The Hunter X-22 is my new go-to aftermarket stock for the 10/22 rifle

By now everyone should know how much I enjoy Magpul products. Trouble is, after you find out which buttstock, grips and accessories are your favorite, you may run out AR-15s and AK-47s to install them on. But in 2015 Magpul branched out into two other rifle markets - the Remington 700 and the Ruger 10/22. Of course I had to give both Hunter stocks a try, and after using them heavily for over a year, I'm finally ready to weigh in.

The X-22 is a rock solid upgrade from the factory plastic stock that feels like a BB gun.

Not to anyone's surprise, the Hunter X-22 for the Ruger 10/22 is my new favorite stock for the rifle. It's not an overtly "tacticool" stock with the intention of looking aggressive or militarized with extra frills and chintzy features. It is a hybrid sporting/hunting design, and more importantly, fairly ergonomic. A stock that looks cool but does not facilitate a natural comfort when shouldered in a standing, prone or supported position is completely pointless. The Ruger 10/22 is capable of repeatable tack-driving accuracy, even in its factory configuration. It deserves a rock solid stock that doesn't detract from its accuracy or consistency.

The Hunter X-22 is made from the same high quality reinforced polymer as other Magpul products such as the PMAG and MOE furniture. The buttstock itself is almost identical to the SGA shotgun stock, and is compatible with SGA cheek risers (sold separately) if you need extra comb height. The length of pull is also adjustable using the supplied half inch spacers. Without any spacers installed, the X-22's length of pull is 12.5" at its shortest, and 14.5" at it's longest. The recoil pad is a dense rubber which is just fine for a rimfire.

The grip angle of the X-22 is well designed and feels right pronated or on the bench.

The grip has a very ergonomic angle with a nice surface texture on both sides, and horizontal trench lines in the front. It has a sloping toe at the base of the grip that prevents your hand from slipping down or off, which may limit those with larger fingers from getting all four on the grip... but at least all three fingers will fit for sure.

The best features of the stock are the customizable configurations. The popularity of the Ruger 10/22 comes from the availability of aftermarket parts and the ease of installing them at home without a gunsmithing degree. The barrel is one of the first things often modified, and the taper and diameter of the barrel is a big variable that often affects installing any new stock. Luckily, Magpul has a clever work around to be 99% compatible with aftermarket barrels, and that is their reversible barrel tray. One side of the tray has a tapered channel to accommodate factory pencil profile barrels, while the opposite side's channel is much wider to fit most heavy bull barrels. The tray itself sits snuggly in the forearm and is easy to remove with the right leverage. In fact, removing the tray is a good way to access any MLOK accessories mounted at the 6 oclock position, ensuring the T-nuts are oriented and tightened correctly.

After removing the barrel tray for taking photos, I saw just how much damage I had done by incorrectly tightening the MLOK hardware.

This pictures shows what can go wrong if you leave the barrel tray in the stock, and attempt to tighten MLOK accessories blindly and haphazardly. The polymer is soft enough to become marred and worn around the slot openings if the MLOK T-nuts are overtightened when not oriented properly. Unfortunately, you cannot add accessories to the left or right side MLOK slots with the barrel tray removed, because the protruding screws with prevent the tray from being reinserted. So be sure to preset the gap between the MLOK T-nuts and the accessory to the thickness of the forearm walls, so that upon tightening the screw the T-nut rotates 90 degrees and stops when the screw is torqued correctly.

Two detents are pre-made on the underside for screwing in traditional swivel studs.

The MLOK system is great for attaching slings and other accessories. For slings, you can either attach a QD swivel mount, paraclip or other attachment point via MLOK or MLOK rail segments on the 3 oclock or 9 oclock positions of the forearm. Then you can either use the sling loop built into the buttstock or get yourself a QD Sling swivel kit to create a QD point in the buttstock itself. OR you could use the dimples molded in to the underside of the stock to screw in sling swivels manually. I've yet to find another stock with as many options for attaching slings.

For me, I kept it simple with an MLOK bipod mount, and a QD swivel mount.

Obviously the potential accessories that you can attach to the X-22 are limited only by your imagination, but I myself chose to attach a MLOK sling swivel mount on the underside of the forearm so I could readily attach a bipod. Then I added an MLOK QD sling swivel port on the left side (9 oclock). I had no need to attach picatinny rail sections, but anyone could do so for the mounting of flashlights, lasers, or other accessories more commonly found on an AR-15. If I want to add a light, I can easily just attach a torch using the Kinect Development Kinect QD MLOK that snaps on and off all my MLOK rifles quickly as needed.

Best stock for under $150? Absolutely. Unless it's not "Call Of Duty" enough for you.

The Hunter X-22 is a fantastic stock, and coupled with a lightweight barrel like an aluminum fluted bull barrel from Tactical Solutions, it makes for a featherweight plinker thats rugged enough for the most extreme squirrel hunts on the planet. My reccomendation: ditch the barrel band and give the X-22 a try. While the price point may turn off many customers being that its about $60 from the cost of the rifle itself, I strongly believe its a very decent stock and will last as long as the 10/22 will.

FIREARMS INSIDER REVIEWS – 8 KEY POINTS

Claim to Fame: The Magpul Hunter X-22 chassis is an ergonomic, full-featured stock for the ubiquitous Ruger 10/22 rifle.

Target Market: Ruger 10/22 owners, hunting / target practice

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

Drop-in design compatible with all factory Ruger 10/22 .22 LR receivers
Reinforced polymer construction for strength and durability
60 degree grip angle from bore axis
Adjustable LOP from 12.5”-14.5” with 0.50” Spacers
Non-slip rubber butt-pad
Optional Cheek Riser Kits to raise cheek height 0.25”, 0.50”, or 0.75” sold seperately
Reversible barrel tray accepts all factory barrels and aftermarket up to 0.920” diameter (12.5" minimum length)
Compatible with all capacities of factory Ruger 10/22 magazines
M-LOK slots on forend sides and bottom for a wide variety of accessory and sling mounting options
Two dimpled drill points to install optional standard swivel studs (#10-32 x 3/8” long dome stud)
Push-button QD swivel compatibility in rear with optional Sling Mount Kits sold seperately
Left and Right rear 1-1/4” Footman’s LoopsWeight: 2.45 lbs (w/two Spacers installed)
LOP Adjustment Range: ~12.5-14.5 in.
Width of Forend, max: 1.9 in.
Width of Butt, max: 1.5 in.
Butt-Pad Dimensions: 1.5x5.0 in.

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?: Black, Flat Dark Earth, OD Green, Stealth Gray, Pink

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING?:

"Overall, the stock is a pretty good upgrade for an accuracy-driven 10/22 build. Cheek weld is comfortable, regardless of which spacer is used. The ability to adjust the length of pull will be welcomed by those intending to use the stock with growing youths, as well as people of different sized frames. With this stock the rifle balances well, and feels more like a rifle than a BB gun (as is the case with the light factory stock). The distinct angled grip is comfortable, placing the hand in a way which promotes proper trigger finger placement. Manufactured in the best country on earth, ever, this U.S.A.-made stock will likely please everyone but the old timey, wood stock lovers out there" - Breach Bang Clear Review

PRICE POINT:

MSRP: $139.95
Retail: $117.92 Amazon

I NEED IT NOW! AVAILABILITY:

Website or Amazon

OUR RATING:

Pros:

Reversible barrel tray easy to pop out for tapered and bull barrels
Ergonomics of grip angle, cheek riser and buttstock are great
MLOK slots in forend and sling loop / QD swivel port allow for sling customization
Lightweight, not bulky

Cons:

Barrel is not freefloated, if desired some sanding of the barrel channel is needed
Side rails cannot be installed without barrel tray installed (it wont fit in channel)
Polymer is soft enough to become stripped around MLOK slots if accessory rails are tightened incorrectly