The Rimfire Report: Ruger American Rimfire Long-Range Target
Confession. I’ve always enjoyed shooting .22s, but I’ve never owned one personally. That doesn’t mean I haven’t had my eye on one though. Back in 2020, the Ruger American Rimfire Long-Range Target (LRT) caught my interest. As a long-range shooter who loves bolt action rifles, I knew at first glance that I had to have one. The timing couldn’t be better either as I lived in Wyoming and had prairie dog towns everywhere begging me to decimate the varmint population. Bad news, I could not find a single one of these rifles for sale anywhere at the time. It wasn’t meant to be…
Or was it?
Several years later, living in Las Vegas of all places, I’m in the middle of the desert with not a prairie dog town in sight, when low and behold I see a Ruger American Rimfire LRT pop up on a local gun forum. Geography be damned, I had to scratch that itch, so I pounced on it.
Two features make the LRT stand out from the standard Ruger American Rimfire. First is the two-tone target stock which features a two-way adjustable comb, adjustable length of pull, and a soft rubber buttpad. Second is the 22” 0.860″ cold hammer-forged threaded bull barrel which results in precise rifling, accuracy, and longevity. Also contributing to the accuracy of the Ruger American Rimfire LRT is the patented Power Bedding integral bedding block system, cradling the receiver while allowing the barrel to free-float.
Getting behind the LRT, you’ll notice the 60° bolt throw leaves plenty of scope clearance. The LRT also features a receiver-mounted release allowing the bolt to be removed without pulling the trigger, a unique safety feature among bolt-action rimfire rifles.
The LRT has an extended magazine release for easy removal of the included flush-mount BX-1 10-round rotary magazine and is also compatible with any Ruger 10/22 magazines, including the BX-25, BX-25×2, and BX-15. Rounding out the control features of the Ruger American Rimfire LRT is the accessible and easy-to-actuate tang safety.
The Ruger Marksman Adjustable trigger takes a little getting used to as it has a separate first stage protruding from the center of the shoe, similar to a Glock safety. With a user-adjustable pull weight between three and five pounds, however, I set the as light as it would adjust and ultimately found the break is crisp and predictable.
The stock features QD attachments in the front and rear with a flush-mounted M-LOK rail along the underside for mounting a tripod or ARCA adapter. With the factory-installed one-piece aluminum scope rail, all you need is a scope and a set of rings and you’re good to go. I decided on a Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 6-24×50 with a matching set of Pro Series rings.
Something was missing though. Hmmm… Oh, that’s right. While I appreciate the factory-installed knurled 1/2×28 thread protector, the Ruger American Rimfire LRT begs to be suppressed.
My choice for this rifle was the lightweight mix of Grade 5 Titanium and 7075 Billet Aluminum of the JK 155 RCX 30 from JK Armament with a swapped-in .22 endcap. I have used a few configurations of this suppressor for .308, 300BLK, and 5.56, but it is also fantastic for rimfire as it disassembles quickly and easily for cleaning. Performance-wise, we know .22LR is relatively quiet, especially when shooting subsonic ammunition. With this setup, the click of the trigger was considerably louder than the report from the shot itself. I’ve had louder BB guns. Needless to say, this setup is well into the hearing-safe territory.
JK 155 RCX 30
JK Armament also makes dedicated .22 suppressors like the JK 105 RFX 22, which comes in a little smaller and lighter, both physically and in price. That suppressor is available now at Silencer Shop for $475. If you’re looking for the additional versatility of my JK 155 RCX 30, Silencer Shop has you covered there also for $759. Our friends at Silencer Shop make silencer ownership simple and easy, and they will make sure your ears don’t ring 24/7 like mine. Head over and check out all they have to offer.
JK 105 RFX 22
The LRT is not a lightweight rifle, and it isn’t meant to be. It isn’t all that heavy either, weighing in at 8 lbs bare with an overall length of 40.5”. They aren’t light on the MSRP either at $739, but I doubt you’ll find many new ones on the shelf. How did it do at the range? Great question.
I like to head out at about 6 am to get an early start because I love mornings. We had a bit of wind, which wasn’t ideal, but luckily I had zeroed the rifle at 50 yards on a previous day when things were calm. With my DOPE card fixed to the inside of my rear scope cap, I shot a few groups at 50 yards on paper before stretching things out on steel targets.
For ammunition, I ran Norma 40gr Tac-22. I know this isn’t match ammunition but it’s no slouch either. With my Garmin Xero C1 fired up, let’s get shooting.
As you can see, most of the groups at 50 yards were about 3/4” while some should have been around 1/2” save for one shot. I’ll try more types of ammunition in the future, including some match rounds, to see how much it can be tightened up, especially on a day with a little less wind. We get what we get, and all things considered, I’m happy with the rifle.
As mentioned previously, I did push out to some distance on steel. Based on my DOPE card from the initial setup and calculating for the temperature/velocity difference, I was able to make first-round hits dialing as follows:
75 yards: 2.75 MOA
100 yards: 6.25 MOA
200 yards: 23 MOA
225 yards: 28 MOA
Note that when I zeroed the rifle previously, the temperature was around 95 degrees and my average velocity for that session was 1099fps, whereas today it was 57 degrees and my average velocity was only 1031.7fps, so the Norma Tac-22 does display some temperature sensitivity, which is to be expected.
Since I’m not a serious bench rest .22 guy, and more or less looking for a fun varmint rifle, I’m really happy with the Ruger American Rimfire Long-Range Tactical. It is a solid rifle and well-built as you would expect from Ruger. I enjoy that it feels like a serious rifle, not just a toy for plinking. The quality is there and this is a rifle I’m looking forward to spending more time behind.
At the end of the day, .22LR is cheap and a lot of fun. If I’m not trying for groups, I especially like shooting steel on days with more turbulence. It makes for great practice on your wind calls. I wouldn’t mind hearing from more experienced hard-core precision rimfire guys on ammo suggestions and anything else related as I see a lot more .22LR in my future. What do you guys think of the Ruger American Rimfire Long-Range Tactical? I’ll look forward to your thoughts in the comments below.
TFB is proud to partner with Silencer Shop as our preferred vendor for all of your NFA needs. Whether you are searching for a new suppressor, SBR, or trust, Silencer Shop is here to provide a seamless and fast service for your next NFA purchase. Head over to www.silencershop.com to begin your NFA journey.