Christensen Arms Ranger 22

[FuhQ]

Well… Got off work early, and drove to the local outdoor store… That’s always a mistake. Like going to the grocery store hungry. All the guns, all these years, I’ve never personally owned a bolt-action .22LR… Dad has a few, but I’ve never had one.

Well, I figured now that I have my Dead Air Mask HD…A bolt-action .22 is a necessity for really quiet pews…Right?

So… Yeah, I came home with this Christensen Arms Ranger 22, and stuck an old Vortex Viper HS I had laying around onto it…

Oh, and it uses Ruger 10/22 mags, and Rem 700 triggers. It comes factory with a TriggerTech Diamond Trigger in it. It’s inanely crisp.

Anyone else have one? Good or bad experiences (I know the first run had ejection issues, this one is a recent production)? What’s the most accurate subsonic ammo in your’s?

 

[GNAP]

I have two of them, one black, one tan, set up with open/iron sight. Can not help you on the ammo, I shoot CCI HP mini-mags (only ammo my league allows) about 99% of the time. I have no operational issues with either of them.

 

[chevy_man]

I've yet to be impressed with their center-fire offerings. If I had to guess, their rimfire barrels will be the same. Just a lottery on a .5 moa gun or a 3 moa gun.

Pick up all the standard velocity match ammo you can find and test. It's the only way.

 

[FuhQ]

I've yet to be impressed with their center-fire offerings. If I had to guess, their rimfire barrels will be the same. Just a lottery on a .5 moa gun or a 3 moa gun.

Pick up all the standard velocity match ammo you can find and test. It's the only way.

Thanks…I guess?

 

[HPIguy]

Thanks…I guess?

It was an honest post based on the company's long-standing QC issues. It wasn't meant to shit on your new toy. I was intrigued by them myself when I was shopping around for a bolt gun. But all the horror stories on their QC pushed me away. I truly hope you got a good one!

 

[FuhQ]

It was an honest post based on the company's long-standing QC issues. It wasn't meant to shit on your new toy. I was intrigued by them myself when I was shopping around for a bolt gun. But all the horror stories on their QC pushed me away. I truly hope you got a good one!

I get that, and I know $800 to most people ain't shit, but to some of us, it's a whole paycheck for a couple decent weeks of work because my company doesn't appreciate me, and refuses to give me a raise, and nothing better has popped up yet... I work hard for my money, I know some folks don't have to, so to me, that's a solid and sizable chunk of my income to purchase it... And if it's a POS, that's really going to suck.

 

[HPIguy]

I get that, and I know $800 to most people ain't shit, but to some of us, it's a whole paycheck for a couple decent weeks of work because my company doesn't appreciate me, and refuses to give me a raise, and nothing better has popped up yet... So, it's just a bit hard to swallow if it's a piece of shit.

No matter how much money I ever make in my lifetime, $800 is and always will be a decent chunk of change for me. I grew up poor as shit, so I can relate man. Like I said, I truly hope you got a good one, and find some ammo it likes. I've had good luck for short-range stuff (100yds and less) in both my T1X and my 10/22 with CCI standard velocity, and the blue and yellow box Aguila super extra 1130fps stuff. No, it won't shoot bug holes consistently, but both shoot pretty damned good out of both guns. More than accurate enough for informal competition at our private range.

 

[chevy_man]

I get that, and I know $800 to most people ain't shit, but to some of us, it's a whole paycheck for a couple decent weeks of work because my company doesn't appreciate me, and refuses to give me a raise, and nothing better has popped up yet... I work hard for my money, I know some folks don't have to, so to me, that's a solid and sizable chunk of my income to purchase it... And if it's a POS, that's really going to suck.

Get out there and put some match ammo through it. Only you will be able to tell what it does.

If it doesn't shoot, just plan on re-barreling it.


That's not even a week's pay for me, and I'd still be pissed as hell if it didn't hit moa.

 

[FuhQ]

Get out there and put some match ammo through it. Only you will be able to tell what it does.

If it doesn't shoot, just plan on re-barreling it.


That's not even a week's pay for me, and I'd still be pissed as hell if it didn't hit moa.

If it doesn't shoot, I'll have a Proof CF barrel put on it, and then send the bill to CA. Haha

 

[GNAP]

I bought a third one, this one is green. I bought it from a friend, went through the FFL routine this morning. The iron sights set up will be here on Friday.

 

[chevy_man]

The iron sights set up will be here on Friday.

How do those work?

 

[FuhQ]

How do those work?

I never use irons on scoped rigs, but I'm curious to know, as well...

 

[Pre64]

Bought both my boys one, consecutive serial numbers, one had an ejection problem but was quickly fixed by CA. As for accuracy they shoot great, SK standard has been very impressive through both of them.

 

[FuhQ]

Bought both my boys one, consecutive serial numbers, one had an ejection problem but was quickly fixed by CA. As for accuracy they shoot great, SK standard has been very impressive through both of them.

Any luck with the CCI Standard Velocity 1070 FPS ammo? I saw one review that it produced the 2nd best groups out of what he tried. The best were the CCI Velocitor ammo.

 

[GNAP]

either a M1 style rear peep sight or a LPA rear peep sight, either clamps directly to the picatinney rail. The front sight is from Cheaper Than Dirt, it a Mossberg tactical shotgun front sight, about $20.

}

 

[GNAP]

I shoot in an open/iron sight league, 50 ft, the only allowed ammo is CCI HP mini-mags, we common target, downloaded off the net. It’s basically trying to put 10 shots, per target into 1” diameter bullseye. I‘ve shot in the league somewhere between 25-30 yrs. below is a sample target I shot

 

[Pre64]

Any luck with the CCI Standard Velocity 1070 FPS ammo? I saw one review that it produced the 2nd best groups out of what he tried. The best were the CCI Velocitor ammo.

No, I have shot some of my lapua center x, it liked that also. I’ve not seen any cci sv for awhile to try.

 

[FuhQ]

Just an update... Put the first 10 shots through it this evening with the Dead Air Mask HD just to function check...

The ejection was flawless (so they've obviously fixed that issue), and the CCI Standard Velocity (1070 FPS) ammo is still subsonic in the 18" barrel.

I wasn't able to do any accuracy testing, just a quick 10-round function and ammo check, and everything went flawlessly. I will do some accuracy testing this weekend when I get to the range, probably on Sunday afternoon.

 

[FuhQ]

Just ordered my 20 MOA base from CA website... Figured I'll be needing it if I want to really stretch it out to 200 yards or maybe farther.

 

[GNAP]

I shot all 3 of mine this morning at the range, I just mounted open/iron sight on the newest one (green). So I did the sighting in then, sho it along with the other 2. I shoot about 400 rounds of CCI HP mini-mags, without a single issue.

 

[GNAP]

Why I have 3 of the Christensen Arms Ranger 22s, is a somewhat long story, the short, short version is, the list for about $850/ea, I have about $1100 in all three of them.

 

[FuhQ]

Not sure if I'm getting to the range today or not, but we'll see... I was going to do some testing with the Arken SH4 on my 5R .260 Rem, and test the Ranger 22, but I just don't know... Still debating on getting up and going or not. I ended up having to work yesterday for 8 hours, so after a 60+ hour work week, laying around the house doing nothing sounds nice. LOL

I might end up just taking the .22's out there and plinking around, and worry about messing with the Arken and centerfires next week, or so.

 

[HPIguy]

I ended up having to work yesterday for 8 hours, so after a 60+ hour work week, laying around the house doing nothing sounds nice. LOL

It's been my on call week, and kind of a rough one at that. I've done nothing all weekend except work remotely a bit, and I gotta say, it's been nice.

 

[FuhQ]

It's been my on call week, and kind of a rough one at that. I've done nothing all weekend except work remotely a bit, and I gotta say, it's been nice.

Yep, makes the weekend go by WAY too fast, and you don't feel like doing shit because you're finally catching a break. I hate working weekends. But the OT is nice come pay day.

 

[FuhQ]

No work today, so I went to the range… Sighted in my new Arken SH4 on the .260 Rem, and my new Christensen Arms Ranger 22 rifle.

The Arken is a nice scope for the money. The glass is clear, the reticle is clear, the turrets are great, I’m happy and impressed. Will probably buy another one in the future.

The Christensen Arms Ranger 22 was definitely the star of the show today… It shot a sub-1/2 MOA (0.438") 3-shot group @ 100 yards, and a 1.2” 3-shot group @ 200 yards on steel plates with bulk pack CCI subsonics. Scrubbed and wet-patched the bore good before going to the range (I always do this on every new gun), and then put about 150-200 rounds through it today. Got it nice and broke-in. It really settled the groups down around 20 rounds or so in. After that it was a laser-beam.

Introduced another shooter to the fun world of suppressed bolt-action rimfires, and he says he’s probably going to get one of them now.

I didn’t bring any measuring equipment to the range, so I had to make-do with what I had, then come home and measure the measuring device for my group size. Not at all scientific, but it works. I need to start keeping a small ruler, or an extra set of cheap calipers, in my range bag for times like this.

Here’s the 0.438” group @ 100 right after sighting it in… I brought the sticky target back home with me on the side of an old Hornady .357 bullet box that I use to carry about 200 rounds of bulk 22 with me to the range (takes up less room in my bag than a bunch of boxes, or a big box...Locks itself closed, too.).

And here's the 1.2" 3-shot group @ 200 yards... You'll like my measuring device...I was able to measure on-centers, on-centers. It worked out perfectly.

 

[FuhQ]

Went to the range again today. Had to re-zero at 100, after removing my Vortex Viper HS 6-24x50 because the reticle is wiggling when you adjust the magnification ring. So I put my Viper HS-T 6-24x50 on it, so I can send back the other one for repair/replacement.

Here’s a couple 100 yard 3-shot groups that looks like 2-shot groups. The more I shoot this thing, the more impressed I get with it.

 

[j741]

How are the 5-shot groups? Open up much?

 

[FuhQ]

How are the 5-shot groups? Open up much?

Haven't really tried, but next time I go, I will get some.

 

[FuhQ]

Got off work early today, and was passing right by the local outdoors store, so I had to swing in there. They had some more bricks of CCI SV 1070 in stock, so I picked another one up. I'll be doing this a lot from now on, just because it's the cheapest thing for me to stock up on. Plus, now that I know all of my 22's love it, it will be my go-to "bulk" ammo from now on.

Also, they were sold out, but they still had one of the new FN 502 pistols in the back (waiting on a customer to come pick it up), so he showed it to me, since I haven't seen one in person yet. That thing is SWEET! I'm almost positive that will be my next rimfire purchase when they get more in stock. $499 is a steal for that gun!

 

[FuhQ]

 

[FuhQ]

Anyone else out there have one of these with good results?

 

[GNAP]

I have 3 of them (long story), I love mine, I have a black, a tan and a green one. The green one may be the best shooting rifle I own.

 

[FuhQ]

I have 3 of them (long story), I love mine, I have a black, a tan and a green one. The green one may be the best shooting rifle I own.

I'd probably pull the stock off the black or tan one and put it on the best shooting barreled action... I'm not a green fan.

 

[FuhQ]

Two weeks ago at the range I was getting some weird fliers and terrible groups... So I brough it home and ran a bore snake through it a few times, and last week at the range it shot WAY better. I normally break out the Pro-Shot rod and real brushes and jags, but it was just a quick afterthought to test to see if things improved at all, and they did...But still not as good as on a fully & properly brushed & patched bore. I'm hoping this one isn't picky. Maybe it's just the lead nose ammo? My whole life I've always shot copper-plated .22LR ammo, and never really had to clean them, and they've always shot well. Is lead nose ammo really that much nastier than copper-plated? Anyone else experienced this with their .22's?

I would just shoot copper-plated, but I can't find any copper subsonics to test for groups, and I'm not shooting my supersonics when I have a suppressor (kind of negates the point of having a suppressed .22 in the first place, in my opinion). Plus, it shoots the CCI SV 1070 really well. But I guess after 350-500 rounds, even the best .22LR barrel gets pretty nasty. LOL How many rounds does yall's rifles go before throwing shots and needing a good cleaning?

 

[Jdaniel344]

Just ordered my 20 MOA base from CA website... Figured I'll be needing it if I want to really stretch it out to 200 yards or maybe farther.

and why doesn't CA put that on as standard equipment?

 

[FuhQ]

and why doesn't CA put that on as standard equipment?

I don't know... I agree it's stupid. You buy an $800 .22 rifle, and they put a 0 MOA base on it?

But they know that people will buy it.

 

[Jdaniel344]

I was at our gun store today checking out the CA Ranger. Fit and finish could use some work. The bolt seemed smooth but opening and closing seemed very hard and stiff.
Will this go away with use?
For those that own and use this rifle is this typical?

 

[FuhQ]

I was at our gun store today checking out the CA Ranger. Fit and finish could use some work. The bolt seemed smooth but opening and closing seemed very hard and stiff.
Will this go away with use?
For those that own and use this rifle is this typical?

That is typical. Mine is the same way. Yes, it loosens up some over time, but not a lot.

Fit and finish are kind of lacking on mine, as well, but it shoots really good, so... It is what it is.

 

[wyliecoyote]

So, after having read some reviews, I took a chance on this Ranger 22 and all I can say is what a pile of shee-ite . . . first trip out to the range it couldn’t even get through a mag loaded with 5 rounds without at least one or two failures to eject. That’s with three different types of ammo. Really sucks when you drop $800 and get results like that. Does Christensen have you ship it back to them to get it fixed? The bolt tolerances on mine are REALLY sloppy and it looks like the ejector barely makes contact with the casing on the way back. Gritty, rough, trashy, feel to cycling on the bolt. Quite disappointing to say the least.

 

[FuhQ]

So, after having read some reviews, I took a chance on this Ranger 22 and all I can say is what a pile of shee-ite . . . first trip out to the range it couldn’t even get through a mag loaded with 5 rounds without at least one or two failures to eject. That’s with three different types of ammo. Really sucks when you drop $800 and get results like that. Does Christensen have you ship it back to them to get it fixed? The bolt tolerances on mine are REALLY sloppy and it looks like the ejector barely makes contact with the casing on the way back. Gritty, rough, trashy, feel to cycling on the bolt. Quite disappointing to say the least.

First, I'd give CA a call and tell them what's going on, then let them tell you how to proceed... Fairly straight-forward process.

Also, sounds like you got one of the first-run models. Mine is a recent production, and has had zero issues and performed flawlessly. The bolt isn't butter-smooth like a custom 700 clone, but it's nowhere near like you describe. CA should have no issue repairing/replacing it.

 

[wyliecoyote]

So, after having read some reviews, I took a chance on this Ranger 22 and all I can say is what a pile of shee-ite . . . first trip out to the range it couldn’t even get through a mag loaded with 5 rounds without at least one or two failures to eject. That’s with three different types of ammo. Really sucks when you drop $800 and get results like that. Does Christensen have you ship it back to them to get it fixed? The bolt tolerances on mine are REALLY sloppy and it looks like the ejector barely makes contact with the casing on the way back. Gritty, rough, trashy, feel to cycling on the bolt. Quite disappointing to say the least.

Well, I'm happy to report that Christensen Arms did right by me after I sent it back to them for repairs. Their customer service was outstanding and they had it back to me in a little over a week, much of which included the Thanksgiving weekend. Shipping was paid for and there was even a bonus mag when it got back to me (I sent it back without one). On the range today, there were no hiccups with four different types of ammo and it shot quite nicely. With it working smoothly now, it's going to be quite an awesome, light weight, little rifle to enjoy.

 

[FuhQ]

Well, I'm happy to report that Christensen Arms did right by me after I sent it back to them for repairs. Their customer service was outstanding and they had it back to me in a little over a week, much of which included the Thanksgiving weekend. Shipping was paid for and there was even a bonus mag when it got back to me (I sent it back without one). On the range today, there were no hiccups with four different types of ammo and it shot quite nicely. With it working smoothly now, it's going to be quite an awesome, light weight, little rifle to enjoy.

That’s good to hear. Post up some groups and your distances. Give the CCI Standard Velocity 1070 FPS a try. Mine really likes that stuff.

 

[wyliecoyote]

That’s good to hear. Post up some groups and your distances. Give the CCI Standard Velocity 1070 FPS a try. Mine really likes that stuff.

I definitely will! First trip out to the range after being repaired, I was more concerned with functionality and had lots of other rifles to attend to. Don't get too many days here in NM without wind. Thanks for the tip on the CCI, I've got some of it on hand.

 

[GNAP]

I hope your shoots well with the CCI SV, my 3 Ranger 22s, all have issues with it, I would rather shoot Thunderbolts. My SV targets look like shoot gun pattern test and very inconsistent. I have samples from multiple lots and it all shoots like crap, in every rifle I own. They seem to shoot just about everything better

 

[FuhQ]

I hope your shoots well with the CCI SV, my 3 Ranger 22s, all have issues with it, I would rather shoot Thunderbolts. My SV targets look like shoot gun pattern test and very inconsistent. I have samples from multiple lots and it all shoots like crap, in every rifle I own. They seem to shoot just about everything better

Mine is the opposite... It shoots bulk pack like shit. My Valquartsen 10/22 barrel does fine with Federal bulk pack 1250 FPS, but not as good as it does with CCI SV. It printed a nice 1.5" 10-shot group @ 100 yards about a month ago. I haven't had it back to the range since. But the Ranger 22 still loves the CCI SV. Every gun is different...Just like centerfires. That's why we handload ammo for them.

Also, I'll never shoot Remington .22 ammo again, and haven't for about 20 years. It's never reliably cycled in any semi-auto I've had. It was crap then, and it's crap now. I refuse to use their primers, even if I can't find anything else.

 

[GNAP]

Mine is the opposite... It shoots bulk pack like shit. My Valquartsen 10/22 barrel does fine with Federal bulk pack 1250 FPS, but not as good as it does with CCI SV. It printed a nice 1.5" 10-shot group @ 100 yards about a month ago. I haven't had it back to the range since. But the Ranger 22 still loves the CCI SV. Every gun is different...Just like centerfires. That's why we handload ammo for them.

Also, I'll never shoot Remington .22 ammo again, and haven't for about 20 years. It's never reliably cycled in any semi-auto I've had. It was crap then, and it's crap now. I refuse to use their primers, even if I can't find anything else.

I’m hoping that now Vista Outdoors, who owns CCI and Federal and now also the Remington ammo business, that the Remington 22LR ammo quality will be closer to the Federal or CCI standards, I can hope.

I traded almost all of my CCI SV even up for mini-mags last week, both of us are happy.

 

[FuhQ]

I’m hoping that now Vista Outdoors, who owns CCI and Federal and now also the Remington ammo business, that the Remington 22LR ammo quality will be closer to the Federal or CCI standards, I can hope.

I traded almost all of my CCI SV even up for mini-mags last week, both of us are happy.

Yep. I'm hoping Vista will improve lots of things about Remington. I'm a huge lifelong 700 fanboy, but over the last 10+ years, their QC went to shit. I hated seeing them bankrupt, but Freedom Group is ran by a bunch of anti-gun dicks, so what do you expect? They did their job of destroying America's oldest gun maker. I hope Vista turns them back into a top-notch company, like they did with Savage and several others that were circling the drain prior to Vista takeover.

 

[FuhQ]

Thinking I might go sling some lead downrange with the .22's tomorrow, since I took off from today through after Christmas. Shouldn't be too many folks there on a Friday mid-morning. I should pretty much have the "long range" (100/200) to myself.

 

[FuhQ]

A friend of mine purchased one recently. it seems to be very well put together and function as intended

I've thoroughly enjoyed mine. It's the most accurate .22LR rifle I've ever owned. With 2+ second flight times sending CCI SV ammo @ 200 yards, and was able to put down a 1.2" group... That's unheard of. Doesn't take much wind to create havoc in 2 seconds at subsonic velocities with a little 40gr lead bullet with basically zero BC.

I highly recommend them. I've let several people at the range shoot mine (suppressed) for the first time, and you should see their face when their very first shot with it, is at 200 yards, and they hit a 5" gong on a challenge tree and hear that ding. It's usually followed by "Holy shit!" And that's when I tell them to go ahead and empty the mag. By the time 10 rounds has been shot, they're hooked. It usually ends with them talking about going and buying one, and then asking about suppressors and how the suppressor process works, etc... It's sharing knowledge and opening people's eyes to new things in the shooting world, that this sport is all about.

 

[FuhQ]

Think I'll go to the range in the morning... If not, Saturday and/or Sunday for sure. It's been a while, and due to family stuff and life, I haven't been able to get out there this entire time I've been off work since the 16th...