Ruger Announces New Birdshead-Style Wrangler Revolvers

https://www.ammoland.com/2021/12/ruger-announces-new-birdshead-style-wrangler-revolvers/?ct=t(RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN)

That's nice! 
Would make a great plinker

That looks like a fun little pistol to shoot. I have a bunch of old .22 lr that is prob best suited for a revolver than any other .22 lr gun.

That looks like a fun little pistol to shoot. I have a bunch of old .22 lr that is prob best suited for a revolver than any other .22 lr gun.

Revolvers are good for that sort of thing. I don’t have a single action yet. And I think that would be a great first single action for me.

I have a High Standard .22 LR western style revolver. It looks like a single action but it is a 9 shot double action with an extra 22 mag cylinder. I shoot it somewhat regularly. I would shoot it a little more often if 22 mag ammo ever comes back down to earth in price.

Am I missing something or is it the same gun but with the grip shaped a little different? I liked the Wrangler.

That's what I like about revolvers.  Can shoot the stuff the auto's don't care for.

But I always wanted a .22 LR in semi-auto.  So now I got the best of both worlds.  And now this new little dandy comes along and I want that too.  Plus an LCR in .22, lol!






















lr

That's what I like about revolvers.  Can shoot the stuff the auto's don't care for.

But I always wanted a .22 LR in semi-auto.  So now I got the best of both worlds.  And now this new little dandy comes along and I want that too.  Plus an LCR in .22, lol!

lr

what a coincidence. I have a Ruger Mark IV, Single Ten, LCR, all in 22LR.  all great firearms

I have 3 Ruger SA revolvers with the birdshead grip.  its a great grip, and on a shorter barrel it looks great too.
2 of my 3 birds head grip revolvers are in 357 and 44mag, both with a 3.75" barrel.  with full magnum loads they are hard to handle, so I like to reload minus-p loads for them, or shoot specials instead of magnums and they are much easier to control, at least for me
my other birdshead is in 45acp, and recoil is similar to a 1911, IMO, very mangeable.  the birds head grip makes the gun easier to conceal, and the front heavy gun helps with recoil.
I like to think of the birds head and short barrel as a conceal carry for cowboys.  i think doc holiday had a birdshead grip colt lightning in 38

but the new Ruger Wrangler with birdshead looks very nice! 
i like the look better than the regular Wranglers

what a coincidence. I have a Ruger Mark IV, Single Ten, LCR, all in 22LR.  all great firearms

Both a Mark IV and an LCR are on my list. 

Both a Mark IV and an LCR are on my list. 

both great Rugers
the LCR i got as a practice gun for my LCR 38sp, the 22LR is a good plinker too
the Mark IV is a super semiauto 22.  eats most ammo without problems, only ammo it has trouble with so far that i've tried is the Federal blue box, the 40 grain or 38 grain lead round nose. gets stove pipes or light hammer strikes sometimes.  other ammo is no problem.  and the takedown/fieldstrip is too easy.  one button take down, super easy.  and easy to mount an optic if you want, or fiber optic sights.  a lot of aftermarket parts for it 

both great Rugers
the LCR i got as a practice gun for my LCR 38sp, the 22LR is a good plinker too
the Mark IV is a super semiauto 22.  eats most ammo without problems, only ammo it has trouble with so far that i've tried is the Federal blue box, the 40 grain or 38 grain lead round nose. gets stove pipes or light hammer strikes sometimes.  other ammo is no problem.  and the takedown/fieldstrip is too easy.  one button take down, super easy.  and easy to mount an optic if you want, or fiber optic sights.  a lot of aftermarket parts for it 

So to be more specific I want the 22/45 MkIV Lite with the threaded barrel. It will become my first firearm to get a suppressor. My plan for a second suppressor will be on my AR-9 pistol. But all of this is farther in the future as I have some other purchases planned this year.

So to be more specific I want the 22/45 MkIV Lite with the threaded barrel. It will become my first firearm to get a suppressor. My plan for a second suppressor will be on my AR-9 pistol. But all of this is farther in the future as I have some other purchases planned this year.

I have that in a pre-Mark IV design.  I've seen it debated that you can buy a Mark III, and then you can buy a 22/45.  But, they are not the same, even though the basics are similar.

I'm guessing Ruger caught on to the confusion, and decided to lump the new 22/45 line-up with the Mark IV line-up for simplicity.    That's a guess.

I've looked all over my 22/45 LITE, and there is no "Mark" mark anywhere that I can find.

Anyway, I installed the upgrades most recommended: 

-  Removed the mag safety disconnect, so I can pull the trigger without a mag inserted.  It's not a big deal, but to strip the pistol, you had to remove the mag, do one series of steps, insert the mag, pull the trigger, remove the mag and continue.  Now you can go through without having a mag close at hand.  That change made mag ejects much smoother and trouble-free than before.

- Tandemkross compensator.  Extends the barrel a bit for looks, helps balance in my opinion, and it "compensates" for not being allowed to own a suppressor! 

-  Burris FastFire III Red Dot.  Got the matching 22/45 mount that integrates perfectly with the red dot.

-  A couple of other parts I'd have to look for the receipts to know.  Been awhile since I bought it.

The Mark IV, from what I read, fixes most things people complained about or immediately upgraded to improve.  If I were buying new, I'd get the newest one.

I think they also made changes that makes take down and assembly so much easier, especially when mine has to be specifically held a certain way for the barrel to align and reconnect to the grip frame.  That was a nightmare to learn how to do right the first time.

If you're looking for a 1911 .45 style pistol for the grip angle, then the 22/45 is the right gun.  The LITE weight is also a big selling point.

But, if you're more into competitions and like the feel of the Ruger standard grip angle, maybe a Mark IV would be better?  Ruger made so many variants, it's impossible to give any real advise without filling out a 5 page questionnaire.  If you're in the factory showroom for a job application trip, see if you can try on all the different variants.  That'll be the best method for choosing what's right for you.

I love my 22/45 LITE, but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to trade up!   

https://ruger.com/products/markIV/overview.html

If I could find one of these, I would buy it

I have that in a pre-Mark IV design.  I've seen it debated that you can buy a Mark III, and then you can buy a 22/45.  But, they are not the same, even though the basics are similar.

I'm guessing Ruger caught on to the confusion, and decided to lump the new 22/45 line-up with the Mark IV line-up for simplicity.    That's a guess.

I've looked all over my 22/45 LITE, and there is no "Mark" mark anywhere that I can find.

Anyway, I installed the upgrades most recommended: 

-  Removed the mag safety disconnect, so I can pull the trigger without a mag inserted.  It's not a big deal, but to strip the pistol, you had to remove the mag, do one series of steps, insert the mag, pull the trigger, remove the mag and continue.  Now you can go through without having a mag close at hand.  That change made mag ejects much smoother and trouble-free than before.

- Tandemkross compensator.  Extends the barrel a bit for looks, helps balance in my opinion, and it "compensates" for not being allowed to own a suppressor! 

-  Burris FastFire III Red Dot.  Got the matching 22/45 mount that integrates perfectly with the red dot.

-  A couple of other parts I'd have to look for the receipts to know.  Been awhile since I bought it.

The Mark IV, from what I read, fixes most things people complained about or immediately upgraded to improve.  If I were buying new, I'd get the newest one.

I think they also made changes that makes take down and assembly so much easier, especially when mine has to be specifically held a certain way for the barrel to align and reconnect to the grip frame.  That was a nightmare to learn how to do right the first time.

If you're looking for a 1911 .45 style pistol for the grip angle, then the 22/45 is the right gun.  The LITE weight is also a big selling point.

But, if you're more into competitions and like the feel of the Ruger standard grip angle, maybe a Mark IV would be better?  Ruger made so many variants, it's impossible to give any real advise without filling out a 5 page questionnaire.  If you're in the factory showroom for a job application trip, see if you can try on all the different variants.  That'll be the best method for choosing what's right for you.

I love my 22/45 LITE, but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to trade up!   

https://ruger.com/products/markIV/overview.html

Thanks for all the information, I appreciate it.

Over the years I have owned different iterations of the MKI, MKII and MKIII. This includes target models and short tapered barrel plinkers. These pistols have a similar grip and grip angle to the original Luger from the early 1910’s. They are also all metal and can be quite heavy. Especially for a newbie or a younger person to use for the first time. Unfortunately, I sold them all before I moved to the islands in order to fund the move. I regret selling most of my collection at that time.

Since then I have collected several .22 pistols that suit my tastes. Most of which are made by High Standard and are VERY heavy high quality target pistols and are all metal and are quite heavy. There are 2 different grip designs from this company throughout the years. From the 30’s until the 60’s they made pistols with the Luger style and Luger angle grip. From the 60’s on most of their pistols use the 1911 style grip and grip angle. They call them the Military grip models. I have some of each. I shoot them regularly, BTW. Unfortunately, these pistols are not very good for teaching a newbie or women into the shooting hobby.

After a lot of thought and of course personal preference for Rugers and the old Ruger design I settled on the MKIV 22/45 Lite. Tandemkross makes a trigger kit I will put on it and then I’ll be looking for a nice red dot like your Burris for it. That is all I intend to do it besides being a test bed for my first suppressor. This is an excellent training pistol that is suitable for plinking and other uses. I need a good plinker for when I am out in the desert. But most of all it has the same “Military” style grip like all my high end target pistols.

Sorry for the long post. Where I am getting to now is the difference between the two grip angles. The Luger and 1911 style. I find I point the Luger style more naturally and hold the pistol a little more steady. But most high end target pistols use the 1911 style. I actually like the feel of the 1911 better but the Luger style is more natural. JMHO

I have 3 Ruger SA revolvers with the birdshead grip.  its a great grip, and on a shorter barrel it looks great too.
2 of my 3 birds head grip revolvers are in 357 and 44mag, both with a 3.75" barrel.  with full magnum loads they are hard to handle, so I like to reload minus-p loads for them, or shoot specials instead of magnums and they are much easier to control, at least for me
my other birdshead is in 45acp, and recoil is similar to a 1911, IMO, very mangeable.  the birds head grip makes the gun easier to conceal, and the front heavy gun helps with recoil.
I like to think of the birds head and short barrel as a conceal carry for cowboys.  i think doc holiday had a birdshead grip colt lightning in 38

but the new Ruger Wrangler with birdshead looks very nice! 
i like the look better than the regular Wranglers

go to 6:45 and see how you can do an easy trigger job on any Ruger New SA revolver.
took the stock trigger on the Wrangler from 3 lbs 12 oz to 1 lb 11 oz.  only need a screwdriver to do it
and how to smooth the sear to trigger and make the action smoother without taking the gun apart
it's called the poor boy trigger job
get a smooth 1 lb 11 oz trigger for free.   

That's what I like about revolvers.  Can shoot the stuff the auto's don't care for.

But I always wanted a .22 LR in semi-auto.  So now I got the best of both worlds.  And now this new little dandy comes along and I want that too.  Plus an LCR in .22, lol!

I have the LCR-X in .22 magnum as a gun for my wife to shoot in the event of an emergency. Pretty happy with it other than the fact that they could have made it into an 8 round gun instead of 6. The .22lr is 8 rounds!

Revolvers are good for that sort of thing. I don’t have a single action yet. And I think that would be a great first single action for me.

I have a High Standard .22 LR western style revolver. It looks like a single action but it is a 9 shot double action with an extra 22 mag cylinder. I shoot it somewhat regularly. I would shoot it a little more often if 22 mag ammo ever comes back down to earth in price.

If I were to get a .22 revolver, it would likely be one of those 10-12 round DA/SA revolvers, but a single action are cool firearms.
 

That's what I like about revolvers.  Can shoot the stuff the auto's don't care for.

But I always wanted a .22 LR in semi-auto.  So now I got the best of both worlds.  And now this new little dandy comes along and I want that too.  Plus an LCR in .22, lol!

One of the best firearms for "shoot whatever" was this single shot .22 lr rifle that a shooting buddy had.  Semi-autos can malfunction, leaving the bullet head tilted to the side.  You could just straighten it as best you could and if it could chamber, which was pretty much any that wasn't completely mangled, it would shoot.  It was a very old youth rifle and still shot really well. 

If I were to get a .22 revolver, it would likely be one of those 10-12 round DA/SA revolvers, but a single action are cool firearms.

If you get one that has an additional or optional extra cylinder so you can shoot 22 WMR that adds an extra dimension to the gun that most don’t have. I would suggest if the model you choose has that option I would pay the additional money for it.

If you get one that has an additional or optional extra cylinder so you can shoot 22 WMR that adds an extra dimension to the gun that most don’t have. I would suggest if the model you choose has that option I would pay the additional money for it.

But then I'd have to buy 22 WMR ammo. . . 

But then I'd have to buy 22 WMR ammo. . . 

No.