Ruger SR45 Review

 



To see my full review of the Ruger SR45 Pistol, please visit the Gunsumer Reports website by going to this link.

Ruger American Rimfire Review

To see my full review of the Ruger American Rimfire bolt-action rifle, please visit the Gunsumer Reports website by going to this link.

Ruger 10/22 Carbine with LaserMax Laser Review

 

To see my full review of the Ruger 10/22 Carbine with LaserMax Laser, please visit the Gunsumer Reports website by going to this link.

Ruger SR-556VT Rifle Review

To see my full review of the Ruger SR-556VT Rifle, please visit the Gunsumer Reports website by going to this link.

Ruger SR-556C Rifle Review

You can find the details of this review at my new website Gunsumer Reports by going to this link.

Ruger SR-22 Rifle Review

You can see this review by going to the Ruger SR-22 Rifle Review at my new site Gunsumer Reports.

Ruger Charger Review: Summary

Ruger Review, Ruger 22 Charger Review, Ruger Charger Review, 22 Pistol Review
I have broken my review of the Ruger 22 Charger (or Ruger Charger) pistol into several parts.  As I continue to shoot the Ruger Charger pistol, I will continue to add more parts to this review.  If you go to any of these parts below, you will see many detailed photos and dialog.

1. Ruger Charger Review - Part 1: Introduction, In the Box, and Exterior Features
2. Ruger Charger Review - Part 2: Disassembly
3. Ruger Charger Review - Part 3: Indoor Range Test Results
4. Ruger Charger Review - Summary (this post)

The pistol is shown below with a NcStar 2-7x32E pistol scope installed.  Soon I'm going to try out a Bushnell TSR-25 Red Dot scope on this pistol and I believe it will be even more fun for plinking.  I may sacrifice a little accuracy with the red dot, but with the cost of ammo, I can swap the optics and rezero as/if needed.

Pros:

• Built on the Ruger 10/22 reliable platform
• Great accuracy
• Same reliable rotary magazine as the Ruger 10/22 and accepts same high capacity magazines
• Attractive wood laminated grip
• Nice smooth ergonomic feel of the grip/stock
• Bipod included

Cons:

• Front end heavy if your shooting it free hand while using a normal pistol hold at the grip
• A better trigger would be nice, but you can always upgrade with aftermarket parts.
• Price maybe?  I'm a little surprised that the cost is about $80 more than the 10/22 rifle, but you do get a case, bipod and laminated stock, all of which are clearly added costs.

Bottom Line:
Ruger has been producing the standard version of their 10/22 rifle since 1964 and that alone has to tell you something.  Ruger taking that platform and turning it into a pistol version is near genius.  The Ruger Charger pistol has built into it over 45 years of development to produce one of the most reliable pistol shooting platforms on the market.  It is extremely accurate and accepts the same rotary magazine and after market high capacity magazines as the 10/22 rifle.  If your looking for a pistol to shoot from a bench or rest at targets or game, you should definitely check out the Ruger 22 Charger.

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© 2010 Gunsumer Reports

Ruger 22 Charger Review - Part 3: Indoor Range Results

For my indoor range test during my Ruger Charger Review, I decided to utilize a 14 yard range in my basement.  At some point I'm sure I will get some range test results at a longer range, but for now it is hard to beat the ease of shooting at your own house.  The scope I'm using on the pistol is a NcStar 2-7x32E Pistol Scope and is shown below mounted on the pistol.  You can see the other parts of the review by clicking on these links; Part 1: In The Box and Exterior Features and  Part 2: Disassembley.

For this test, I decided to shoot the following .22 Long Rifle ammunition since I already had it on hand.

• CCI Select Round Nose 40 Grain
• Federal Classic Copper Plated Solid 40 Grain
• Remington Target Round Nose 40 Grain
• Winchester Super-X Power Point Hollow Point 40 Grain
• Winchester Xpert 22 Hollow Point 36 Grain

For each of these tests, I shot a minimum of five 5-shot groups from 14 yards while using the bipod from a bench.  You can see the results below.

CCI Select Round Nose 40 grain

Federal Classic Copper Plated Solid 40 Grain

Remington Target Round Nose 40 Grain

Winchester Super-X Power Point Hollow Point 40 Grain

Winchester Xpert 22 Hollow Point 36 Grain

The above results have been tabulated below showing the minimum, average, maximum, and projected 50 yard equivalent average.  I included this 50 yard equivalent because it will be helpful when comparing against other data on the Internet.  Once I get some real first hand data at 25 and 50 yards, I will add another post with those range test results.

The best group I shot at 14 yards was 0.14" and the worst was 0.70" with an average of all my groups of 0.42".  I think I could have had better results if I would have used a different scope.  I found the scope's eye relief to be wrong for my shooting preference and was having side to side sight picture drift as you can see with the windage shifts on the targets above.

Bottom Line:
Overall I'm very please with the shooting results from the Ruger Charger pistol.  With a different scope and more practice, I believe my results could be better, but I'm not complaining.  The accuracy of this pistol is clearly good and Ruger hit another home run with the Ruger Charger pistol.  If I could change one single item, it would be to add a better trigger.  The trigger pull measures about 4.67 pounds I would prefer it to be lighter for target shooting.

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© 2010 Gunsumer Reports

Ruger 22 Charger Review - Part 2: Disassembly

Ruger Charger Review, Ruger Review, 10/22 Pistol Review, Ruger Pistol Review
In Part 1 of my Ruger Charger Review, I covered what comes in the box when you purchase the pistol and the external features of the Ruger 22 Charger Pistol.  In this part of the review, I'm going to cover disassembly of the Ruger Charger Pistol.  Keep in mind this pistol is a couple of years old and has shot thousands of rounds at this point.  Overall it is in great condition, but there are some wear areas.

Before you start working on any firearm, you should always remove the magazine, open the bolt and look in the chamber to make sure the gun is empty.  After doing that, I started the disassembly by removing the bipod.  Next I loosened the take-down screw so the barrel and receiver assembly could be removed from the stock.  You don't need to remove the screw, just loosen it enough so that it is not threaded in the lower receiver. The trick to removing the barrel-receiver is to move the safety to the middle of it's travel as you remove the barrel-receiver from the stock.  As you rotate the barrel-receiver assembly upward away from the stock, make sure the two receiver cross pins and bolt stop pin do not fall out.

You can remove the bolt stop pin by using a punch or Alan wrench (or usually the tip of your finger nail) to press it out.  Once you get it started, you can usually pull in out with your fingers.

Next you need to remove the receiver pins that connect the trigger assembly to the receiver.  A light tap with a punch on the pins should push them out.

Next to remove the bolt, position the receiver upside down so the bolt is fully accessible.  In my case, I have already removed the bolt stop pin.  If you have not, you need to do it now.

Pull the bolt handle fully to the rear as shown.  While in this position, lift up on the front edge of the bolt and it will disengage from the bolt handle.  You can then lift the bolt out of the gun.

Finally, release the pressure on the bolt handle and then take the bolt handle out through the ejection port.

One thing you will notice in these photos is that the matte paint finish on my receiver is wearing off on the inside of the receiver.  This is no big deal cosmetically because it is on the inside, but I recommend removing the bolt often when cleaning to get rid of any paint that has worn free.

The photo below shows all the main pieces of the pistol after disassembly.  I do not recommend any further disassembly because I have found that I can thoroughly clean my pistol and rifles at this level.

The barrel and receiver are made from steel.

The receiver comes with a Weaver style scope base adapter.

The barrel is attached to the receiver by a barrel retaining V-block.  It is not threaded into the receiver.  I have removed the barrel on my older Ruger 10/22, but didn't want to on this pistol because I don't have any Loctite for reassembly.

You can also see where the finish has worn off due to magazine installation.

I'm not sure if it is age and use, but the spring on this Charger seems stiffer than that of my rifles.  Also the fit of the cocking handle on the guide rod seemed tighter than my rifles.  Early on I had some issues with cheaper ammo jamming on a fairly regular basis.  Since I have cleaned, and keep lubrication on these parts, I have not had any issue since.

I'm a little surprised with the roughness of the bolt body.  I know that roughness is related to friction, but as long as the pistol can shoot reliably, this is not a problem.

The trigger housing appears to be some type of polymer material.  So far it seems to be holding up well.  While I had this assembly out, I measured the trigger pull at 4.67 pounds.

I'm pleased with the stocks finish, color (this model is black), and fit.  It also has a good feel in your hand.

Re-assembly of the pistol is in the reverse order for disassembly.  Make sure you put some lubricant on all moving parts.

Bottom Line (Part 2):

The Ruger 22 Charger is easy to disassembe for cleaning.  I have noticed that on the inside of the receiver that the paint/finish is wearing off.  This is not a big deal other than you may want to strip it down and clean it on a regular basis.  Also the cocking handle and guide rod seemed to have a tight fit compared to my rifles and the recoil spring also seemed more stiff.  I think the combination of all these accounted for jamming of the pistol early on with cheaper ammo.  Now that fits have loosend, jamming is not an issue and it is a blast to shoot.

You can see Part 1: In the Box & Exterior Features by going to this link.  In Part 3 I will cover the range test results.

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© 2010 Gunsumer Reports