Ruger 10/22 Charger

Good afternoon, I bought this Ruger 10/22 Charger awhile back and it has just been sitting in the box. I finally got a chance to check it out so let’s go over the gun itself, some accessories and how she shoots.

Initial Impressions: The wood is nice on this Ruger 10/22 Charger. I’m not a wood fan at all except on vintage military rifles and I’m not a fancy colored wood fan like this is even more. Still somehow I find it attractive. When the wood gets its first nick that is really gonna irk the crap out of me.

I see the trigger group is plastic now. When did that happen? I haven’t bought a Ruger 10/22 since the VLEH. I was sad to see that. Some things should not change and this to me is one of them. The trigger pull is what you would expect from any stock factory Ruger 10/22 trigger, it needs some work.

You get a Harris style bi-pod in the box which has narrower legs than real Harris bi-pods do. I like the legs a bit wider, it still does its job though. Check to see if you have jagged edges on the springs that give the legs their tension. I did and laid my hand open pretty good on one of those springs. If you have that sharp edge like I did file it off.

You get a nice khaki colored zip up case with enough room for the gun, mounted scope and bi-pod attached and still has room, so that was nice. The 10 round mag, gigantic padlock and the metal thingy to lock your gun up are included as usual. That’s about it for looking at it.

Uses: So what is it good for?? I know some people who dream of this Ruger 10/22 Charger all decked out with a black polymer stock and rails filled with lights and lasers galore. A red dot sight and a threaded aftermarket heavy barrel probably with a bayonet lug. All that hanging on a single point sling concealed under their trench-coat for daily carry. Twenty five rounds they say and legally concealable…Whatever…I say no, it’s not that. That too me sounds like too many hours behind the x-box or movie screen.

I have heard some discuss the option of a tax stamp and a SBR. That’s do-able. I considered it myself but my ZK-22 from Red Jacket (review coming soon) is so short legally with no stamp to buy that the extra hassle and cost is not worth it to me.

I say it’s good for 3 things. Bench shooting, small game hunting and fun. It is pretty fun. Sitting behind the “half a rifle” with a box of CCI target loads at 50 yards to me is a pretty good time. I wish I had a pistol scope but I don’t yet. So I have been enjoying it with a Leupold 3×9 AR scope on it.

It is a target/small varmint/fun thing and that’s it for me. I ordered an adapter so I can thread my HunterTown 22 suppressor on and then it’s virtually silent fun which is even better. This adapter is available on eBay for under $40 shipped and keeps you from having to buy a new barrel for threads or paying to have it threaded. It fits on the end of your 5/8 at the muzzle diameter barrel and provides you with 1/2×28 threads for a can or any other attachment at that thread pitch. For example most any AR muzzle brake.

That’s enough on all that. Let’s get out there and bust some caps.

Shooting: While this is legally a pistol I don’t really think they meant it to be fired like a pistol, hence the bi-pod. I had some pretty rough groups trying to fire it like one. (I used a red dot for trying that) Rested though it didn’t do too bad. I tried a few kinds of shells and those are noted in the pictures. All fired at 50 yards on the bi-pod. I do think these groups can shrink considerably as the factory trigger is doing me no favors whatsoever. That trigger needs to go. Being that this is a target rig I believe the Ruger 10/22 Charger needs a trigger job to fully take advantage of what it has to offer.

Not at all trying to make excuses for myself or the gun. Some people will find these groups pretty good, some would vomit from them. I fired these under less than perfect conditions. The wind was terrible, swirling, gusty and up to 35 mph. Bailey the Mastiff here was panting and squirming all over the backseat of the jeep of which I was using the hood for a rest. At 180 lbs she rocks the thing all over. So between the wind, the dog and the trigger I think these groups speak well of the Charger. I have little doubt the CCI Velocitors and both loads of the CCI Standard Velocity can be brought down to ragged hole groups. The others at least cluster well enough to be used for plinking or small game. All in all I think the potential is here for an extremely accurate big pistol even if we didn’t “WOW” anybody today. I will keep working with her.

Summary: As one would expect from a Ruger 10/22 there were no failures. I used mostly the BX-25 mags but the 10 rounder some too. Everything reliability wise was flawless. I think the only thing standing in the way of this thing being a tack driver is that trigger pull. Once I smooth that out I think it will do much better. This is a fine choice for a can too. I am looking forward to some testing with mine after I get the trigger job done and my adapter arrives. For a plinker, small game hunter or just all around Saturday afternoon fun gun I don’t think you can go wrong here. I brought this thing home NIB for $324. I am totally pleased with it and it looks pretty sharp too. It’s tough to go wrong with any model of 10/22. If you’ve got the Charger itch don’t hesitate, you’ll like it.