The Ruger 10/22 was designed in 1964 by Bill Ruger, Sr. and Harry Sefried II.
With more than 7 million 10/22 in circulation, the 10/22 rifle is arguably the most successful rimfire rifle design in history.
When introduced, the unit cost for the base rifle was $54.50 in U.S. currency. That would be about $512 today
The MSRP for a base model 10/22 is $379 today. Modern manufacturing techniques and an economy of scale keep prices down.
The patented rotary 10-round magazine that comes standard with the rifle was revolutionary for its day.
The Ruger 10/22 has seen limited combat use in the hands of Israeli forces battling Palestinian insurgents.
The 10/22 is one of the most customized rifle designs ever created. Nowadays, a complete 10/22 rifle can be built from aftermarket parts without using a single Ruger component.
Ruger offered a .22 Win Mag version of the rifle titled the 10/22 Magnum from 1998 until 2006.
In 2004, Ruger listed a variant of the 10/22 firing .17HMR in their catalog.
All modern 10/22 rifles come from the Ruger factory, drilled and tapped for a scope mount that is included. The rifle’s rear sight folds out of the way to accommodate an optic.
The 10/22’s unique two-screw, V-block system, allows barrels to be exchanged easily without requiring the services of a gunsmith.
As of 2015, Ruger offered the 10/22 in eleven different discrete models.
All 10/22 rifles available today, orbit around an investment cast aluminum receiver. The receiver of the short-lived Ruger 10/22 Magnum, was cut from steel.
The standard model 10/22 features an 18.5-inch barrel and is available with either a hardwood or black synthetic stock.
10/22 Receivers can be had either black anodized or silver.
The 10/22 Target sports a 20-inch bull barrel and no iron sights.
Magazine options for the 10/22 range from flush-mounted rotary ten-rounders up to fifty-round drums.
Aftermarket conversion kits allow you to transform a standard 10/22 into a replica of the HK G36, the WW2-vintage German MG42 belt-fed machinegun, an M1 Carbine, an M1 Garand, or a tripod-mounted crank-fired support weapon.
In 2012 Ruger introduced the 10/22 Takedown Model. This version breaks down readily into two halves and comes with a backpack carrying case.
TacSol (Tactical Solutions) has made a brisk business out of designing top-end sound-suppressed precision targets and utility rifles that orbit around the basic 10/22 action.
Currently, Ruger offers 8 families of Ruger 10/22s with 61 models listed
Magnum Research produces a line of custom target rifles called the Switchbolt that is designed around the 10/22 action. At age 19 and equipped with a customized Switchbolt rifle, shooter Chris Barrett set a world record for speed shooting in the Rimfire Rifle Optic Steel Challenge competition.
Acadia Machine and Tool, the same company that made the .45 Hardballer Longslide pistol used in the first Terminator movie, once produced a 10/22 clone around a stainless steel receiver. A subsequent lawsuit forced them to discontinue production.