The Ruger Charger 22 Pistol
You know those times when you are out plinking or small game hunting and you find yourself wanting a more accurate little 22handgun than what you have. If only they made a pistol version of the 10/22 rifle then the whole world would be different right. Well, about that…
In 2007, Ruger came out with a legal short-barreled rifle that anyone could own without a tax stamp. They took their tried and true 10/22 rifle design, and then produced it in a pistol-only receiver without a buttstock. This avoided the dreaded ‘Short Barreled Rifle’ label that was cooked up by the 1934 National Firearms Act. To keep future crooks like the Prohibition-era Bonnie and Clyde from getting their hands on chopped down rifles, the government set an impossibly high (for 1934) $200 tax on these guns. Well the tax is still somewhat high today, not to mention the regulation and drama associated with Class III weapons, thus killing off their popularity.
However, since Ruger built the new gun from the ground up as a pistol and it never had a buttstock attached to it; it was still a pistol that could be sold to anyone who could legally own one without any $200 ball and chain.
Read the rest in my article at Ruger Talk