Earlier this year, we built a pistol brace-equipped Ruger Charger Takedown with an 8″ barrel (documentation of this build will be posted). After shooting this setup, a customer asked if we could help him build something that would be similar from a functionality standpoint. While this setup is incredibly fun to shoot, it does have some short comings for this particular customer’s intended usage:
- The ATF’s stance on pistol braces – this customer wants to have a stock or a pistol brace-equipped firearm. He does not want something with only one or two points of contact. This customer lives on the NH/VT border and frequently travels across state lines. With the ATF trying to redefine what qualifies as a pistol, pistol brace-equipped firearms may be considered short barrel rifles (SBRs) in the future. He does not want to deal with the complications of traveling across state lines with an SBR.
- “Legality” of magnified optics on a pistol – at this point, many recommend not putting magnified optics on a firearm that would not be considered a ‘traditional pistol.’ A magnified optic is something that may put a pistol brace-equipped firearm into SBR territory. Our customer has poor eyesight and wants a magnified optic.
- With a takedown setup, we’ve found that optics/sights should be attached to the barrel chassis to hold zero. There are few options out there that will allow you to add an optic and backup sights, but they all are expensive.
Thinking about these shortcomings, I started looking at non-takedown options, starting with the Ruger Charger 10/22 (standard stock) and bullpup options for the Ruger Carbine. In the end, I wanted to end up with a similarly sized firearm, but avoid some of the shortcomings of the Charger 10/22 takedown, while keeping costs down for my customer. This led me to the Badger Gunstock for Ruger 10/22. Here are some characteristics of the Badger Gunstock for Ruger 10/22 that piqued our interest:
- The overall length of a Badger 10/22 is 27.5″ and it utilizes the 16″ barrel (with a shorter barrel, the .22LR quickly loses effectiveness). The other bullpup stocks we looked at required an 18″ barrel to be legal.
- You can shoulder a bullpup stock and not worry about the ATF’s opinion regarding pistol braces
- Since a Badger-equipped 10/22 is a rifle, it also allows you to legally use a magnified optic
- Our customer already owns a Ruger Carbine
A Ruger Charger would be approximately 8″ shorter, but the I feel the ability to legally shoulder and use a magnified optic with the Badger, as well as the extra velocity gain from the 16″ barrel, outweigh the size difference. On paper, it’s no contest comparing a Ruger Charger to a Badger-equipped Ruger Carbine 10/22 — the Badger wins hands down. Of course, all of this was in theory before writing this review; I had never used or seen the Badger Gunstock for Ruger 10/22 in person.
After discussing my ideas with my customer and the folks at BADGER GUN STOCKS AND ACCESSORIES, I soon had the Badger Gunstock for Ruger 10/22 and a Badger M22 Bullpup Gunstock for Marlin (this review is up next!) on their way to me for testing and evaluation.
Looking at the Badger Gunstock for Ruger 10/22 online I was particularly interested in a few aspects of the setup:
- Trigger — this setup uses a stainless rod and bushing to actuate your current trigger. The rod and your current trigger are concealed by a cover. I am curious how the trigger will feel.
- Material — The stock is made from ABS plastic. I am curious about it’s durability and if it will feel toy-like.
- Bullpup — having never used a bullpup before, both my customer and I wondered if we’d like it or if it would feel gimmicky.
As a size comparison here is the Badger next to another aftermarket stock.
MY OBSERVATIONS
After installing the Badger Gunstock for Ruger 10/22 (please watch the Badger’s how-to video before installing your stock) and putting a couple hundred rounds through it, here are my observations:
- Large trigger guard – plenty of room for gloved hands
- Despite being made from ABS plastic, the setup feels solid. It is worth noting that after assembly, the only areas that we occasionally notice the ABS are the cover concealing the trigger rod and original trigger as well as the trigger itself.
- Quick and straight-forward assembly and disassembly. After doing this a few times, I can add or remove it from the Badger in 5 minutes. While this may not mean much for most people, it is nice as I am constantly switching back forth between stocks as I evaluate different combinations of stocks, optics and barrels.
- The top rail that Badger sells as an add-on for this stock allowed us to use a magnified optic as our primary sight and we were also able to mount a NDS front sight (our favorite for the 10/22) and a rail-mounted peep sight as backups.
- Two rails can also be added to the sides of the Badger – adding a rail mounted light would make this thing great for pest control.
- With the bull barrel and the LPVO, this gun is not light, but with the pistol grip near the center of the firearm, it is very balanced. There is no need to do this, but to demonstrate how well balanced the firearm is, I am able to hold it with one hand at arms length without struggling to balance it. With a red dot sight installed, I believe I could hold with one hand, aim and pull the trigger with reasonable accuracy
- With the forward pistol grip, this bullpup (and possibly others) the firearm feels very stable when shooting due to it’s multiple contact points. The forward grip enables you to really pull the stock tight up against your shoulder.
- Some of our testing was done with a suppressor attached. In this configuration it is shorter than a stock 10/22 rifle.
- Trigger – while I was initially curious about the mechanics of relocating the trigger, this was not an issue. The gun has a stock trigger pack in it, so it is less than ideal to begin with. I did not notice any negative impacts of using the rod to actuate the trigger, however, the trigger that comes with the Badger is plastic and has some side to side movement. The trigger appears to be made from the same ABS plastic that the stock is made from – I would prefer it was made out of metal or maybe even a polymer. Despite the material and side to side movement, I am getting decent groups at 50 yards — exactly what I would expect in the 10/22 was dropped into a traditional stock.
BOTTOM LINE
- If you’re interested in setting up your Ruger 10/22 Carbine in a bullpup configuration, I recommend giving the Badger Gunstock for Ruger 10/22 a try. It offers a great value at it’s price point; most bullpup setups cost 50-75% more.
- This is a fun and handy setup. If it weren’t for the current ammo shortage, we’d be out with it everyday! I’d have no issue using it as is for plinking, hunting or pest control — if the firearm were to be built for survival or shtf situations, I would prefer a different trigger setup (more below).
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS
When possible, I like to recommend some possible improvements for gear I review. Here are some things that could broaden the appeal of the Badger Gunstock for Ruger 10/22
- Trigger
- Make it from metal or polymer
- Add bushings to the pivot rod to eliminate side to side movement
- Pistol Grip
- If the pistol grip (and maybe even the trigger guard) could be replaced with an AR15 compatible pistol grip, users could add their preferred grip and trigger guard.
- Materials
- I prefer the fiber filled polypropylene some companies use over ABS plastic. In my opinion, it feels more solid and the material has a better texture/surface.
- Storage
- I can see people using this stock in survival/SHTF type scenarios. It would be a big plus if there was some sort of storage in the stock.
- Picatinny Side Rail Location
- They are usable where they are, but if they were moved forward, they would be in a more ergonomic position.
