Ruger 10/22 Target Lite

[Clemsonguy]

I have been eyeing the new 10/22 Target Lite since it was announced. Has anyone had a chance to try one out yet? I own an older Walmart 10/22 with the checkered walnut stock and 22" barrel which I enjoy and find to be plenty accurate for steel plates. However, I have always liked the looks of a thumbhole stock and the heavy barrel profile and often consider changing the trigger on my current rifle. I also wouldn't mind a new .22 suppressor host which keeps bringing me back to the target lite. It fits all my wants and by the time I buy a decent trigger, stock, thread or replace my barrel etc I might as well buy a new gun - or that is what I plan to tell my CFO (wife) anyhow

Anyhow, are there any real world reports on this rifle yet?

 

[james r jr]

Welcome to the forum! I don't have any knowledge about the Target Lite model but i do have the Take Down Lite model that i love. I haven't shot it a whole lot but it handles very nicely and it shot accurate enough for me to be satisfied. I am using a Bushnell TRS25 red dot on it.

 

[kmoore]

Thumb hole stocks look good. But, I have found out NORMALLY that means it was designed for off hand shooting (standing and firing). If you do mostly bench or position shooting the comb is to high. Or higher then stocks without thumb holes. Which may cause good cheek weld and sight alignment problems. Remember I said normally. Something many do not realize until later.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

Thumb hole stocks look good. But, I have found out NORMALLY that means it was designed for off hand shooting (standing and firing). If you do mostly bench or position shooting the comb is to high. Or higher then stocks without thumb holes. Which may cause good cheek weld and sight alignment problems. Remember I said normally. Something many do not realize until later.

That's interesting! Back in the day when optical sights ( scopes ) began to replace the iron sights on rifles that had stock comb drop very similar to what the flint and cap-lock rifles had for use with their style of sighting arrangement, a change began to take place whereby stocks then became available with Monte Carlo combs and roll-over cheek plates. Owners & rifle manufacturers soon learned that the "drop" involved with iron sights didn't work very well when optics are mounted on receivers.
When I was doing much more gunstock work than I've done in quite a while, my custom stocks were made with straight combs and very little drop so that my customer could then mount his/her scope as low to the bore as possible. Funny thing, scopes seem to work better that way.

I just finished up a Ruger 10/22 with a thumb-hole stock that I plan to use for 100 yard shooting off the bench. See that post elsewhere.

 

[kmoore]

I have handled only 1 rimfire semi auto and several bolt guns with thumb hole stocks. Those had to have high scope mounts like a AR15 to see into the scope. When you get hunched over it can be hard to get into the scope. I am sure some work fine. Now days many stocks have what I had since 1976. A adjustable stock to move the cheek piece up or down to fit the rifle to each position.
I fully agree a stock is Normally made for proper cheek weld (sight alignment) with a scope or iron sights not both. And mount that scope as low as possible. At a time in my life I sold guns and mounted scopes on hundreds of hunting rifles. From August to deer season (Sept) mounting, boring sighting many days, all day. I remember guys wanting side mounted scopes on win 94s and those see thru rings on guns. I sold them and mounted them and explained some problems that doing those things created but, most did not care.

 

[22/45 Fan]

I have a heavy barrel stainless, left handed Savage Mk II BTVLS that came with an OEM Boyd's thumb hole laminated stock. I mounted a Bushenell Elite 3200 4-12x40 AO scope on it using medium rings that let the objective bell just clear the barrel. I found the check/eye position very comfortable with that arrangement.

What I didn't like about the stock was how the base of my thumb was forced against the wood "bridge" over the hole. I don't have particularly large hands but it was an uncomfortably tight fit. I finally sold the OEM stock and replaced it with a Boyds Rimfire Hunter which has an equally straight comb and provides the same check and eye position.

 

[Clemsonguy]

All excellent points for consideration. I had planned to mount a bi-pod or use it off my caldwell rock rest so this may be problematic.

I have a nice Mueller APV mounted on an old CMP Mossberg M44 that has given me nothing but trouble with eye relief. I don't want to go down that road with this purchase.