Twin Engine

This handy rifle uses two of those “regular” CO2 cartridges, butt-to-butt to provide the oomph for a respectable number of shots at over 600 feet-per-second. To install, just remove the butt pad, use the included (and handily mounted) wrench to tighten new canisters into place and break the seals.

When you open up the Umarex Ruger 10/22, you’ll feel right at home with the brass bead front sight and the flip-up leaf rear sight mounted just forward of the receiver. If you want to add optics to your air carbine, it’s easy — the Umarex Ruger 10/22 receiver is already tapped. Holes and threads are compatible with the rimfire model so you can pick up a rail at the Ruger store or use a compatible aftermarket version. Check before buying other gear because there are obvious architectural differences between the two rifles, at least on the inside.

Loading the Umarex Ruger 10/22 will be a familiar operation. A 10-pellet rotary magazine, nearly identical to the real one, installs and drops from its housing forward of the trigger guard. One notable difference is the air 10/22 uses a disc magazine inside of a magazine to hold the pellets in position. It’s a bit like pellet-powered Inception — a magazine within a magazine.

Once you’re ready to fire, you’ll find another slight operational difference. The air Ruger can be fired single-action with a 3-lb. trigger weight but you must retract the bolt before each shot. Note you don’t have to operate this bolt, however. A heavier press on the trigger will rotate the next pellet into place and fire the shot, like the operation of a double-action revolver.