Ruger 10/22 LaserMax Review: Part 6

Ruger 10/22 Carbine with LaserMax Laser Review
Part 6 - Range Test
July 15, 2013

For range testing the Ruger 10/22 Rifle with LaserMax Laser, I wanted to understand the basic accuracy capability of the rifle and explore the fun you get from the addition of the LaserMax laser. My first order of business was to verify the iron sights were zeroed in case something happened to the other aiming methods (scope and laser) and I needed to resort to the basics. It didn't take long for me to determine that the factory zero was good and didn't make any adjustments to the iron sights.

Next I zeroed the laser, which took only minor adjustments. This took a couple of iterations because the adjustment screws are extremely sensitive to small adjustments. My son and I played around shooting while sighting at 13 yards while using the laser only and we were amazed at how precise you could be holding the rifle with your head up and putting hits on target. Afterwards I walked in the back yard to see how well you could see the laser in normal daylight settings. Surprisingly, the red dot of the laser was easy to see even in high contrast backgrounds such as grass and leaves.

Since any attempt on my part for accuracy testing requires a scope, I ended up getting Bushnell's new AR/22 2-7x32mm Rimfire Scope and mounted the scope using a set of Burris Signature ZEE Medium Matte Rings. The features (side focus (parallax), bullet drop reticle, and target turrets) on this rimfire scope are ideal for any rimfire rifle and in my mind are perfect for the 10/22 rifle.

Figure 1

Overall, I feel this combination of Ruger 10/22 Rifle, LaserMax Laser, Bushnell Scope and Burrs Rings makes an excellent combination of components to produce a rimfire platform for a wide range of shooters.

Figure 2

For accuracy testing, I selected three of my favorite types of rimfire ammunition. The Federal Champion Value Pack is what I shoot the most for cost reasons, the Wolf Match Target has proven to be extremely accurate, and the CCI Mini-Mag has also proven to be both accurate and reliable. The results of my accuracy tests are shown in the table below. Throughout these test I shot 5-shot groups from a bench at 50 yards. One thing to note is the difference in velocity between the Federal and Wolf ammunition. This difference created a need for a 5 MOA correction at 50 yards for the slower Wolf ammunition. The advantage of having target turrets on a rimfire scope is that once you know these basic corrections, you can make a quick adjustment for the type of ammunition being used (subsonic, standard velocity, high velocity, etc.).

Ammunition	Velocity¹ (ft/se)		Group Size² (in)
Ammunition	Average	Std. Dev.	Maximum	Minimum	Average
Federal Champion Value Pack 36 grain Copper-Platted Hollow Point (CPHP)	1261	18	1.42	0.69	1.01
Wolf Match Target 40 grain Solid Round Nose (SRN)	1016	16	0.99	0.55	0.74
CCI Mini-Mag 40 grain Copper-Platted Round Nose (CPRN)	1191	20	1.20	0.51	0.88
Average All Groups					0.88
¹ - Velocity measured 10 feet in front of muzzle. ² - Group size data based on four 5-shot groups shot from a bench at 50 yards.

These next three photos show my best groups using the three different types of ammunition. Clearly, this particular rifle is a shooter and these are some of the best 5-shot groups I have ever shot using a Ruger 10/22 platform rifle. My total group average for all twelve 5-shot groups was 0.88" which I feel is excellent for any semi-auto rimfire rifle.

Figure 3                                                                 Figure 4
Federal Champion 36 gr CPHP                                Wolf Match Target 40 gr SRN
      0.69" @ 50 yds                                                  0.61" & 0.55" @ 50 yds

Figure 5
CCI Mini-Mag 40gr CPRN
0.51" @ 50 yds

Once I finished my accuracy testing, my wife and I headed over to my Action Target Rimfire Dueling Tree for some fun. Immediately I realized the laser added a whole new dimension when watching someone shoot. The red dot of the laser was easy to see by a spectator on the black paddles of the dueling tree and I could clearly see how well my wife was (or was not) holding on target when shooting. While I was shooting and looking through the scope using the laser, I found myself focusing more on the laser's red dot than my reticle, but the scope reticle still helped with the initial target acquisition. After all my range testing, it seems that the LaserMax Laser is holding true to it's initial zero.

Thoughts

Throughout my range testing, I put around 500 rounds through this Ruger 10/22 rifle and I never had a singe failure to feed, fire or eject. This rifle has proven to be very accurate and the LaserMax Laser adds a new dimension to shooting that will appeal to not only the shooter, but also the observers. This particular rifle platform (rifle, scope and laser) has become my favorite rimfire rifle and I'm sure it will make the cut when deciding which rifles to take to the range in the future. Last, I can also see that I'm going to have to add the LaserMax Laser to some of my other 10/22 rifles.

For more detailed photos and commentary, make sure you check out the other parts of this review and feel free to leave comments on my Reader's Comments page. The following links are provided to help you see other parts of this review.

Ruger 10/22 LaserMax Review: Part 1 - Introduction, Specifications and Summary
Ruger 10/22 LaserMax Review: Part 2 - What's in the Box
Ruger 10/22 LaserMax Review: Part 3 - External and Operational Features
Ruger 10/22 LaserMax Review: Part 4 - Disassembly
Ruger 10/22 LaserMax Review: Part 5 - Internal Features
Ruger 10/22 LaserMax Review: Part 6 - Range Test (this page)

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