Changing out the barrel via the mounting bracket is an almost foolproof operation and takes only a few minutes.

The project, once assembled and mounted with a scope, had excellent balance, felt good in my hands and pointed quickly and naturally.

I mounted a Nitrex TR1 3-10x50 scope, and the rifle promptly began shooting 50-yard thumbnail-size groups. Interestingly, the best-shooting load was CCI's Mini-Mag load, averaging an impressive .35 inch at 50 yards.

When I finished accuracy testing, I spent some time plinking, hitting small steel silhouettes and dirt clods out to 100 yards with ease. The rifle jammed with some very lightly loaded match ammo when the action became very dirty, but otherwise it ran flawlessly. It never failed to chamber and fire; the match loads simply didn't provide enough blowback pressure to reliably eject the empty cases.

The only thing I would change on the rifle as it's built now is the factory trigger. It has a great deal of overtravel, which I find tends to open groups up a fair bit when target shooting. The good news is that since match-grade triggers for the 10/22 are readily available, it's a simple fix.

Shooter's Ridge's new stocks and barrels are comfortable, durable, accurate and good-looking, and it's hard to ask more than that. On the company's website there's a "Trick My 10/22" feature that allows shooters to drag and drop different stock and barrel combinations and "build" a tricked-out rifle. It really helps visualize the finished project, whether with a camo stock and stainless fluted barrel or a Wild Web desert-type color stock and matte-black barrel.