Best Ruger 10/22 Chassis: Complete Buying Guide

No gun collection is truly complete without a Ruger 10/22. The 10/22 is not just one of the most customizable firearms ever made, it’s also very reliable, well-built, and incredibly versatile.

But what if you want to take your 10/22 to the next level? That’s where a chassis comes in. A chassis is a fancy word for a stock. But not just any stock — it is designed to give your Ruger 10/22 a look and feel of a tactical rifle. And when it comes to choosing the best Ruger 10/22 chassis, there’s no shortage of options.

Since the 10/22 is so customizable, there are literally a limitless number of upgrade options on the market as well. And if you want to improve your 10/22’s performance, one of the most overlooked and yet still important things that you can do is to improve the chassis.

In this article, we’ll discuss the merits of the Ruger 10/22 as a carbine, talk about what the chassis and why you should consider upgrading, the top qualities to look for in a Ruger 10/22 chassis, and our choices for the top three best chassis for the Ruger 10/22 that you can buy today.

	Nordic Components Ruger 10/22 Chassis	Compatible with most Weaver rail accessories Designed to work with heavy duty barrels Durable, high-quality fit and finishing Cross slots are a little bit shallow	$240 Shop NowClick to read my review
	Midwest Industries Ruger 10/22 Chassis M-Lok	Has a Type 3 hard coat anodized finish Fully compatible with M-LOK accessories A true free floating design A true free floating design	$240 Shop NowClick to read my review
	Midwest Industries Ruger 10/22 Takedown Chassis	Slim and lightweight profile Built out of high quality 606 aluminum Come with mountain hardware Only compatible with the Takedown model of the 10/22	$135 Shop NowClick to read my review

Why Go With The Ruger 10/22?

The Ruger 10/22 is one of the bestselling firearms in the United States today and is certainly the highest-selling .22 rifle. It’s also been this way since the 10/22 was first introduced by Ruger in the early 1960s. No gun collection is truly complete without a .22 caliber rifle, and the 10/22 is quite arguably the best .22 rifle on the market.

When the Ruger 10/22 was first introduced in the 1960s, it was intended to be an adult’s .22 rifle. Most other .22 caliber rifles were relatively cheaply made. Bill Ruger, who founded the Ruger Firearms Company, envisioned a .22 rifle that would be more solidly built and made out of similar materials to most hunting rifles of the era. The result was the 10/22.

One reason that the 10/22 has continued to dominate sales in its category is because of the fact that it is so easily customizable. The only other firearms that come anywhere close to rivaling it are the Glock series of pistols, the 1911 pistol, and the AR-15. Installing a new upgraded chassis can further help to make it more customizable, because as we’ll discuss shortly, it could make it possible for you to add even more components to the weapon.

The 10/22 comes standard with a 10-round rotary magazine, but longer 15-round, 25-round, 35-round, and magazines with higher round counts are available as well. This means that your 10/22 can deliver truly impressive firepower with quick reloading capabilities for a .22 rifle, many of which feed rounds individually through a tubular magazine only underneath the barrel. While many people may not think of a .22 rifle as being particular useful for tactical purposes, the truth is that the 10/22 can be used as such quite nicely.

Finally, the 10/22 is also a hugely versatile firearm. It can be used for pest control, general homestead use, fun plinking on the range, and small game hunting. In many regards, it’s the ultimate survivalist weapon. It’s also the most important rifle to have with you if you were ever forced to bug out into the woods during a major grid down disaster scenario.

.22 LR ammunition itself is also highly under appreciated. The .22 comes with many advantages: It’s relatively quiet compared to other rounds, it can be used for self-defense if need be, excellent for small game hunting, and you can carry literally hundreds of rounds of ammunition on your person at one time. That’s also not to mention that .22 is dirt cheap and, at least before the current ongoing ammo shortage, was widely available.

All in all, the 10/22 is simply one of the finest .22 caliber rifles available on the market. It’s durable, accurate, reliable, easily customizable, very affordable, and incredibly versatile in what you can do. Unlike cheaper .22s that lack durability, the 10/22 is the kind of .22 rifle that you will keep forever and then one day pass on down to future generations.

Read also: Our guide on the best 10/22 receivers.

In the next sections, we’ll discuss what the chassis is and the top qualities that you should look for in an upgraded model.

What is a Chassis?

The chassis is the part of the Ruger 10/22 designed to hold the feeding mechanism in place. It can greatly improve both the durability and the accuracy of your 10/22 rifle, depending on the specific chassis that you choose.

Granted, when you first buy a 10/22 it will already come with a chassis installed on it out of the box. But the point to spending the money on an extra chassis is to improve the performance of your rifle.

Take note that the 10/22 is already a solidly built rifle and available at an affordable price point. The chassis that is installed on it by the factory is already well made and will work well. In other words, don’t feel pressured to spend the extra money on another chassis if you don’t want to. A chassis for the 10/22 will most likely be very expensive and can sometimes cost just as much as the gun itself depending on the model.

Do You Need a Chassis?

So, when and why would you want to spend this kind of extra money on a chassis? The first is to improve accuracy. A chassis can improve your rifle’s accuracy by up to 50%, depending on the model that you choose. The reason why is because a new chassis can hold the 10/22 barrel more firmly to the action of the rifle.

This is also precisely why a chassis can ensure that your shots are more consistent as well. Keep in mind that the .22 LR ammunition is a small round that can be more easily affected by wind, rain, and other environmental factors, so this is definitely a big factor to consider.

Another reason to invest the money in a chassis is for added comfort. Some chassis will even come with a stock included that could be more comfortable than the 10/22 stock that already comes from the factory. However, take note that not all chassis come with a stock either.

Finally, the last reason to invest the money into a brand new chassis is to make your rifle easier to customize. Remember, the 10/22 is easily one of the most customizable firearms in existence. But upgrading the chassis is one way that you can make your 10/22 this customizable.

For example, some chassis come with M-Lok or Picatinny or Weaver rails installed on them. This will make it very easy to add scopes, red dots, sights, or other accessories that are compatible with these rail systems.

Buyer’s Guide For The Best Ruger 10/22 Chassis

These are the most important factors to consider when looking for a new chassis for your Ruger 10/22 carbine or rifle:

Build Materials

You want your chassis to be as durable and rust-resistant as possible. Two of the most common materials for a chassis are T6 aluminum and 6061 aluminum (the latter of which is commonly used in vehicles). Both of these materials are relatively lightweight, and also very strong and durable. They can both withstand lots of abuse and can provide many years and rounds of dependable service.

Fit and Finishing

Besides the build materials, it’s also critical to go with a high quality rust and corrosion resistant finish. Hard coat anodizing is one of the most common finishes coated over a 10/22 chassis for this very reason. Not only does it improve the rust and corrosion resistant properties of your chassis, it also helps lend to durability.

Does It Fit Fixed Barrel or Takedown 10/22s?

The Takedown 10/22 is a very unique 10/22 offering that breaks down into two separate halves with a simple twist. Both halves can then be stored in a Ruger labelled backpack that ships with the firearm. This is very convenient for transport (many people like to use the 10/22 Takedown as a car gun, for instance), but most chassis that fit a fixed barrel 10/22 will not work for the Takedown model.

For this reason, be sure to research the chassis that you are considering ahead of time and check to make sure that it works for either a fixed barrel 10/22 or the Takedown model depending on the version that you have.

Drop-In Design

Last but certainly not least, make sure that your chassis is a drop-in design as well. This means that the chassis can be easily installed by the layman and does not require a professional gunsmith to add or install for you. Speaking of drop-in parts, upgrading your 10/22 trigger is also great idea.

Read also: We also got an article on Ruger 10/22 charging handles, so make sure to give this one a read as well.

The 3 Best Chassis For The Ruger 10/22

Now that we’ve covered why you need to upgrade your Ruger 10/22 chassis, there are our three choices for a Ruger 10/22 chassis that you can buy today:

Nordic Components Ruger 10/22 Chassis

The Nordic Components Ruger 10/22 Chassis is a high-quality CNC machined chassis built from T6 aluminum. It’s designed to fit most Ruger 10/22 models on the market, which stands in stark contrast to many other chassis on the market that is only designed to fit and function in certain 10/22 models.

The Nordic Components will fit very firmly to your 10/22, and once installed it will help to improve accuracy. It’s designed to handle heavier duty barrels that measure just under an inch in diameter, also comes with a Weaver rail for you to add on sights, red dots, or scopes.

Overall
All in all, the Nordic Components is a solid choice for a 10/22 Chassis. It will function with most 10/22 models, has a very durable construction, and should help to improve the accuracy of your rifle as well. It’s also fully compatible with most Weaver rail accessories, including sights, red dots, and scopes.

Midwest Industries Ruger 10/22 Chassis M-Lok

The Midwest Industries Ruger 10/22 M-Lok Chassis is built for the fixed barreled models of 10/22, so it will not work for the 10/22 Takedown model. However, it is also compatible with most fixed barrel Ruger 10/22 clones.

This chassis is available in two different lengths: eight inches and thirteen inches. It is constructed out of 6061 aluminum and has a blackened hard coat anodized finish for added rust and corrosion resistance.

It also comes with M-Lok slots for ease of customization and two QD sling sockets. There are specifically eight M-Lok slots located along the sides, along with a 5 slot polymer M-Lok rail. As an added bonus, it’s built 100% in the USA.

Overall
Overall, if you’re looking for a solid chassis for your fixed barrel Ruger 10/22, you will want to take a look at the Midwest Industries Ruger 10/22 Chassis M-Lok.

This chassis is fully compatible with most M-Lok accessories and is also built out of very durable 6061 aluminum materials with an added blackened hard coat anodized finish for superior rust and corrosion resistance.

Midwest Industries Ruger 10/22 Takedown Chassis

The previous 10/22 chassis from Midwest Industries that we just looked at is only compatible for fixed barrel 10/22s. But what if you have the Takedown model of 10/22 instead?

This is where the Midwest Industries Ruger 10/22 Takedown Chassis comes in. As the name suggests, this chassis is only compatible with the 10/22 Takedown models. However, it is very easy to install, and at fourteen ounces it’s very lightweight. It’s even threaded at the end to accept AR-15 or M4 buffer tubes.

This Chassis is made out of a durable 6061 aluminum finish with a blackened hard coat anodized finish. It comes with two anti-rotation QD sling sockets and has an overall very slim profile. It’s also 100% made in the United States and comes with a lifetime warranty from the manufacturer.

Overall
The Midwest Industries 10/22 Takedown Chassis is a solid pick for a Ruger 10/22 Chassis, so long as you have the Takedown model of 10/22. It’s constructed out of high-quality 6061 aluminum with an anodized finish, and it’s also very lightweight with a slim profile.

Wrap Up

And that concludes our list of the top three best Ruger 10/22 chassis for 2020.

Any one of the three chassis for the Ruger 10/22 will be a solid option, or alternatively, you can follow the buyer’s guide that we described earlier when searching for your own chassis as well. Remember that improving the chassis is one of the best things you can do to improve the durability and even the accuracy of your 10/22.

You might also like to read:

• Ruger LC9S Hands-On Review: 9mm Budget Carry Gun
• Best Ruger 10/22 Receiver
• Best Ruger 10/22 Trigger Upgrade