The ACCULITE 10/22
MRI Puts A New Twist On A Classic .22 Rimfire Semiauto

Shooting Times
May, 1998
by Dick Metcalf
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"In terms of inherent mechanical capabilities, the ACCULITE graphite barrel system offers the best accuracy with the least amount of weight for serious .22 rimfire autoloader shooters."



One sure indication that a firearm design has reached "classic" status is the number of times it is cloned or imitated by other manufacturers. The current "10/22 Graze" is fair proof that Bill Ruger's famed .22 LR semiauto rifle has reached that level long since. The present shooting sports marketplace is packed with variations on the 10/22 theme, including a huge list of different wood? laminated, and synthetic aftermarket stock designs; aftermarket accessories including magazines, barrels, and sights; and complete rifle packages from some of the nation's best-known and highly regarded gunsmiths and manufacturing firms.
 
One of the newest and most impressively integrated of these custom 10/22 packages is the ACCULITE rifle offered by Magnum Research Inc. (MRI) of Minneapolis.
 
First renowned back in the 1980s for its massive gas-operated Desert Eagle magnum semiauto pistols, MRI has over the years expanded its purview to offer an impressive array of varied firearms products- at one time or another offering made-in-the-U.S.A. polymer-frame .22 semiauto pistols, singleshot rotary-action hunting handguns, bolt-action centerfire rifles, and bigbore revolvers as well as various import guns. As company founder John Risdall puts it, "We want to make money, but we want to have fun doing it." The ACCULITE may be MRI's most fun gun yet.
 
In its essence the MRI ACCULITE is a basic Ruger 10/22 action fitted with a revolutionary graphite carbon- fiber bull barrel bedded in a custom stock. There are several stock-package options available as well as custom upgrades. The basic version features a Hogue OverMolded rubber stock. Also available are three different laminated Reinhardt Fajen configurations, the high-comb Hi-Stock Sporter Stock, the Thumbhole Sporter Stock, and the Thumbhole Silhouette Stock, all offered in a choice of dark black/gray "Midnight" or brown/amber "Coffee" color effect. The most rakish-appearing package utilizes Turner's camo-laminate (green/brown) "Barracuda" stock, which features a near-vertical-grip thumbhole design with skeletonized shoulder stock and massively oversize beavertail forend. Other exotic stock styles may well be available in the future. Complete rifle prices run from about $600 to about $800, depending on specific package features.
 
In addition, MRI offers Clark Custom upgrades, either as individual component aftermarket accessories or installed by the company's gunsmiths as part of the package. These individually include a Clark Deluxe Trigger Kit ($65), Clark Tuned Extractor ($10), and Clark Bolt Release ($ 1 0). If installed on a rifle as a complete custom package, all three Clark upgrades add $130 to the cost of a gun, but if you're looking for peak performance (and unless you are a skilled custom-capable gunsmith yourself), it's worth it.
 
THE HEART OF THE ACCULITE SYSTEM

The ACCULITE graphite carbon fiber barrel features an 11-degree
recessed crown and integral compensator at the muzzle.
 

 
The heart of the system, and what makes the ACCULITE rifle unique among all other .22 rimfire rifles today, is the barrel. Constructed of patented unidirectional carbon-fiber around a stainless-steel bore sleeve, the 16. 75- inch-long, .920-inch-diameter bull- dimension ACCULITE graphite barrel is six times stiffer than steel and weighs only 13.04 ounces that's 75 percent lighter than a comparable steel barrel. The key property here is the unidirectional aspect. Graphite carbon-fiber structural materials are nothing new in themselves these days (think bicycle frames, golf clubs, aircraft components), even in firearms, but previous "spun carbon" technology is based on an overlapping, webbed, multidirectional fiber matrix. The unidirectional fiber construction of the ACCULITE barrel is much, much stiffer, which is much, much better for a firearm's barrel application, where flex, whip, or vibration is detrimental to accuracy (the shaft of a golf club should flex; a rifle barrel should not). In addition, the design of the ACCULITE barrel features an integrated compensator at the muzzle to eliminate even the last vestiges of barrel rise, and the muzzle has an 11-degree target crown.
 
Another highly beneficial aspect of the ACCULITE design is the fact that graphite dissipates heat 43 percent faster than steel (in standard 500round/20-minute tests), making the system incredibly coo,, even in rapid semiauto fire. This makes for an impressive overall package. Traditionally, accuracy shooters needed a heavy full diameter barrel to provide stiffness and dissipate heat to maximize inherent accuracy and prevent the barrel from "wandering" as its dimensions changed with temperature change. The ACCULITE has the "look" of a traditional steel varmint bull-barrel configuration but is ultra-light and ultra-cool at the same time. It offers a fat barrel that handles like a slim smarter. And its almost one-inch diameter is carefully specced to be "drop-in" for most currently popular aftermarket 10/22 accessory stocks (as well as the standard Ruger factory stock for target- barrel versions), and the breech end is individually match-chambered to a very high tolerance (yet allows most .22 LR ammo to feed reliably) and machined for precision receiver fit . And MRI will sell you the barrel standing alone for about $270, if you want to have your local gunsmith install it in your own gun.

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Reprinted by permission from the May, 1998 issue of Shooting Times. Copyright 1998, PJS Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Shooting Times is not responsible for mishaps of any kind which may occur from use of published loading data or from recommendations by staff writers. Any prices given were the suggested list prices at presstime for the printed issue and are subject to change.
 

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