The Heresy Design Vendetta Takedown is an aftermarket aluminum chassis built to accept any standard factory-spec Ruger 10/22 Takedown rifle. While the Ruger gun is a drop-in fit, the top-end TacSol X-Ring TSS clone settles right in as well. Forearms come in two different lengths to accommodate rifle, pistol, or SBR (short-barreled rifle) platforms. 

Heresy Design Vendetta Takedown Review

The Vendetta Takedown accepts any standard M4/M16 pistol grip. The forearm is festooned with M-LOK slots, and there are two built-in sling sockets. The aft bit terminates in a short length of Picatinny rail. This allows the addition of any standard side-folding Pic-rail stock. The Vendetta Takedown is meticulously well executed and just neat as can be. By combining the Heresy Design Vendetta Takedown with a truly superlative TacSol X-Ring TSS sound-suppressed 10/22 rifle clone, the resulting gun becomes shorter, handier, and more readily packed. It also breaks down into components sufficiently compact as to fit into a small backpack.

Origin Story

The 10/22 is the most popular .22 rifle in human history. There is a reason for that. This trim little utility gun is reasonably-priced, lightweight, and fun. Decades of full-bore production have put more than seven million copies into circulation. Several other companies produce their own clone versions as well. Second only to the ubiquitous AR-15, the 10/22 is likely the most accessorized firearm on planet Earth.

Ruger and others have offered this basic investment cast action in rifle and pistol formats along with an amazing array of finishes, stocks, and barrels for some six decades now. While the basic concept has remained unchanged, the particulars have evolved wildly. One of the more popular versions is the 10/22 Takedown.

The Takedown orbits around the same basic receiver that defines the standard 10/22 carbine. However, the barrel is held in place with a generous cam secured via a spring-loaded latch. To remove the barrel you lock the bolt to the rear, retract the disassembly lever, twist the barrel assembly, and tug. There’s literally nothing to it.

It is critical that you remember to lock the bolt back first. The 10/22 extractor rides in a groove in the barrel when the bolt is closed. If you try to twist the barrel without pulling the bolt back first you can damage this component.

This takedown feature essentially cuts the overall length of the rifle in half with no significant incremental cost in weight. The accuracy of the gun is not significantly degraded, and the process requires no tools. You can put the gun back into action in less time than it takes to describe.

Practicalities

I live in rural Mississippi. We have a modest lake that serves as our backyard. The water moccasins breed like rabbits hereabouts. I have used a suppressed takedown 10/22 variant from TacSol called the X-Ring TSS as my family snake gun for nearly 20 years. 

This rifle has accounted for most of the 64 water moccasins I have removed from the lake thus far. I have used this remarkable rifle to make headshots on swimming serpents at 50 meters. It’s one of my favorite firearms.

Don’t feel sorry for the snakes. They wouldn’t be here at all had we not built the lake in the first place. It is simply that I’d sooner not step on the horrible things when I’m walking around the lake at dawn or dusk.

TacSol Host

We committed gun nerds use some of the lamest excuses to flesh out our gun collections. In times past, I have actually purchased guns in weird calibers simply because I tripped over a little corresponding ammunition. By contrast, my TacSol X-Ring is a legitimate working rifle. The X-Ring shoots crazy straight and is completely hearing safe. Supersonic ammo will still make a sonic crack, but the subsonic sort is truly movie quiet. Unlike centerfire calibers, subsonic rimfire is not markedly more expensive than the standard high-velocity stuff.

The manual of arms is identical to that of the Ruger 10/22 with a twist. The charging handle on the X-Ring is oversized and readily reversible. The magazine release is extended and more readily manipulated as well. The sound suppressor is an integral part of the gun and is not removeable. My X-Ring is the quietest .22 rimfire rifle I have ever fired. Everything about the gun is simply top flight.

I’m a pretty tight-fisted guy. I’ll comparison shop for hours to save five bucks on a case of bulk 9mm. The TacSol X-Ring is not cheap. The takedown sound-suppressed version sports an MSRP of $1,671. The argument can be made that it is certifiably insane to drop that kind of coin on a .22 rimfire rifle. However, I actually use this gun ten times more than the next most popular firearm in the collection. It is so quiet that you really could theoretically shoot it in the backyard without alerting your nosy neighbors next door. If you have problems with snakes, squirrels, skunks, or similar beasties, the TacSol X-Ring TSS takedown is as good as it gets.

The Heresy Design Treatment

The Vendetta Takedown doesn’t take much talent to assemble. The 10/22 Takedown receiver drops right in place and is secured via an included screw. The Vendetta forearm bolts in place underneath the standard Ruger-style barrel. There was ample space to accommodate the full-length integral sound suppressor. The Vendetta Takedown only works on Takedown guns. Heresy Design offers a different rig for the standard fixed-barrel rifle.

Mounting up your pistol grip of choice requires nothing more than a screwdriver and a little body English. Fitting my trusty TacSol X-Ring rifle caused no particular consternation. Installation cost me maybe 15 minutes.

The end result works great, shoots straight, and looks slick to boot. Once dialed in, I was consistently dropping my rounds into a dime at 25 meters. There was zero accuracy degradation when compared to a standard stock set.

I used a side-folding stock that I harvested off of a Ruger 5.7 LC Carbine. The stock bolts right in place on the back of the chassis with nothing fancier than an Allen wrench. It folds to the left and is readily adjustable for pull length. You can find a wide variety of similar offerings online to include a Picatinny adaptor that allows you to use your favorite M4 stock. I picked this one because I already had it in the collection. 

Trigger Time

Assembly is painless. Lock the bolt back, slip the barrel into the receiver, and give it a quick twist. The barrel attachment system on my gun is pretty stupid-proof. It pops in place to keep the barrel/receiver interface consistent and reliable every single time.

Pressing a button on the side of the stock allows it to fold to the left. Further easy manipulation changes the length. There is a handy cheek rest to ensure a consistent, predictable sight picture. When collapsed, the gun is compact. When extended it is stable yet still portable. Remove the barrel, and the whole rig breaks down to about nothing.

The gun is stupid quiet and just as accurate as it was in its more conventional stock. Should the zombies come I can outfit the forearm with lights, lasers, and foregrips. I currently own several .22 rifles. The TacSol Heresy combo now sits secured by the door awaiting the inevitable 65^th water moccasin to come slithering across the lake. In my little world, that is my highest accolade. 

Ruminations

By the time you add everything up, this rig is hardly cheap. The host rifle is astronomically expensive, and the top-flight Leupold optic is spendy as well. The Vendetta Takedown conversion has an MSRP of $299.95. Add all that up and you begin to feel a bit ill. However, I accumulated all of this stuff over time, so it didn’t sting so badly. Once synergistically combined, the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.

Stealthy, straight-shooting, compact, and cool, the Heresy Design Vendetta Takedown rifle occupies the cutting edge in the modern rimfire world. It is arguably the ultimate counter-critter gun, and packing it makes me look like a spy. Whether your host is a rarefied TacSol race gun or a less-expensive, more pedestrian legacy rifle from Ruger, Heresy Design takes everything about this ubiquitous rimfire rifle to the next level. It’s a glimpse into what can be.

For more info, visit heresydesign.com or tacticalsol.com.

Technical Specifications

• TacSol X-Ring/Heresy Design Vendetta Takedown
• Type: Direct Blowback Semi-Automatic
• Caliber: .22 LR
• Barrel/Suppressor Length: 16.75 in
• Overall Length: 25.5 inches Retracted/ 33.5 inches Extended
• Weight: 6.2 pounds
• Finish: Black Anodized
• Sights: Leupold
• MSRP (Chassis/Rifle): $299.95/$1,671

Heresy Vandetta 10/22 Takedown/TacSol X-Ring TSS Accuracy