The Ruger 10/22 is the most popular rimfire rifle on the market. That isn’t hyperbole; it is an undeniable fact based on sales.
About 32 years ago, my father bought me my first 10/22, and I still have that rifle, along with a second in a different configuration. For years, the 10/22 was the ultimate rifle for ruggedness, reliability, and accuracy—until Tactical Solutions improved upon it. Their X-Ring Takedown and Owyhee rifles improved upon the 10/22 and set the bar high.
Both Ruger and TacSol operated with the same magazines, and for years, rimfire shooters thought the 10-round rotary magazine would never be improved upon. Enter the design team from Tactical Solutions, and the R1 magazine was born. Tactical Solutions sent me a couple of R1 magazines, and I purchased two new Ruger OEM magazines as a control group for this rimfire magazine review.
Design
The first impression of the R1 is heft but not in a boat anchor kind of way. The heft I’m referring to is more like the old-time craftsmanship heft of the golden era of manufacturing in the United States.
In a blind comparison with an OEM magazine in one hand and the R1 in the other, it isn’t difficult to feel how an aluminum body magazine stands apart from plastic. I own two Tactical Solution rifles: the XRing Takedown and the Owyhee. These rifles feel custom from muzzle to buttstock, and they utilize the standard 10/22 magazine. The new R1 magazine completes the custom rifle package, in my opinion.
The rifles from Tactical Solutions are tack drivers with an emphasis on precision in their design. These magazines fall right in line with those exacting standards.
During the course of this review, I spoke to Justin Adie from Tactical Solutions about the design process. The company was very open to my direct questions, and they were very accommodating. Adie ran me through the materials used to make the magazines as well as the process. We had a few laughs about the naysayers and the way people are open to spending willingly on some accessories but not so much on others.
It didn’t take much for me to understand why the R1 magazine took the time it did to come to market or the price it commands.
The body of the R1 is made from 6061 aluminum, and the feed lips, hex nut, and axle are all made from 416 stainless steel. Justin mentioned these magazines have been in the works for well over a decade and were really revisited with resolve when the Owyhee rifle was developed.
This magazine embodies the precision standard Tactical Solutions is known for. By the way, I am sure some of the readers here are wondering if Tactical Solutions has a plan to make any larger capacity magazines like the OEM 25-round “banana” magazines. I was told they are not.
Performance
To test out the TacSol R1, I traveled multiple times to Coleman’s Creek shooting range in Ellerbe, NC. I normally spend time in the pistol bays, the 300 and 700-yard rifle ranges, and the dedicated handgun ranges. For this review, I spent time on the dedicated rimfire range with small 12-ounce can-sized targets out to 300 yards.
I loaded up a wide range of ammunition from Ammunition Depot, with plenty of loads with different projectile weights and coatings.
Flashbacks of being a 14-year-old with a $10 brick of 500 rounds kept finding their way into my mind as I sat behind a wall of rimfire boxes with targets down range.
Back then, I used to split my thumb countless times on the OEM magazines as I drove round after round down into the rotary box magazines. This time around, I didn’t draw blood once as loading is easy on the fingertips with the new R1 magazines. The feedlips are actually “melted” or blended to feel like a custom 1911 that has been dehorned.
While I used the R1 magazines in both my Owyhee and XRing Takedown, I wanted to see how well they performed in my older 10/22s. My old 10/22 from over three decades ago is a standard carbine that I’ve added a threaded OEM barrel to. I also have a newer rifle with a longer barrel, purchased in 2021 or 2022. Both of these ran flawlessly with the TacSol R1 magazines.
Of particular note that I found very useful was how effortlessly the magazines fell from the magazine well when the magazine release was activated. Much like a weighted competition magazine, the added heft of an R1 magazine prevents it from getting hung up.
In speaking with Justin Adie from Tactical Solutions, he wanted to be very forthcoming and let me know the R1 magazine works well in just about any 10/22 type firearm, with the exception of those using Kidd receivers. Justin said they are working through the issue, but wanted to make clear they are aware of it and have their customers in mind.
One statistic that reinforced the idea of Tactical Solutions testing their kit was the comment Justin made about 10,000 rounds being run through one of their magazines in evaluating the performance. I wasn’t ready to load one 1,000 times and could only imagine the R&D department bloodying their thumbs in the process to bring the best product forward.
My Final Thoughts
The Tactical Solution R1 magazines offer the pinnacle of performance. They are a small investment for peace of mind.
Justin from Tacsol put it best. “When folks call, and they mention price, we say, ‘How many times have you bought a standard 10/22 mag and it hasn’t run right? When you buy one of our mags, it will work.’ ”
The kit you run is only as strong as the weakest link, and this magazine takes away the chances of having a bad magazine affect the reliability of your .22. With a 10/22-style firearm used for survival purposes, you don’t want to question if your magazine will choke up on you.
I think those who have already invested in quality firearms will not see the price of the R1 magazine as a deterrent. Those who may be starting off with a basic 10/22 rifle, on the other hand, may have a hard time justifying the purchase.
I’d recommend a minimum of one for each rifle for the best performance, and that you hold onto your OEM magazines as the emergency backup option for the field. Today, I would gladly purchase more of these magazines, whereas the 14-year-old version of myself wouldn’t be able to appreciate the craftsmanship.
The good thing is, we get older, and we learn to recognize quality in products like this magazine as well as the benefits it offers.
