Hot 10/22 Customs Clair Rees Beyond conversations, these tailor-made autoloaders provide exceptional performance and accuracy.

When Ruger introduced the 10/22 autoloader in 1964, it set the stage for a new cottage industry. The little rifle was an immediate hit with shooters, who were quick to appreciate its excellent accuracy and reliability. Adding to the 10/22's appeal, was its military barrelband styling, which reminded many of the light, handy, World War II M1 carbines. The 10/22's removable rotary-feed magazine was reminiscent of the smooth-feeding spools once featured in Mannlicher-Schoenauer and Model 99 Savage rifles. The Ruger autoloader was a real sleeper. It sold extremely well for several years before someone finally paid attention to one if its unique features. The 10/22 design allowed anyone to replace the factory barrel with an aftermarket tube. The chore was dead simple and took only seconds. Enterprising manufacturers were soon turning out target-style barrels to fit stock 10/22s. A handful of savvy shooters began using custom-barreled l0/22s in Sportsman's Team Challenge competition. The rapid-fire reliability of the 10/22 action, combined with the tack-driving accuracy of the heavy target barrels, put the hybrid .22s in the winner's circle. The word quickly spread, fueling demand for aftermarket barrels for the 10/22. Today, shooters who want something more than a bare-bones 10/22 have several custom rimfires to choose from. I recently put a trio of high-grade rifles featuring 10/22 (or 10/22-inspired) actions through their paces. Here's how they stacked up. Magnum Lite 10/22 I've been using a Magnum Lite 10/22 from Magnum Research for more than a year. When I took it on a Nevada ground-squirrel shoot, its radical Turner Barracuda stock turned a lot of heads. The laminated, extensively skeletonized woodwork has a downright startling appearance. Featuring a highly modified thumbhole design, the buttstock also sports a second gaping recess where you'd normally see solid wood. Its carved cheekpiece places your eye comfortably behind the scope, but has only vestigial support. Instead of a conventional forearm, your left hand grasps a broad, thin shelf with a halfinch of empty space between barrel and wood. Talk about floating barrels! Magnum Research offers other, more conventional stock designs, but the Barracuda stops traffic! The heart of this 10/22 conversion is its compensated Magnum Lite barrel. Manufactured by Magnum Research, the barrel features multiple layers of graphite fiber wrapped around a rifled-steel core. According to Magnum Research, the Magnum Lite barrel is six times stiffer and dissipates heat much faster than solid-steel barrels. Weighing only 13 ozs. it's also 75 percent lighter than a standard bull barrel.

When I tested the Magnum Lite conversion at the range, 50-yard five-shot groups varied from 1/2' to 1" in diameter. Winchester Power Points delivered the best accuracy. Four rounds would often punch a single, ragged hole, with a fifth round flyer opening the spread to a half-inch. With the Turner Barracuda stock, the Magnum Lite autoloader sells for $799. Other available stock styles can reduce this price by $100 or $200. You can also order a Clark Custom upgrade that includes a deluxe trigger kit, tuned extractor and an improved bolt release. This additional custom work costs $130. Christensen Carbon One Christensen Arms' Carbon One Challenge features a Ruger 10/22 action fitted with Christensen Arms' superlight carbon-fiber barrel. The 7/8" diameter bull barrel sports a deep blue-black finish and a distinctive pattern of shaded squares. The customized trigger guard features an angled silhouette and an oversized magazine release. The gold-finished custom trigger has an adjustable trigger stop. Again, several different stock styles are available. The rifle I received for testing wore "The Ross" thumbhole sporter from Boyds' Gunstock Industries Inc. The attractive nutmeg brown-on-brown laminated stock features a high comb with a carved rollover cheekpiece. The stock's thumbhole pistol grip includes a hand-fitted Wundhammer swell, while the forend is generously proportioned. The Carbon One Challenge proves both handsome and easy to shoot. The concept of wrapping carbon fiber around a narrow stainless steel barrel sleeve was pioneered by company founder Roland Christensen, Ph.D. The process produces a light, stiff, very stable barrel that delivers excellent accuracy. The carbon-wrapped barrel also sheds heat quickly, a feature better appreciated by users of Christensen Arms' graphitebarreled centerfire rifles. In addition to its space-age barrel, the Carbon One Challenge sports a custom-trigger sear that pares pull weight to a crisp 2 lbs. The barrel is glass-bedded to the stock and the action is slicked up to smooth operation. Fitted with the laminated stock, the rifle weighs just over 4 lbs. A Christensen Arms synthetic stock can reduce that heft by a full pound. Christensen Arms guarantees 50-yard groups measuring 1/2" or less in diameter. A test target accompanying the rifle showed five rounds in a tight .290" cluster. The 50-yard group was made with Federal Gold ammunition. When I did my own accuracy testing, the Carbon One Challenge produced 3/8" 5-shot groups with Federal Gold Ultra Match fodder and some imported Lapua ammo I had on hand. Testing was done from a sandbagged rest at 50 yards with the help of a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x Tactical scope. Buying a Christensen Carbon One Challenge rifle will leave you a dollar change from a $1,000 bill. Carbon One Challenge barrels can be purchased separately for $399.

Volquartsen Ultra Light The third custom 10/22 isn't really a 10/22. While Volquartsen's Ultra Light action is closely modeled after the Ruger receiver, Volquartsen Custom Ltd. wholly manufactures it. "We have a superior product," says Tom Volquartsen. "While Ruger uses a castaluminum receiver, our receiver is CNC-machined from a solid billet of 416 stainless steel. An integral Weaver-style mount eliminates the need for drilling and tapping. The bolt is CNC-machined from a case-hardened steel alloy." The Ultra Light's internal parts are similar to those in the Ruger 10/22, but they're dimensionally different, according to Volquartsen. "The sear and disconnector are manufactured using EDM (electrical discharge machining). This process allows us to hold tolerances extremely tight," he says. "A different system is also used to mount the barrel to the receiver. Our barrels can't be interchanged by the customer. If a different barrel is needed, it must be installed at the factory." The barrels themselves are also markedly different. "Our Carbon-Fiber Lightweight Tension barrel features a woven carbon-fiber sleeve that's pre-formed, then slid onto the barrel's rifled core," Volquartsen says. "A threaded cap on both the receiver and muzzle end creates tension on the stainless-steel barrel, which reduces vibration." Volquartsen's TG-2000 trigger assembly is CNC-machined from an aluminum block. Trigger free-travel and over-travel can be adjusted by the rifle's owner, but pull weight is not adjustable. It's factory set at a crisp 2 lbs. The rifle also features an extended magazine release that's easier to operate, along with an automatic bolt release. To close the bolt, it's only necessary to pull back the handle and release it. While Volquartsen has been manufacturing .22 Mag. autoloaders for the past four years, the .22 Long Rifle version was introduced in late 1999. This is the reverse order of how rimfires usually come to market, but the new selfloading .22 looks like a real winner. Accuracy is excellent. Five-round 50-yard groups ranged from 5/16 to 5/8" center-tocenter. My Volquartsen Ultra Light is equipped with a McMillan fiberglass stock and retails for $1,075. Other stock materials and designs are available at lower prices. Ruger 10/22T Target While customized 10/22s are the focus of this review, I've also included a factory ringer. Spurred by the popularity of 10/22 conversions featuring aftermarket barrels, Ruger eventually got into the act. Four years ago, the company introduced the 10/22T, a bullbarreled factory version of its best-selling autoloader. Ruger's 10/22T Target Model was aimed at 10/22 fans who'd been adding drop-in stocks, bull barrels and other aftermarket

accessories to their favorite rimfires. They could get it all in the 10/22T at their nearest sporting goods store. The l0/22T Target Model is more than a standard 10/22 rifle with a bull barrel installed. You immediately notice the substantially proportioned laminated hardwood stock. In addition to catching your eye, laminated stocks are less prone to warping or swelling than handles made from a single piece of wood. In addition to handsomely figured woodwork, the 10/22T wears a heavy target barrel. The blued 20" tube features a distinctive spiral of polished flats created by hammer forging. The 10/22T also sports a tight, target-style chamber and improved trigger action (the trigger on the rifle I tested broke crisply at 4 lbs.). Like the other 10/22 variations mentioned here, the 10/22T comes sans factory sights. The receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts and a screw-on base is supplied to accept tip-off rings. Rifle weight is a substantial 71/2 lbs. At $398 recommended retail, the 10/22T costs roughly twice as much as two standard 10/22s. For a somewhat different perspective, the Ruger 10/22T sells for just half as much as Magnum Research's Magnum Lite .22 (the least expensive of the other three rifles tested here). For testing, I mounted a 3.5-10x Shepherd scope on the 10/22T and headed for the shooting range. With Winchester T22 ammo, the Target Model Ruger punched 5/8 5-shot groups at 50 yards. Not bad! Range Performance All the autoloaders tested delivered excellent accuracy. As far as functioning was concerned, there were a few minor hiccups when the out-of-the box rifles were first fired. A few hang-ups occurred with all four .22s, but by the time they'd each digested 50 or 60 rounds, they were smoothly feeding and firing nearly all the fodder I fed them. One exception was CCI Stinger loads. Scott Volquartsen tells me this is likely caused by the tight target chambers these rifles feature. Certain rimfire ammo is manufactured with slightly oversized bullets, which don't function well in a snug chamber. I've used all four bull-barreled autoloaders for hunting and plinking. They're a joy afield and deliver truly exceptional accuracy. As I said at the beginning, Ruger really started something when he unveiled his new .22 rifle 36 years ago. The customized versions I've been shooting cost considerably more than the standard 10/22. In my opinion, they're well worth the extra money. COPYRIGHT 2001 Publishers' Development Corporation COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group