There’s something inherently fun about taking a full sized rifle and trimming it down into a smaller form. I’ve recently reviewed a few such firearms, the Springfield Armory Saint Victor and the CZ Bren 2 Ms pistols, but rifle calibers do lose an awful lot of energy in exchange for an awful lot of noise as the barrel gets short. Fortunately there are many options available outside of those noisy .223’s. In this instance Ruger went and made something special with one of the most popular .22 rifles of all time, the 10/22, sized down into a pistol format. Enter the Ruger 22 Charger series.
When I first saw the original Charger pistols coming out in their laminate stocks I had a similar feeling as when first seeing a super stubby AR-15: Why? With a pistol grip in the back and both the barrel and action hanging way out in front it seemed silly and ungainly. They even came from the factory with a bipod to help support all of its front-heaviness.
It wasn’t until a few years later when the pieces fell into place, starting with Ruger switching to polymer stocks and, more importantly, including a section of Picatinny at the back for arm braces or shoulder stocks if one chose to register a Charger as a short barrel rifle. Suddenly this awkward and questionable looking pistol made a whole lot more sense to me.
A .22 Long Rifle isn’t going to lose much going from a 16″ barrel to a 10″, however shedding six inches or more does wonders for making a quick pointing setup. This is one of those guns which I can’t stop playing around with. It’s cute and compact and an absolute riot to cut loose on targets with. The action and magazines are exactly the same as a 10/22 rifle. I’m betting that the fixed barrel versions have the same profiles as the rifles, as well. Finding spare or aftermarket parts for a Charger is never going to be an issue.
When I was considering a Charger I gave a lot of thought as to how I was going to be using it. My rifle, one of the first guns I ever bought, is a real tack driver but it weighs a ton with a solid .920 profile barrel. I wanted more of a range toy, something which could be run quickly and would see a higher volume of fire instead of precision work.
For me the takedown model was the way to go. One thing the Steyr AUG had taught me is that quick detach barrels are fantastic for cleaning and .22 can get pretty gunky. As an added bonus when you get the inevitable dud it’s super easy to pop the barrel off and hook the rim of the stuck .22 with a knife or screwdriver and flick it out of the chamber. No more diving in through the ejection port!
Out of the four models of Charger listed on Ruger’s website, two of them are takedown models. The other model has a tapered standard profile barrel, but the one which really caught my attention is (naturally!) the most expensive model, though even then the listed price is only $599 and they can be found for less. The half vented barrel shroud gives me a feeling of having an oldschool Tec-9. It may not be useful, but it sure is a nice look. Strangely, this one is also the “Lite” designated model despite being the heaviest of the four options, coming in at 57 ounces. Maybe because the vented barrel looks similar to the 22/45 Lite pistols.
Oh, and a funny thing about that barrel? According to Ruger’s website the darn thing is cold hammer forged! It’s also tensioned in an aluminum sleeve and the muzzle threads are a familiar 1/2-28, so any AR-15 muzzle device will pop right onto the end.
What you get with the Charger pistol is a nice nylon carry bag with full Velcro backing so you can rearrange all of the bits and pieces as you want. I’ve managed to stuff a whole lot of accessories into one of these bags including the pistol with a sight, Harris bipod and a side folding brace and five 25 round magazines with a bit of room to spare. It comes with a single 15 round mag but anything made for a 10/22 will work. Despite the website claiming that a bipod is included, mine did not have one.
If you’d rather use a different bag to stow a Charger such as a backpack for hiking, the takedown models break apart into some very manageable pieces. With an SB Tactical brace installed and folded the entire rear section is exactly 11″ long. Without any muzzle attachment the front is exactly 10″ long. Breaking down and reassembling a Charger is a fast and easy process and is curiously satisfying.
One nice attention to detail is that the Charger Lite comes with a section of Picatinny mounted to the receiver, but inside of the range bag is another section of rail which follows the traditional 10/22 profile and accomodates Dovetail rings, if desired.
Up front is a single sling swivel stud which works great for bipod use, while at the back and up top is a single quick detach mount, another nice feature they snuck into the design of the brace adapter. Of course the Picatinny attachment point at the back is an excellent idea and I am very pleased to see this being offered from the factory on half of their lineup. Any of the newer Chargers with polymer furniture can accomodate one of these adapters or an AR-15 buffer tube attachment so it’s no trouble to install one on your own.
Ruger’s new polymer trigger pack is also installed by default though I feel as though the trigger pull is a tad heavier than the one I had purchased separately for my rifle. As it’s based off of the 10/22 this entire piece is no problem at all to swap out with your aftermarket brand of choice.
Speaking of swapping parts out, modifying the Chargers is every bit as easy as their big brother rifles. In no time I had an extended automatic bolt release, a different extended mag release, and an extended bolt installed without an ounce of drama. The only area where I had any trouble is with replacing the AR-15 grip which will require a bit of explanation.
For some reason the Charger pistols are not a perfect match with most of these grips. I’ve tried examples from Magpul, MFT, BCM, and ATI and none of them lined up properly. All of them left a sizeable step just beneath the trigger guard where the middle finger would rest. When I tried a Hogue overmold beavertail grip, the fit turned out to be excellent and it really does compliment this pistol. My only gripe is that the grip angle is thirty degrees rather than the fifteen degree cant which works better for “close in” positioning. Still, over the factory Ruger grip which has next to no texturing I am as usual very happy with a Hogue.
Aside from the matter of grip compatibility, my only complaints are the continued use of the non-automatic bolt release and the stubby angled charging handle, I would be perfectly happy to never have to see these two pieces ever again. Fortunately since Ruger didn’t reinvent the wheel you can have both of these parts swapped out in about five minutes. With a 25 round magazine and a red dot sight the quick action and politely gentle recoil impulse makes this an excellent platform for having a whole lot of inexpensive fun.
In fact, the takedown Chargers seem to have worked so well for Ruger as a .22 that they have recently introduced a takedown Charger model of their PC Carbine in 9mm. If you’d like something with a little more punch, then Ruger’s got you covered.
The Charger Lite is an intelligent combination of features and proven designs which results in a compact, comfortable, and extremely entertaining package which can also be separated in half for portability. The only problem I’ve had is that it took me this long to pick one up!
