I have a Ruger 10/22. It’s the basic carbine model, hardwood stock, nothing fancy. Threw an inexpensive 4x32mm scope on top of it, and off we go. It’s a fun little plinking rifle, and what the kids are cutting their teeth on. Still, after having the one, I’ve been dreaming about getting a few more. With the rising cost of ammo, shooting .22 gets more and more appealing every day.

Survival Rifle

It was an episode of Survivorman, I believe season 2 episode 3, Labrador. Les carries a .22 rifle with him as a survival tool. This is a useful tool as can hunt small game with it. What was nifty was how Les utilized the rifle itself to make a bit of a survival kit. For instance, he drilled some holes in the stock and inserted extra ammo. He also stored some cotton tinder and a magnesium striker, both for starting a fire. Basic, but useful.

I then came across this. I liked the wrapping of the 550 cord, which serves to not only protect the rifle but then provides you with rope, which is always a welcome thing. Furthermore, he hung a pouch off the side of the buttstock, into which you can store whatever, like small first aid kit.

So I’ve been thinking about making a survival rifle like this and what else I’d put into it. Some thoughts:

• Compass. A map too, but that’d be case-by-case dependent.
• Sun protection
• Some means of insulating yourself, e.g. those emergency blankets
• Knife/multitool
• Flashlight, like a small LED and/or lithium-powered thing
• First aid kit: bandages, tweezers, basic medicines
• Whistle
• Matches and/or striker, cotton tinder
• Needle and thread, zip ties
• Water and/or water purification
• Nutrition? e.g. bouillon cubes, hard candy
• Orange trash bag

These are just some thoughts. I haven’t sat down to seriously flesh this out yet, and even think if a Ruger 10/22 would be best. For instance, Chuck Hawks has an article on purpose-built survival rifles. Something like an AR-7 or Springfield M6. I don’t have much of a need for such a rifle, but I just find it an interesting exercise that I’ll probably do one of these days for the heck of it.

Target Shooter

As you look online for things about the 10/22, you’ll find rather a large aftermarket for it, which is one of the great things about this rifle. One thing you’ll quickly find is you can deck her out and spend far more money aftermarket than you ever spent on the base rifle in the first place. I’d like to try this. 🙂

Take for instance this Pittsburgh Steelers model. Or this special edition made for the USA Shooting team. 

I’d like to try taking a 10/22 as far as you could take it. Customize it, deck it out, spending a lot of time reading and researching on the RimfireCentral forums. Make it an awesome target shooting gun, highly accurate, the whole 11 yards.

Oldest would really like this too. He loves the look of the Boyds SS Evolution stocks.

Of course, this is going to be the hardest one to justify to the Wife. 😉

Trainer

Ever since I first bought the 10/22 and saw the wide variety of aftermarket parts you could get, plus going along with the wisdom of Appleseed (which I have yet to do), I wanted to make a trainer.

I could do the simple thing and keep the basic 10/22, slap on a sling, some TechSights, and off I go. But I figure if I’m really going to make a trainer, I might as well go for the gusto! For instance, make an AR-22.

This has an added advantage of not just being a trainer for me, but it’s a teacher for others.

So, the Ruger 10/22. Quite a versatile little rifle. I may never do these ideas (matter of time and money), but hopefully someday I will.