Ruger 10/22 - Ubiquitous Excellence

The Ruger 10/22 is one of the firearms that is extraordinarily pervasive throughout the US. As a well made, yet inexpensive .22 LR semi-auto rifle, the Ruger 10/22 has been made by the millions and sold probably everywhere that such firearms are legal to own on Earth. There are third party companies making literally every part including receivers. It's been made in a variety of rimfire calibers and can be found at just about any gun shop in the US. People love them and customize the snot out of them.

And I never owned one.

Until now. About mid-way though 2018 I signed up for the Appleseed Project two day class in Macon where you need a rifle with good irons and a sling. They suggest a .22 rifle for it's cheap and plentiful ammunition as you need around 500 rounds for the two day event. I was planing on taking my ProjectCarbine and a .22 LR. The Ruger American Rimfire would have been a good choice but the iron sights were installed incorrectly from the factory. I purchased a new 10/22 with walnut stock and had the local gun shop install swivel studs for a sling. It's Ruger's basic carbine with 18 inch barrel and wood stock (PN# 1103).

I've owned semi auto .22s for years. The Stevens 62 was the first rifle I ever owned and still have it but it never struck me as a great rifle despite not having any real trouble with it. The Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 was loads of fun but I traded it years ago for something more important. It's also currently banned from Appleseed Project classes. The older Marlin 60 I have would make for a great truck gun but not necessarily the best choice for the class due to the tube magazine. I decided to pick up the Ruger to see what all the hype was about.

After learning a little bit about what the 10/22 is and it's design, I can completely agree with the people. I get it. The Ruger 10/22 is simple. It is devilishly simple. The way the barrel mates to the receiver blew my mind once I saw it. Two bolts. That's it. Just two bolts hold the barrel to a point on the receiver and it works so well. You can tear a 10/22 down with simple hand tools sitting on your couch. You can literally build a new one from entirely aftermarket parts while binge watching Netflix from your living room without a workbench or vice in a few hours.

The customization options are outrageous. From heavy barrels and caliber conversion to hand crafted wood stocks or cool-guy stocks that make it look like a G36, a P90 or even a M249. Some where even converted to full auto with absurd cyclic rates. They have target models, take-down models and even a pistol version called the Charger. 

Bill Ruger truly nailed it with the 10/22.

I have a low round count (about 150 rounds) with the rifle since purchasing it but so far I've enjoyed it. I can absolutely see building a fully customized rifle in the future and even have plans to do so.

I completely recommend the Ruger 10/22 for everyone.

#22lr I added a new something to my stable. A Ruger 10/22 #1103. Nothing like a .22 rifle with a nice wood stock. #henry #leveraction #ruger #1022 #marlin #model #60 #guntree #cowboy #2a #freedom #secondamendment #guns #pewpewlife #gunsofinstagram #thepewpewlife #guncollector #rifle #22

A post shared by Ian Kocher (@der.yetti) on Jun 25, 2018 at 9:22am PDT