Paranoid Prepper's Gun Review: Ruger 10/22 Takedown

Today I look at the Ruger 10/22 takedown rifle from a prepping point of view.

Salty is our gun expert, but firearms are very personal items, so it is okay to have a different preference from myself, or Salty. Salty posted his preference for a Prepper .22 Rifle some time ago.

Salty likes bolt action rifles. I like semi-autos. I was planning a review of the Ruger 10/22 Takedown, but Salty beat me to it.

The Ruger 10/22, has been in production for over 50 years. Millions of these rifles exist. Virtually every part has aftermarket versions available, so you can customize anything you want to improve.

I specifically like the Takedown “TD” model, which has been around for half a dozen years, and become a very popular “survival rifle”, i.e. a prepper rifle. Since Salty has already reviewed this rifle, I will specifically address some of his points, pro and con.

Ruger 10/22 Takedown: Philosophy of Use

The idea of a survival rifle has been around awhile. Before the 10/22 TD came along the best known model was the AR-7 model, which Salty has reviewed and recommends.

The AR-7 model was originally developed for pilots who were shot down and needed a compact rifle as part of their survival kit. I was seriously thinking of getting a Henry AR-7 when Ruger introduced the 10/22 Takedown.

Like a lot of people my reaction to the 10/22 TD was “Why didn’t they do this sooner?” I promptly bought one.

The Henry AR-7

The 10/22 TD strikes me as an overall nicer package than the AR-7, but the AR-7 maintains a niche in the survival category due to its extremely light weight. The AR-7 is lighter than any serious competitor in the survival rifle space.

Ruger 10/22 Takedown: Design

The 10/22 has been in production for 50 years and is well known as both reliable and customizable. The Takedown model comes with a nice little backpack, which can be used as a range bag or stuffed with survival goodies to be a Get Home Bag (GHB) or Bug Out Bag (BOB).

One of Salty’s complaints was that it comes with a single strap, but I have seen them with both single straps and dual straps. In fairness, I think the single strap is more common. Aftermarket packs are also available.

The Takedown model has a locking mechanism that allows breaking the rifle down just in front of the receiver. The mechanism relies on a knob that can be loosened or tightened. The mechanism works rather well if you follow the manual and get the knob properly tightened. If it is too loose, the rifle will lose zero or have other problems, but if you get the knob properly tightened it works well.

The other distinct feature is the stock, which has to be split at the point the barrel separates from the rear end of the rifle. The stock is also made of lightweight plastic in an attempt to bring the weight down from what a typical 10/22 weighs to something more competitive in the survival rifle category.

Most parts already had aftermarket alternatives as they are normal 10/22 parts. However, the immediate reception to the Takedown model was a desire for alternative stocks.

Since that time Ruger has produced a number of variants to satisfy the demand and several aftermarket suppliers are also providing stocks specifically for the Takedown.

Ruger 10/22 Takedown: Build Quality

After owning my Takedown awhile, I wandered into the LGS one day and saw a TALO model with a wood stock. This led to an immediate impulse purchase on my part. Due to the wood stock, the weight disadvantage vs. the AR-7 is even wider, but the gun feels more like a non-Takedown 10/22 and It feels rock solid. Buying a second one also got me out of the “one is none” category.

I had been generally pleased with my first 10/22, but the TALO model, with the wood stock, felt so solid that it no longer seemed to be making the “survival rifle” compromises. I like the wood stock, even though it sacrifices even more weight to the AR-7.

In Salty’s review, he emphasized the fact that a survival rifle is going to be exposed to weather, and liked the AR-7’s waterproof and ability to float characteristics. I’ll grant that the AR-7 has an advantage in this regard, but I don’t know of many other firearms that are designed for heavy water exposure. (The Glock with Marine cups comes to mind.) The pack can be made substantially more water resistant with a coat of Scotchgard, which I recommend for any pack. If that isn’t sufficient, you need a dry pack or large Zip Lock bags.

Ruger 10/22 Takedown: Modifications and Accessories

The 10/22 has 10 and 25 round magazines available from Ruger. There are also some aftermarket magazines available, but the Ruger magazines seem to be the most popular by far. Being in a non-2A state, I can only get the 10 round magazines, but the 10 round magazines are fine. You’re not going to be doing tactical magazine changes with a .22 rifle.

While people have changed virtually every part of standard 10/22s, I have done some limited changes. I have gone to an “auto-bolt release”, which requires a less than $10 part, or a steady hand with a Dremel to accomplish. I also went with an extended magazine release. This is purely a convenience.

Extended Mag release

The 10/22 is not a “tactical” rifle and lacks the attachment points of a rifle with rails, but it does have a barrel band which can be replaced, providing attachment points.

There are no sling mounting points, but this barrel band with a Giles sling works well.

Ruger 10/22 Takedown: Shooting

Salty’s biggest complaint was the trigger. The trigger is a 10/22 trigger and is not distinct in the Takedown model. There has been an aftermarket for 10/22 triggers from outfits like Volquartsen for many years. A few years ago, Ruger decided to upgrade their 10/22 triggers with a new BX trigger. If you buy a new 10/22, it will have the new BX trigger. If you have an older 10/22, the BX trigger is a drop-in replacement and has received much better press than the earlier triggers.

BX trigger

Ruger 10/22s have a reputation for feeding most .22 ammunition reliably. Many .22 caliber weapons can be finicky, because the round tends to be light and not all .22 firearms can cycle with the wide range of ammunition available, giving Salty’s bolt action preferences a solid win against semi-autos in reliability. The 10/22 fares better than most semi-automatic .22s in this regard.

Ruger 10/22 Takedown: Verdict

Salty seemed to like the AR-7 better than the 10/22 TD. Personally, I like the 10/22 TD. The 10/22 TD can be used for any purpose for which you would use a .22 rifle. The AR-7, strikes me as more of a niche product, a rifle you would stow on your boat or airplane, but wouldn’t use for a simple day of plinking. That difference strikes me as a win for the 10/22 TD.

Of course, nothing prevents you from buying both! 😊