Estimated studying time: 11 minutes
Carbon fiber is one of the best stability but of power to weight. Aerospace engineers used it rather than aluminum and metal to create lighter, quicker, and radar-resistant plane just like the B2 Stealth Bomber. Now, carbon fiber expertise is getting its run within the gun trade. Gun producers have efficiently used aluminum and titanium to loosen up firearms. Nevertheless, carbon fiber represents the following leap ahead towards infinitely man-portable programs.
Carbon fiber barrels have lately revolutionized the long-range rifle platform. The least doubtless rifle in want of a weight reduction program is the standard .22 rifle. As a result of low energy of the ammunition, .22 rimfire rifles might be constructed fairly calmly from typical materials. Most individuals are completely satisfied to seize an off-the-shelf rifle at six kilos or much less. However what if you’d like one thing even lighter? You would possibly contemplate any variety of take-down .22 rifles. Alternatively, you can select a ready-to-deploy choice within the new Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber.
The Why Behind the Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber
The usual Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber debuted throughout SHOT Present 2025. Its declare to fame will likely be that it’s a full rifle that weighs solely 3 1/2 lbs. It’s not the one .22 rifle to come back in at that neighborhood, and that begs the query: why select this one?
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I’m one thing of a collector of takedown .22 rifles for one easy cause: they’re neat. I like the concept of getting a rifle at my disposal that may slot in my backpack. However rifles like these have their tradeoffs. Mechanically, they’re theoretically much less correct because the barrel is detachable. The category can also be bifurcated by takedown rifles that weigh near that of an ordinary .22 rifle.
My Ruger 10/22 takedown and Browning SA-22 match that mildew. However then there are the very light-weight fashions just like the Henry AR-7 and Marlin Papoose, that are basically barrels with abbreviated shares and much more stunted controls. These three-pound rifles are helpful, however not essentially straightforward to wield and shoot. With the Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber line, you get a completely appointed rifle on the identical weight.
10/22 Carbon Fiber: Synthetics Aplenty
The Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber is on the market with both an artificial Magpul MOE X-22 inventory or a light-weight aluminum Gray Birch chassis. The latter model weighs in at solely 4.2 lbs. I had the pleasure of capturing this model at SHOT 2025, however in my hunt for one of the best gentle .22s, I went for the previous mannequin.
Buttstock
The buttstock retains the rear sling stud and is simply ahead of the cross-hatched black polymer butt plate. The drop of the inventory is good for putting the cheek in keeping with a scope, which is becoming as the ten/22 Carbon doesn’t include iron sights.
Receiver
The receiver has additionally gotten a makeover. As an alternative of the standard aluminum receiver, the ten/22 Carbon Fiber receiver has an inside aluminum shell with a textured flat black carbon fiber exterior. The highest of the receiver has a 4 1/2 inch size of aluminum Picatinny rail put in for fast optics set up.
With the 2 chief elements of the rifle lightened up, Ruger was free to make use of the identical commonplace confirmed controls as seen on different late-stage 10/22 rifles. This contains the glass-filled nylon set off guard and journal nicely meeting. On the skin sits the bolt maintain open ahead of the set off guard, an prolonged paddle journal launch, and the crossbolt security. On the within, the ten/22 Carbon wears the brand new flat-faced BX set off, which encompasses a 2-3 lb. adjustable weight and overtravel cease.
The Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber is as gentle as might be, however at its coronary heart, it’s nonetheless a Ruger 10/22–probably the most .22 LR rifles ever made. This straightforward blowback-operated semi-auto .22 is absolutely appropriate with the laundry listing of shares, elements, and magazines out there for max customization.
Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber Specs
Mannequin: 31220 Caliber: .22 LR Capability: 10+1 Barrel Size: 16 inches Barrel Width: 1.0 inches Total Size: 34.3 inches Size of Pull: 13.5 inches Weight: 3.5 lbs. unloaded; 4.5 lbs. as arrange
300 Rounds with the Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber
The Ruger 10/22 doesn’t have to face on ceremony. It’s a in style platform for good cause, and if you’re on the lookout for a primary and final .22 rifle, it’s a sensible choice. The blowback motion features reliably as long as you retain the rifle clear. The rotary journal masses and feeds easily. This mannequin has unbeatable aftermarket help.
Every model of the ten/22 has its personal tradeoffs, and I puzzled if including carbon fiber and subtracting metal would trigger points. I used to be notably involved that the thinner inside barrel sleeve would warmth up and lose accuracy quicker than an ordinary monolithic barrel. I additionally puzzled how the carbon fiber shroud would play in that calculus. After mounting my trusty Leupold 1-4×24 VX-Freedom rifle scope, I grabbed the ten/22 Carbon, a Silencerco Switchback, and a sampling of .22 LR ammunition from my stash to see how the rifle performed out.
Accuracy
I began by zeroing the optic from the bench at 25 yards. The ammunition used for the preliminary zeroing was Federal Goal 40-grain RNL. I’ve had good luck with earlier 10/22s with this commonplace velocity load and didn’t need to gamble with success simply but. After strolling a dozen photographs into the bullseye to get zeroed, I fired a fast five-shot group, and the reward was a single jagged gap.
I switched between Winchester Western 36-grain hollowpoints, CCI Stinger 32-grainers, and CCI Mini Mags, in addition to Federal 45-grain subsonics. All gave me the identical outcome, though the Winchester load was just a little wider. Naturally, all these rounds hit in other places from the zero.
I subsequent stretched the ten/22 Carbon out to fifty yards, and the variations grew. With Federal Goal ammunition, I coaxed 5 rounds right into a 0.8-inch group. The CCI Stinger varmint load got here in at a strong inch. The Winchester and Federal subsonic masses got here on the rear of the pack with 1.5-inch teams. At 100 yards, the Goal load remained the winner with a 1.5-inch group, with the CCI Stinger not far behind and far nearer to the purpose of intention. The remainder fell into the 4-inch class.
Barrel Warmth
I didn’t really feel the necessity to let the barrel cool throughout my paper capturing. There was no stringing of rounds like what you’ll see if the barrel received too sizzling. To be frank, the .22 LR doesn’t generate a lot warmth, and it will take many rounds in a really quick interval. Though the Carbon Fiber may be extra liable to it, below regular vary and looking situations, I don’t see it occurring.
Reliability
.22 rimfire semi-auto rifles might be finicky with ammunition, notably as soon as they get too soiled from powder residue and wax that covers the rounds. With that stated, the ten/22’s blowback motion and twin extractors maintain it working past different rifles close to its worth level. Within the 300 rounds I’ve shot by means of the ten/22 Carbon Fiber to date, I’ve had zero malfunctions and 0 dud rounds. Unsuppressed, the Carbon simply cycled these lower-powered Federal Goal and Subsonic masses. I fearful about dud rounds in my bulk pack of Winchester White Field ammo, however received none.
One caveat to the reliability entrance is that I used Ruger 10-round rotary magazines. The rifle comes with one, and I had just a few others mendacity round that I put to good use. If there’s an Achilles’ heel to the ten/22, it’s the journal. I’ve come to belief the usual 10-rounders over any aftermarket choice. Even the BX-25 magazines from Ruger have didn’t elevate rounds excessive sufficient to feed in my very own expertise.
Ergonomic Suggestions
Your mileage would possibly range, however this 10/22 Carbon as arrange was dependable to the purpose of boredom. What wasn’t boring was the shocking shootability of the rifle regardless of its lightness. Each shooter has to have that proper stability. If a rifle is simply too heavy, fatigue units in quicker. Whether it is too gentle, each shake and tremor is magnified. When left unattended on the bench, the ten/22 Carbon is gentle sufficient to be blown sideways by a crosswind, however within the palms on and off the bench, there’s shocking substance there.
In contrast to different gentle rifles, the Carbon has a real near-adult-sized buttstock and a beneficiant foreshock to carry onto. The protection and different controls are full-sized and simple to succeed in. Additional, the swamped carbon fiber barrel is simple to swing, but it surely has simply sufficient chrome steel on the muzzle to not really feel rear-heavy. The addition of the SilencerCo Switchback provides simply sufficient titanium to the combo to be about as balanced as an ordinary 10/22, however a lot lighter all through.
With my most well-liked ammunition, I had no issues hitting soda cans from the kneeling place. There was little or no side-to-side shake in my scope. For a rifle this gentle, it shouldn’t be this regular. The one gripe I observed was that I tended to hit the journal launch and impatiently attain into the nicely to take away the journal. Then I used to be unable to take away the journal. After I was extra affected person, the journal would fall into my hand because it ought to.
READ MORE HERE: Ultralight Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber Overview
The Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber: An Trustworthy Appraisal
I’ve spent just a few too a few years on personal ranges, however currently I’ve been mixing it up with different shooters on public land. I rapidly found that I used to be not the one one who valued light-weight .22 rifles. I used to be shocked what number of 4-4.5 lb. Tikas and Christiansen rifles are on the market doing hog and raccoon responsibility. These shooters weren’t survivalists or backpackers in a way. Nevertheless, they nonetheless needed a light-weight, helpful rifle that was straightforward to shoulder and simple to sling whereas carrying within the subject.
I had seen the brand new Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber by means of a tenting or survivalist lens, and I’ll nonetheless maintain out for a take-down model. Nevertheless, the extra I shot it, the extra I got here to grasp the worth of a lightweight rifle. Whereas it gained’t fold up right into a backpack, the ten/22 Carbon Fiber is equally as gentle and way more succesful in any context.
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Jim Maybrick has been a constant voice within the firearms world for over a decade, writing lots of of articles and producing dozens of movies that span practically each nook of the capturing sports activities. With a background in army and financial historical past, Jim has a expertise for weaving compelling tales round historic firearms designs and the rise and fall of legacy producers.
However Jim’s pursuits go far past the previous—he’s simply as snug diving into muzzleloading traditions as he’s testing the most recent rimfire masses or mastering cutting-edge fashionable programs. His considerate, data-driven strategy brings readability and depth to each overview.
When he’s not on the vary or deep in a spreadsheet, you’ll discover him having fun with time with household, chasing recreation, or refining the misplaced artwork of beginning an ideal campfire.
Expertise:
– Veteran Author & Content material Creator – Over twelve years of expertise in firearms journalism with lots of of printed items.– Army & Financial Historian – Educational background that fuels in-depth evaluation of historic firearms and trade developments.– Versatile Shooter – Covers a variety of matters from muzzleloaders and rimfire ballistics to right now’s most superior platforms.– Storyteller at Coronary heart – Identified for insightful writing that blends technical element with participating historic context.– Outdoorsman & Household Man – Reconnects with nature by means of looking, fishing, and old-school firecraft.– Analytical Mindset – Brings precision, construction, and storytelling to each article—whether or not it’s a gear overview or a deep historic dive.
