The Ruger model 10-22 is one of the most widely purchased, and recognized, .22 cal. rifles in America… It got its start back in 1964 and has never lost its popularity… In its stock condition, shown above, it is a very accurate rifle and very affordable at about $225… The rifle also comes in a number of stock configurations and in pink as well as with stainless steel barrel models… It utalizes a 10 round magazine that is superior in its design to create a “jam free” shooting experience…

 It is also one of the most customized sporting arms around… Recognizing the potential in this rifle shooters began to tweak every little part to make a real “tack driver” out of it…

Adding scopes and changing stocks was just the beginning… It didn’t take long for “after market” companies to get involved and start producing custom stocks in both civilian and tactical styles, target barrels, bolts and firing pins, buffers, trigger housing groups, bipods, receiver rails for mounting scopes and quick magazine releases…

There are even attachments to use with the 10 round Ruger magazines whereby you can mount 3 or 4 magazines together for a more enjoyable shooting experience… The 10-22 mags and the quad holder runs around $12 each. You can catch them on sale and they are a great investment… [Editors note] If you plan on purchasing a high capicity mag note the less expensive ones, with the plastic lips, will not work very well. They will stove pipe your rounds. Spend a little more and get the better quality mags with the metal lips for smooth feeding.

About 6 months ago my Cousin Paul and I were talking about building a “tack driver”… He knew I owned a Ruger 10-22 and suggested we do something with it… I told Paul I already owned a Remington “513T” target rifle (which we will explore in another blog) and was not sure if that was the direction I wanted to go… After a lot of proding, from him and my wife, I finally broke down and said OK…

Paul presented me with a list of parts that included a stainless E.R. Shaw barrel in  .22 long rifle .920″ diameter 1 in 16″ twist 18″ long, upper and lower receiver parts, a stabilization module (muzzle brake) from Volquartsen, a Tapco 10-22 black Intrafuse tactical trainer stock with pistol grip and grip forearm barrel cover, Weaver 1″ tactical rings for a Picatinny mount, a Simmons Whitetail Classic Rifle Scope 6.5-20x 50mm adjustable objective and a Leapers Tactical OP1 bipod… A word of caution… We were going to add a Power Custom Competition Extended Bolt handle. Paul was concerned about this part and I contacted the factory and was assured it would fit without a hitch, NOT! The bolt was too short and even if it had fit properly it would have needed a lot of finishing work to run smoothly so we left the shock charging handle in tact and returned the part without an issue… [Editors note] The extended bolt handle may have worked in a new model. Mine was manufactured in the 70′. Lots more metal and less plastic… All of the parts were purchased from Midway USA and Cheaper Than Dirt at very affordable prices…

The entire project, from start to finish, took about 2 weeks… The cost of the parts were about $350… Remember I already had the rifle… Once completed it was off to the range to see what our new tack driver (pictured below) could do…

The custom built Ruger 10-22 preformed as expected. Paul held a 10 round group at 100 yards that you could cover with a quarter…

Here is the finished product… A PGO, Ruger 10-22 Tack Driver, ala Cousin Paul… How sweet it is!