The new Ruger 22 Charger semiauto pistol is a "handgunized" version of the company's enormously popular .22 Long Rifle 10/22 semiauto rifle. The 22 Charger utilizes a standard Ruger 10/22 aluminum receiver and action mechanism fitted with a 10-inch, medium-heavy barrel and a laminated wood, rear-grip, metallic-silhouette-type stock.

The barrel tapers from 0.92 inch at the receiver to 0.66 inch at the muzzle. The muzzle has a recessed target-style crown.

The stock features a fore-end sling-swivel stud, a flared-butt ambidextrous palmswell grip, and an extended wide-bottom fore-end that supports just the first 2 inches of the barrel. The stock attaches to the receiver via a single takedown screw in front of the magazine housing. The color of the standard-issue laminate stock is gray/black; various other laminate color patterns are available in Ruger distributor-special versions, including red/black, purple/black, and blue/black.

Ruger 22 Charger
Model:	.22 Charger
Purpose:	Target/hunting
Manufacturer:	Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. 1 Lacey Place Southport, CT 06890 203.259.7843
Action type:	Straight blowback
Magazine type/ Capacity:	Detachable rotary box/ 10 rounds
Reciever material:	Aluminum
Barrel length:	10 inches
Rifling:	Six grooves, 1:16 RH twist
Sights:	None
Metal finish:	Matte Black
Safety:	Manual crossbolt sear-lock
Trigger type:	Single-action
Pull Wieght:	3.87 lbs.
Stock material:	Gray/black laminated wood
Stock finish:	Matte
Weight, empty:	3.5 lbs
Overall length:	19.25 inches
Height:	2.0 inches
Width:	5.5 inches
Accessories:	Owners manual, safety lock and shackle, carry case, bipod, scope-mount base
MSRP:	$369.50

The 22 Charger's metal is finished in matte black, and its overall weight is 3.5 pounds. That's about the same as an S&W Model 629 83/8-inch revolver in .44 Magnum.

The 22 Charger is very similar in concept, configuration, and appearance to the existing Magnum Research MagnumLite PiCuda pistol, which features a 10-inch, carbon-fiber barrel and retails for $699, and also to the Hornet Custom Match Target 10/22 pistol, which features a custom 16.5-inch barrel and retails for $995. From Ruger, the 22 Charger package's recommended retail price is $369.50.

Like all 10/22-platform guns, the direct-blowback 22 Charger receiver/trigger assembly features a manual crossbolt sear-lock safety and a manual bolt lock located in the front of the trigger guard. Ruger's flush-fit, 10-round rotary magazine is standard, and any higher capacity 10/22 aftermarket accessory magazine will also work in the pistol. One feature unique to the 22 Charger is its extended magazine-release lever, which eliminates the press, squeeze, pull magazine-removal method required on standard 10/22 rifles.

The 22 Charger comes without metallic sights. Instead, its receiver is equipped with a screw-on optical-sight-mount base that is designed to allow the use of either tip-off .22 rimfire-type rings or any Weaver-style or Picatinny-type crosscut rings.

The 22 Charger package also includes a Shooters Ridge 6- to 9-inch adjustable bipod, which attaches without tools to the fore-end swivel stud. This is an invaluable accessory for a firearm such as the 22 Charger, as it adds greatly to its versatility and allows it to be employed with benchrest precision under a wide variety of field and range conditions.

Styled after the well-known Harris bipod, the Shooters Ridge unit has individually adjustable spring-loaded legs that can be folded up or down. The unit can be installed to allow the legs either to fold backward along the fore-end or forward to allow unobstructed fore-end support from the non-firing hand. With the buttstock resting on a conventional sandbag, the bipod can be adjusted to allow a horizontal firing aspect in nearly any shooting circumstance with cast-in-concrete stability. The 22 Charger comes with the bipod installed with legs in the fold-back position and a zippered soft carry/storage case bearing the Ruger logo.