10/22 Improvements

Hopefully that's a 2.5-7 Leupold. 2.5 power and 7mm objective (2.5x7) would be nearly useless.

If you have a carbine taper profile barrel, trash the barrel band and glass-bed the receiver and first 3 inches of barrel. On a 10/22T bull barrel, bed it. I set up the stock so that the receiver contacts the stock at the back (pinched by the heel and the trigger group), at the front (around the screw and receiver legs), and the first 3-4" of bull barrel. The improvement was dramatic.

I think wrapping the barrel tang in a single layer of foil stiffened the bbl/action fit and improved accuracy.

Regarding triggers. . . I prefer my own work. You can send more on the trigger than the rifle if you wish; I'm unsure how much you get.

Be prepared to try 5+ varieties of ammo to find a happy one. I think you're a bit optimistic looking for 1 MOA (0.5" @ 50 yards) but you might luck out.

Edit: also, cleaning the thing is way easier after drilling a hole in the receiver heel to permit a rod from the breech.

All I did to mine was have bolt polished and jeweled.....3.5 lb trigger assembly from Hornet Products and a 3x32 Tasco.

Ruger BX trigger.

About the best bang for the buck 10/22 improvement.

The BX trigger is a big improvement over stock. A Kidd trigger is a HUGE improvement. A Green Mountain .920 barrel is a huge improvement too. Now you have upgrades that cost as much or more than a new 10/22 but it will shoot with more expensive rifles.

Shoot it before you make any modifications. A 2.5-7X scope would probably be enough scope but if you want a 3-9X would work too. No such thing as a 2.5X7, or 3X9 scope. There is a 3X32 however. Fixed power scopes are listed as 3X, 4X, 10X etc. If the objective size is listed it comes after the X. 4X40 for example. On variable power scopes the range of magnification is listed as 2-7X, 3-9X etc. If you also include the objective size it also comes after the X. 3-9X40 for example.

MOA at 50 yards is 1/2". In my experience that is optimistic for most 10/22's, especially the standard carbine. But who knows. Ruger is all over the place and I've seen some that would do it with some ammo. 1" up to about 1.5" groups at 50 yards are more typical.

To get the accuracy you want you're probably going to have to either go with one of the Ruger target models with a match chamber and barrel, or modify the gun with an aftermarket barrel. The stock trigger either needs to be worked on, or replaced. Cost on that can vary a bunch. I've seen gunsmiths do a decent job for $25 and some replacement triggers can cost more than the rifle. The Ruger BX trigger is about $90 and I find it acceptable.

You don't have to go with a heavy bull barrel to get good accuracy. There are some aftermarket barrels that are still the standard contour and shoot just fine. The heavier barrels aren't mechanically any more accurate, they just make the gun heavier and theoretically easier to hold steady.

I put a kidd barrel on mine. It shoots as well as my cz bolt gun now. Ammo will be more important than anything else you can do. Get some wolf match Target or some rws ammo.

Pulling the barrel band helped a lot too before I replaced the barrel. I did my own trigger work and put a leupold 2-7x on it. It's a nice balance, but not a true target scope.

If I had a stock 10-22 and wanted to get to < 1/2 inch groups at 50 yards in as few steps as possible I would first buy a barrel.

There are ways of eliminating a crummy trigger from effecting your group size,



but can’t get around bullets having to rely on a good barrel.

Charlie Martinez said:

I'm going to buy my first semiauto 22 RF, a stock (used) Ruger 10-22. I"m a target shooter not a hunter . . .

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After 20 years of benchrest competition I'd had enough of endless case prep, sold my 6mm-.284 rifle, and bought the least expensive 10/22 on the market. Then I went crazy, replaced the barrel with a Kidd, replace the stock with a Magpul, bedded the action, plopped a Vortex scope on it, and have been having nothing but fun ever since. It'll do <1 MOA at 100yds on a calm day using ammo it really likes. Did I mention no more neck turning, case annealing, etc?

Like @earlthegoat2 said, a Ruger BX trigger is a nice upgrade if you don't want to work on the rigger yourself.

Here's what the rifle looks like now.



Here are the areas that were bedded into the stock for a very snug fit..



Here's what it'll do at 50 yards with crappy, thirty year old PMC ammo. Nothing but fun!

On my 2 10/22s I had the triggers and bolts done. I put new extractors and bolt handles and rod and springs. Scotch brighted the receivers. All this to shoot jack rabbits .

Check out CPC . Connecticut Precision Chambering. Type CPC ruger and it will bring the link up. They offer several options. One is barrel set back and recut the chamber. Trigger options also.

I put a Butler Creek barrel and stock on mine 25 years ago and it shoots just over 1 MOA. 1/4 inch at 25 yards with decent ammo. My CZ's are better. Perhaps I will upgrade some more. Trigger barrel etc down the road.

My 10/22 was fine out of the box for accuracy. I have a wood stock one. Upgrades i did were convenience ones. Extended mag release. And an auto bolt release.

I had always wanted a laminated stock SS 10/22, so I finally bought one a couple years ago. Instead of a BX trigger for this one, I bought a Volquartsen hammer and of course bolt catch. I'm not too sure I could tell them apart with my eyes closed.

Glass - you have some
Shoot it - does it work for you? Yes, stop. No, get a…
Ammo
Shoot it - does it work for you? Yes, stop. No, get a…
Trigger - get one
Shoot it - does it work for you? Yes, stop. No, get a…
Barrel - get one
Shoot it - does it work for you? Yes, stop. No, get a…
…

I’ve just added a BX trigger and scopes to my 1980’s era 10-22 standard and 2020 era 10-22 stainless international.



This one mod shrunk groups nearly 50%.

I think the barrel swap may be next for the original gun, but that’s down the road.

The 10-22 is one of those guns that’s ok for most plinking and small game hunting right out of the box, but can really shine on a target range with a few easy-to-do-yourself modifications.

Stay safe.

Riomouse911 said:

I’ve just added a BX trigger and scopes to my 1980’s era 10-22 standard and 2020 era 10-22 stainless international.

View attachment 1005506 View attachment 1005507

This one mod shrunk groups nearly 50%.

I think the barrel swap may be next for the original gun, but that’s down the road.

The 10-22 is one of those guns that’s ok for most plinking and small game hunting right out of the box, but can really shine on a target range with a few easy-to-do-yourself modifications.

Stay safe.

Click to expand...

Which "one" mod?

You can replace every single part on a stock 10/22 to the point that it no longer has any Ruger parts at all. Or you can start from scratch and buy all of the parts and assemble one yourself. It really depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to spend. You can spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. It is really a project that you will require some research and some sole searching. Check out Tandemkross, Volquartsen and Brownells to research some options. The 10/22 is a fairly simple firearm and you should be able to do all of the work yourself.

But beware this can be a dangerously addictive road to go down.

A 22 build I have been pondering involves buying the Brownells 10/22 receiver with integral scope rail when they come on sale. Then getting the Shilen factory contour barrel since I am not a fan of heavy barrels in general. Then using factory Ruger internals and a BX trigger with a Magpul stick to finish it off. Should be pretty accurate for the 5-600 I would have into it and it wouldn’t be a heavy pig

Charlie Martinez said:

After reading all the suggested options. . . this turned out to be a no-brainer.

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I think your conclusion is correct; further it's broadly applicable to all custom modification.

You can still do some of the mods for free or nearly so, like bedding and floating and trigger improvement.

Charlie Martinez said:

After reading all the suggested options & looking at prices of after market triggers and barrels my conclusions are as follows:
1. Ruger BX trigger: $90 (plus shipping)
2. 10/22 Target barrel (cheapest) from Brownells: $107 (plus shipping)
3. Price of basic 10/22: $150
Total: $347 Plus shipping costs & gunsmithing

Cost of new stainless Ruger Target 10/22 (1136): MSRP $305 Currently on sale for: $244 (I can get it locally from Palmetto Armory)
This rifle already has a laminate stock which I like better than the standard hardwood 10/22 stock and a heavy target barreI. I don't know if the trigger is better or same as the stock trigger but even if I decide to replace it with a Ruger BX (for $90) the total price is $ 334.

I think this turned out to be a no-brainer. I believe I'll pass on the used 10/22 and get a new target model.
Comments and opinions are welcome.

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I am pretty sure Ruger discontinued that model. If there are any for that price, I'd appreciate a link.

Charlie Martinez said:

I'm going to buy my first semiauto 22 RF, a stock (used) Ruger 10-22.
I"m a target shooter not a hunter & plan on putting either a Leopold 2.5 X 7 or a Weaver 3 X 9 scope on it.
I have an old Mossberg bolt 22 RF that shoots sub MOA at 50 yards & would like the Ruger to match or improve on it's accuracy.
I don't expect this rifle to meet my expectations without some modifications so I would appreciate suggestions on basic aftermarket improvements that I can install myself and how much I should expect to spend on each.

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CT Precision charges $189 for machine work in a 10/22 that they say will give you 1/4 to 1/2 inch at 50 yards.

Just passing along the info. I haven’t had the work done yet.

I took one of my highly modified by me 10/22s to the range yesterday. I had part of a box of fairly old CCI-SV and
I used most of it getting it’s new scope sighted in. I had 5 rounds left and shot a 50 yard group that was all touching for four shots and got a “ click” for the fifth. No, it wasn’t a misfire, it was a miscount by me. No more ammo of that vintage so I decided I was happy with that result and put the gun away. The fifth shot would have probably been a flyer with my luck and shooting skills.