If you are looking for a quality, light-weight rifle for small game hunting capable of target-grade accuracy, look no further than Christensen Arms’ Ranger .22.
The hunter didn’t have far to go. He took a seat on his back porch steps in the predawn blackness, a cup of steamy coffee sat on the top step beside him to his right and a new .22 rifle to his left.
As the moments ticked by, one, followed by two, and then three green walnuts met their demise as hungry bushytails’ staccato gnawing rained shards of walnut husks and shells through the overhead leaves in the nearby woods that began mere feet from the back steps. Moonless, pitch blackness finally surrendered. Cup empty, the hunter hefted the rifle and slid the bolt closed, chambering a round. A quick glance back over his shoulder, he smiled at the two fogged spots on the back door’s lower glass. Two Labrador retrievers sat like stone except for their tails sweeping arcs across the floor, yearning to join in.
The tool that transformed a mere walk in the woods that morning to a hunt was Christensen Arms’ Ranger .22. A lover of fine .22 rifles, I’ve owned Anschutz and CZ rifles that I’ve enjoyed. Even better, such American-made classics as Winchester’s Model 52s, or Remington’s Model 37 Rangemaster, and later models, provided iconic style.
As I crept along a dark trail beneath oaks, hickories and walnut trees, I didn’t have to go very far before I felt the first spider web. Switching from a casual over-the-shoulder carry, I placed the butt of the rifle on my right hip. The muzzle, pointed up at a 45-degree angle, plowed through spider webs as I ghosted along. It’s funny what runs through one’s mind on an early-morning trek. Wiping the sticky webs from my face, I’m sure my expression went from grimace to a grin in an instant when the line from a song, “I don’t like spiders or snakes,” came to mind.
Stopping beneath a tree that I suspected held a bushytail I had heard gnawing the nut earlier, I played more of the Jim Stafford hit song in my head while my eyes scanned from branch to fork to trunk and back for something that was out of place. I finally found a round shape that was out of place among the straight lines of branches and tree trunks. He was sitting in a fork, frozen. I flipped up the scope lens covers on the Bushnell Engage scope I had mounted on the Ranger .22. Planting the crosshairs on the squirrel’s throat, I applied more and more pressure on the trigger until the sear broke. The rifle “coughed,” when the Remington subsonic round left the business end of the AAC suppressor mounted on the Ranger. The report of the rifle was quieter than the sound of the “thunk” when bullet met squirrel Number 1 of the morning.
Meandering a few hundred yards over the next 90 minutes I managed to find and dispatch a couple more bushytails. As I eased into a cedar and oak thicket I hadn’t yet visited since buying the farm in 2012, I spied a long-discarded, leaf-covered pile of bottles and cans. Walking closer, I rolled over a can with the toe of my boot and made out a faded “Falls City Beer.” The can was as old as this writer, and I recalled reading somewhere that this was the Louisville, Kentucky, brewery that earned a small bit of fame when it made and distributed “Billy Beer,” in an attempt to capitalize on then President Jimmy Carter’s beer-swilling brother. That was the regional brewery’s last gasp, since they closed their doors for good in 1978.
Moments later, darkening skies started unloading their wet burden. I moved to lower the scope covers and realized that the rear one was missing. I started my back-track, alternately scanning the trees and ground along my back trail.
Gun Details
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve gone over the new Christensen Ranger rimfire inch by inch, inside and out, to learn its potential. It’s a light-weight rig, thanks in no small part to a heavy profile carbon fiber “tensioned” barrel. A benefit of the hand lapping the barrel got at the factory was evident when I cleaned it during break-in. It required a small number of patches soaked in Hoppes to come clean.
In addition to lapping, the barrel’s chamber is cut with a Bentz Match profile. The Bentz chamber is designed to be tighter than a standard .22 LR chamber, but is not as tight as a true match chamber. Specifically, a Sporting chamber measures 0.7751 in length, while a Bentz measures 0.6900 of an inch, and a true Match chamber measures 0.6876. The Chamber mouth cut by a Sporting reamer measures 0.2307, a Bentz is 0.2270, and a Match is slightly tighter at 0.2267. A Sporting chamber’s throat measures 0.2270, the Bentz is tighter at 0.2255, while a Match chamber is tighter yet at 0.2248. A Bentz chamber also has a 1.5 degree taper at the throat.
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t have the previous chamber dimensions memorized, and got the data courtesy of the forum on rimfirecentral.com. What I do know is that a Bentz chamber is a compromise between a Sporting and Match chamber. The Bentz chamber is also referred to as a semi-auto match chamber, since a true Match chamber in a semi will create some extraction issues.
One thing to keep in mind is that not all .22 ammo will fit in a Bentz chamber. CCI Quick Shok, CCI Stinger and CCI LR Shotshell are all too long to chamber… properly. These actually have longer cases, which will be deformed in a Bentz chamber. On some rifles, you may also be able get an out-of-battery discharge if you slam the bolt closed hard enough.
Another premium for the Ranger’s barrel is a muzzle threaded 1/2 x 28. I took advantage of the feature and attached an Advanced Armament Corporation Pilot suppressor.
Moving to the action, this rifle trims weight with an aluminum receiver. The bolt has dual ejectors, and dual opposing locking lugs. An integral 0 MOA optic rail gives a secure footing to your favorite scope. The bolt handle is threaded. To light the fire, a Trigger Tech Rem 700-style fire control unit is utilized. When removing the barreled action from the stock, instructions are printed on the trigger unit that it can be adjusted between 2 ½ and 5 pounds of pull. Try as I might, I was never able to adjust and drop trigger pull weight below 3 ½ pounds. Ruger 10/22 magazines are compatible with the Ranger, and a factory Ruger magazine was included. The action wears a black anodized finish.
Taking Stock
Mounted beneath is bottom metal with a paddle-type magazine release, and mags drop free with a simple press forward. The rest of the carbon fiber composite stock offers a lot. At the aft, a rubber recoil pad doesn’t really mitigate nearly non-existent recoil, but it does help keep the butt planted in the shoulder pocket without slipping.
The stock feels good in the hands; the reason being is that it has a palm swell, which not only correctly positions a large hand to reach the trigger at an optimal place, it gives a bit of leverage to improve trigger press. It’s versatile, too. It mounts on the shoulder well, and rides a rest and bags precisely by virtue of a flat forend. Once you’re set on the front rest the off hand can utilize the palm hook to further steady the rifle.
This rig is made to withstand the elements, and it looks pretty cool. It’s offered in black with gray webbing, and the other option is like the tan stock with black webbing like the one tested for this review.
Trigger Time
All of the accuracy features found in this rifle help build toward the factory’s sub-MOA guarantee, which is that it will put three rounds inside a 0.524-inch circle at 50 yards. Company representative Dave Melton further qualified their accuracy guarantee that premium match ammo, either 40-grain Eley Tenex, or SK Rifle Match Lead Round Nose, provided their guaranteed accuracy.
All that being said, I didn’t have any of the high-dollar match ammo on hand for testing. I had seven different loads of standard and subsonic ammo with which I punched paper and bagged a few bushytails.
Testing wasn’t as flawless as I expected from a rifle with a $799 price tag, but a quick trip back to the factory in Utah fixed the issues. It was back in my hands a week later. While I was attending Athlon’s editorial Rendezvous, I happened on some Lapua Center-X target ammo and brought home a couple boxes. Once I got back on the range and ran some of the Lapua ammo through this rifle it not only met but exceeded Christensen Arms’ accuracy expectation. The smallest 5-shot group measured 0.371, with the next group going 0.376. Not bad for a 50-yard group, and certainly small enough to dot a squirrel’s eye. Check out the accompanying chart to see how different loads measured up.
The scope cover lost on my first foray for squirrels stayed that way, but I did find a quality firearm in the Christensen Arms Ranger .22. If you are looking for a quality, light-weight rifle for small game hunting capable of target-grade accuracy, look no further.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Manufacturer: Christensen Arms
- Model: Ranger
- Caliber .22 LR Bentz Chamber
- Barrel: 18-ins. CA Carbon Fiber
- Stock: Carbon composite
- Weight: 5.1 pounds
- Capacity: 10-round Ruger rotary magazine
- Cost: $799 MSRP
PERFORMANCE
| Brand/Load | Velocity | Accuracy |
| Lapua Center-X 40 gr. | 1,053 | 0.371 |
| Remington Target 40 gr. | 1,108 | 0.838 |
| Remington Subsoinc HP 40 gr. | 1,025 | 0.688 |
| Winchester Super-X 40 gr. | 1,227 | 0.794 |
| Winchester Tin HP 26 gr. | 1,604 | 0.764 |
| Federal Lightning 40 gr. | 1,200 | 0.924 |
| CCI Stinger 32 gr. | 1,621 | 0.731 |
| Aguilla SuperExtra 40 gr. | 1,017 | 1.284 |
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