Ruger’s 10/22 Takedown: How Much Better Can This Get

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Ruger 10/22 Takedown Accessorized with The Ruger Silent SR IS and Leupold VX Freedom Scope

Ruger sent me a sample of their 10/22 Takedown rifle. This rifle came with the Black Synthetic stock and a threaded barrel with flash suppressor. Ruger also sent me their 19001 Ruger Silent SR ISB suppressor which is made for the 10/22 Takedown. Right now, at the beginning of this article, I can say this combo is just the best way to make more out of your .22 semi-auto defense/zombie apocalypse shoulder fired weapon. Ruger knocked this one out of the park.

Ruger is a World-renowned firearms manufacture. While in Kosovo as a United Nations police officer, I met some Brother officers from India. At that time, their issued sidearm was a Ruger Service-Six revolver in a 38 caliber of their own design, likely a .38 S&W clone. Today they have chosen the semi-auto sidearms. So, Ruger is much larger than one would think. For this reason, Ruger stays on the cutting edge of firearms and firearms accessories such as the Ruger Silent SR ISB suppressor. They never fail to amaze me on their new product lines. I am looking forward to one in R&D now.

In 1976 I purchased a Ruger 10/22 which was marked “Made In Our 200^th Year of Liberty”. For some 40 plus years I used this Ruger 10/22 without a single malfunction. As .22 rimfire will do on occasion, I had a few misfires. Last year, I gave my grandson Kaleb this rifle. He just loved it and is now the proud owner.

After looking over the Ruger 10/22 Takedown, I cleaned this firearm and applied a small amount of lubrication. Everything seemed to be in order so I took this Ruger to the Oklahoma City Gun Club for testing. Due to the, at this time, current Covid-19 problems there were some delays. However, the Gun Club sits on one-half section of land so the six-foot rule was easy to comply with. I made several trips to the range wherein I fired a little over 500 rounds through the Ruger 10/22 Takedown. During the testing of Winchester and ELEY ammo, I had several miss fires and jams.

After about 250 rounds of subsonic and high-speed Winchester hollow-point fired, the feeding and catching of empty cases almost ceased. In the last rounds fired in the Ruger 10/22 Takedown with Ruger suppressor attached, the ELEY Subsonic .22LR 38gr Hollow-point fired without one miss-fire. In fact, I never had one ELEY round not fire. For a rimfire this is good. ELEY is a World class ammo used by sports shooters around the world. With this said, the Ruger 10/22 Takedown sent me for testing just did not like the lighter subsonic ELEY. Of the 200 rounds ELEY sent me, I experienced eight jams due to the empty being captured by the bolt. When firing the ELEY, the Ruger 10/22 ejected the empties about three to four inches from the breach. It appears the lighter 38gr HP of ELEY did not have the kickback needed to reliably function in this Ruger 10/22. Never the less, I really like the ELEY ammo and would like to test some of their higher velocity rounds.

Winchester ammo is known worldwide. As I have stated in previous articles, I am a fourth generation Winchester ammo fan. Winchester ammo is just a good solid ammo. For this reason, I requested Winchester’s subsonic .22 ammo as well as their Varmint HE .22 long rifle in a 37gr bullet. This round is a 3/1 segmenting expansion ammunition. Very innovative and was very reliable. The Winchester Subsonic .22 Long Rifle, 45 Grains Black Copper Plated Round Nose I was first sent, was from a first run batch. I experienced six misfires. The second sample I was sent had no feeding or misfires. A good practice is to keep track of the lot number of your ammo. If you experience a problem with this ammo, you can report it to the manufacturer for their correction.

A target sample is pictured in this article. Five shots from Winchester subsonic and five shots from ELEY subsonic at 50 yards. This Leupold scope is not designed for target shooting, so I am pleased with these groupings.

The reason of the high-velocity ammo was to test the sound difference between this high-velocity ammo and the subsonic in decibels at a distance of 10 feet. The difference on averaged was about 20 decibels higher. The substantial difference was the projectile breaking the sound barrier which creates a mini sonic boom or “crack” sound.

Even though there were problems with the ammo, this Ruger Takedown with a 15 round Ruger magazine worked flawlessly. The 10 round magazine which accompanied this sample however did not. Ruger’s 10 round magazine was somewhat problematic in locking into the magazine well. Once properly locked in, there was some feeding issues. So, I will not be using this 10-round magazine, but will be purchasing two additional Ruger 15 round magazines. I always buy Ruger magazines and not aftermarket.

I enjoyed shooting the Ruger Takedown rifle to the point I bought it. It comes in a very professional soft carrying case. The various pads and holding straps can be easily moved around by way of Velcro. This is very smart on Ruger’s plus side. When I added the Leupold VX-Freedom 1.5-4×20 AR FireDot 30mm scope, long name right, I had the option to adjust the holding system for this added scope. This bad-boy scope and Ruger 10/22 rifle fit snug and secure in the carrying case. The Ruger carrying case is made for only one barrel, the Silent SR ISB suppressor or the regular barrel.

Conclusion and Uses

An obvious use for this Ruger Takedown 10/22 rifle would be for the ease of transportation. In states, or cites, with heartburn about transporting firearms, this would be an obvious choice. For safety in the home with untrained children, it would be most difficult for a child to put this rifle together, load and unintentionally shoot. For added safety, one can put a small padlock through the slider or pull of the zipper. This Ruger, as all Rugers do, comes with a safety lock.

Uses for this rifle would be for the fun of shooting those pesky zombie tin-cans, or removing unwanted vermin lurking around the farm or campsite. Another would be for survival. If you fly in the bush country, the Ruger 10/22 Takedown would be a valuable item in your survival gear. I will be carrying mine in the RV when the wife and I travel and camp. Note: If you travel with the suppressor, check with the law enforcement agencies you will be traveling through. Be sure to have your tax-stamp with the suppressor. Just because the Federal Government says it is legal, many states have a different view.

As far as the Ruger Silent SR ISB suppressor goes, I really liked it on the 10/22. At first, I thought I would return this sample to Ruger but after 100’s of rounds fired through this device, I decided it complemented the 10/22 and would be handy on the farm in Kansas. This suppressor is just first class and so great on the Ruger Takedown. If you decide to order the suppressor, be ready for a 10 to 12 month wait for your stamp. If the Republicans take back the house, H.B. 155 will likely pass and head to the Senate. If the Senate Republicans hold on to their majority, it is likely a form of this bill will pass and be sent to the President. If the President is re-elected, he will likely sign said bill. See link: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/155/text. If not, the long wait will continue.

About the Optics

The Leupold VX-Freedom 1.5-4×20 AR FireDot 30mm scope, is designed for an AR type rifle. In looking at the 10/22 Ruger take-down with the 15 round banana magazine and Ruger suppressor, this rifle just screamed for a non-typical .22 LR optic. Leupold is my go-to scope for serious work and play. The sample of the VX-Freedom 1.5-4×20 AR FireDot 30mm from Leupold arrived in perfect condition. They also sent me the rings/mount to fit my picatinny rail I had from previous articles. In addition, they sent me the fore and aft scope optic covers. These Leupold lens covers screwed into their respective ends. When I finished screwing them in, not too tight, the flip-up-caps were perfectly aligned on top. I love these caps on a scope I love as well.

If you want clarity, dependability, and a scope which can take a hit, Leupold is your American made product. All of Leupold scopes can be submerged in water. I submerged my Leupold “HOG”, no longer for sale, to prove a point. At the time it had been attached to a Colt AR. I threw both into a water filled creek and left them there. When I pulled them out, the Leupold did not fog up, had no damage and looked cleaner after the previous “sugar-sand” burial it had to endure. One cannot overstate the quality of any Leupold scope.

The combo of the VX-Freedom AR scope, Ruger Takedown with flash-suppressor/Ruger Suppressor is just amazing. They work together great and look just amazing. Ruger and Leupold are two American made products I can depend on, and you can as well. Please check out the YouTube video for more hands-on review.