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Click pictures for a larger version.
Ruger's new BX-25 magazine, compared to their
ten-shot rotary magazine.
Most aftermarket 10/22-compatible magazines (top) use
plastic feed lips, which wear out over time. The feed lips of
the Ruger BX-25 (bottom) are stainless steel.
BX-25 (center) compared to cheap aftermarket
magazines. The locking studs at front and back of the Ruger
magazine are stainless steel, in contrast to the plastic used
on most aftermarket magazines.
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For many years now, the Ruger
10/22 rifle has been the hottest-selling rimfire rifle on
the planet, and for good reason. While many designs for rimfire
semi-automatic rifles have come and gone, the Ruger is one of
only a very few to have held on for decades, and sales are still
as strong as ever for this dandy rifle.
The aftermarket is flush with parts and
accessories for the Ruger 10/22, and one of the most popular for
many years has been higher-capacity magazines, compared to the
excellent ten-round factory magazine. The Ruger factory magazine
is the standard of reliability for this rifle, which is shared
with the Ruger 77/22 bolt action rifle. Several different brands
of aftermarket mags have been available that hold from
twenty-five up through 100 rounds of 22 Long Rifle ammo, but the
quality of these aftermarket magazines vary from pretty good to
absolute junk.
Now, Ruger is finally building their own
twenty-five round magazine, called the BX-25, and it is built to
the same high standards using the same quality materials as
their legendary ten-shot rotary magazine. The BX-25 uses a
constant force spring for ease of loading, and the critical feed
lips and the studs which lock the magazine into the action are
made of stainless steel. It is these two critical parts which
often fail on the cheap aftermarket magazines, as they are prone
to wear, and the plastic often used for these parts does not
hold up to heavy use.
The BX-25 weighs in at 6.4 ounces empty, and
extends about five and one-half inches below the bottom of the
receiver. The magazine can be taken apart for easy cleaning by
removing hex-head screws.
I tried out the BX-25 in both a Ruger
"Boy Scout" 10/22 and also in a Tactical
Solutions receiver, with every brand and type of 22 Long
Rifle ammo available to me, and the BX-25 functioned perfectly,
without fail. The quality of the BX-25 is vastly superior to
most of the aftermarket magazines available. You never regret
buying the best.
This BX-25 is built to last, built with
quality components, and built in the USA. It is available for
purchase from any Ruger firearms dealer or online at www.shopruger.com.
Jeff Quinn
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Click pictures for a larger version.
The BX-25 is easy to disassemble for cleaning.
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