by Scott Smith | Contributing Editor
Author shooting the Ruger 10/22 Takedown while wearing Mack’s Live Fire electronic shooter’s earmuffs; having a safe, fun time at the range.
Last year at the SHOT Show I was shocked with a gift from Black Hills Ammunition, a limited edition of the Ruger 10/22 (Telephone: 336-949-5200; Online: ruger.com) a custom Takedown which varies in price from $439 -$629. The gun gods must have known that my vault did not have a 10/22. Yes, I know how a writer dare not have one of the most iconic firearms made. To say that I was left speechless by this gift would be an understatement; I cannot express how much I appreciate the gift from Black Hills Ammunition’s owners Jeff and Kristi Hoffman and their PR guru Mike Wright.
This rifle is one of the coolest firearms I own. I know some will say, dude you have many firearms that are custom builds; this is just a 10/22. To be thought of by folks I consider industry icons to be a “writer” makes this Ruger special and cool. Being a true compact packable carbine adds to the cool factor. Having a limited edition usable firearm increases the cool factor. Lastly, this carbine’s looks make it a stylish firearm.
Ruger’s optional BX-25 magazine (foreground) with the standard 10/22 rotary 10-shot magazine.
The Takedown is a production rifle. Standard features on the Takedown are a ten-round rotary magazine, brass bead front sight, extended magazine release, scope base that fits Weaver and 22 mounts, and pushbutton safety. Ruger ships these rifles with a black zippered carry case.
What makes this Takedown a custom Takedown is the custom engraving on the stock. The other big feature is the factory-installed Laser Max end cap laser with two Picatinny rails. Ruger/Black Hills included a spare BX25 magazine and the zippered carrying case is a coyote brown, not the standard black. All I could say about this 10/22 was wow, just way too cool!
I gave the firearm the once over when taking it out of the box. Finish of the stock and forend was perfect. The buttplate mated with the stock seamlessly. Ruger did a fine job building this carbine. After ensuring the rifle was empty, I put the Takedown together. First remove the magazine, lock the bolt to the rear and then insert the barrel into the receiver. Twist and lock the forearm/barrel into the receiver. Now the rifle is ready to shoot.
Trijicon’s RMR Sight mounted on the Takedown with an American Defense Manufacturing mount. This combination has repeatable zero, time after time.
Mother Nature blessed me with a cloudy day when the Ruger arrived so I could test the laser sight out. Out of the box the laser was dead on at 25 yards. I was not sure who manufactured the initial test ammunition, but it was a mix of broken boxes I had and had dumped them in a plastic jar. All I know is the Takedown digested whatever was in the magazine and both the laser and the iron sights were dead on at 25 yards.
After plinking with the iron sights and having way too much fun, it was time to see how well the Takedown shoots. The factory sights were good out of the box, but I will be honest: the front sight is a bit fuzzy with my well over 50 eyes. To give me a fast, clear sight I mounted a Trijicon RMR Dual Illuminated Sight (Online: trijicon.com) with 7MOA amber dot using an American Defense Manufacturing mount. This hard use combination will cost you $577 for the RMR and $75 for the mount; the combo is worth every penny. This sight combination has been used on a few AR15s so I knew it was solid and would be ideal for this carbine.
Laser Max’s 10/22 End Cap Laser for a 10/22. It makes fast, accurate hip shots a snap.
I zeroed the Ruger at 25 yards using 36 grain CCI Mini Mags. Over the years this ammunition has proven itself to be consistently accurate. It did not let me down, yielding quarter-sized 10-shot groups off the bench. With various loads from Winchester, Wolf, Blazer and generic “GI” 22LR training loads, the carbine/optic combination kept the same 10 shots inside a silver dollar. Next I put another Birchwood Casey Shoot N C target up at 50 yards and fired several groups. The Takedown/RMR consistently printed 2-3-inch, 10-shot groups; most of these were clusters touching with a couple of fliers. For my intended purposes this will be more than adequate accuracy. I have no doubt with the new BX Trigger (adjustable 2.5-3lb pull) and a scope this rifle is capable of driving tacks. I am not planning to use this rifle to shoot bullseye competition, its purpose will be plinking and to get rid of the occasional ground hog, but with a $89.95 MSRP it may get installed. If you want to turn the Takedown into a true tack driver, Volquartsen (Phone: 712-792-4238; Online: volquartsen.com) has a barrel/forearm to fit your receiver for $370 complete with a Picatinny rail.
The Ruger 10/22 Takedown in its coyote tan carry case.
Once I was done shooting it was time to bag up the Takedown. To break the Takedown down; first ensure it is empty and the magazine is removed. Next retract the bolt, then push the locking button forward, rotate the forearm/barrel clockwise and remove it from the receiver. Then it is ready to put in its carry case.
When I was but a youth, takedown rifles were scoffed at because they would not hold zero. I can tell you this is not the case with the 10/22 Takedown. I have assembled and fired it in all types of weather from brutal heat to miserable wet/cold and it is still a tack driver. The RMR/American Defense combination too has held zero through dozens of times on/off the rail.
This is the locking handle for the Takedown; large enough to be easy to operate, yet small enough to not get in the way when shooting.
This carbine and optic combination is simply a fine piece of kit. The zipper case secures the forearm and receiver ensuring they are not damaged or the optic banged around in transit. The lower front pocket has smaller pockets to keep a pair of 25-round magazines handy and the upper pocket will secure water and snacks, making this a good truck gun. Yes, I know it is only a 22LR, but at close range it will easily put down something like a deer that has been involved with a vehicle, it is accurate enough to use on varmints and it is fun to shoot should the chance arise to make a detour to the range.
Anytime you make a trip to the range you need to have quality hearing protection. More and more I find that electronic protection is the way to fly. I recently received a pair of electronic shooters’ muffs from Mack’s, the Live Fire. Like me, many of you would be quick to point out, Mack’s does not make electronic hearing protection. Mack’s is known for their Shooter’s Moldable Ear Plugs and Shooter’s Ear Seals, both of which are comfortable hearing protection. Both of these ear plugs are in my range bag. Until SHOT Show 2015, you would have been correct in saying Mack’s only offers these passive types of hearing protection. Now that the Live Fire has moved from prototype to production, dear reader; you would be mistaken like I was.
The enlarged magazine release, safety and slide lock buttons for the 10/22. All are easy to operate and unobtrusive.
Mack’s has put a lot into these electronic “muffs”. First each muff has front and rear microphones for better hearing, key during competition. These microphones can be adjusted for bass/treble to suit the user’s needs; something more expensive sets of electronic muffs do not offer. This hearing protection gives the end user a huge feature that others do not; they operate on AAA batteries.
Another feature of the Live Fires that I liked is the ear cups themselves. They fit well over shooting glasses and the rubber stays soft and pliable in cold wet conditions. There is nothing more annoying than the cups that are stiff and dig into the soft skin around your ears.
After receiving the Camo Live Fire shooters muffs, I have put them through their paces shooting the Takedown 10/22, numerous handguns and centerfire rifles. I have not experienced any of the annoying buzzing common with other electronic muffs when they get near cell phones or portable duty radios. This shows these are quality electronics that do not receive the signals sent out by other electronics.
As high a quality as the ear cups of the Live Fires are, I still wear Ear Seals under them when shooting. The reason for this is to better seal the ear canal. Even soft rubber cups leave a gap around the arms of your shooter’s glasses where sound waves can leak and assault your ear drums; especially when shooting a long gun. It is wise to get young shooters in the habit of doubling up on hearing protection so they do not suffer the same premature hearing loss of many shooters of the baby boomer generation.
Mack’s Live Fire electronic shooter’s earmuffs; note the individual controls and stereo microphones for each ear cup. You will find these muffs comfortable and they will protect your hearing while allowing you to hear conversations.
If you are looking for quality hearing protection, you cannot go wrong with Mack’s Live Fire hearing protection. At present you can find them at Meijer stores and a major wholesaler, Sportsman Supply, will be offering them to retail outlets they support. Live Fires have an MSRP of $74.99 for the black and $87.99 for the camouflage version so your checkbook will thank you. Mack’s offers quality assurance that will help save your hearing whether you are shooting or operating loud equipment like a chain saw. Hopefully regular use of Ear Seals and Live Fire Shooter’s Muffs will keep you from asking folks around you, “what did you say, speak up, I cannot hear you.”
Well this nice weather in SW PA is not going to stick around so I am going to pack up my Ruger 10/22 Takedown from Black Hills Ammunition, my Camo Live Fires and Ear Seals for a trip to the range. Hopefully the weather will cooperate wherever you are and you can get out to the range. When you are there; shoot straight, shoot safe and have fun.
