I’m Kevin Estela, and if you’ve followed my work with Target Sports USA for any length of time, you know I don’t hand out the word “favorite” lightly. But today, out at Coleman’s Creek with the temperature pushing 95 degrees, I want to talk about a rifle that has earned that title fair and square: the X-Ring Takedown by Tactical Solutions.
I’ve owned a lot of rimfire rifles over the years. I’ve carried tiny survival guns and youth-sized .22s into the backcountry, and while they all have their place, I keep coming back to this one. It doesn’t feel like a compromise. It feels like a real rifle that happens to shoot .22LR.
Built for the Field, Not Just the Bench
Let’s start at the muzzle, because that’s where a lot of the personality of this rifle lives. The barrel is threaded and ships with a thread protector, which matters to me because I almost never shoot it unsuppressed anymore. Today I’ve got a Tiger Suppressor from B&T running on it. It is made out of titanium, so it saves weight where it counts. The barrel itself is a stainless steel insert wrapped in an aluminum body, which gives me the stiffness and accuracy of a heavier barrel without actually hauling the weight of one.
Moving back, I keep it simple: a Wilderness Tactical sling, rigged up with paracord and a bungee cord so nothing rattles or flops around when I’m moving through the woods. Up top is a Vortex Crossfire red dot. With a rimfire like this, I don’t want to be aiming a dot, I want to be shooting the dot. Single sighting plane, superimpose it on the target, press the trigger. That’s it.
Takedown Design That Actually Works
The name isn’t just marketing, this rifle really does break down into two pieces at a takedown latch, and it’s fast. I can have it in two parts or reassembled and ready to load in seconds. The magazine release is an extended paddle, so there’s no fumbling for it, and the bolt handle is extended too, which makes charging the rifle effortless.
Then there’s the trigger. I don’t think enough people talk about how good this trigger is. It breaks clean, no creep, no mush, and for a semi-auto rimfire, the accuracy that comes out of that trigger is honestly ridiculous.
The stock is a Hogue, branded with the Tactical Solutions crest, and I specifically like the rugged overmold on it. When your hands are soaked in sweat, creek water, or whatever it might be, that grip stays put. That’s not a small thing when you’re actually out using a rifle instead of just admiring it.
Feeding It Right
My ammunition of choice, without question, is CCI Mini-Mag, the 36-grain hollow point. I load it into the box magazine, which is Tactical Solutions’ upgraded take on the classic Ruger 10/22-style magazine. It’s aluminum, it’s heavier, and it’s more expensive than a standard mag, but you get what you pay for. It holds 10 rounds, same as the original, and if I ever need more capacity, the rifle still runs fine with a larger banana magazine from Ruger.
Putting It to Work
Out here at Coleman’s Creek, there’s a range of little steel spoon poppers set out at 45 to 50 yards, plus some reduced-size targets stretched out toward 100 yards. With the suppressor on and the rifle loaded, I went to work on them, including a couple of shots I’d call genuinely hard, needing real hold-over to connect. This rifle just makes that kind of precision feel accessible.
Why This Is the One I Keep Reaching For
This isn’t a rifle I bought and shelved. It’s been to Alaska with me. It’s been all over the United States. Anytime I’m heading into the backcountry on a remote trip, this X-Ring Takedown is coming with me, almost always paired with CCI Mini-Mag ammo.
It’s accurate, it’s lightweight for what it offers, it’s comfortable to shoot for hours, and it carries a full-size rifle profile, no tiny survival-gun feel, no youth-rifle compromise. If you want one rimfire that does it all, from casual plinking to serious backcountry companion duty, I can’t recommend Tactical Solutions enough. They’re a great American company out of Boise, Idaho, and this rifle is proof of what they do best.
Until next time, stay safe on the range, and happy shooting.
— Kevin Estela
Kevin Estela is the Owner of Kevin Estela, LLC. He is the best-selling author of 101 Skills You Need to Survive in the Woods and Beyond the Field. Estela has been a professional bushcraft and survival instructor since 2007 and has a background in teaching high school history. He has been featured on the History Channel, Weather Channel, and Outdoor Channel along with numerous podcasts. Estela has authored hundreds of articles for over two dozen publications and multiple blogs. He is a consultant and product designer for various outdoor product companies and has product collaborations with multiple reputable brands. Estela has trained pistol, rifle, shotgun, and precision rifle at multiple shooting schools, has an extensive martial arts background, and is an instructor with Obsidian Spear Group. He resides in Moore County, North Carolina and his website is kevinestela.com He can be found on social media @estelawilded.
