The Immortal Rifle

In 1964 Sturm, Ruger & Co. created the 10/22 semi-automatic .22 LR carbine. They had no way of knowing that it would enjoy 5 decades as the perennial best seller and spawn a multi-million dollar cottage industry in aftermarket parts and accessories.

By the late 1970s aftermarket companies like Clark Custom were building heavy barreled 10/22s, which were exquisite in quality and accuracy but cost prohibitive to most sportsmen.

The 1980s saw an array of folding stocks and high capacity magazines  along with the occasional muzzle brake. One of the best accessories of the 1980s was the weaver TO-9 scope base which allowed the consumer to use Weaver style rings and most importantly, afforded them the opportunity to deposit the universally hated factory scope base in the nearest trash can.*

The 1990s marked a turning point for the 10/22 aftermarket as the misguided 1994 Assault Weapons Bill put an end to folding stocks and high capacity magazines. Instead, several companies started manufacturing accurate, heavy barrels for around $100. These new heavy barrels required new stocks to accommodate their larger diameter, and just like that, the new focus was affordable accuracy. Performance trigger groups and action parts became the hot new ticket.

In 2004, as we cheered the expiration of the 1994 AWB, manufacturers jumped at the chance to build tactical accessories once again. Today there are so many directions you can go. Several companies offer picatinny rails to better accommodate electronic and tactical scopes. The lines have been blurred between tactical and target 10/22s as there are now tactical style stocks to accommodate heavy barrels. You can even dress up your 10/22 to look like other guns. The options aren’t limitless but it’s close.

Volquartsen Custom Offers a wide variety of upgrades for the 10/22

After 50 years, the Ruger 10/22 is almost chameleon like in its flexibility. In another 50, who knows what new tricks it will have learned.

* Anyone who owned a 10/22 from before 2000 knows what I’m talking about. Folks criticized the factory scope base until Ruger changed the supplied base to a weaver type in the early 2000’s. It was a running joke for 30-odd years.

– Andy Merciers