I’m a big fan of the 10/22 Takedown. The original 10/22 is one of those iconic firearms that lasts for generations, and the Takedown version adds a wonderful new twist on the concept. It makes the whole package much more compact and easy to carry around, raising fewer eyebrows among neighbors in apartment buildings and easily fitting into small compartments in vehicles. There was just one problem: it wasn’t small enough. So, with a spare $200 in my pocket and nothing better to do, I wanted to see if there was a way to make it even smaller. And cooler. And I think I have . . .
When I reviewed the 10/22 Takedown, I knew I wasn’t sending it back. The gun was fun to shoot, offered some nifty tech, and had serious potential for improvement. The ability to quickly swap barrels meant that even if I managed to screw it up, there was always a way to get back to the standard configuration rifle somehow. But while the Takedown does break in half for easy storage and transport, it could still be smaller. The first step on that path was getting a shorter stock, and AGP had just the ticket.
The AGP Arms folding stock means that the receiver section is only as long as the receiver itself, and not much more. This basically cut the length of that part of the rifle in half, and when disassembled for storage makes the end section extremely easy to stow in bags and such.
However, the main problem remained the barrel section. Thanks to the National Firearms Act, that needs to remain 16 inches or longer. Thankfully there’s a solution for that, too. It just takes $200, a 13-month wait, and about $150 in gunsmithing fees from your gun shop of preference.
Once the Form 1 came back for the SBR, I had my local guys (Alamo Tactical) chop the barrel down and thread it. I have another dedicated .22lr silencer waiting on a Form 4, but since that’s probably going to sit in the shop for a year as well, I’m using the AAC Ti-Rant 9mm can that I have on hand to hush this puppy.
In its deconstructed configuration, the gun is just slightly longer than the length of the receiver. The barrel is a short 10 inches long, just enough length to cycle the action, but not so much that it gets in the way. Silencers are great, but they can be pretty long and ruin the look (and feel and weight and…) of your rifle. Trimming down the barrel and adding a can not only makes the rifle lighter and easier to use, but it also looks decidedly BAD ASS.
There is one unfortunate side effect of trimming the barrel: the front sight is gone. The gun comes with iron sights, but now that front post has been cropped, that rear site is kinda useless. That’s why I’ve added a short rail section on top of the receiver using the scope-mounting holes, and mounted a Konus red dot. And I have to say, it works fantastically.
Out at Tyler’s ranch I test fired the gun for the first time, and without any gunsmithing or spring changes the rifle functioned 100% reliably with standard .22lr ammunition both suppressed and unsuppressed. For those taking notes at home, that’s a 10 inch barrel length you want.
I’m not the kind of guy to be happy with a gun the exact way it comes from the factory. Even with my CMP-procured M1 Garand rifle I’ve already swapped out the operating rod and added an adjustable pressure gas plug. I always feel the need to tinker with my toys until they are just the way I want them, and I get that feeling that I’m getting close with this gun.
Close. But not quite perfect yet.