7/3/16 - The Titan 1022 Precision Rimfire Stock from Victor Company USA is an affordable precision solution for 10/22 owners. It offers the rigidity and quality of higher end precision rifle stocks without breaking the bank.

Background - The Ruger 10/22 rifle is America's most popular semi-automatic rimfire rifle, in continuous production since 1964. The 10/22 with its plain walnut stock had been the first semi-automatic rifle for many a teenager. When I was 16, the 10/22 was the logical choice for a first semi-auto rifle, being cheap (they used to cost about $125 at the local sporting good store), cheap to shoot (remember cheap bricks of .22 LR?) and just helluva lot of fun to shoot. Over the past few decades, the variety of aftermarket accessories for this humble but proven platform has grown steadily, with replacements and upgrades for just about every part on the rifle. What used to be a $200 rifle can easily end up costing a grand, with the addition of a precision barrel, aftermarket trigger assembly, stock and optic.

Victor Company USA was founded in 2010 by Michael Victor (who I've actually been shooting with since 2007), and is dedicated to bringing the highest quality innovation to precision armament.

Description - The Titan 1022 is designed for the Ruger 10/22 rifle, and comes nicely packaged in an attractive cardboard box with open mid-section. The stock is held in the box at both ends with foam blocks, to prevent any movement. The Titan is currently available in Black and Flat Dark Earth (shown here). The stock is made of a highly rigid and tough nylon/fiberglass composite, unlike the more flexible nylon stocks available on the market. This material has almost no flex, which makes it a logical choice for precision shooting. The entire stock has a fine non-reflective texture.

The Titan isn't just a synthetic version of a standard hunting-style stock; it looks and feels like a high-end tactical stock for a precision bolt-action rifle. It features a more vertical 'pistol style' grip than a standard stock, which provides a more straight-back pull on the trigger than a traditional style stock. The Titan also features an elevated comb for better cheek weld with optics. Most, if not all users of the Titan will be using magnified optics. The Titan is ambidextrous; which is a must for me as I'm left-handed. Michael Victor happens to be a lefty as well.

The fore end tapers slightly from about 1.9" wide at the rear to 1.8" at the front, and has a flat bottom. The bottom is also angled up slightly. Both the pistol grip and fore end are textured with little raised dots for positive manipulation in all environments. Overall length is about 30.5". Length of pull (trigger to butt pad) is 14". Weight of the stock is 2.95 lbs.

The inside of the fore end is hollowed out for weight savings, with structural ribs that provide stiffness. The fore end features flush mount QD sling swivel cups on both sides, and two standard sling swivel studs on the bottom. Having two studs is nice, as the front one can be used for a Harris bipod while the rear is used for a sling. There are three threaded inserts embedded into the fore end, and the swivel stud and be mounted in any of them. They can also be used to mount an optional mini picatinny rail. The magazine well at the bottom of the stock is toleranced generously with extra clearance on either side so magazines drop freely when released.

The rubber butt pad with waffle pattern ensures secure placement in the shoulder pocket and comfort. QD sling swivel cups are embedded into the rear of the stock on each side, and a standard sling swivel stud is provided at the bottom. The bottom of the butt is flat for rear sand bag placement and also has a hook for controlling the rifle with the support hand by pulling it into the shoulder when using a front rest or bipod.

The barreled receiver is secured to the Titan by the 'Anchor Lock System', which is comprised of hardened aluminum 6061 bedding blocks in the front and rear of the receiver. The front bed engages the receiver at the front mounting screw location while the rear bed anchors the back of the trigger guard assembly.

I actually don't own a Ruger 10/22. Instead, I have an AMT (Arcadia Machine and Tool) Lightning 25/22 that I got back in 1985. The AMT Lightning is a clone of the 10/22 in stainless steel, which prompted a lawsuit from Ruger that caused them to discontinue the line in 1994. I had replaced the original trigger guard assembly with a standard Ruger one as the old one had some issues. Anyway, shown below is the barreled action after removing it from the original AMT folding stock. It's got an inexpensive Bushnell 4x scope on it. The Lightning has an integrated dovetail on top of the receiver for mounting rimfire scopes.

Installation - With the standard Ruger 10/22 and the Lightning, the barreled action is secured to the stock by the receiver screw and a clamp band on the fore end which goes around the barrel. Since the Titan free floats the barrel, it has no barrel clamp and utilizes the rear aluminum anchor instead. The barreled action is tilted down at the rear and slid into the Titan stock. The barrel is lowered into the barrel chamber. The action screw is installed and torqued to 20 in-lbs. A check for movement is then performed by pressing down on top of the barrel while grasping the front of the stock, and feeling whether the rear of the receiver lifts up at the rear (the photo with the red arrow). If no movement is felt, nothing more needs to be done. If some movement is present, then the Anchor Lock Screw is then used.

The Anchor Lock Screw is a nylon tipped set screw, and is installed into the rear aluminum anchor by first removing the barreled action. Note that the safety needs to be slid halfway between safe and fire to clrear the bottom of the stock. Using the supplied hex wrench, the screw is turned until it protrudes from the bottom about 0.5mm. The barreled action is then re-installed and checked for movement again. If there is still some movement, remove the barreled action, and turn the screw 1/4 turn clockwise and repeat the process. I was able to estimate the amount of screw adjustment by observing the amount of movement up and down in the rear and only had to perform two iterations. I also put blue loctite on the screw. Remember to put the safety button in the halfway position between 'safe' and 'fire' when removing the action from the stock, so that it clears the stock.

The barrel channel on the Titan is generous, and will accomodate heavy barrels up to 0.920" in diameter. I did notice that the barrel was off-centered in the stock channel. It was off center to the left by about .05". Digging into it further, I found out that this is a pretty common manufacturing defect with Ruger receivers having the counterbore drilled canted off-center. Surprisingly, the same phenomenon was present in my AMT Lightning 10/22 clone. This is an issue that Victor Company is aware of - more information here. This is of no concern unless you have a bull barrel that's large enough to contact the side of the stock channel. Measure your receiver and barrel on a flat surface and make sure that it's true if you encounter this issue when installing it into a Titan stock.

The different sling mounting options already built into the Titan will accommodate a wide variety of slings. Also available separately is the Titan Stackable Cheekrest. The cheekrest is a user installed, light weight adjustable-height rest that provides up to three different heights. The cheekrest body is 0.35' tall, and the two stackable spacers each add .20". The kit comes with a 5/32" drill bit, a #2 drive phillips power bit, and screws. The Titan cheekrest is intended for the Titan stock of course, but also fits the Boyd's Tacticool 10/22 stock and the rubber overmolded Hogue 10/22 stock. I found that the cheek rest itself without the additional spacers put my eye at the perfect height for the scope. Without the cheek rest, the comb of the stock is low enough to use the original rifle's iron sights, which are very low.

Stackable cheekrest contents

Cheekrest and spacers

Spacers nested inside

Can be installed fore or aft on comb

Holes drilled

Cheek rest installed

3 different heights

The cheek rest is installed by drilling two holes into the top of the stock and securing it with the provided screws. To install the cheek rest, place it on the comb of the Titan stock. It can be adjusted fore or aft depending on the user's preference. I suggest experimenting with it in different positions before drilling the holes. Victor Company suggests that most users are happy with the front of the cheek rest placed about 1.25" from the front of the comb. The cheek rest is taped in place (using masking tape, etc) and the two holes drilled using the cheek rest as a template. The spacers are installed as needed, providing three different height options. It's a perfect fit on the Titan, as expected.

Another accessory is the Mini Picatinny Rail with Quick Detach Mount. This is an aluminum mini rail with QD sling mount, and is hard anodized. It mounts to the two inserts at the bottom of the fore end, and comes with two mounting screws. The front swivel stud is simply unscrewed and the rail installed on the flat. Note that the rail is angled up with the bottom of the fore arm; it is not parallel to the barrel. It's not an issue when using it with a light.

Notes and Observations - I was really impressed with the Victor Company Titan stock from the packaging and presentation to the overall look, feel, quality and design of the unit. I was also glad to see that the Flat Dark Earth colour wasn't just tan renamed 'FDE' because it's the trendy thing to do. I foudn the ergonomics of the stock to be very good; the 14" length of pull feels just right for me, and should fit a wide range of shooters. Adjustable length of pull with buttpad spacers would be a 'nice to have', but that would also add cost. As expected, the stock feels completely solid, and there's no discernable flex or twist in the fore arm when shouldering it firmly. The buttpad is comfortable and secure in the shoulder pocket.

I did move my scope more forward than shown in the photos after trying out the stock in different positions. The original folding stock on the Lightning was actually a bit longer. Being a lefty, I appreciate the ambidextrous design of the grip, and the multiple sling mounting options. The mini rail is nice, but I feel that its utility would be increased if it were parallel with the bore so that lights or aiming devices can be used. I really like that the Titan uses threaded inserts for the sling swivel studs instead of using wood-screw coarse thread studs like some other stocks.

While there are synthetic stocks that cost less than the Titan, the Titan with all its features is aimed more at the precision 10/22 shooter than the average plinker. However, I'd argue that the regular plinker or hunter would appreciate the Titan over a cheap nylon stock. For the custom 10/22 crowd, it's another quality option that helps extract the most accuracy from the rifle by providing a good, solid platform.