I had wanted to customize a Ruger Mark IV for awhile.
I sought to build a pistol that would serve as both a red dot trainer and a highly-capable suppressor host in its own right. The Mark IV is an outstanding pistol out of the box, but one of its best characteristics is how easy it is to modify. Moreover, there’s excellent aftermarket support for shooters who want to get everything they can out of the platform. It’s not quite the rimfire pistol equivalent of an AR…but that’s not too far off the mark, either.
Each component of the final build is specified here:
Pistol: Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Tactical
Suppressor: Advanced Armament Corporation Aviator II
Light: Streamlight TLR-1 HL
Optic: Holosun 507c ACSS Vulcan Reticle
Optic Mount: Trijicon Low Picatinny Rail Mount for RMR
Grips: Green G-Mascus G10 Piranha Grip Panels
Charging Handle: Ruger Mark III & 22/45 Ambi Charging Handle
Magazine Followers: TandemKross Maximus Plus 1
Magazine Bumpers: TandemKross MarkPRO Extended Bumper
The suppressor, light, optic, and plus-one magazine followers all increase the capability of the pistol in fairly obvious ways. The other modifications — grips, charging handle, and magazine bumpers — address a few ergonomic deficiencies of the Mark IV design. These simple, inexpensive changes help the pistol to handle much better.
The results speak for themselves — let me know what you think!
