Should I build out my 10/22 or buy a bolt-action?

[raindog]

I've decided my next money pit/time sink should be a highly accurate .22 rifle. For no reason other than the joy of doing so ;-) I have a budget of $400-500 or so, which doesn't include the scope.

I have a Ruger 10/22 (carbine) that has not been modified since it I bought it 6-7 years ago.

So option 1 would be to take the 10/22, get a trigger job, get a new heavy barrel, change the stock, and do a few other odds and ends. That's probably $500. I'm sure I could get a very accurate rifle out of that.

Second option would be to start anew with a bolt-action of some sort. Don't know if that's possible in that budget range.

Third option would be to do something my Savage Mark II. It has AccuTrigger and is quite nice, but it is something more than .5" groups. Not much more, but I think as far as it's going to go in its factory config. The trigger could stand a little lightening. I don't know if there are aftermarket barrels. I have the synthetic stock, so I'd need to probably get a wooden one and glass bed it if I wanted to go that round.

Opinions?

 

[inherentical]

I dumped $1000 into a 10/22 once. You know what I ended up with? A $1200 10/22.

Take that for what it's worth.

 

[22-rimfire]

The Mark II's can be quite accurate with the right ammo. Since you want to buy a new rifle, I would expand your budget a bit and look at the Weatherby Mark XXII (bolt) or Remington 547. The Weatherby is cheaper. You could see some 0.3" groups at 50 yds with either.

The CZ 452 or 453 would be the obvious choice and would fit your budget. You like the trigger on the Savage, so the 453 might be the better choice, but it costs about $100 more than the 452 which you can add a cheap trigger kit to and match the 453 trigger pretty much.

I am AT about the set up you speak of right now in my rifle choices. I really like the Savage Mark II Classic with its nice walnut stock. But you're pretty much just paying extra for the stock and a slightly longer barrel. You could try to find a Remington 541-S or 541-T but that is still more than your budget. My next step up will be an Anschutz, but I want to shoot what I have for a while first.

Unless you just like to tinker, I would not do the rebuild on the 10/22 as you may just end up with a $800 10/22 which you will eventually have a hard time getting your money out of it. But still, it's one of those challenges many of us like to take on. I have a stock 10/22 Deluxe. It shoots okay and is a fun gun. But it does not shoot as well as the more expensive rifles. The ones that I don't have experience with are the Ruger 77/22, Tika's, or Brownings. Some shoot real well. I'm not a Ruger rifle fan in general.

The Thompson Center R-55 Classic may be an option if you like semi-auto 22's. They shoot good! You have to keep them clean though. It will do the 0.5" groups or a bit better at 50 yds. You can spend a fair chunk of money trying to shave 0.1 or 0.2" off your groups with better ammo choices.

 

[blackops]

Boltaction

 

[proud2deviate]

Frankly, I'd drop the extra coin on a nice uber-accurate bolt action, and leave the 10/22 alone. If pure accuracy is what you're after, then a bolt action will (almost) always preform better than a semi.

Also, you could see how well you could bubba the 10/22. Use the stock parts, and make them better. Do your own trigger job, re-chamber your own barrel, float it and bed it. Cheap, cheap, cheap, is the goal here. Polish a turd. Make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Get something for nothing. Learn, comprehend, accomplish, achieve!

 

[nicholst55]

If accuracy is your goal, save up the cash you would spend on the 10-22 and buy an Anschutz. You'll have a MUCH more accurate rifle that will hold its value.

 

[dom1104]

forget the super pricey alternatives, and buy the 452 if you are looking for accuracy.


If you are looking to have a fun time looking up a million options, then the 10/22

I would stop short of 1000 bucks tho, just do your own trigger job, grab a new barrel, and a nice stock.

make it a $300 proposition, not a 1000 dollar one.

 

[Smith357]

Check out a competition where it's all about accuracy and count up the semi-autos.

Save some extra money and get a a used Anschutz or look at a vintage Winchester or Remington Target model.

 

[cluttonfred]

The Savage .22 models with AccuTrigger are gettting very good reviews. I think you could do a lot worse than one of the Mark II or 17 Series heavy barrel varmint models as a starting point. Synthetic stock models go for as little as $250.

 

[ArmedBear]

For $500, you can get a whole other rifle that is as accurate as a hotrodded 10/22, and have two rifles.

Marlin 39A (fun and classic), CZ452 (accurate and well-made), Browning SA22 (classic JMB gun), all sorts of good stuff out there.

Or, you can do what I did, and sell the 10/22. Then you have more to spend on a good rifle. I sold mine after the fact, since I literally never used it once I got something else. Other rifles, including the cheaper Marlin 60, shoot straighter, feed better and fit me better with a scope on them. I had no desire to put up with the 10/22's shortcomings, once I got something that didn't have them.

 

[Geno]

You will have to expend a serious amount of money to get a rifle that can better a $600.00 Kimber Gov't M82.

http://www.thecmp.org/22targetsurplus.htm

Geno

 

[kamagong]

Get a bolt action, or a Marlin 39A. Much wiser choice in case you should have to sell it. Like tmpick mentioned, it's very easy to get carried away and spend tons of money on tricking out a 10/22. The worst part is that just because you spent it doesn't mean it is worth it, at least not to other people.

 

[ArmedBear]

The 39A has the added benefit of being fun as all get-out. I had to make a lever wrap. A brick through one, and my hand was bruised. Couldn't stop.

The bolt gun, OTOH, lends itself to focused, meditative, accurate shooting. Both have merit, obviously.

 

[onehitwonder]

I have 400 in my newer 10/22 and it will shoot .3s @50 and sometimes better. thats just a trigger reworked bbl and some minor action parts. did all the work myself. its like building an old truck onto a hot rod. you do it yourself or with your kids have fun and in the end you put more money into it than you ever get out but you learn a lot of things on the way.

 

[ArmedBear]

I have 400 in my newer 10/22 and it will shoot .3s @50 and sometimes better.

Not sure how many shots, but if we're talking 5-shot groups, that's only marginally better than my bone-stock Marlin 60 with a 4x Nikon on it, loaded with CCI Mini-Mags.

Bolt guns can get one-hole groups out of those crazy target rounds, if you're so inclined.

 

[SeekHer]

I agree that to do up a 10/22 to be a real tack driver, Truck Challenge competitor you're looking at around $500 to $600+ sans optics...You can get an Anschutz Sporter, which will be at least as accurate--probably more accurate--right out of the box for a little bit more money...

Others: CZ, Remington 541, Savage and the Weatherby (repackaged Anschutz)...

10/22 for hunting, plinking, having fun - Anschutz for that as well as great accuracy which to me is the important thing...If you want to stay with the 10/22 style action and want out of the box accuracy then get a Volquartsen what a Ruger wants to be when it grows up...

Sorry, a $1,200 10/22 is no longer still just a 10/22 as the only original part is the receiver shell as the bolt, trigger is gone...and in some cases not even that--think STI, Volquartsen!

 

[ArmedBear]

Sorry, a $1,200 10/22 is no longer still just a 10/22 as the only original part is the receiver shell as the bolt, trigger is gone...and in some cases not even that--think STI, Volquartsen!

If you are going to go there, BTW, you can buy non-Ruger hand-built high-end 10/22 clones starting around $650. Why buy the Ruger parts at all, just to toss 'em?

 

[CZguy]

For $500, you can get a whole other rifle that is as accurate as a hotrodded 10/22, and have two rifles.

Marlin 39A (fun and classic), CZ452 (accurate and well-made), Browning SA22 (classic JMB gun), all sorts of good stuff out there.

Or, you can do what I did, and sell the 10/22. Then you have more to spend on a good rifle. I sold mine after the fact, since I literally never used it once I got something else. Other rifles, including the cheaper Marlin 60, shoot straighter, feed better and fit me better with a scope on them. I had no desire to put up with the 10/22's shortcomings, once I got something that didn't have them.

I agree.................but I kept my 10/22......................something has to sit in the back of the safe.

 

[browningguy]

Well I hate to be mean here, but some of the suggestions have nothing to do with a highly accurate .22, a Marlin 39A, Browning SA. I mean come on, they are fun little toys but no one has ever called them highly accurate. And by the way I have a Browning SA and it is fun.

My lightly modified (under $300 worth) 10-22 is decent accuracy for a plinker, but to get into serious accuracy you need to start with an Anshutz, and work up from there. You also won't get real accuracy shooting CCI MiniMags and Stingers or bulk Federal, save yourself a lot of trouble and go ahead and spring for the match ammo, it's cheap at $10/50. My 10-22 has a Green Mountain Barrel (on sale for $139) and a Fajen adjustable stock (on sale for $79) all from MidwayUSA, with match ammo it will shoot 10 shot groups of about 1/2" at 50 yards on a calm day.

You have to spend considerably more money to get much better than that, and you have to be a better trigger puller than I am also.



A pretty standard group is shown for this rifle. 10 shots at 50 yards, Ely Match ammo, 1/4" vertical dispersion and 7/8" horizontal. Temperature was 90 F, wind was 6 gusting to 10 left to right. I didn't try to wait for the wind to die and did not try to adjust for wind, all shots held on the bull.



This is from the same day shooting Mini Mag solids, as you can see it's a noce round group but a lot more vertical dispersion.

 

[ArmedBear]

but I kept my 10/22......................something has to sit in the back of the safe.

The back of the safe is reserved for the .22 I got for Christmas when I was 16.

My reach-for semiauto is a Marlin 60, which shoots 1/2" at 50 yards with Mini-Mags. It's a great rifle for walking around and shooting little varmints, and I can't hold it anywhere near as steady as it will shoot. No reason for me to put $500 into a 10/22 (you have to figure the cost of the rifle, not just the parts). A $137 Marlin works better for what I do with it.

The extra money went elsewhere... I have a match-grade 'smithed Mark II Target pistol with a scope that shoots about as well as the 10/22 above and probably has a better trigger. Never said I didn't like Rugers; I'm just not ga-ga over the 10/22.