I’m truly in love with my little Takedown 10/22. It’s very portable, lightweight, and very nearly the perfect pack-gun right out of the box. But there is room for improvememt.
The first modification I wanted to make was the addition of a folding stock. When developing an origami-rifle, why Ruger declined to include this as an option is beyond me. Luckily, there are already aftermarket manufacturers who quickly saw the niche and filled it.
Butler Creek has made folding stocks for the 10/22 for years, but the configuration of the the Takedown 10/22 makes these existing products unsuitable. Enter AGP Arms.
As soon as I discovered that they had a folding stock made specifically for the Takedown 10/22 I had to have it. The price was right and shipping extremely fast. Installing the new stock is stupidly simple: remove one screw and the action lifts right out the top of the stock. Drop the action into the new stock and screw it back together and voila. Your Takedown 10/22 just shrank some more.
The only problem I found was cheek weld: using the stock iron sights provided on the gun I found that I had to really get close and comfy with the stock. Being a male 6 feet tall and just shy of 200lbs, I reckon it would probably fit youths and women much better than it does myself. A half inch or one inch butt pad is available with the stock for those like myself who need a little bit longer length of pull.
The stock doesn’t lock in the closed position, but the hinge is tight enough to keep it from swinging open on its own while not making it difficult to open quickly. A spring-loaded black plastic tab locks the stock in the open position, and depressing a button just behind the tab unlocks the stock so that it can once again be folded.
Obviously the nylon construction of the stock, in particular the plastic locking tab, is more prone to wear from normal use than a metal stock in the same configuration. The weight savings more than makes up for this drawback however, and the glass-filled nylon is more than tough enough to last for years of constant use.
You can get your own folding stock for the Ruger Takedown 10/22 at AGP Arms.
I spoke with Bushnell yesterday (they apparently own Butler Creek). The gal I spoke with told me that as far as she knows there are no plans for a folding stock that will fit the takedown model. Pitty…I’d buy one tomorrow! I like the compactness of the Butler Creek.