Ruger changed the rimfire world with the 10/22 semi-auto series over 60 years ago, and its new Carbon Fiber model shows that the company is ready to keep innovating. We've been evaluating one of these interesting new carbines and have the full review.
Ruger debuted our review model just before SHOT Show as the more affordable ($ 600-ish) companion to a series of $1,100 10/22 Competition rifles from the company's Custom Shop featuring a Grey Birch chassis.
So, what do you get for the price?
For starters, a 16.1-inch cold-hammer-forged stainless-steel barrel tensioned inside a carbon-fiber sleeve along with a lightweight Magpul MOE X-22 stock that carries a textured white speckle pattern. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
All-up weight out of the box? Just 3.5 pounds, as verified by our postal scales with the standard 10-round rotary magazine installed. That's light. By comparison, the Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun is listed as 3.35 pounds. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
We added some extras while keeping the weight factor in mind, such as a Burris FastFire 4 micro red dot optic and a SilencerCo Switchback suppressor. In this configuration, with a loaded magazine, the 10/22 Carbon Fiber hit the scales at 65.7 ounces, or a hair over 4 pounds of pure joy, ready to go.
For full disclosure, Ruger provided this 10/22 Carbon Fiber rifle to Guns.com for review. All testing was done on this one gun, which has been under evaluation since January.
The Specs
Overall length: 34.10 inches
Barrel length: 16.10 inches, threaded (1/2-28TPI)
Length of pull: 13.5 inches
Overall width: 1.66 inches at the widest point over the stock
Overall height: 5.68 inches, sans optics
Magazine capacity: 10-shot standard, extended mags widely available
Sights: None, 4.6-inch aluminum one-piece M1913 Picatinny top rail installed
Weight, loaded, and outfitted: 65.7 ounces with 10 rounds of CCI Blazer 38-grain .22LR, Burris FastFire4 optic, SiCo Switchback suppressor.
Features
The MOE-X22 stock by itself – which is one of Magpul's most popular products – weighs just 18.9 ounces. Ruger builds on that with a light aluminum receiver, a polymer trigger housing, and the carbon-fiber tensioned bull barrel profile.
Going in for a closer look, you get a good idea of the thick coating on the receiver and the installed aluminum Pic rail. Note the stainless extension for the barrel and the highly polished stainless-steel bolt.
The stock is comfortable and lightweight, with a 13.5-inch fixed length of pull, while allowing a good cheek weld. It includes an integrated pistol grip with Magpul's in-house TSP texture.
The stock includes molded sling attachment points but, sadly, no QD cups.
The forend features M-LOK slots at the 6 o'clock position for use with bipods and other accessories.
The outside diameter of the barrel, over the carbon fiber sleeve, is 0.92 inches. That's the beauty of the sleeve on this little carbine, as it adds bull barrel rigidity and better harmonics without the weight of a thick steel pipe.
The barrel ends in a 1/2"-28 threaded muzzle and is fitted with a large and heavily knurled thread cap that can be removed to allow for the use of muzzle accessories and suppressors.
And the 10/22 Carbon Fiber screams for a suppressor. We ran it extensively with a SilencerCo Switchback in its full configuration.
A neat feature when it comes to controls is an easy-to-use, extended magazine release that provides smooth removal of the flush-mounted magazine. Other controls include a push-button manual safety and a bolt-hold open lever, also located on the trigger housing.
The 10/22 Carbon Fiber has great balance, even when wearing a can.
The rifle remains rugged and compact, an ideal offroad companion.
Trigger
The 10/22 Carbon Fiber ships with Ruger's BX-Trigger system installed. Billed as offering a 2.5-to-3-pound pull weight, we found ours splitting the difference right at just shy of 3 pounds.
It is light and crisp with minimal overtravel and a short yet positive reset. The trigger housing is a heat-stabilized, glass-filled polymer. If you are a trigger snob, at the end of the day this is a 10/22, so you can always drop in, say, a Timney Calvin Elite two-stage in there with adjustable shoes and a 1.5-pound pull, but I think the BX is fine as-is.
A short video of the 10/22 Carbon Fiber on the range, showing off the light trigger pull and quick reset. Also, drink in the sound of that Switchback, even with full-velocity ammo.
Reliability
Ruger 10/22s are some of the most dependable semi-auto rimfires on the market, a factor that has led the rifle to dominate its space. As we had lots of .22 LR on hand and this carbine is just so fun to shoot, we ran around 2,000 rounds through it with only a handful of stoppages, which we are going to chalk up to the uncertainty of rimfire ammo.
The 10/22 Carbon Fiber left us with no doubts as to its accuracy. While it may not be a PRS rifle, it is capable of practical accuracy all day and would serve well as a small game rifle or in speed competitions. As it ships sans sights, we ran it with a simple and light (2-ounce) Burris Fast Fire 4 multi-reticle 1x red dot and later stepped it up to a Vortex Spitfire HD Gen II 3x prism optic for a tiny bit of magnification while still enabling rapid acquisition.
With bulk pack standard velocity CCI 38-grain ammo, we were able to stack consistent 1/2-inch five-round groups from the bench at 50 yards with the BDC reticle in the Vortex Spitfire. You could surely get a bit tighter with match-grade ammo.
My wife, who is by no means a rifle shooter, took her spin at a 10/22 for the first time and was happy with her 20-shot two-mag group at the 25.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Carbon-fiber tensioned barrel
Accurate
Reliable
It just looks good
Easily supportable with hundreds of aftermarket accessories and upgrades
It makes a great suppressor host without spoiling the balance
Lighter and less expensive than the Bergara BXR
Cons
Costs twice as much as a standard 10/22
10/22 mags are a pain to load
Conclusion
The 10/22 is always fun in any format. Deliver it in a carbon-fiber format that allows you to have an outfitted 4-pound carbine that is accurate and dependable, and you have a solid winner. It is a mood changer.
When it comes to price, the $600 asking price on the 10/22 Carbon Fiber makes a lot of sense when you break it down. The basic plain Jane 10/22 with a pencil barrel and synthetic stock has an MSRP of $379. The Magpul MOE-X 22 stock runs $70, and the BX trigger is $96. With that in mind, you basically get the carbon-fiber upgrade for free. The closest competitor would be the semi-auto (and very 10/22-ish) Bergara BXR, which is heavier at 4.7 pounds and has an MSRP of $719.
