While the Ruger 10/22 has been a go-to rimfire rifle for more than half a century, a significant group of enthusiasts were left out when it came to the accessibility of the gun's design. Now, left-handed shooters have a new option built just for them in the Ruger Left-Hand 10/22 Competition rifle.
Unlike many somewhat lefty-friendly guns, Ruger couldn't simply put a bolt handle on the opposite side of the receiver and label it "lefty-friendly." Instead, the Ruger 10/22 Competition left-hand model features left-side-eject receiver, a left-hand bolt, left-side cross-bolt safety and even a specially designed magazine that feeds from the opposite direction.
In his upcoming review of the left-hand Ruger 10/22 Competition, which can be read in the October 2021 issue of American Rifleman, Senior Executive Editor Kelly Young highlighted just how monumental a step this is for Ruger and for the underserved market of left-handed shooters.
"Simply calling the new gun a mirror image of the [10/22 Competition Rifle] does something of a disservice to just how much of an undertaking this rifle represents for Ruger," he writes. "It’s not like the line workers can just go press the 'LH' button on the side of the CNC machines to have them start spitting out left-handed guns. Only upon getting my hands on one and taking it apart did it truly become apparent just how many unique left-handed parts had to be manufactured specifically for this model—from the receiver to the barrel and from the stock to the trigger guard assembly—and it shares remarkably few parts with its right-handed brethren. From a production standpoint, this is no mere line extension; it is essentially an entirely new gun."
Despite the essentially new construction of this left-hand 10/22 Competition rifle, the new gun shares many elements in common with Ruger's right-hand 10/22 Competition, including a speckled black-and-gray laminate stock, cold-hammer-forged bull barrel with an included muzzle brake and a BX Trigger with a factory pull weight measuring between 2.5 and 3 lbs. A 30-m.o.a. Picatinny optics rail has been integrally machined into the receiver top, providing both a solid optics mounting base and built-in elevation for a mounted optic.
The Ruger 10/22 Competition left-hand model also features an enhanced chamber designed to enhance accuracy while preserving reliable function. A dual bedding system also secures the receiver, which promotes consistent, accurate performance at long range. The rifle includes a 16.12" six-groove barrel with a 1:16" twist rate and measures 36" long with a length-of-pull of 13.5". Unloaded, the gun weighs 6 lbs. Each rifle includes a 10-round magazine. The suggested retail price on the Ruger 10/22 Competition left-hand model is $899. For more information, visit ruger.com.
