The Ruger 10/22 is popular for a reason. People who don’t have one know about it, and people who do have one…well, they often end up with more than one. So, we’re spreading the word that the Jeep Wrangler of the rimfire gun world, the classic 18.5-inch carbine, is on sale for $210 at Brownells right now (they’re $270 at Cabela’s). That goes for both the standard and synthetic stock versions.
The 10/22 is a pleasure to shoot for anyone, but it isn’t a stretch to call it the best long gun for beginners there is.
To this day, we stand by our classic review of the 10/22:
The Ruger 10/22 is a chameleon, serving as everything from your kid’s first long gun or a varmint rifle, to a deadly-accurate light weapon that can be used for some surprisingly lethal pursuits.
One of the distinctive features of the 10/22: its magazine. The internal, 10-round, rotary magazine is kind of an odd duck in the rifle world. In fact, the only other manufacturer I’ve seen with anything like it would be Calico Arms. Before that, you’d have to go back to the Tommy Gun to see a popular weapon using a rotary mag.
I purchased a stock 10/22 for my then-10 year old daughter, to introduce her to firearms. I’ve found that kids, especially at indoor ranges, have problems with two things: noise and recoil. The Ruger 10/22 has neither. It’s about as quiet as you could ask for a rifle to be (without a noise suppressor). As far as kick, I’ve seen house cats jumping in your lap that will jar you more.