About five months ago I wrote a piece on the Ruger
10/22 rifle, detailing a bit about its history and
manufacture, so I won’t plow that same ground here, but refer
the reader to that earlier review. For the past few weeks I have
been playing around some with a new version of that dandy little
rifle; the Target Tactical. This latest version is a very
compact, very handy, yet accurate and well-balanced little jewel
that is different from any other version of the 10/22, but
shares its basic design.
The heart of the Target Tactical 10/22 is, of
course, the time-tested 10/22 semi-auto action, featuring
Ruger’s ten-shot rotary magazine. Mated to the rugged and
reliable action is a hammer-forged heavy barrel that measures
sixteen and one-eighth inches in length, and has a diameter of
.918 inch. The hammer forging process leaves the outside of the
barrel with a spiral pattern, and it is finished with a matte
black exterior. The barreled action is bolted into a black Hogue
Overmolded stock. The Overmolded stock is a synthetic stock with
a thin rubberized skin, which gives an excellent grip in any
weather condition. It is somewhat tacky to the touch, and has a
raised pebble finish in the gripping areas. The stock is fitted
with sling swivel studs, and the Target Tactical rifle comes
with a folding lightweight bipod as standard equipment.
In competitive shooting matches where
fast-shooting twenty-two rimfire rifles are used, the 10/22
dominates. Many shooters heavily customize their Ruger rifles
with heavy barrels and better triggers, but this 10/22 is
competitive right out of the box. It has Ruger’s target
trigger, which is not a super-light custom unit, but does have a
better trigger feel than the standard 10/22 trigger. The trigger
on this test rifle released pretty crisply, with three pounds,
ten ounces of pressure. The weight of the 10/22 Target
Tactical is six pounds, four ounces without scope or bipod. The
bipod adds another half pound. It is a very sturdy and versatile
bipod, adjusting easily for uneven terrain. The heavy barrel
gives the Ruger a decidedly muzzle heavy balance, which is an
aid to holding steadily while firing from a standing or sitting
position. The handling characteristics of this rifle with its
short overall length (34.5 inches) and muzzle-heavy balance make
this Ruger a superb squirrel hunting rifle. It is easy to carry,
and hangs right on target, with or without a rest in the field.
The stock is excellent for keeping a positive hold on the gun.
The tacky surface holds on to dust and dirt, but it cleans off
easily. Like all new 10/22 rifles, the Tactical has an extended
magazine release for easily removing the magazine, even while
wearing gloves. The crossbolt safety blocks the trigger from
movement. There is a manual bolt hold-open to aid in cleaning
the rifle.
For accuracy testing, I mounted a Leupold
Mark 4 scope in an ArmaLite one-piece mount. The Ruger 10/22
comes with a scope base that will accept either Weaver style or
tip-off rings, but I needed a Picatinny base to attach the
ArmaLite mount, so I attached a Tactical Solutions Picatinny
base atop the Ruger receiver. Functioning was just like I
expect from a 10/22 rifle; perfect. I tried a wide variety of
ammo types in the rifle, and every round fed, fired, and ejected
perfectly. Accuracy was excellent, as expected. From the bench,
the Ruger would group into one-half inch groups at fifty yards
using both PMC and Wolf match ammo, and would do almost as well
with Winchester Dynapoint, which is my favorite squirrel hunting
ammo. Even the bulk-pack Federal hollowpoints would group into
less than one inch at fifty yards. Every brand and type of
ammunition fired turned in very good performance from this Ruger
Target Tactical 10/22 rifle.
There is not much more that I can say about
the 10/22 in general that I have not said before, but it is the
most popular rimfire rifle in the United States, and has been in
constant production for over four decades. This new Target
Tactical version is just one of dozens of varieties of the 10/22
currently in production, but I think that it is also one of the
best 10/22 rifles ever produced. It is a highly useful
variation; rugged, accurate, well-balanced, easy-to-use, and
reliable as a ………...well, reliable as a 10/22!
Check out the full line of Ruger products
here.
For the location of a Ruger dealer near you,
click on the DEALER FINDER at www.lipseys.com.
To order the 10/22 online, go to www.galleryofguns.com.
Jeff
Quinn
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Leupold Mark 4 scope (top), ArmaLite mount (center),
and Tactical Solutions 10/22 Picatinny rail (bottom) were used
for accuracy testing.
Wolf (top) and PMC (bottom) match ammo were both very
accurate from the 10/22 carbine, as these 50-yard groups show.
Sling swivel studs.
Lightweight, adjustable bipod.
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