10/22 Charger Takedown

[daddyusmaximus]

The 10/22 Charger Takedown is a semi-auto handgun. Anyone here have experience with them?

I know, Not one you'd carry as a self defense weapon on a daily basis... but it makes a decent woods gun / survival gun.
Here is a new YouTube channel with a pretty nice set up. It's a fat old retired half crippled boomer who doesn't know how to make a video... but I really like the 10/22 in question.

[JimmyB62]

I have a bunch of 10-22s in various configurations. In general they shoot pretty well. With the gold standard of reasonably priced (pre 2020-21) but accurate 22 ammo being CCI SV, they typically shoot between .75 to 1.5 inches at 50 yards. The issue with the takedowns is POI shift. Small bumps can knock the POI out of whack as can just shooting them. At 25 yards it may not matter but at 50 yards+ it can sure cause a miss on a squirrel headshot. The shift can be mitigated/eliminated by mounting an optic on the barrel instead of receiver but many people don’t want to do this.

You will hear people claim that they have no POI shift on their takedowns but look to see what size target they’re shooting at and what their groups are like. One of my favorite targets are charcoal briquettes. They explode in a nice puff of black dust and don’t leave my range a mess. They are also a good for approximating the target size of something you’d hunt in the woods. If I miss them I like to know it was me and not POi shift on the gun.

A folding stock/brace on a standard charger is still a pretty compact setup but I get the allure of the takedowns. Just don’t expect them to hold a perfect zero.

Also, quit looking to YouTube for info and you wont have to suffer through video like that! I made it through about 30 seconds. If you have any specific questions, let me know.

Signed,

A half crippled, partly deaf boomer who definitely wouldn’t know how to make a good video.

[ndmiller]

There is a barrel tension wheel on the 10/22 takedown that needs to be tightened if you're getting a POI shift. My shift at 100 yards is less than an inch, but before without tightening down the wheel it was 4-5 inches. inside of 50 yards the zero has held for years in both takedowns one with backpacker stock and one with hunter magpul stock.

I almost sold the first one after an appleseed match where it almost couldn't be zero'd so much slop. Forget who told me about the wheel I had seen it and never touched it as I didn't want to mess anything up. Adjusted and bought another for my daughter about a year ago, roughly 2 after getting the first one. Both have tech sights and are great trainers on the fundamentals which translate into any shooting discipline. My daughter moved into HS 10M air rifle and is excelling in her first year 100% because of fundamentals learned on the Ruger. While she is focusing on the three positions, multiyear veterans are still playing around with lining up sights and trigger control. So proud.

Noah

[daddyusmaximus]

There is a barrel tension wheel on the 10/22 takedown that needs to be tightened if you're getting a POI shift. My shift at 100 yards is less than an inch, but before without tightening down the wheel it was 4-5 inches. inside of 50 yards the zero has held for years in both takedowns one with backpacker stock and one with hunter magpul stock.

I almost sold the first one after an appleseed match where it almost couldn't be zero'd so much slop. Forget who told me about the wheel I had seen it and never touched it as I didn't want to mess anything up. Adjusted and bought another for my daughter about a year ago, roughly 2 after getting the first one. Both have tech sights and are great trainers on the fundamentals which translate into any shooting discipline. My daughter moved into HS 10M air rifle and is excelling in her first year 100% because of fundamentals learned on the Ruger. While she is focusing on the three positions, multiyear veterans are still playing around with lining up sights and trigger control. So proud.

Noah

That's good to know info about the tension wheel.

[JimmyB62]

I’ve adjusted the tension to Ruger specs, tried it tighter, and even looser. In all cases I experience POI shift. Sometimes it didn’t show up for a shooing session or two but eventually it would be very apparent and something I don’t experience in standard 10-22s. I contacted Ruger and asked to speak with a tech. When I got a call back I explained what I was experiencing and what I had tried. I said a 2.5” shift was common at 50 yards. The tech told me they consider the charger a 25 yard gun and that (he extrapolated) a 1.25” shift at 25 yards was “well within” their specs although he wouldn’t disclose what their actual specification was.

Anyway, I’m not discounting ndmiller’s experience and if the gun is working for him it may work for others too. For me the takedowns are not worth it.

[ndmiller]

I’ve adjusted the tension to Ruger specs, tried it tighter, and even looser. In all cases I experience POI shift. Sometimes it didn’t show up for a shooing session or two but eventually it would be very apparent and something I don’t experience in standard 10-22s. I contacted Ruger and asked to speak with a tech. When I got a call back I explained what I was experiencing and what I had tried. I said a 2.5” shift was common at 50 yards. The tech told me they consider the charger a 25 yard gun and that (he extrapolated) a 1.25” shift at 25 yards was “well within” their specs although he wouldn’t disclose what their actual specification was.

Anyway, I’m not discounting ndmiller’s experience and if the gun is working for him it may work for others too. For me the takedowns are not worth it.

I don't doubt it, just about every gun has good and bad examples. Mine are also in aftermarket (one a factory version) Magpul stocks, much stiffer than the platic/polymer OEM takedown stock set. That variable may be enough to tighten up the system to eliminate some slop for sure.

[daddyusmaximus]

I’ve adjusted the tension to Ruger specs, tried it tighter, and even looser. In all cases I experience POI shift. Sometimes it didn’t show up for a shooing session or two but eventually it would be very apparent and something I don’t experience in standard 10-22s. I contacted Ruger and asked to speak with a tech. When I got a call back I explained what I was experiencing and what I had tried. I said a 2.5” shift was common at 50 yards. The tech told me they consider the charger a 25 yard gun and that (he extrapolated) a 1.25” shift at 25 yards was “well within” their specs although he wouldn’t disclose what their actual specification was.

Anyway, I’m not discounting ndmiller’s experience and if the gun is working for him it may work for others too. For me the takedowns are not worth it.

Wow. If they had that in the advertising they sure as hell wouldn't sell very many... Rather disheartening.
I love the idea of packing it up into a tiny little package, but if it can't hit nothing once you get it back out, why bother?

[Diamondback]

Apologies for necro-ing, but I'm working up a .22 Charger as a plinker/"fun gun." Any suggestions for a QD mount and low-power budget scope? The build has an NDS-26 rail/rear sight unit, so it's safe to assume co-witness is a non-factor but lifting the scope above the irons DOES matter.