When introducing new shooters, one of the things they need to understand besides safety, is the importance of accuracy. Getting tight groups on their targets physically shows them how accurate they are – or aren’t yet. The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite is a comfortable, low-recoil handgun that is perfect for training and demonstrating the process of shooting accurately. (It’s called the 22/45 because it is a .22 caliber gun designed to feel like a .45 caliber 1911 handgun.)
Explain to your new shooter that the reason for tight groups (and therefore accuracy) is vital in shooting. If they’re just plinking, it will get discouraging if they’re not even hitting the target or if they’re seeing their shots are all over the place.
Or, if they’re going to compete, they certainly need good groups to get a good score. Oh, sure, they can compete and not get a good score (someone has to finish last). But again, that will start to get discouraging.
The most important reason to attain good groups is to practice for a life-or-death situation.
They need to clearly understand that if there is a threat to their life, they need to stop that threat. If their shots hit everywhere but where they intend, they won’t stop the threat. Game over.
They also stand a darn good chance of hurting an innocent bystander with their wild shots. Of course, no one wants to do that. Our goal is to stop the threat without any other innocent people being hurt. We can’t do that successfully if we don’t practice – not just shooting but shooting accurately.
To begin working on tight groups, start at a distance or close up, either way. I chose to start at seven yards to see how I’d do. My groups were very good, so I didn’t feel the need to move the target closer. But if the groups weren’t what I wanted, I would have moved the target closer and practiced my stance, grip, sight alignment, breathing and trigger press to get the groups I wanted. It’s important to practice the basics first because until those are second nature, we won’t get the groups we want at longer distances if we can’t even get them at closer distances. Also, shooting accurately at closer distances improves confidence to do better, the desire to continue to practice, and the willingness to push further out to challenge our skills.
The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite helps achieve accuracy with very little recoil, which will help new shooters develop confidence and can help older shooters continue to practice if they are starting to struggle with recoil.
I’ve been wanting to try the Mark IV 22/45 Lite with the one-button takedown for a long time, so I was excited when I finally got my chance.
Some people don’t care one way or the other about color, but I think it can be fun. The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite comes in a variety of fun colors and the one I chose to try is “champagne” – because what gal doesn’t like a little class and champagne?
I immediately wanted to try out that one-button takedown to clean the gun. I was thrilled that it was even easier than I expected. You simply just push the button on the back of the frame and pull the slide assembly up and off. No tools are needed, it’s a joy to easily disassemble and re-assemble.
I took the Ruger to my indoor range and shot it supported, at seven yards. Right out of the box it was sighted in well and I didn’t need to adjust the sights. So, I moved on to trying three different rounds of ammunition, also at seven yards, but freehand now. My results were:
While we often don’t practice shooting a handgun at longer distances, the Ruger Mark IV is great for shooting Steel Challenge where some of the stages go out to 35 yards. So, practicing shooting tight groups at 25 yards would help with the goal of doing well in competition.
I am extremely pleased with this Ruger. Yes – it’s a keeper. I love that it’s very easy to disassemble and clean. Plus, the fact that it has a threaded barrel is a bonus because I’ve been wanting to get a suppressor.
The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite is an excellent gun for plinking, competing, or introducing new shooters – no matter what the color.
MSRP $739.00.
Nancy Keaton is the facilitator for the Waco Chapter of A Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League. She formerly shot in IDPA, ASI and 3-Gun matches, was the president of Centralia Rifle Club in Centralia, Washington, and is a retired college administrator. Her work has appeared in multiple publications and online. Check them out on her website and on Muckrack. View all posts by Nancy Keaton
