Ruger's 10/22 Carbon Fiber: The One You Need to Buy

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The Ruger 10/22 .22 LR semiautomatic carbine was introduced in 1964, and it has become the standard by which all other rimfire semiautomatic rifles are judged. It’s dependable, accurate, rugged, and extremely handy. The gun’s rotary magazine has inspired many clones, and in fact, an awful lot of newer rimfire autoloading rifles and carbines from other manufacturers are designed to accept the Ruger magazine. According to many supply houses in the industry, more aftermarket parts are available for the Ruger 10/22 than just about any other single firearm. I don’t know the exact number of 10/22s sold over the last six decades, but it has to be in the multiple millions.

New for 2025, Ruger has brought out the lightest-weight version of the iconic model that the company has ever produced. The new 10/22 Carbon Fiber weighs a scant 3.5 pounds.

Operation

The 10/22 action is a blowback design, meaning the bolt is held closed by the recoil spring when in battery. When the cartridge fires, the bolt stays closed long enough for the bullet to pass down the barrel and until the gas pressure subsides, and then the bolt travels rearward, a new cartridge feeds from the magazine, and the bolt moves forward, picking up the cartridge and pushing it into the chamber. The hammer is cocked, and the trigger is reset during this process, and the action is ready to be fired again. Here’s how Ruger describes the procedure in a bit more detail:

“Retracting the cocking handle cocks the internal hammer and compresses the recoil spring. When the bolt is manually released, it moves forward (driven by the recoil spring), strips a cartridge from the magazine (if a loaded magazine is in place), and chambers the cartridge. The bolt is held against the chambered cartridge by the recoil spring.

“When the trigger is squeezed, the hammer is released and strikes the firing pin. The firing pin indents the cartridge case rim and ignites the priming compound inside the rim. This ignites the powder in the cartridge case and a great volume of gas is instantly generated, which acts on the interior of the cartridge case in all directions.

“Because the bullet offers the least resistance, it moves out of the cartridge case and exits the muzzle. The bolt then moves rearward automatically, extracting and ejecting the fired cartridge case, and at the same time cocking the hammer and compressing the recoil spring, etc., as described above. Once the trigger is released, the rifle is ready to fire again.

“Each time the trigger is squeezed and released, the same cycle is repeated until there are no more cartridges in the magazine or the chamber.” Be aware that Ruger cautions users the 10/22 can fire if a cartridge is in the chamber even if the magazine is not in place.

Configuration

Two features of the new 10/22 Carbon Fiber are immediately recognizable: the carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel and the distinctive synthetic stock. The stock is made by Magpul, and it is the lightweight MOE X-22 model. As Shooting Times recently reported, Ruger teamed up with Magpul to create the brand-new RXM 9mm semiautomatic pistol (Magpul is making the RXM’s polymer grip frame), and the two companies are joining together on this new version of the 10/22, too. The 10/22 Carbon Fiber’s stock has a black-with-white-speckles finish, M-LOK slots at the 6 o’clock position on the underside of the fore-end, and Magpul’s proprietary TSP texture on the pistol grip. The stock also has two integral sling-swivel eyelets and a black synthetic buttplate. The length of pull is 13.5 inches.

The cold-hammer-forged stainless-steel barrel is 16.1 inches long, and it is “tensioned” in a carbon-fiber sleeve. The muzzle end is 0.92 inch in diameter, and the chamber end just ahead of the receiver also is 0.92 inch in diameter, according to my electronic calipers. The muzzle is threaded 1/2-28 for a suppressor, and it comes with a removable thread-protector cap. The overall length of the carbine from butt to muzzle is 34.1 inches. The carbine comes without sights, but it has an 11-slot optic rail on top of the receiver. It is attached with four slot-head screws.

The action’s bolt lock is located just forward of the trigger guard on the left side. The bolt lock must be manually engaged as it does not lock the bolt open automatically. Also, simply retracting the bolt with the bolt handle will not disengage the bolt lock. The bolt lock must be deliberately pressed up while the bolt is held fully to the rear. Again, the bolt does not remain open after the last shot has been fired, and it does not automatically lock open when the magazine is empty.

The crossbolt safety is located slightly to the rear of that. It’s a two-position safety. Push the button to the left to fire the gun; push the button to the right to engage the safety, which blocks the sear. In the “Fire” mode, a red ring around the safety button is visible. Note that the safety can be engaged only when the hammer is cocked.

What I consider to be a very nice touch is the extended magazine release lever. It follows the shape of the front of the trigger guard and can be operated with either hand. Just push the lever forward to release, and the magazine drops right out. It is made of the same heat-stabilized, glass-filled polymer material as the trigger housing, and since Ruger sells it as an accessory, it is compatible with all 10/22 models. Like I said, I think including it already installed on the 10/22 Carbon Fiber is a nice touch.

The 10/22 Carbon Fiber comes with a standard 10-round magazine. And as I said earlier, it’s the famous Ruger rotary magazine. The design features an internal rotor that is under tension, and it allows cartridges to spring into loading position. The rotor can and should be tested for proper tension by loading one cartridge into the magazine, then firmly pressing against the side of the cartridge case, and then removing your finger quickly. The cartridge should instantly and fully move into the feeding position.

Ruger says that you should not try to disassemble the magazine if it is not working properly. You can clean the magazine by soaking it in solvent that will not rust the metal parts or affect the plastic magazine box, then shaking it vigorously to remove the solvent and any debris that may have built up in it. The company also emphatically states, “Damaged, nonstandard, or improperly assembled magazines should not be used. They can cause the rifle to malfunction.”

Another nice touch on this 10/22 version is it comes with the Ruger BX-Trigger unit. The BX-Trigger is a trigger assembly that is compatible with all Ruger 10/22 rifles and 22 Charger pistols, and it offers a crisp and significantly reduced pull weight of approximately 2.75 pounds (according to Ruger) versus 6.0 pounds for the standard 10/22 trigger. It is a self-contained trigger assembly that drops right in, so if you have a 10/22 that has the standard trigger assembly, I encourage you to consider purchasing the BX-Trigger drop-in assembly; it will undoubtedly make your 10/22’s trigger pull much lighter.

The trigger pull on our Carbon Fiber sample carbine averaged 2 pounds, 10 ounces (2.6 pounds) over five measurements with an old RCBS trigger pull gauge. There was no more than 4 ounces of variance between measurements. That’s very consistent. The 2.6-pound pull weight is fairly light for a trigger in these litigious times, but it’s not so light that accidental discharges are likely. I found it to be just right, and I’m sure it contributed to the very good accuracy results I achieved. (Note: I used some old Traditions Performance Firearms .22 snap caps I had on hand because rimfire firearms should not be dry-fired on an empty chamber. Doing so can damage the firing pin.)

Performance

Due to time constraints in producing this issue of the magazine, I had no choice but to shoot the new 10/22 Carbon Fiber on a very cold, blustery day in January. The high temperature in my neck of the woods that day was 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind was gusting at 17 miles per hour. Maybe I shouldn’t say it was gusting because it sure felt like it was awfully constant! Anyway, I opted to shoot for accuracy at 25 yards, thinking that the wind might have a more adverse effect on accuracy at 50 yards, which is the typical distance for testing rimfire rifles and carbines. Luckily, I was shooting into the wind head-on, so I was able to achieve very good accuracy with the lightweight, svelte 10/22, considering the conditions. The results of firing eight different .22 LR loadings are listed in the accompanying chart.

The overall average for all eight .22 LR loads was 0.64 inch. Again, that’s at 25 yards, and it is for three, five-shot groups fired with each load and then averaged. The load that turned in the best average accuracy on that windy, cold day was the tried-and-true Federal Gold Medal Target #711 40-grain LRN. I bet I’ve been shooting good old Federal #711 for close to 50 years (I still have some from when I worked at Gil Hebard Guns, and I know it’s at least 35 years old), and it always seems to give good accuracy in revolvers, semiautomatic pistols, and rifles of all action types. Its average out of the 10/22 Carbon Fiber was 0.48 inch. Not far behind, though, was the SK Rifle Match 40-grain LRN, and it averaged 0.50 inch. The details, including the chronograph results, are listed in the accompanying chart.

Since the carbine doesn’t have sights, I used a new Burris FastFire 4 red-dot reflex sight, mainly because it is very lightweight and compact, and I thought that it appropriately fit the lightweight theme of the new carbine. The sight is very cool, and it has four reticle options (all are red in color). One is a 3-MOA dot. One is a 3-MOA center dot with a 40-MOA outer circle and what Burris calls wings. There are two wings, and they are basically horizontal lines between the center dot and the outer circle. I used this one for the accuracy session. Another of the reticle choices is an 11-MOA center dot that looks sort of like a double dot to me. And the fourth option is an 11-MOA double center dot with a 40-MOA outer circle.

The Burris FastFire 4 also has four brightness settings, including automatic adjustment, which senses the surrounding light conditions and adjusts the brightness accordingly; low brightness; medium brightness; and high brightness. The brightness setting is manually changed by pressing the brightness button that’s located on the left side of the unit.

Other specs for this red-dot sight include a magnification of 1.07X, elevation and windage adjustments of 90 MOA each, a recoil resistance of 1,000 Gs, and an operating temperature range of from -10 degrees Fahrenheit to +130 degrees Fahrenheit. Power is supplied by one CR1632 battery, and the dimensions are 1.9 inches long by 1.23 inches wide by 1.0 inch tall. The sight weighs 1.06 ounces, and it can be used on rifles, handguns, and shotguns. It comes with a removable weather shield, which is installed and shown in our photographs.

Once I had the accuracy and chronograph results recorded, even though it was very cold and blustery, I took a stroll through the small stand of timber that borders my personal shooting range with the Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber in hand. I have a wandering “backyard” shooting safari course set up with several steel targets spread out at various positions along the timber’s walking trail. The target distances vary, and the idea is to slowly walk through the timber, simulating a stalking kind of hunt. As soon as I spy a target, I try to ring steel as quickly as possible. Fortunately for me, the wind was greatly reduced the deeper I got into the timber, so that stroll through the woods was pretty darn comfortable, and I have to say it was the most pleasant part of the shooting session.

The lightweight 10/22 was fast to shoulder, dead-on accurate, and a dream to carry. I was amazed at just how light it felt. If it had been a different time of year and the weather conditions more favorable, I probably would have been out there until dark—or until I ran out of ammo. I confess that once I took the first shot on each target, I just couldn’t resist emptying the entire loaded magazine on said target. It’s a good thing the Ruger rotary magazine is so easy to load and takes just seconds to accomplish. Standing around in below-freezing temperatures trying to load a harder-loading .22 rimfire magazine is not my idea of fun. What is fun to me is plinking away with a fast-shooting, accurate .22 rimfire, and the 100 percent reliable, ultralight Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber is exactly that.

RUGER 10/22 CARBON FIBER SPECS

• MANUFACTURER: Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. ruger.com
• TYPE: Blowback-operated autoloader
• CALIBER: .22 LR
• MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 10 rounds
• BARREL: 16.1 in.
• OVERALL LENGTH: 34.1 in.
• LENGTH OF PULL: 13.5 in.
• WEIGHT, EMPTY: 3.5 lbs.
• STOCK: Magpul MOE X-22 synthetic
• FINISH: Black receiver, carbon-fiber-sleeved barrel, black- with-white-speckles stock
• SIGHTS: None, optic rail on receiver
• TRIGGER: 2.6-lb. pull (as tested)
• SAFETY: Crossbolt
• MSRP: $649

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