Ruger has issued a wide recall of all Mark IV and 22/45 models because of a problem with the safety and sear and has told owners that the pistols should not be used.
The issue is: In some cases, if the trigger is pulled while the safety lever is midway between the “safe” and “fire” positions and not full engaged in either, the pistol may or may not fire when the trigger is pulled.
If the gun doesn’t fire when the trigger is pulled, it may fire if the user then pushes the safety to the “fire” position without the trigger being activated.
Here’s a statement from a Ruger press release on the company’s website:
“Although only a small percentage of pistols appear to be affected and we are not aware of any injuries, Ruger is firmly committed to safety and would like to retrofit all potentially affected pistols with an updated safety mechanism. Until your Mark IV pistol has been retrofitted or you verify that it is not subject to the recall, we strongly recommend that you not use your pistol.”
Ruger says they have received a “small number” of reports from the field indicating the problem exists. Additional testing confirmed the issue and the recall was issued.
While the company has not given a time-frame for the retrofitting, they have made the recall fairly easy for Mark IV owners to navigate.
They may simply go to the Ruger website and enter the serial number of their pistol to determine if it is included in the recall. If it is, the site will prompt you to enter your name and address. When Ruger is ready to fix your gun, the company will send out an empty box with the appropriate return label.
Since the problem exists in parts contained in the grip frame assembly, that’s all that has to be sent to Ruger for repairs. That part is not serialized, meaning it can be shipped via regular methods like UPS without going through an FFL.
However, you don’t need the website to know if your gun is safe or not.
If the serial number begins with “401” or “WBR,” the gun has been recalled. If the serial number begins with “500” it has not.
Any Mark IV or 22/45 pistol that has already been retrofitted will display a letter “S” in the white dot that is visible when the safety is engaged.
The company urges Mark IV owners NOT to send their frames in for retrofitting until they receive a return box.
Though Ruger can’t say when it will begin shipping the return boxes, they have promised to “return your grip frame assembly within one week of receiving it.”
The website also says that Ruger will return repaired grip frame assemblies to owners with a free magazine as a “thank you for your participation.” Customers in states with magazine restrictions will receive a ShopRuger gift certificate in lieu of a magazine.
The 22 LR pistol was introduced in 2016 as a successor to the company’s first pistol, the Ruger Standard Model, first made in the 1950s and the Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III models followed.
The Mark IV represents the most drastic of design changes from the previous pistols in the series, with reworked internals allowing for a vastly simplified disassembly process, solving a major gripe about previous models. The Mark IV has been offered in hunter, target, and competition versions and as three models in the company’s 22/45 configuration as well.
In other Ruger news, the company has introduced a new 10mm pistol, a new target revolver, and a new stainless-finish rifle.
The SR1911 in 10mm Auto will likely make hog hunters and aficionados of major power-factor cartridges happy. This full-size, stainless-steel SR1911 10mm Auto features the same Bomar-style adjustable sights as the SR1911 Target model. It also has a tight-fitting, bushingless bull barrel, a first for Ruger. The ramped barrel is black-nitride coated to reduce the wear associated with hard-hitting 10mm Auto ammunition. Another first for Ruger, this model also utilizes a full-length steel guide rod for the recoil spring. The SR1911 in 10mm Auto has rubberized grip panels for extra control and comfort.
Ruger’s American-made, CNC-machined SR1911 comes with upgraded features like Ruger’s classic Series 70 design, a lowered and flared ejection port, titanium firing pin, and a precision-machined bull barrel. The 10mm SR1911 features an integral plunger tube, beavertail grip safety, extended magazine release, oversize thumb safety, skeletonized hammer, and skeletonized aluminum trigger.
The new Ruger SR1911 in 10mm Auto features a 5-inch barrel and weighs 40.4 ounces with an empty magazine. It ships with two 8-round magazines and a cable lock.
The company’s new Ruger SP101 Match Champion is a five-round revolver designed with the competitor in mind. Chambered in 357 Magnum but capable of firing 38 Special, the Match Champion has a full-lug, 4.2-inch barrel with an 11-degree target crown for competition accuracy, a chamfered cylinder, and custom Altamont hardwood grips with stippled and checkered sides. The Ruger SP101 Match Champion has a number of other interesting features for the competitive shooter, including polished springs and a polished hammer strut, combined with trigger and hammer shims for a target-quality trigger pull.
The adjustable rear sight combines with a fiber-optic front sight to create a sight picture for both plates and targets, and the polished trigger guard allows for smooth shooting on long strings.
There’s also a new long-gun entry from Ruger, the American Rimfire Stainless. The stainless-steel configuration of this popular rifle comes in three chamberings: 22 LR, 22 WMR, and 17 HMR.
These new Ruger American Rimfire models feature a 416 stainless-steel barrel, bolt, and receiver. Hand-buffed, the satin finish is highlighted by the contrasting black thread protector, bolt release, stock, and one-piece Picatinny scope base. The 18-inch cold hammer-forged barrel free-floats in the lightweight synthetic stock and is finished with a 1⁄2-28 threaded muzzle.
The Ruger American Rimfire rifle also features the integral bedding system, Ruger Marksman Adjustable trigger and rotary magazines. The modular stock system helps to adjust the rifle fit to the shooter by allowing for different comb heights and lengths of pull. These new models ship with a high comb, standard length-of-pull module installed.
Kahr Introduces Two New “S” Series 9mm Models
Kahr Arms’s first two pistols in the new “S” Series are 9mm pistols, the S9093 and the ST9093. The new “S” Series features a redesigned magazine base and grip, a limited lifetime warranty, and ships with two magazines.
The S9093 model features a 3.6-inch barrel with conventional rifling, an overall length of 5.9 inches, and a height of 4.5 inches. This pistol is similar to the CW9093, but this new “S” Series model has the added features of white 3-dot sights, front serrations on the slide, an accessory rail, and an ID tag on the grip. Capacity is 7+1 and the pistol is shipped with two 7-round mags. MSRP is $477.
Also new in the “S” Series is the ST9093. This pistol features a 4-inch barrel, has an overall length of 6.5 inches, and a height of 5.08 inches. Like the S9093, it too has white 3-dot sights, front serrations on the slide, an accessory rail, and an ID tag on the grip. Capacity is 8+1, and the pistol is shipped with two 8-round magazines. MSRP is $456.
Both pistols operate with a trigger cocking DAO, “Safe-Cam” Action, lock breech with “Browning-type” recoil lug and a passive striker block with no magazine disconnect. The frames are black polymer with matte-stainless steel slides.
Springfield Armory Announces Free-Float Saint
Springfield Armory is now offering a Saint 5.56mm AR-style rifle with a free-float handguard. The patent-pending free-float handguard system accepts almost unlimited M-Lok customization. It has a pinned low-profile gas block that improves upon set-screw blocks. The elevation-adjustable flip-up front sight and dual-aperture flip-up rear sight can be folded down or utilized to co-witness with optics. An nickel-boron-coated single-stage GI trigger is said to deliver a grit-free break.
North Dakota Highway Patrol Adopts SIG Sauer P320
Newington, New Hampshire-based SIG Sauer, Inc., announced that the North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP) has selected the striker-fired P320 as the agency’s sidearm of choice.
“The North Dakota Highway Patrol looks forward to the transition to the SIG Sauer P320,” said Captain Thomas Iverson. “After a thorough testing process, we are confident the new weapon will serve our agency well.”
The P320 was introduced in January 2014. Earlier this year, the U.S. Army selected a variant of the P320 as its next service pistol. The P320 is a striker-fired design. The serialized trigger group is interchangeable, allowing the shooter to transform the size and caliber of the pistol. Full size, Carry, Compact and Subcompact frames are available. Grip frames are further divided into small, medium, and large to accommodate any hand size.
The NDHP boasts more than 150 sworn officers who are assigned a wide array of tasks, ranging from driver examinations to protecting the northern border. Before selecting the SIG P320 in 9mm, the NDHP utilized P226 pistols chambered in 357 SIG.
