I have recently landed a Ruger 10/22 Sporter, the 75th Anniversary Edition to review. It’s a beautiful rifle, if you ask me. It has the natural finish hardware stock with black checkering, a front gold-bead sight and a rear-adjustable sight. The cold hammer forged barrel is 18.5 inches of shiny stainless steel with a clear satin finish. There are a multitude of other options, so if you’re looking for a .22 there’s probably a 10/22 that will fit your style.
The first time I shot it, I was at a friend’s makeshift shooting range with her family. I loaded the 10-shot rotary mag, I’d like to say I advanced one of the Fiocchi Range Dynamics 40 grain bullets into the chamber but, I would be less than honest if I did. After inserting the magazine into the mag well on the belly of the gun, I disengaged the push button safety, and nothing happened except a bystander’s contagious belly laugh, followed by, “I knew that was going to happen!” I forgot to pull the cocking handle back to advance a bullet to the chamber; everyone’s done that before, right? It is a semi-auto so I didn’t have the opportunity to embarrass myself again, at least for another 10 shots.
The first time I shot the Ruger 10/22 Sporter (right out the box with open sights) at about 20 yards, it was so much fun and spot on. I shot the steel spinner repeatedly, it passes on the plinker scale!
If this was going to be a fun plinking gun, which it would make a great one, I would leave it with open sights, as the performance was great, and the comfortability matched. But … I had a more serious plan for this one.
In parts of the country (South Carolina), the armadillo is a well-known pest that seems to multiply at top speed. Before taking drastic measure, I take into consideration the animal and judge whether its profitability outweighs the destruction. What are they good for or what is their purpose? To answer my own question, I looked it up, surely every creature has its place! I’m not sure where an armadillo’s is quite yet.
Before I stake out a spot in my yard to perch and possibly eradicate the four-legged, hard-shelled critter/s with my new Ruger 10/22, I want to know if the critter has more cons than pros that I am unaware of. My stance before my research: an armadillo’s only purpose is destruction.
The consequences of allowing them to exist in my yard are significant to me. Have you ever tried playing football in the yard, the quarterback throws the ball, and you, not having the ability to watch where you step because you’re focused on the catch, find the freshly dug armadillo hole and you go down with a snap, crackle and pop? I am speaking from experience.
After some research and happening upon an article about “Armadillos Make Great Neighbors,” at “The Revelator,” and I learned some very interesting facts. Armadillos do have a purpose; they eat bugs and grub worms! I then asked myself, “Do the bugs and grub worms cause as much damage as an armadillo?” My conclusion came quickly: “No, they do not!”
OK, what else do they do that is dangerous to us in my back yard? They dig particularly large holes for their residences; in fact, they like to create about 10 living spaces per armadillo. Here’s a pro in their favor, though – they are generous and will share their dens with other animals (think fox, groundhogs and other ground-dwelling critters). Again, is that a benefit to me? Again, no, it is not!
My conclusion: armadillos have a place in the woods, but not in my yard! After scoping my Ruger 10/22 with the ATN THOR LTV Thermal Optic, I went to the range to test bullets and get zeroed. I tested three different .22 LR bullets, of course the aforementioned Fiocchi Range Dynamics 40 grain bullets, along with Remington 22 Golden 40 Grain Bullets and Winchester Wildcat 40 Grain Bullets. They shot equally well, but I went with the Fiocchi Range Dynamics for this one. I set up at 30 yards and used the one-shot zero feature on the ATN THOR LTV Thermal Optic. Soon, I felt the Ruger and I were ready to eliminate the destructive critters from my yard.
Will the Sporter rifle be a sufficient armadillo gun? I’m confident it will be, but it came time to put it to the test. I set up and wait for my targets to arrive. Having a thermal optic gives me a huge advantage because it picks up the heat signature of the animal. Armadillos also give me a big advantage because they’re naturally not sneaky nor stealthy. My part was easy: listen for the scuffle, wait for my daughter to let me know she has an armadillo in-sight with the ATN Odin LT thermal monocular, shoulder my rifle, press record, (yes, the scope has the capability to record your shots), and place the aim point appropriately and take care of business.
In the thermal optic, armadillos appeared as glowing white balls, and with the added details of the thermal it was easy to detect what they were, the “neighbors” I don’t want. As soon as an armadillo presented a great front-shoulder shot, I took aim, disengaged the safety and pulled the trigger. I had four takers, two of them were one shot, one kill and the other two, were a double tap.
The Ruger 10/22 Sporter is my new backyard, side yard and front yard pest-control tool. It’s extremely lightweight, easy to use for an offhand shot, accurate, efficient and one of the best parts, economic! As you should have already read at the top, the cost of .22 bullets is much less than higher caliber rifles, you shouldn’t have to give up one meal a day for a week to buy ammunition.
As far as this girl’s concerned, my Ruger is tried-and-true and has earned its place in the front of my rifle rack ready for the next go-round. Armadillos, I have one piece of advice for you: I’ll keep my bugs and grubs and you dig holes for your friends somewhere else!
Learn more about Ruger’s 10/22 Sporter here. MRSP: $399.
I am a wife and a mother who loves the outdoors, I also review and test airguns and shooting products for various manufacturers. As Airgun Angie, I get to spend a fair amount of time outdoors hunting and shooting! I love what I do, I get the opportunity to test many different types of shooting and hunting gear. My current adventures can be found on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC764VE4T-i2XihiyISmkJKA You can also follow me on Facebook, @leadlife17 "Airgun Angie." View all posts by Angie Perry
