.22 w/scope @$200

[goon]

Mike - that, and I think the original buyers overpay on cheap accessories then try to overcharge when they sell either out of ignorance or just trying to recover what they have in the gun.
I wouldn't shed tears about getting a decent quality scope with a gun, but much of the time they're just cheap scopes that people think add hundreds of dollars in value but in reality are actually only worth another $40 or so at most.

 

[CraigC]

Regarding cheap accessories and inflated prices. Even as easy as the Ruger is to work on (one can be built from a pile of parts with a screwdriver and an allen wrench), some folks are deathly afraid of taking one apart.

As far as the plastic, well there is a difference between the cheap plastic we were all accustomed-to before the Glock and the high strength polymers used in semi-auto pistol frames. Fact is, Ruger does not use cheap plastic. They use the same high strength polymers for the 10/22 parts that they use for their pistol frames. No, it ain't blued steel and never will be but IMHO, it is an upgrade over the painted aluminum it replaced. They are more precisely made. They will withstand wear far better. The polymer trigger housings also accept all the same aftermarket upgrade parts and far as I can tell, there are no downsides. A tuned trigger in a plastic housing will allow you to explore a $200 barrel's potential just fine.




Quality has not suffered. There has been plenty of complaining about the new finishes but the guns work. Ruger went to a wrinkle coating because they stopped polishing the machine marks off the receiver. They also went to a blasted finish on the barrels, rather than the old brushed finish. All of which is designed to keep the rifle affordable. Of course, you can never please everyone and sure as the sun rises, if the rifle had stayed the same but the prices went up accordingly we'd hear another flavor of complaining about that. Due to all the complaints, Ruger has gone back to the old finishes but expect the prices to rise in the next couple years. Personally, I prefer a matte finish over a brushed finish any day of the week but some folks think it makes the guns look cheap. All the while no one complains about the matte finish on a $1200 1911.

Bottom line, people like to complain. It must be genetic.

 

[goon]

Unfortunately, nothing seems to be as reliable these days. I did have to make my 10/22 run right when it was brand new but in fairness I didn't give Ruger the chance to even work on it. I'm sure they'd have sent me a new extractor if I had requested it and that probably would have worked, but as it was, a new VQ extractor from Midway was faster to get, a reliability upgrade anyhow, and only cost about $15. I shouldn't have had to do that to make it run and I admit that, but since I did, that rifle is very much worth the effort. It has already introduced a lot of people shooting and kept me in practice while at college for about $5 every weekend. I'll be keeping mine!

Would a Marlin 60 do those tasks just as well? Probably.