Ultralight Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber Review

The new Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber is an ultra-lightweight semi-automatic rimfire rifle designed for shooters who want a maneuverable and modern take on the legendary 10/22 platform. This rifle is built for accuracy, reliability, and ease of handling, featuring a tensioned carbon fiber barrel, a Magpul MOE X-22 stock, and Ruger’s BX-Trigger.

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• Stock: Textured White Speckle Black Magpul MOE X-22
• Capacity: 10 rounds
• Barrel Material: Stainless Steel with Carbon Fiber Sleeve
• Barrel Finish: Clear Satin
• Threaded Barrel: Yes, 1/2″-28 threads
• Sights: None (Factory-installed one-piece aluminum scope rail)
• Weight: 3.5 lbs
• Twist Rate: 1:16″ RH
• Overall Length: 34.10″
• Barrel Length: 16.10″
• Length of Pull: 13.50″
• Grooves: 6
• UPC: 7-36676-31220-7
• MSRP: $649 (Magpul stock) / $1129 (Grey Birch chassis)

The Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber arrives in classic Ruger packaging, complete with a 10-round rotary magazine, thread protector, owner’s manual, and pre-installed scope rail. From the first impression, the rifle’s insanely lightweight build stands out. Weighing just 3.5 lbs, it feels almost like a feather in hand—even with a suppressor and red dot mounted, the rifle remains highly maneuverable and easy to control.

Ruger opted for a Magpul MOE X-22 stock, which enhances the rifle’s versatility and modernizes its feel. The TSP texture on the pistol grip provides a non-slip surface. Featuring a more vertical grip angle is also a modern take. I honestly prefer the more natural grip angle this provides. 

Also, the handguard features M-LOK slots at the 6 o’clock position. This allows shooters to mount accessories such as bipods. It’s low profile, and seamlessly integrated into the forend. 

A major upgrade in my opinion over older 10/22 models is the extended magazine release. Anyone familiar with the classic 10/22 knows the trouble of having to dig the magazine out of the well. With this new release, changing mags is seamless—simply press forward, and the magazine drops freely without any hassle. This is a small but welcome upgrade that makes reloads much smoother. It would prove especially handy in any sort of competition scenario.

The BX-Trigger is a notable modification over the standard 10/22 trigger. There is a bit of takeup before hitting a very mushy and undefined wall. However, simply applying gradual pressure will eventually lead to a clean break. I measured the pull weight consistently between 2.5-3 lbs, which is a solid factory trigger weight. After the break, there is a short reset which puts the trigger right back on the “wall” ready to go again. While it’s an upgrade from the standard trigger, it lacks a crisp, defined wall, making precision shots feel a bit vague.

Additional controls include a positive, push-button, cross-bolt safety and an extended magazine release. The heat-stabilized, glass-filled polymer trigger housing is designed to be resistant to impact and avoid abrasion.

At the heart of this rifle is the 16.1″ cold hammer-forged, tensioned stainless steel barrel wrapped in a carbon fiber sleeve. This design significantly reduces weight while increasing rigidity, helping minimize barrel vibration for improved accuracy. Additionally, the threaded 1/2″-28 muzzle allows for easy attachment of suppressors or other muzzle devices. One standout feature is how well the barrel manages heat. Even when the chamber and suppressor warmed up after quick shooting, the barrel itself remained relatively cool.

Throughout this review, all of the ammunition used was supplied by Ammunitiontogo.com. They are the official ammo sponsor for this review and offer a wide selection of competitively priced ammunition. For this review, I ordered some ammo, and within just a few days it was on my doorstep. Easy to use online website, insanely quick shipping, and competitive prices. Go check them out!

For precision testing, I shot 5-round groups from 50 yards using a variety of .22 LR ammunition. The rifle could shoot sub-MOA groups with the right ammo. However, varying types of 22 ammunition achieve a wide range of results. For a lightweight 10/22, these results are plenty acceptable for me. Below, you’ll find a table and image detailing my results:

I shot this rifle suppressed for almost the entire review, which is worth mentioning because .22 LR is notoriously dirty when suppressed. Partially for this reason, I had quite a few issues with jamming, but mostly failure to extract spent casings. Some of the jamming issues could be attributed to carbon buildup, but the chamber tolerance felt excessively tight. After about 150 rounds, carbon fouling became severe enough that spent casings would stick in the chamber, requiring a knife or flathead screwdriver to pry them out.

Subsonic ammunition never cycled, and I believe the friction in the chamber was completely to blame. A stronger extractor may have helped, but the chamber itself seemed tighter than most. I’ve shot many suppressed 10/22s, and I haven’t had this much trouble before, so I suspect this particular barrel was on the minimum side of an acceptable tolerance. Despite that, it could still shoot good groups, which was the most redeeming factor.

The lightweight design also makes it great for teaching children how to shoot, or even for hiking around on hunts. I ended up taking this hunting for varmints paired with a Pulsar thermal scope, and it proved to be quite effective. The measly 3.5lbs of the rifle was so much nicer to walk around with than the heavier rifles I normally take out.

The Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber is a fantastic option for those wanting an ultralight, suppressor-ready rimfire rifle with improved ergonomics and modern features. The Magpul MOE X-22 stock, BX-Trigger, and tensioned carbon fiber barrel all contribute to a sleek, accurate, and highly maneuverable platform. However, with the rifle I received, the tight chamber can cause issues with carbon buildup. Mine also would not reliably cycle subsonic ammunition. But this has not been my experience across the rest of the 10/22 variants.

READ MORE: Pulsar’s Thermion 2 LRF XL60 — SHOT Show 2025

With an MSRP of $649 for the Magpul stock version and $1129 for the Grey Birch chassis, the Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber is a premium take on the classic 10/22 platform. Even with my cycling issues, I plan to purchase this rifle for myself instead of just sending it back. I had a blast, and intend to take it out varmint hunting many times down the road.

For those who want to see the Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber in action, here is a short clip from part of my testing I posted to my Instagram page:

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