For most of its 14 years in business, Tandemkross made its living improving other companies’ guns. For rimfire competition shooters, there’s a good chance one of the New Hampshire company’s charging handles, triggers, compensators or bolts is already on a Ruger 10/22 or Mark IV in your safe. That changed this year with the TKX22 Light Rifle, the company’s first complete firearm, which Shooting Sports USA Editor-in-Chief John Parker ran across steel at Gunsite this past spring.
Now Tandemkross is building out a full product family. The new ADX line comes in three configurations: the ADX Race Rifle, the ADX SBR and the ADX Pistol. Barreled actions are also available. Every model uses the same ADX receiver and Manticore X lower and takes standard Ruger 10/22 magazines. For anyone who shoots Steel Challenge, Metal Madness, SASP or other timed rimfire matches, the ADX Race Rifle is the one to look at closely.
Charging Handle Swap
The majority of 10/22-pattern rifles lace the charging handle on the right, so right-handed shooters must reach over or under the receiver to work the bolt. On the ADX, the handle is on the left. Your support hand runs the bolt while your firing hand stays on the grip and your eyes stay on the optic.
Tandemkross also built the lock-back into the handle. You pull it rearward and lift it into a steel-reinforced notch, and the bolt stays open. Knocking the handle down out of the notch sends the bolt forward, a motion anyone who has run an MP5 will recognize. On a factory 10/22, locking the bolt means holding the handle back with one hand while pushing a small lever in front of the trigger guard with the other. Most owners have simply learned to live with that. With the ADX, showing clear to the range officer at the end of a stage takes one hand.
Three-Pin Field Strip
Rimfires can run dirty, and cleaning is where Tandemkross made its other big change. On a typical 10/22, getting the bolt out means pulling the action from the stock and fighting it free against recoil spring tension. The ADX receiver instead has a removable rear cap held by a self-retaining pin. Once the pin and cap are out, the recoil spring, charging handle and bolt slide straight out the back.
Two more self-retaining pins split the gun into upper and lower halves the way an AR-15 comes apart. Full field stripping takes three pins and whatever is handy to push them, whether that's a punch, a hex key or the end of a chamber flag. With the back of the receiver open, you can run a solid cleaning rod down the bore from the breech.
An integral extended Picatinny rail runs along the top of the receiver, with a skeletonized channel cut down its length to save weight. Tandemkross finishes the receiver in a Teflon-impregnated hardcoat anodize to reduce bolt friction and withstand the punishment that competition shooters put on their firearms.
A Lower Built Like An AR
On a standard rimfire, the trigger group, stock and chassis are separate parts. The Manticore X Lower combines them into one assembly. Features include an enlarged bolt lock, bi-directional magazine release, ambidextrous rotary safety, reversible QD sling mount and a trigger with adjustable pull weight and overtravel. Additionally, the rifle comes with a Die Free Co Kung-Fu grip.
You also get multiple ways to fit the stock. From the factory, the Rim/Edge folding Picatinny buttstock is set inline and folds to the left, which suits tall sights or optics on risers. If you run a low-mounted red dot, you can angle the stock mount down 12 degrees to bring your eye closer to the bore line. The stock can also slide along the Picatinny to change comb height, or be set to fold the opposite way. For shooters who prefer a telescoping AR stock, a buffer tube mount comes in the box. With the stock folded, the rifle is 25¼ inches long.
Up front, the rifle uses Tandemkross’ 16½-inch Spitfire barrel, which has a tensioned design with a 1:16-inch twist, a sporting chamber and 1/2x28 threads for a compensator or suppressor. The barrel sleeve and fore-end are both cut for M-LOK. Unloaded, the complete rifle weighs 55.4 ounces, about 1.4 ounces more than the TKX22 Light Rifle even with the folding stock and full Manticore X lower.
All the bells and whistles come with a price. The ADX Race Rifle costs $1,899.99. It ships with one DoubleKross magazine, the buffer tube mount and a cable lock; plus, it’s covered by the Tandemkross lifetime guarantee against mechanical failure. Something else to note: the company won’t ship any ADX model to 14 states or to Washington, D.C., so check the product page before ordering.
ADX SBR and Pistol
Both compact models cost $1,699.99 and use the same receiver and lower with a 10.2-inch Comet barrel.
The SBR keeps the ADX Race Rifle’s folding, adjustable stock, measuring 27¼ inches open and 19 inches folded at 52.1 ounces. In place of a stock, the ADX Pistol has a Picatinny brace mount, which brings it to 18½ inches and 41 ounces unloaded. Regarding NFA regulations and any changes coming down the pike; in a recent video posted to YouTube announcing the ADX lineup, Luke Dimond from Tandemkross said they’re “hoping for the best.”
See the full ADX lineup at tandemkross.com.
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