by Ruger has issued a recall for Ruger Mark IV .22 pistols (including the 22/45) made before June 1, 2017. They have a potential to discharge unintentionally. This does not apply to the Ruger Mark I, II, or III line of pistols.
From Ruger:
Ruger recently discovered that all Mark IV™ pistols (including 22/45™ models) manufactured prior to June 1, 2017 have the potential to discharge unintentionally if the safety is not utilized correctly. In particular, if the trigger is pulled while the safety lever is midway between the “safe” and “fire” positions (that is, the safety is not fully engaged or fully disengaged), then the pistol may not fire when the trigger is pulled. However, if the trigger is released and the safety lever is then moved from the mid position to the “fire” position, the pistol may fire at that time.
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.
How To Determine If Your Pistol Needs The Retrofit
How to find your serial number All Mark IV™ pistols produced prior to June 1, 2017 are potentially affected and therefore are being recalled. This includes Mark IV™ Target, Hunter, Competition, 22/45™, 22/45™ Lite and 22/45™ Tactical models. These models bear serial numbers beginning with “401” (2017 models) or “WBR” (2016 models).
Firearms NOT subject to the Recall
Newly manufactured Mark IV™ pistols will begin with serial number “500.” Thus, if you have a Mark IV™ or 22/45™ pistol with a serial number beginning with the number “5,” your pistol is not subject to the recall.
Firearms That Have Been Retrofitted Already
Finding Retrofit Marking Mark IV™ and 22/45™ pistols retrofitted with the updated safety mechanism are easily identified by the letter “S” in the white safety dot that is visible when the safety is engaged.
Go to this page to view the video describing the potential safety issue and to access the serial number verification tool.