs and 10 Winchester Super Suppressor 45 gr, there was one RGBHP that failed to feed, otherwise function was 100%. Cleaning showed no lead but did show that beautiful Ruger bore and rifling. It got Flitzed again. The magazine that had the FTF was disassembled, smoothed in the usual places and used the next session with no more problems. Shooting again! 60 Remington Standard Velocity were used, function was 100%. Cleaning really needed only one patch, but it got more just because. The SSLite seems to stay cleaner inside than the steel upper MKIVs. This MKIV Lite was shot against a M&P 22X, both using green lasers. The first session I shot better with the 22X, the second time the Lite won. The 22X has been 100% reliable except for two Winchester Super Suppressor cartridges that failed to fire after 2 or three firing pin strikes at different places. From the factory the rear sight set screws on the Lite were not tight and the rear sight moved to the right in about 200 rounds of shooting. Tapping it back revealed the sight is really tight in its dove tail, but then the steel bolt comes to a very sudden stop against the steel pin, and this delivers big change of momentum impulse to the receiver, right next to the sight. Finally, magazines from earlier 22/45 models fit the MKIV if the rear projection on the plastic base plate is ground off. Then these mags should work in earlier models as well as MKIVs. OK, a bit more, the McFadden Ultimate Clip Loader for MK mags is a miracle! Loading the MK mags is so much easier than loading 22X magazines one cartridge at a time. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Love the MK guns but the MKIV is sooo much easier to live with. |
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I also noticed these new models from SilencerShop...liking them both (blue & bronze cerakote) but ultimately I'll likely go with the bronze one. I also liked their original 3" model but I recently cut down a match target upper to 3" and lost accuracy in the process (went from 1.2" groups at 25 yards to ~2-2.5" at 25 yards) so I'm looking to getting the 4.4" barreled one (it's considerably lighter than the 3" steel version well). Thanks for the write-up! I am sorta surprised how much these puppies cost ($619 plus tax with free shipping to my dealer puts it at $670!). I recall when 'lite' models could be bought for ~$450. Oh well! d |