1000 rounds down: 2

Tactical schmatical! Who the hell wants a .22rf that looks half way to an M16?   Independent review by of the Ruger SR22 rifle Andrew Venables following extensive use at the the WMS rifle shooting range.

Ruger SR22 Rifle

August and Viking Arms arrived with a selection of rifles, including 3 variants of the rightly famous Ruger 10/22 rifles. The synthetic bull barrel match version, the standard synthetic and stainless version and the new Ruger SR22 which look a bit….military!

It was a dealer day and the purpose was to introduce the rifles, with Minox scopes and Brugger and Thomet moderators. We started with the 10/22 family and 5000 rounds of standard velocity Lapua 40gn solid ammo.

The accuracy on the match 10/22 was fine and so were the tolerances, so after 2-300 rounds the carbon build up started to give sticky extraction and the rifle needed a strip and clean, quite normal, its what .22 semi autos do!

After around 500 rounds the standard stainless 10/22 also needed attention with un burnt powder, gummy residues and carbon showing. Standard velocity waxed ammo does this to 22 semi autos.

John, our military type instructor was meantime doing sterling service stuffing 25 round banana mags into the SR22, time after time after time. At about 1,500 rounds (in about 2 hours) he had had 2 failures to fully extract and no cleaning. At about 2,500 rounds his fingers were sore, the clients sated and still, only 2 failures to fully extract. Anyone who has spent time shooting any .22 semi autos will know what a feat this is.

We shot the rifle at 50, 100, 150 and 400 metres (yep!) hitting 10 and 20” steel gongs enough to make people whoop. Since then the rifle has shot a witnessed 3-4” 10 shot group down a steep incline on thin ice at 300 yards. It shoots about a half inch at 50 yards no bother and about 2 inches at 100 yards, no bother. How it shot the 300 yard group, I have no idea?

To date in 4 months, the rifle has reliably shot circa 5000 rounds of mixed .22 rifle ammo to include Winchester HVHP, CCI Minimag, Lapua 40gn standard and some CCI Velocitor. It has not been stripped or cleaned internally beyond a wipe with a lightly oiled rag and beyond a couple of ammo related misfires, no problems.

When we finally do it, SR22 strip down is more complex and time consuming than the standard 10/22 rifles needing the scope and mounts off, 2 allen keys and about 6 bolts undone. In the mean time, wont strip it till it starts jamming!

If you don’t object to the military look, the Ruger SR22 rifle is a solid, reliable, tough rifle.

It is the most reliable .22rf semi auto I have ever shot or seen shot and we see all sorts of .22 SA rifles at the WMS Steel Challenge firearms training facility.

Ruger SR22

1000+ Passed.

Andrew Venables

WMS Firearms Training

25/01/11