Ruger 10/22 Compact 31114

The Ruger 10/22 Compact is the youth answer to the most popular .22 LR in America. It shortens the barrel to 16.12 inches and the length of pull to 12.5 inches, the two dimensions that make a full-size carbine awkward for a small shooter. The Modular Stock System ships with the compact module installed and accepts a standard-length module later, so the same rifle fits a nine-year-old and the teenager that nine-year-old becomes.

Mechanically it is a 10/22. It feeds from the BX-1 rotary magazine and every BX-15 and BX-25 stick, runs the same drop-in trigger, barrel, and bolt aftermarket, and shares parts with the millions of carbines already in the field. A parent buying a first .22 for a child is not buying into an orphan platform; the Compact upgrades and grows like any other 10/22.

The Compact wears fiber-optic front and adjustable fiber-optic rear sights, which a young shooter picks up faster than a plain blade. The receiver is drilled and tapped with a Weaver base for a rimfire scope or red dot when iron sights are outgrown. At a 4.4-pound carry weight it is light enough for a child to shoulder unsupported, which matters more for a first rifle than any other single spec.