Winchester Wildcat Shadow 22 LR 18" 10rd Rifle

The Wildcat is Winchester's rimfire autoloader and the Shadow version drops the two tone look for an all black package. The receiver is polymer, which keeps the weight down and lets Winchester mold in features that would cost money to machine. The barrel is button rifled with a recessed target crown under a matte blued finish. A 10rd rotary magazine feeds it, and the rifle also accepts aftermarket 10/22 magazines, so a huge existing supply of spare magazines and drums works on it from day one.

Takedown is the Wildcat's best trick. The trigger group and bolt come out as a single assembly at the push of a button, which means the receiver and chamber can be cleaned from the rear without drifting a single pin. The stock is molded black polymer with front and rear sling eyelets and a Picatinny rail on the underside of the forearm, covered with a rail cover when it is not carrying a bipod or a light. Controls are ambidextrous, including a reversible magazine release. Operation is straight blowback, the same simple system that has kept 22 LR rifles running for a century. As a first rifle, a plinker, or a cheap trainer that mirrors a bigger gun's controls, it is a lot of rifle for very little fuss.