What is the world’s most popular firearm? A lot of gun guys will immediately say 1911, AR-15 or perhaps a Remington 870. I suggest that there is one weapon—lets call it “The Little Carbine That Could”–that is the single most popular weapon of all time. The Sturm, Ruger & Company’s 10/22®. This rifle, ladies and gents, is not chambered in some macho cartridge like the .45 ACP. Nor is it designed to take out bad guys like the AR-15 or function as the “keys to the city” like an 870. Nope. The Ruger 10/22, chambered in the Rodney Dangerfield of cartridges (the .22LR) is my nominee for the world’s most popular firearm. Let’s take a look . . .
The Ruger 10/22 is the Jeep Wrangler of the gun world. In terms of customization, the Ruger’s right up there with the M-16/AR-15 and venerable model 1911. In fact, it’s possible to build a 10/22 from the ground-up with after-market parts. Some heavily-customized 10/22s bear little resemblance to the stock 10/22 pictured above. For instance:
Or this:
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.
Ruger sells the 10/22 is a variety of configurations, from a synthetic (read: “plastic”) stock with a brushed stainless finish, to walnut stocks or matte black finishes. After-market parts can convert it to what the Israelis refer to as a “non-lethal weapon, useful for crowd control.”
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.
All-in-all, it’s a dream to shoot. Which is not to say there’s not a few problems along the way . . .
All .22LR ammo is inexpensive (when compared to larger calibers). Not all .22LR ammo is created equal. Some .22LR ammo is cheap. As in “cheaply made” or “cheap to buy, but you’re wasting your money on ammo that won’t run in the gun.” I’ve found that most semi-auto weapons are, by design, a wee bit more picky (read: “downright finicky”) than other system when it comes to ammo. The Ruger 10/22 is no exception.
You may not have to worry about limp-wristing a rifle, but it’s surprisingly easy to get the 10/22 to stovepipe a round with the wrong ammo. My advice? Buy a small quantity of a couple of different brands, figure out what works and then buy that in bulk.
You need to bulk buy .22LR ammo because you’ll be shooting a lot of it. Forget about shooter fatigue from a long day of lifting some elephant gun that feels like a free-weight system. Nope, the Ruger 10/22 is featherweight and a dream to shoot. You can blow through a box of ammo in record time, if you don’t watch what you’re doing. The only thing that will slow you down loading the magazine.
Oh, yeah. That. The magazine. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not too bad. But between my big fingers, meathook hands, tiny .22LR rimfire cartridges and that Rubik’s cube of a magazine, let’s just say that I’m looking into a banana-style, after-market magazine with some seriously-higher capacity. With the factory mag, you can blow through 10 rounds just as fast as you can pull the trigger. And with virtually no recoil, that can be pretty fast.
So if you’re in the market for a gun for your kid, and just can’t bring yourself to spring for the Hello Kitty AR-15 (you knew I’d get a reference in for that one sooner or later), if you need a reliable varmint gun, or just want to go plink at the range without putting a dent into your wallet, the Ruger 10/22 is a great place to start your search.
The 10/22 Carbine runs from $277 to $327 MSRP, usually less at Brownells. You’ll never confuse the Ruger with rifles that won the West or a mucho macho black gun. But The Little Carbine That Could has the goods to Git ‘er Done.
Ah, the 10/22. It's not just for kids. I was sold on this gun after I went jack rabbit hunting with them one snowy January day. My friend had a pair of 10/22s with 50-round banana magazines. With that much ammo on tap flowing through that lightning fast action – we didn't use the sites to aim, we looked for the splashes of snow where our bullets hit the ground until we hit the bolting bunnies. It was a blast and the farmer that owned the land was glad to be rid of the pests.
The 10/22 is every bit as fun as the Mini-14 I used to own, which I sold because at the time I couldn't afford to shoot it (i.e. ammo too expensive and I couldn't resist pulling the trigger as fast as possible – The Mini-14 is like owning a sports car the begs to be driven fast). If I'd bought a 10/22 instead, I'd still be plinking away.
I'm in complete agreement that the 10/22 is the most popular firearm in the US, if not necessarily the world. I have two. My dad has one. My brother has one, my nephew, my brother-in-law, his son and daughter, hell, every gun owner I know has a 10/22. And I'm pretty sure all but two of them are completely different from all the rest.
I use to believe (WHY WOULD ANY GROWN PERSON WANT WITH A 22) until i searched the internet on the ruger 10/22. This little plinker is not only the most versitile gun on the market, it’s a heck of alot of fun to shoot. With ammo being fairly expensive, you can get 10 tomes the fun for the money. I changed out my factory stock with a Butler Creek folding stock added a small scope and a folding bipod (now it looks like a big boy toy). It’s by far my favorite gun in my collection. Even my AR-15 is in second place…..
I have been thinking about getting another 22 rifle. the 10\22 carbine is what i want. what do you think.
Buy 2.
A great rifle.It works either as a great beginner firearm to learn on as well as a great platform for people who’ve een around awhile as well.Great prices on inital purchase,as well as for either company and or aftermarket accessories.Accurate as well,with in reason for cost category.Easily adaptable for skill levels,as well as various competittion(small bore category).Fun easy to shoot cheap to cahnge an or upgrade.Cheap ammo.Quiet.All the good things,great prices,a gun to grow with yet never grow out of.What more could you want?
I started out with the 10/22 and moved up to the “AR” style SR22 with the bull barrel and flash hider. I mounted a Centerpoint lighted reticle variable scope- 4X16X50 variable from 5 yards to 100 yards. This is one accurate rifle. I can hit a 3 inch square in the center from 100 yards with this setup. Gotta love it.
this gun amaziz me so much i am a hill billy and i pluck off varmits all day .its so fun i luv it its betterr that my i use to blow op cars . i luv dis gun
Love my 10/22. My stock was getting a little worn had the thing forever. I put it in a Maurader Pro mag kit. Thing looks great. Took 30mins to take apart and put together in the kit. If you your like me and cant afford to shoot the big guns. This is a good way to go. Looks better than the AR. Put all the toys on it. The kit feels solid like it came this way. Still I have a lingering problem need a new firing pin. What is the best pin to put in it??
A friend of mine has a ruger 10/22 that is about 25 or 30 yrs old and is a real tack driver he has a 100 yrd target set up for his 223 rifle but he can hit the 100 yrd target with his ruger every time. I have a winchester 290 and marlin 60 and remington 597 I just got a brand new 10/22 for christmas of 2011 can’t wait to go do some plinking i even got a bsa red dot scope for it as a christmas gift.
Love my little 10/22, bought it from a gun store with a aftermarket stock and a scope already mounted. Had to get a few banana mags since I found the 10 round mag to be a bit too awkward, but a fun, light carbine compared to my other 2 rifles which may as well be artillery pieces (Mosin M91/30 and M1917 Enfield) compared to my 10/22. I know I am really going to try and put on a new stock, and possibly toy around with it more after that.
who cares, bro?
he does,dont be an ass.bro
always have to be an A HOLE every where we go don’t ya
Couldn’t agree more with your write-up. I have had mine for over 30 years. It was my first gun, and if I had to get down to one, it would be my last gun. Like you say, it is not chambered in a macho cartridge, but I can’t think of another gun that comes close to it for all-around competence.
If you go with one of the higher-capacity magazine, I hope your experience is better than mine. I bought a 30-round Ram-Line magazine which proved to be unreliable in feeding and which eventually bound itself up tightly to where I could not get any more rounds in or unload the magazine without breaking it. I bought two extra 10-round stock magazines and have never since had any problems with the gun.
Try the Ruger BX-25 magazines. Never have had a problem with them. Also the Butler Creek Steel Lips are pretty good.
I’ve had mine for a few years now. Bought it for $54.95 new in box! It has a walnut stock AND a five digit serial number. Some new ones have almost that many prefix numbers to the serial number (i.e. xxxx-xxxxxx). I would not give it up for the world!
Bought a Ruger 10/22 Carbine this weekend. Looks like the stock is white oak. Beautiful gun. Loaded up the clip with CCI Stingers and it is a real tack driver. Had a large ground hog hurting the foundation of our old barn. Saw the ground hog at about 40 yards and laid her out with a shot right through the heart. A day later shot a smaller ground hog. This gun has open sites and plan on mounting a nice scope. One hundred percent American made. Thanks Ruger!
I might be wrong but I believe Ruger uses birch stocks on almost all their wooden-stocked firearms, in most instances dyed to a walnut-ish color.
Right one target with the 10/22. It’s so much fun to shoot. I matched the stainless model with a 3×9 scope from Wallymart and the gun is a really sweet. Our local indoor range only goes 25yds. At 25 yards 10 shots deliver a hole the size of a dime. I couldn’t be happier.
does the 10/22 carbine able to support a bipod system…if so, please tell which one, i would prefer the bipod system to hook on to the stock
I have a Harris bipod on mine and my daughter has a UTG bipod on hers. Just about any one will fit over your sling stud (if you have one, if not they,re easy to install). Just pick the one with the features you like.
I’ve owned only four 10-22’s. The latest I’ve owned for 30 years. I don’t shoot it much and have only replaced the barrel once ($35 through Ruger) my fireing pin and assorted springs which wore out about 3 years ago plus several factory mags.
I was once paid to shoot ground squirrels with this rifle which led me to install an after mkt trigger and X24 scope, I was occasionaly able to make 135 yard hits with a rest using junk ammo. Now with the addition of a P-rail and an after mkt stock the same rifle has become my tacticle trainer.
I have fired many thousands of rounds through my 10-22.
I find the comments about ammo functionality a bit over blown. Lube your action, switch to Butler Creek Steel Lips extended mags and 99% of your problems will disappear.
Used one and now I have never wanted a gun more than this one. It is perfectly balanced with a great action and extremely reliable. The 10/22 rules all others.
Some .22 LR ammo is just really bad, in my experience.
I just finished up a couple of “short bricks” of 2009 production Federal “American Eagle” .22 LR with the copper plated hollowpoints. This is the stuff in the red carton with ten little boxes of 40, totaling 400 rounds.
I tried it in a 10/22, a 22/45, and a Henry AR7. I could not get through a full magazine without at least two failures to eject in any of them. It was smoky and dirty and left the 22/45, with which I shot most of them, so clogged with carbon that I had to take it apart, clean the upper receiver with a steel dental pick and brake cleaner, and two days later the bolt is still soaking in an old pickle jar full of paint thinner, so badly is it fouled with not only carbon but what appear to be flakes of unburned propellant.
CCI Mini-Mags: good function and good accuracy
Remington or Federal plated high velocity solids: good function and good accuracy
CCI Blazer: good function and good accuracy
CCI Standard Velocity: mediocre function (doesn’t always cycle semiautos), very good accuracy
CCI Stingers, Remington Yellowjackets, Aguila hypervelocity: good function, fair accuracy
any of the bulk pack plated hollowpoints: mediocre function, 3% duds or more, fair accuracy, Remington is usually worst, Federal “Champion” bulk pack is usually–I won’t say best, I’ll say least bad, and accuracy is mediocre as well, Winchester “333” and “555” bulk packs are nothing to get excited about either
Federal “American Eagle” in the old red boxes with the drawing of the eagle on them: poor function, fair accuracy, new production might be better but I haven’t seen any on sale anywhere in two years
Winchester “Xpert” .22: almost as bad as old “American Eagle”
Aguila high velocity plated solids: good function, fair accuracy
Wolf “Match Target”/Lapua SV Standard (it’s the same thing, Wolf is an importer for whom Lapua of Germany packages the ammo in black boxes instead of yellow): good function in 10/22, iffy in everything else, very good accuracy
Bolt guns and revolvers may be less picky about what they’ll function with, but they’re manually operated and not dependent upon a delicate balancing act between bolt mass, recoil spring tension, powder charge, powder burning rate, and projectile mass to cycle reliably. Given the tremendous variations in .22 LR out there, especially at a time of poor ammo availability, when being picky and holding out for, say, Mini-Mags guarantees you’ll never be able to shoot, ever–I’m mildly amazed that semiauto firearms in .22 LR work as well as they do.
Shooting rimfire just isn’t the same any more with the great ammo panic still going on. It’s mostly due to hoarders and price gougers from what I have read.
The 22LR ammo quality and supply issue is still very serious as of 2015. It’s nearly impossible to find ANY quality 22LR ammo at retail where I live, and I’ve got a dozen gun stores and sporting goods shops within 15 miles or so. The hoarders are still snapping it up as soon the stores open in the morning (along with their family members). Then they sell it for ridiculous prices at the gun shows. Even the junk ammo is selling high.
People are also selling old 22LR ammo at the shows. Unless old 22LR was stored vertically, rimfire primer material can flow a bit around the base and potentially cause misfires – depending on where the firing pin hits on the base. Lots of people just store 22LR in bins, so this happens a lot with old ammo.
So without ammo that you can buy at reasonable prices, your Ruger 10/22 is just a fancy stick.
One alternative for inexpensive rifle shooting is a bolt action rifle in 22 Hornet, which is one of the smallest reloadable cartridges. A used bolt action rifle in 22 Hornet can be had for the same price as a new Ruger 10/22. Reloading components – brass, powder, bullets, primers – are available. With the correct powder and comparable bullet weight, you can safely load 22 Hornet down to 22LR levels and doing that is nearly as cheap as quality 22LR ammo. And if you don’t mind taking the time you can load up a lot of it for plinking. And it always functions – unlike the 22LR ammo. If you’ve got a .223 rifle, .223 can also be downloaded for plinking or small game with light 22 caliber bullets, the correct powder, and some proper case filler material over the powder. Lots of information on this in the various published reloading manuals. Also info on the Net, but relying on the published manuals is safest. You have to be the patient type of person that likes reloading, but for the foreseeable future (until the political situation changes) it may be either that, or shooting expensive store-bought ammo, or not shooting at all.
Only sad thing really, 4 years ago when I bought my first 10/22 from walmart it retailed at $190. Today you are lucky to find it under $250 for the same rifle.
Bought my second 10/22 a month ago. (First one was my first rifle 27 years ago….weird) Upgraded with an archangel target pro(?) stock (not a folding stock), volquartsen extractor, match hammer, extended mag release, and bolt release and couldn’t have more fun with this thing. Trigger pull is down to about 1.9lbs and haven’t had it fail once in the first 1000rounds through it. (The extractor has a lot to do with this from what I’ve read.) Ruger bx-25 banana clips have been running perfectly, although I’ve only fired CCI and Fiocchi through it. Love this rifle.
I just got my first 10/22 this past weekend. Funny, I’ve been buying, shooting, and sometimes carrying Ruger products for about 30 years. I’ve owned a Gold Label, an Express Rifle in .338 Win Mag, several other M77 variations, 2 Mini-14s, a seemingly endless stream of handguns of all varieties made by Ruger, but never considered one of their .22 rifles. I got the plain birch-stocked, blued barrel numbers for $199.99 at a large retailer and moved my Leupold scope over to it from my trusty Glenfield 60 (the one with the squirrel stamped into the grip of the stock). Hope to go shoot the thing some night this week if I get home before dark. Just got tired of dropping perfectly good ammo into the mud after hunting bunnies on public land, while attempting to unload a tubular magazine in fading light with cold hands. Conversely, I didn’t want the slender little flat single-stack mags that every other non-tube .22 on the market has, whether straight or banana shaped. Balance, weight, “pointability” of the basic carbine is just wonderful. Can’t wait to start shooting it.
I got this gun for my B-Day last year and right out of the box it shot great. The sights where dead on and everything worked smoothly and perfectly. Since I got the rifle I have put 1000+ rounds through it and I can count on my hands the # of jams its had. This rifle is not just for kids, its for every shooter, from the everyday plinker to varmint hunting. Ammo is cheap and easy to find. Unless you live in the Inland Empire in SoCal where we are having a bit of an ammo crisis, no 9mm’s, 22’s, 5.56, or AK rounds anywhere. Overall this gun is great.
The .22 is like the first girl I ever fell in love with, (or, maybe it was just lust)?, but more reliable.
Have two 10/22’s,one for the wife and one for me.With the way things are,glad I put some .22lr back,looks like it might be next year before the ammo companies are caught up to demand.the 10/22 is a great all around rifle,plinking,hunting,and even self defense,I know I might get scorched for that last one,but out here in the country,we practice,and think about a large number of even .22’s coming at you,I think a rational person would head the opposite direction.Most of the videos I have watched show 10/22’s can hit targets out to 400 yards,I can hit them out to 250 yards as that is as far as I have for cleared shooting.A lot of people underestimate the .22lr round,it is the oldest metallic cartridge around and the most advanced,it is being improved every year,it is far from being made obsolete,you can even find around the world.Ruger .22lr handguns are really the best .22 handguns around,rugged and reliable,can almost be had to an individuals taste.Keep your powder dry.
I wont scorch you. I don’t think a .22lr handgun is a useful choice for SD, but in a rifle it’s a whole different story. I might prefer an AR but my little 10/22 lets me deliver extremely accurate hits so fast and plentiful that it’s hard to imagine it not being effective. Like you said, when it’s an entirely accurate blizzard of .22 coming in the only obvious choices include surrender or hasty retreat or perhaps the even more obvious; dying in a hail of gunfire.
Brad, you’re slick. Can’t believe you claim to have purchased the 10/22 for your daughter (we all know you got it for you) I have two daughters, I will ask my wife tonight if I can get one for each of them. Hope the ruse works as well as it did for you (pray for me). Great article (with some outstandingly excellent deception with the spouse).
What’s not to love about this gun? Affordable, reliable, durable, and a blast to shoot. Also the most customizable gun out there. I’ve had mine for 28 years, and it’s never jammed no matter what brand of ammo I’ve fed it (I only use factory magazines, though). As with any gun, some brands are more accurate than others (CCI and Winchester good, Remington Thunderbolts horrible).
If I was Tyrant And President For Life of my own country, every able-bodied citizen would be part of the militia and a 10/22 would be standard issue. Best little peashooter ever made.
and the official sidearm should be the Ruger MKIII 22LR
I purchased a new Ruger 10/22 at Wal Mart and brought the gun home and put up a target and proceeded to sight in a scope I put on it after bore sighting in the scope with a lazier lite. The third round ended up as a smoke stack and I removed the clip and checked the extractor and found it was hanging up in the slot in the bolt, so working on guns I took it apart and removed the bolt and removed the extractor with some difficulty as the extractor was rough were or had been stamped out on a punch press. It had burrs all around the edge of it. I got some 400 grit paper and polished the extractor on both sides on a flat surface and when I was satisfied I reassembled the bolt and gun and took it back out for the test firing. The gun functioned perfect and never failed again. I got a 25 round magazine and it fired all rounds without one jam. PROBLEM SOLVED. This is a great small carbine and I love it to carry on the farm to shoot groundhogs when working in the field . We have coyotes and foxes and bob cats and when the season opens on them I give them a shot they never knew what hit them. CCI Ammo HP is great in this gun.
Ruger Makes a great gun and I love this little carbine. Well worth the price .
Well, maybe I got the odd one out here. Bought one for my dad years ago and my brothers have been shooting them since we were kids in the 60’s n 70’s. I recently traded my Winchester 190 in for a SS model with a camo synthetic stock and I’m torn. I’ve always envied the clips and not having to fill the tube. It’s a nice looking gun and with the red field scope I can trim branches at 40 yards with it. Problem is, it will only shoot longs and only certain brands. Very disappointed with this. The old 190 never jammed a round, shorts, longs, lead, vipers, I’ve run every round man makes and never jammed once. The 10/22 shoots well with certain rounds. Is this normal? I think I’m going back to see if my old “obsolete” 190 has been sold yet and buy it back for $100 more than I sold it for. 🙁
Craig are you trying to shoot 22 longs in your 10/22??? Mine said it is made for long rifle shells only. I use either CCI or Winchester in my gun. I had a problem with it jamming and removed the clip and pulled the extractor back and it would hang up and not be pushed back down by the spring. I removed the bolt and removed the extractor and it had burrs on it. I polished it with 400 wet or dry sand paper and I can fire a 25 round clip now with no jams.
I’m 61 years old.
I got one for Christmas 1971. It STILL works without a bobble using proper .22 LR ammunition. About 5 years ago I put a mil dot scope on it. It still is as accurate as the day I got it.
Bought a 10/22 and gave it to my 9 year old grandson to “plink” with at my old farm. He loved it. So that one was gone. Found another one that had been severely mistreated but had a skeleton/boat paddle stock and stainless barrel so I thought it was worth restoring. With a new bolt and new iron sights it works great. Updated with a Ruger brand 25 round mag and put see through scope rings with a decent scope. My favorite rifle. I don’t go for all the “fancying” up but so many folk are buying them for the trigger and receiver assembly. BTW: my 10/22 has metal trigger setup. I guess that means it is older.
I had a marlin 22 back in my younger days and loved it’s accuracy and ease of shooting…I’m older now and with 22 yrs in the infantry, one tour in Iraq back in 05-06 which sent me back permanently disabled due to mTBI and other things…not bitching here people, I volunteered, lol. I was also a small arms instructor as well as competitive shooter for my unit as well…I now have a few select rifles, shotty, and a couple handguns…no hoarder or gun nut by any means…my mantra is simple…no matter how many you got you can only effectively use one at a time…and it’s better and much cheaper if you only have to focus on keeping a few dialed in…shooting is a highly perishable skill after all…and ammo costs these days is not budget friendly. The 22lr is about the most economical way to keep your shooting skills at their peak, and that means that I only have to break out the others every once in a while just to confirm zeros. I just wanted to give a little background before I spouted off with my 2 cents worth, lol.
I found my little 10/22 stainless folding stock at a specialty arms dealer about 4 years back…best money I’ve ever spent. round for round it is far cheaper and surprisingly accurate…as well as an absolute joy to shoot with the only problem being that no matter how many mags you have loaded it’s never enough. It is a prime choice for teaching children and adults alike how to properly handle, maintain, and shoot a rifle…low noise, no recoil, and no fatigue. I believe that one of these should be in every home…with everyone in it being trained and experienced to handle it. The bottom line is this…it doesn’t matter the caliber…a firearm of any size will stop anyone in it’s tracks…and to be honest I would fear a 22 more than most others because of it’s ballistic traits and it’s ability to more than likely create a lifelong injury than say an .06 or 45 acp. one must be very aware of their field of fire though…the little buggers can travel through many walls and carry up to a mile and a half.
One thing I would highly recommend, as I read above about some magazine issues from other posters… is the new HC/3 magazines and speed loading systems…I got mine last year and they really put their thinking caps on with these products…yes they are more expensive than the rest, but as I said it is a complete system complete with speed sorter and loader…a little finicky till ya get it figured out but after that watch out…those ammo stores dissipate with alarming speed and really ramp up the fun levels. The really cool thing is that the mag holds 25 rds, but has a pocket that stores an additional 20 rds alongside…here is the link to the site…http://www.hcmags.com/…and no I don’t work for them, lol. I would recommend getting them from the Sportsman’s Guide to save some bucks and get free shipping. They are designed for the long haul and are completely maintainable and made with high quality steel and resins. Give them a try…I swear by them, and sometimes at them…mostly when the day is done because of how much ammo I went through, lol. The major thing to keep in mind is with ammo you get what you pay for and if you have a semi-auto 22 make sure you aren’t buying that crappy subsonic 700-900 fps powderless crap…it works very well in a bolt action/single shot 22 but will send you into fits if it gets into your semi-auto due to partial extraction and misfeeds with every shot. If it isn’t at least 1,000 fps don’t even bother trying…I hope my rant might help others here…Be Safe, God Bless, and Happy Shooting!!!
While this thread appears to be a few years old, I thought I might add a few remarks.
First, I just purchased a Ruger 10/22 Carbine for $229 on July 4th. I thought it would be symbolic to buy an American-made Firearm on the 4th of July. I have had my eye on the 10/22 for some time & given all the rave reviews I decided it was time I picked one up. The store was completely out of ammo but, with the purchase of a 22lr they had boxes of 325 rounds under the counter for $20.
I haven’t gotten out to the range yet, so I can’t report/review the firearm itself but I believe it will be as good an experience as everyone else has commented on.
Another thing, the carbine only came with one 10 round magazine which was fine with me. When I got home, I did a search for higher capacity magazines and found this one ON SALE.
RUGER® 10/22® 22LR 25RD X2 DOUBLE MAG – Special Sale: $29.89
Manufacturer: RUGER®
“This magazine is essentially two BX-25 magazines molded into one, not just screwed, bolted, or glued together. The middle is a single piece molded into opposite facing BX-25 magazines, doubling the capacity of the original.”
http://www.cdnnsports.com/magazines/10-22-22-25×2-double-mag-ruger.html#.U7tjUGdOVdh
For some reason, this Ruger Factory magazine is not available at http://www.shopruger.com
I figured, why not get a magazine with 50 rounds for less than the price of a 10 round magazine.
It should save a lot of time reloading at the range or in the field.
I have 7 of these rifles. All bought within this last year. There are so many configurations you can do to this rifle. The possibilities are endless. I have configured them for Bench, Bench/Siloulette, Scout, Race, Take down, Appleseed (with Tech sights), and tactical. All with modified bolts, barrels, triggers,and stocks. Great gun to have and tinker.
I have 2 10/22’s and last year got my 9 year old daughter one for her birthday. They are all configured completely different. My first one I put a .920 bull barrel, Choate Dragunov style stock, Tasco 3x9x40 scope, Harris bipod, and a custom paint job that looks like tree bark and tied some strips of jute burlap on it. My second one I had the barrel shortened to 16″ and turned down to fit a mini 14 flash hider with front sight, Butler Creek side folding stock, extra long weaver rail with peep sight and Simmons pistol scope as scout scope, under forearm picatinny rail with flashlight and laser, paracord single point sling, and custom hand painted ACU digital camo. I just got started on my daughters but so far Dragunov style fiberforce stock, UTG bipod, custom hand painted pink digital camo paint job. Still have a few things to add to hers. And I have several different mags from different companies, they all work fine. My point is you can take this plain little rifle and turn it into whatever style gun you want. How many other guns can you do that with?
You mentioned Hello Kitty, I have a bombshell to drop. Hello kitty, is not a cat!
*mind blown*
I have bought a 10/22 carbine as I always wanted one ,I fitted a new 3.9X40 scope and went to the range to sight it in without a suppressor it was perfect and accurate ,having installed the suppressor the rifle was firinf 2’6″ low I thought it may be clipping the inners of suppressor ,this was not the case ! I returned it to the vendor who supplied me with a brand new replacement and again went to sight it in ,perfect without suppressor but worse than previous with suppressor ,I cam to the conclusion that the threading was not concentric to the bore and returned the rifle to the vendor again ,I mailed the firearm numbers to Sturm Ruger customer service who replied that they would get back to me within two days ,this never happened !!! The two rifles I have had were consectuvily numbered ,I advised the supplier and the vendor and waiting two weeks have a replacement which with or without suppressor is very accurate ,I am very disappointed with Sturm Rugers customer Service and also with their Quality control and Quality Assurance !!
Furthermore it would be a Great improvement to be able to alter the rear sight on this rifle without having to use a screwdriver not just on one screw but on two ,also the bolt locking device MUST be reengineered as it is so awkward to make it function and sharp to the touch ,and lastly to have to take the rifle apart to bore clean it is totally ridiculous ENGINEERING GET IT TOGETHER !!!! and you will sell millions more of these !!
Sincerely
John Hogan
GREAT GUN WITH MAG-LITE ATTACHED AND 25 ROUND MAGAZINE IT IS THE BEST!!!
I can’t wait to purchase my first Ruger 10/22. I looking forward to shooting some rabbit in the country!
I own 3 10/22’s , 2 wood , 1 synthetic . I have 12 , 30 round bananas and a dozen of the 10 rounder’s , does anyone need me to say how much I like this RIFLE . In 2015 the 22 LR is a formidable weapon in a rapid fire 30 round long bbl. and in any social breakdown misadventure I would not hesitate to pass them out to friends and family . From a rabbit to deer , shot placement is key and this gun preforms just fine . Quite reliable , go ahead and dry store 200 – 500 rounds . I also would like for anyone who owns one of these to look at the ” Magnum Lite ” 22 WMR semi auto by Magnum Research . Put a hole in an eye socket at 150 yards . Really .
Just purchased a 2nd Ed Collectors 10/22 as wanted peep sights for an Appleseed rifle. Very disappointed. The peep sights are only one step up from junk (long allen wrench to adjust two opposing screws), mag well is so tight have to push the mag with a finger thru the ejection port (poly stock, Ruger mags), and the front sight fell out of the dovetail before the rifle had been fired.
I have several other Ruger (incl a SS 10/22 on which I installed a rail and TechSights TSM200) but this really reduced my previous high opinion of the brand.
I’m sorry you got an off day gun. I also just got a Collector’s Series and mine has been great. The magazine drops free, the sights are solid and the trigger feels better than my friend’s older carbine. From reading 22 fora, Ruger can be a bit inconsistent but customer service is supposed to be good.
As a note to the original article, rotary magazines are actually quite common. The design came from Mannlicher and Steyr uses rotary magazines on the SSG, Scout Rifle and related designs. Ruger has also started using their rotary design on bolt action rifles in rimfire and rimmed pistol calibers.
I purchased a 10/22 and the first time I took it out to try it the gun would smokestack about every third round . Since I have worked on guns I tore it down and found the shell extractor was rough where it had been stamped out of the metal , so I polished it good on both sides to remove the burrs and reassembled it and took it back out and it fired three full clips without a single jam. Problem solved.
I bought my 10/22 about 10 years ago. It stove pipes and jams regardless of ammo used. At least 1 out of 30 rounds. Replaced entire bolt assy, replaced extractor, sent in gun to ruger. Gun still jams. I owned a 10/22 30 years ago that never jamed. The guy at ruger suggested using high volicity Cci rounds. I did and no difference. Rugers quality has gone down while the price has skyrocketed. My first one cost$99. This one was 230. This one has a painted receiver that looks like it was spray painted and the finish on the stock is bubbling. Sorry to burst your bubbles but the 10/22 isn’t what it used to be. I’m out of ideas on fixing this thing. All it does is take up space as I can’t stand to shoot it.
I keep a 10/22 with a folding stock (just like the one pictured here) in my car all the time as a emergency back up gun. With three 25 round mags and a 1 to 5 power scope it will put food on the table or keep the bad guys away till help can get there.
Great review. The Ruger 10/22 is prefect beginner weapon for the new shooter and fun plinker for the old. Following my father’s footsteps I introduced my kids to the art of sport/target shooting. For my youngest son, I opted for the Sig .22 Mosquito, in the spirt of my fond memories of the Colt Ace I received many years ago. Sadly, despite a return to SIG for repairs the Mosquito remained unreliable and threatened my son’s learning experience. We switched to the ever reliable Ruger 10/22 and he is a gun enthusiast today. We started out with iron sights, graduated to laser, and most recently RDS.
Great article. You mention the uniqueness of the rotory magazine. The savage 99 used one for years and once you own one of those gems there is no going back
For anyone thinking about buying a Ruger 10/22T target rifle there are several things that you should know before you spend your money on what you think is a true target rifle.
1) the trigger is really terrible mine came in at 4lbs 12.5oz, no good for a target rifle. You’ll need to update your new trigger for anywhere from $90.00 for Ruger BX model up to $200.00+ for a really good one.
2) Pay close attention to the inletting of the stock to barrel, mine arrived with no inletting, .004 clearance
3) Stock finish, mine had no finish, magazine well was not even sanded. I got a splinter in finger taking the mag. out
4) gun comes with sling rings on studs, not good if you want to mount a bi-pod, you’ll have to remove these rings in order to get a bi-pod mounted. After you do that you’ll notice that the studs are not drilled to accept sling swivels. You’ll need to drill out or buy new studs. Location of front stud was too close to front of forearm causing bi-pod to hang over the front of stock.
I’ve sent this gun back to Ruger for them to correct these problems. Ruger service dept. was really concerned about my complaints, personal call from cust. service and warranty dept. Ruger really seems to stand behind their products. I’ll let you know the outcome when I get the rifle back from Ruger.
I have yet to purchase my first rifle. Do I need to buy a Ruger 10/22 or can I just go straight to an AR-15?
I’d get the 10/22 or a Remington 597 22LR and stop right there. I’m trying to decide between the two. Had an M16 in the military, pretty much same as AR. I won’t be missing anything when I get one of these.
I picked up this gun a few months back at Dick’s Sporting goods, $199.00 One word. FUN. I’m a long time 1911 guy & I shoot IDPA & USPSA (yes, I’m one of those guys). I wanted a plinker for fun & practice especially with my sight picture, getting older. my eyes are not what they were. I’ve put over 1000 rounds down range & not 1 FTF or FTE & I’ve tried several brands of ammo. It came with a cheap Red Dot, but that was fine by me. It is accurate, smooth, no recoil to speak of, quiet, Oh, did I say FUN. Every time I take it out to the range at least 2 or 3 other shooters want to try it, then afterwards, say they want to buy one. If you are looking for a high end or high tech, fancy gadget AR, this is not for you. It’s a simple, basic .22LR, yet it’s also very versatile & easy to add, scopes, red dots, rails, pods, etc. There are several after-market stock options you can get & change out in about 10 minutes, with & a screw driver. Also, get at least 1 BX-25 mag, 2, if you can afford them.
Got my 10/22 three weeks ago from Dick’s. Took it home with 100 rounds of Winchester Super X. First magazine, 2/10 rounds failed to feed. Same thing with the next three magazines, between two and four rounds would FTF. Cleaning, very lightly oiling (one drop wiped away) on the feed ramp wouldn’t fix the issue. (I was using only the 10rd Ruger magazine that came with the rifle.)
This being my first 10/22, I didn’t immediately recognize the loose magazine in the well as the problem. What I did notice was that if I pulled back firmly on the magazine release lever while firing, the gun would work perfectly.
I looked online to see if I was doing something wrong, I noticed lots of issues with the 25rd magazines not fitting real well, but nothing about the tens. My magazine was very loose and would move in all four lateral directions very easily as well as vertically.
Long story short, I called Ruger and sent the rifle back to them. A week later, they called back and said there was a problem with the rifle’s receiver so they replaced it and shipped it back. I should have it in the next day or two and will update when I give it another go around.
Ruger said there was something wrong with the receiver and they replaced it free of charge. Whole process took about two weeks. Now the magazine locks in with no issues at all. Only issue I notice with the rifle is that with a scope mounted on the receiver, I can hear a click when I tilt the gun past 60 degrees both ways. It’s the receiver shifting ever so slightly within the frame of the gun.
Best view i have ever seen !