10/22 Takedown Backpacker Review at Appleseed

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Wow, glad this thread was bumped or I would have missed the terrific original post. As others have said, wonderful write-up. Thanks for investing the time. Love what you've done with the rifle as well. I have a 10/22 Takedown with the same Magpul stock. I haven't developed it to the extent that you have, but now can return to the thread for guidance. The Appleseed context and report was great as well.
     

    Catch-10-22

    Appleseed Shoot Boss
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 27, 2009
    774
    PG County, MD
    Thanks guys!

    Still enamored with the rifle. I added a Magpul Type 2 sling mount to the support side of the front stock - didn’t do any good, so save yourself $20.

    Will be writing a few other reviews this year. At least one other 10/22 review (have a few different configurations) maybe try an AQT with a Henry and see what that is like.

    If there are any requests, let me know.
     

    Catch-10-22

    Appleseed Shoot Boss
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 27, 2009
    774
    PG County, MD
    I have an Evil Roy 22 carbine with an aftermarket Skinner peep sight. Might start with a red coat and go from there. Or maybe use the 357 magnum Big Boy :)

    I do not have a Winchester Wildcat yet - was hoping someone else would review one or tell me where to find one to buy. Would run it as a loaner and see what’s what.
     

    magwell

    Active Member
    Mar 19, 2015
    183
    As always it's great to hear from Appleseeders. Thanks for the great article and keep up good work.
     

    Sealion

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    May 19, 2016
    2,710
    Balto Co
    Just one word: Wow. Outstanding post. There's a ton of knowledge on this forum and it's not always shared. Thanks so much for taking the time.
     

    jokie

    Active Member
    May 27, 2020
    360
    A in AA
    Thank you very much for writing this review. It inspired me to build my takedown ('though not as nice as yours.)

    170602527_238166907771653_6449466696302800931_n.jpg
     

    jokie

    Active Member
    May 27, 2020
    360
    A in AA
    I don’t know, that looks awesome to me! Let us know how it shoots :)

    Thanks!

    I kept it stock with just a magpul optics mount and a simple red dot for a long time. I was convinced that a 10/22 takedown would not be as accurate as a regular 10/22 because of the barrel movement - that no matter how tight you crank the locking mechanism there would still be some movement. That was before I saw your post. The theory seems sound enough and even better, your results prove it. A cantilever rail mounted on the barrel instead of the receiver will essentially make it as accurate as a non-takedown 10/22.
     

    Catch-10-22

    Appleseed Shoot Boss
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 27, 2009
    774
    PG County, MD
    Thanks!

    I kept it stock with just a magpul optics mount and a simple red dot for a long time. I was convinced that a 10/22 takedown would not be as accurate as a regular 10/22 because of the barrel movement - that no matter how tight you crank the locking mechanism there would still be some movement. That was before I saw your post. The theory seems sound enough and even better, your results prove it. A cantilever rail mounted on the barrel instead of the receiver will essentially make it as accurate as a non-takedown 10/22.


    Well, I have to thank one of my students (now instructor in training, kniwolf) for showing me his set-up.

    But I also think the takedown rifle looks super sweet with the cantilever mount. Yours looks like it will shoot lights out too.
     

    Catch-10-22

    Appleseed Shoot Boss
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 27, 2009
    774
    PG County, MD
    A quick update to this thread.

    Kniwolf (another Appleseed Instructor) and I pulled out our similarly equipped takedowns on Patriot's Day up in Pennsylvania for the last AQT and Red Coat of the day...and both failed miserably :sad20: It was certainly my lowest scoped score in a very long time.

    I don't blame my gear and feel that arrogance and lack of practice, more than anything, made the difference in not requalifying. But I found myself really fighting the rifle in prone - it felt really unstable and wanted to cant.

    As I mentioned in the first post of the review, the Backpacker fore-end made it a bit hard to use a GI sling, due to the awkward receiver-mounted sling position (behind the hand) and short length of the fore-end that requires a specific hand position and a glove - not ideal. If you practice with it, it can become more natural, but it is not intuitive. But if you are out of practice, things can go south quickly.

    Kniwolf decided to order a Hunter takedown fore-end to try to use it with the Backpacker stock module - Magpul says they are not compatible so it was a bit of a risk.

    It worked, was a tight fit, provided much more room for a QD sling socket and your hand, and didn't add a lot of weight. It does make it impossible to lock the fore-end into rear stock, so know that. And it does create a small gap at the rear of the fore-end if you have OCD. I decided to get one as well. Installation was as easy as can be - had to flip the barrel channel for the larger diameter of the VQ barrel but otherwise was just one screw to attach to the barrel unit and adding the M-Lok QD sling stud.

    I took it to the range this past week to see how it shot and was very impressed. There is no longer any awkwardness with hand positioning with the fore-end. The QD stud is on the bottom of the rifle and much further forward, matching nearly every other rifle set-up. With more space for the hand, you can slide your hand forward and back on the stock to change elevation.

    Scores went up as well - one target in the low 240s, one in the high 230s, and a couple of cleaned Red Coats. The added weight of the fore-end didn't create any issues with standing, where the lightweight truly shined before. With the barrel mated to the scope mount, no worries about deflection from the forward mounted sling connection point.

    I am even happier with the rifle now. While I lose the convenience of locking together the front and rear sections, I mostly store it in a bag anyway and the added length of the fore-end doesn't impact OAL or fit in a bag. And the ergonomics are just so much better now - like any other rifle - rather than something requiring specialized practice.

    uc
     

    Catch-10-22

    Appleseed Shoot Boss
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 27, 2009
    774
    PG County, MD
    Not to keep bumping my own thread, but I used this rifle at our instructor shoot this past Saturday and it continues to perform like a champ with the new Hunter fore-end!

    My scores were 237 (scored a perfect 100 on the 4th stage but had a dismal 42 or something in Standing), 240 (rapid fire AQT), and 241 (standard AQT). I cleaned the first Red Coat and then fell just short when we moved the last Red Coat back to 50 yards (Had 2 out in 400 but all others were in including the shingle). All of this was with CCI SV ammunition.

    The other instructor with a similar takedown commented on how far forward my scope was mounted but then saw the eye relief benefits and was going to move his forward too. My rule is that the rear of the bell should be over the trigger for positional shooting (depends on the rifle and the shooter).

    Another instructor commented that the rifle was very light and that the barrel didn't even seem to be 16 inches. It is extremely handy.

    It was great to shoot with other accomplished marksman - we ran a couple competitions - and really fun as well.
     

    Bertfish

    Throw bread on me
    Mar 13, 2013
    17,608
    White Marsh, MD
    Interesting as I was just looking in to one of these stocks as a wedding gift for a buddy of mine. For his 35th a while back a group of friends bought him a takedown 10/22. He hates the Ruger stock, I understand they wanted to make it light weight but they crossed in to cheap toy feeling with it. I was trying to decide on the backpacker or hunter stock. Hunter seemed better to me as his primary reason for owning the takedown was not because he was hiking but rather ease of transport in and out of an apartment. I think the longer forend makes sense unless you absolutely need the smallest package possible.
     

    Catch-10-22

    Appleseed Shoot Boss
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 27, 2009
    774
    PG County, MD
    I think the Hunter is going to provide the best total capability.

    My only annoyance with the Magpul Hunter (the non-takedown version) is how heavy it is. There is a sweet spot between toy and boat anchor. But that is probably not a big deal for his use case.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,931
    Messages
    7,259,512
    Members
    33,350
    Latest member
    Rotorboater

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom