Over the years, the .44 Magnum Carbine has been purveyed in several variants (including my favorite, the Mannlicher-stocked International). The nice thing about this gun is that, for the most part, even the scarcer versions can be picked up in mint condition for under a grand. Early “Deerstalker”-marked guns bring a premium.

The .44 Magnum was such a hit that a look-alike .22-caliber variant was brought out in 1964. The 10/22 was a revolutionary little semiauto which employed a unique plastic rotary 10-round magazine (hence the name “10/22”). It was a real working gun—no frills, made of steel and anodized aluminum, with a simple one-piece stock. Sights were simple and the price was a reasonable $54.50.

Ruger’s 10/22 was destined to become our most popular rimfire. Early versions can command 10 to 15 times their original cost.

Like other Ruger products, the 10/22 became an instant hit. The company realized that it had a serious product on its hands, and the gun ultimately became the most popular .22 rifle ever made.

Not content to stick with just one variant of the little rifle, over the years Ruger has come out with enough variants of the gun to make it a popular yet affordable collector’s piece. It’s still offered, but original versions of the rifle (which were made between 1966 and 1969) can bring upwards of $700 in minty condition.

There was also a 10/22 Compact that was available in very limited quantities, as well as an anniversary model that was sold in 2004, and fancy grades with checkered walnut stocks, target models, a Canadian Centennial that came out in 1967, and more recently .22 Magnum and .17 HMR incarnations.