U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)-Somewhere in a conversation with Pyramid Air the new Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle entered the conversation. Oh my gosh, I had to get my hands on one. I don’t know about you but to me the 10/22 is the all-time best selling .22. We’re talking the best tin can plinking, small game hunting (whistle pigs, turtles & pigeons) .22 ever invented. It is the most trick-out-able (is that even a word) gun ever manufactured. And now it is offered as an airgun. I had to have one.
Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle
Pyramid Air soon had one en route to my house. I had to run to SE Idaho for two days and when I got home my wife met me at the door, kissed me hello and when I saw the long UPS package leaning against the door of my office nonchalantly said and oh yeah, you got a package.
What? How could this not of been front and center? I ripped open the package and there she was. The spitting image of a real Ruger 10/22 and for all practical purposes, you could not tell that it wasn’t the real thing. The Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle has super eye appeal if you’re in love with the real 10/22.
I had three guns to test out but the next day was the 4th so we had to attend a small-town July 4th celebration and grill ribeyes that night and celebrate the birth of the coolest country in the world with a barrage of fireworks. I love Idaho. My neighborhood is like a war zone. They have better fireworks than most displays.
But in the midst of all of the July 4th festivities, I found time to mount scopes on two of the rifles and unpackaged the Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle and got acquainted with it. Real men don’t read instructions but I did have to briefly glance at them to figure this one out.
Here’s how to operate it.
To begin, let’s cover loading the CO2 cartridges. On the butt is a circular button. Using a coin, slightly press it down and turn counter clockwise. It will be slightly cockeyed then. Remove the butt plate. There is a 6-sided Allan type of wrench attached to the butt plate. Use this to remove the rod that holds the CO2 cannisters in place.
It seemed unique to me but the Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle uses two 12 gr. CO2 cannisters. You insert one downwards and the other one facing upwards. Re-insert the rod and screw it back in and then replace the butt plate.
To remove the magazine, push the lever just like on a real 10/22. On the magazine is a small pin that pushes forward to lock the red plate in place. Pull it back to remove the red pellet holder. Load the pellets facing forward and reinsert the red wheel and slide the pin forward which will lock it in place. Reinsert the clip and you’re good to go.
One unique feature is the trigger. The 10/22 has a 10 lb. double-action pull, but cocking the charging handle on the rifle turns this into a single action trigger and reduces the weight to 3 lbs. I didn’t realize this at first and thought my gosh, this is the worst trigger I’ve ever shot. 10 lbs. is enormous even for an airgun which is known for bad triggers.
Like I said above, I had three guns to test so my wife Katy and I ran down to a local feedlot to shoot some pigeons and Eurasian doves. We stopped by the ranchers shooting range first to sight in the guns. It was as much fun to shoot as I figured it would be.
We then took off back to the feedlot to shoot pigeons. The Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle is not a super-fast airgun, it only travels along at 650 fps and is only a .177. If you’ve ever hunted small game with an airgun then you know that a .22 has a lot better killing properties. The best 5-shot group we got was a 1 5/8-inch group at 16 yds. I think I can get better.
But still, the Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle is a must-have air gun. It will be a blast to plink with while hunting the wily North American tin can or for chasing varmints such as deer out of your garden. For running off deer you’ll want a CO2 semi-auto. And all of this fun for an MSRP of only $129.99.
SPECS:
- Uses (2) 12 gram CO2 cartridges
- Semi-Automatic
- 10 shot rotary magazine
- Iron sights
- 650 fps with lead pellets
- Rear Sight adjustable for elevation only
- Accepts aftermarket scope mounting rails (Just like on a real 10/22).
- Double Action Trigger Pull: 10 – 12 lbs.
- Single Action Trigger Pull: 3 – 5 lbs.
- Made by Umarex
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoors writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”