The Case for the Tactical 10/22

 Before you start laughing this off, hear me out.

I think the best way to start this is to define some terms. Tactical comes from the word tactic, it basically means plans or actions taken to achieve a specific goal.

I think most would agree that in war there is no one gun that can do everything. That is why armies have always had a variety of small arms for specific jobs. The question is, might there be a job where a .22 cal semi-auto rifle would be best suited?

A .22 LR can most definitely be lethal if the shot is properly placed. The .22LR's point blank range is around 100 yards, its effective range is around 150 yards.

With that said there are numerous police reports of people being killed from an errant .22 LR from as far as a mile away (shot in the air, at an angle). In addition, the .22 LR has long been listed as the #1 cartridge in firearm homicides. This is obviously due to the 22.s abundance and not necessarily its lethality, but you get the idea.

In addition to all of that you also have the long-held belief that if you shoot a combatant and do not immediately kill them, you may take 3 men out of the fight, the one you shot and the one or two that have to carry him to safety for medical help.

Where does that leave us? What application would a less lethal cartridge have in a battle or home defense type situation? No one in their right mind would take on a fully equipped, modern platoon with a .22 rifle, but what if it were a dozen or more partisans armed with suppressed .22 rifles shooting from cover? 

All conjecture aside, the .22 LR has been used in battle before, besides being used as a training rifle, there are many rumors of .22s being used in Vietnam. We do know that the IDF has used suppressed Ruger 10/22s for "less than lethal" riot control. 

I have read conflicting stories as to how they were deployed. Some have stated that they were used to injure the leaders of the riots, which would take others out of the fight to assist said leader while also causing confusion. Others have said that the specific targets were the offending appendages (hands) of the rock throwers, ending the miscreants rock throwing, at least for that day if not forever. Others have claimed the offender's nether regions were the targets, after all the thought of not being able to make love to your goat is probably the worst nightmare for a terrorist.

A side note here, the IDF discovered that the .22 can be quite lethal if fired in the upper torso, so there is that.

Back to the topic at hand, would a 10/22 Tactical Rifle be an asset to a partisan in a "World Without Rule of Law" type of scenario?

In my opinion having a silent, accurate rifle, that is easily and quickly deployed could be very effective in taking out selective targets. Nothing is more mentally challenging to a fighter than the threat of a ghost, a shooter that you never see or hear.

In addition, there may be non-human targets that need to be silently erased. Things like cameras, drones, sensors, electrical equipment, fuel storage tanks...you get the idea.

Let's just say we are convinced we need a tactical 10/22 for the above scenario, what would be the best way to equip it? I think a suppressor and subsonic ammo would be mandatory, a scope is also on the list of requirements. You would want a stock that would be easy to shoot quickly and not be slippery when wet. A foldable bi-pod is also on that list of essential accoutrements.

The rifle should also be short, a standard 18.5" 10/22 barrel with a 6-10" suppressor may be unwieldy. Better to have a shorter barrel or an integral suppressor. Another thing to consider is using the take down model, the rifle would be easier to transport incognito, it fits in a small package (around 20" long +/-).

Ruger created the Silent SR-ISB, which stands for Silent Sturm Ruger-Integrally Suppressed Barrel. The barrel has stacked baffles, allowing for maximum sound suppression in a barrel just 16.12" long and a weight of 41.6 oz which includes the forend. The barrel is sold solo and fits a standard take-down model.

Gemtech also offers an integrally suppressed barrel called the MIST-22TD, it also fits that take-down 10/22. The barrel is just 17" long and weighs just 23.7 oz. The diameter is the typical .920", like most bull barrels.

For comparison a standard 10/22 barrel weighs 29 ounces.

It goes without saying that if we are in a world-without-law situation, barrel length would not be an issue, legally speaking anyway. There may be issues with accuracy and velocity. 

For the stock, I would go with a Hogue over molded stock, for several reasons, 1 is that the over-molded material is easier to grip when wet, 2 the stock is not made from wood and not susceptible to moisture or temperature changes and 3 the over-molding material gives a little and would make less noise if accidentally bumped against a pole, dumpster or building.

Hogue has them for the take-down and standard 10/22s in both monte carlo and thumbhole designs each with several different colors. In addition, they are made to fit standard barrels or the .920 bull barrel like the Gemtech MIST. 

The black thumbhole would be my choice.

For the scope I would pick one with a large objective diameter or one that is designed for low light situations. The Bushnell Banner Dusk to Dawn scope is a good choice. It has a 50mm objective lens with adjustable magnification from 6-18x, it is also affordable, just under $100 at the time of this writing.

For the bipod I would go with the Magpul MOE bipod, it is compact when folded (1.73") and is adjustable from 7-10". It is also over-molded like the Hogue stock and has rubber feat for silent deployment. The MOE mounts to a standard sling swivel stud.

That is my opinion, what do you think? I invite you to post a comment below.