Experiences with Ruger 1022?

[MCgunner]

Mine is stock stainless model with a Hogue overmolded stock which dispenses with the barrel band. It shoots 1.5" at 50 yards which is all I care about it shooting. I have accurate bolt guns, less accurate autos. I got the 10/22 because I liked it and still do. It is very reliable and minute of squirrel at 50 yards. What more could I ask?

The M60s are okay, fairly accurate for a plinker, but I much prefer the Ruger's rotary magazine to the tube mag. I have a tube mag on my old Remington bolt gun. They're okay, just prefer the Ruger's mag. I have several 10 round mags for it to carry afield.

 

[Tim the student]

I have one - my first rifle. Mine is 100% stock.

Fun, but not at all accurate with cheap ammo. Usually groups around 2-3" (10 rounds) at 50 yds with the cheap stuff. Works fine for shooting squirrels though.

If I had to buy another semi .22, I don't know if I would buy another pencil barrel 10/22. Maybe I'd get a target one.

 

[gasteffens]

This will be MY first .22 Rifle. I have however shot my dad's .22 Winchester "youth" model. It is a single shot bolt action rifle. Shoots deadly accurate with a nicely zeroed scope. He paid $30 for the rifle and $15 for the scope in the 1970s. Still works great to this day.

I do not like that it only holds one round at a time. GREAT range rifle, but to plink and burn up some ammo, or a SHTF type deal... one round at a time does not seem appealing.

So far I am getting some opinions on both sides of the 10/22, with a little bit more for it. It seems the used ones and new ones are very close in price. $50 doesn't seem like enough different to make me want to get an older one instead of a new one, unless it's an older one that has all the better parts.

I am still recouping from my AR purchase, but I have a sidearm in the future and a .22 rifle in the future too.

Thanks a bunch for all the replies guys, I appreciate all the information!!!

 

[kirklandkie]

Love mine, I shoot it more than any other rifle I own

-Kirk
edit: got a 50 round magazine by ramline it feeds as reliable as a factory mag without the inconveniance of reloading.....

 

[Tacbandit]

Have owned mine over 20 years...shot a LOT... no problems. Really accurate, as well.
Tac

 

[LeontheProfessional]

Love mine, I shoot it more than any other rifle I own

+1 on that and I have owned it for a shorter period of time than most of my rifles. It is nothing to go blow through 500 rounds in my 10/22. Not to mention I don't feel any poorer after doing it.

 

[CraigC]

Most folks buy a $200 10/22 and then seem to sink another 600 into after market things just to get it to shoot straight.

I'd say mine (#3) does a little better than "shoot straight". It consists of an aftermarket receiver, an accurized bolt, Clark midweight barrel and very soon a KID 14oz trigger. With Wolf MT I get 3/8" and 3/4" groups at 50 and 100yds respectively, it's dead reliable with bulk ammo and plenty light enough to be a good squirrel rifle. Probably not more than 6½lbs.

 

[MikePaiN]

The only "good" about the basic model 10/22 is the action.....the triggers these days are horrible, accuracy is only average, iron sights are on a short radius, the ergos are poor and they are over priced. Sure, the upgraded models like the Target or SR are much better(a world apart) and of course, customs builds can be awesome shooters BUT at even more cost, big cost.....
For an out of the box shooter, there are much better options at ~50% the cost of a basic 10/22 like the Marlin 60 or Remington 597

 

[caribou]

10/22's are VERY popular up at this end o the Earth

I personally have used the same one I bought from a friend in high school back in the 80's. Its my Spare .22LR

I have 9 that I have bought over the years for 50$ or less, usually around XMas time when guys/kids get new guns and sell their old ones

They are resonalbly accurate (but not nearly as accurate as my Romy 69 which I hunt with) and are fun on Rabbits and Ptarmigan. My bro in law uses his on Seals and me and the wife like them when we hunt Caribou in the Fall.
Guys all around huse them everywhere, especcially if they only take "one gun" as small game abounds...

Good in the cold as well when wiped clean and dry.

Downfalls are #!1! The rear folding sight IS going to bust off, either cracking through the adjustment screw or cracking in half at the hinge. Williams folding rear sights suk.
I buy them by the dozen a couple times a year and sell 'em all. They make great gifts for Eskimo's if ever you need to buy one ~~LOL!!~~

When in the world is some one gonna sell a solid rear sight??? I Need 50.......

#2 is that if you leave the magizine loaded over night it will kill the spring and you will have a lot of jams and empty chambers. Some guys wind em up a bit, some toss 'em, I have a box full of 'em and I get to them one or two working at a time.
Cant have too many mags.

 

[DukeNukem]

I just got finished doing the tactical silliness makeover on mine--Archangel stock, carry handle, vertical foregrip, etc. Haven't shot it since the change, but it should be fun. The sights are UTG which I'm hoping will be decent enough for a .22.

 

[recurry]

It's funny, but from what I've been reading here it seems the 10/22 can be pretty much hit or miss - at least these days. Maybe the older models are more reliable/accurate? I picked mine up about 15 years ago, and it's one of my absolute favorite guns. It sub-moa at 50, with the right ammo, and has taken 15 years of abuse without so much as a spec of rust showing up on the bluing or any other problems.

 

[BridgeTooFar]

My first and only 10/22 is a Target Tactical model. Only thing I've added to it is a scope. I love it, and I'm thinking about getting a "cheaper" (carbine or standard) version just to have around.

My only other .22 was a Remington 597, and the 10/22 is hands down better in every way I can think of.

 

[CraigC]

#2 is that if you leave the magizine loaded over night it will kill the spring and you will have a lot of jams and empty chambers.

I've had 10/22's since the early `90's and have never found this to be the case. Still using my original magazines nearly 20yrs later and they've been left loaded for months at a time.

 

[R. Deckard]

I have a tricked out tacti-cool 10/22 and and it runs great, but I am surprised no one has suggested a 22 conversion kit for your AR or even a dedicated upper.
I got lucky and came across a complete used dedicated upper for my AR for only $300.00 and it is even better because I have the same trigger pull and feel as when I am shooting 223 at a fraction of the cost.

Here is a pic of my Ruger 10/22

Deckard

 

[AKElroy]

Or maybe they replaced half the parts, so the gun works now ($300-500 later).

I wish!!! Magnum Research 10/22 $700
Kidd Target Barrel $199
OEM target stock $80
VQ Trigger group $199
Elite 3200 5X15 $299
Browning TS rings $60

+ extra mags, match ammo, sling, etc.., etc.., etc.. ad infinitum.

Getting out-shot by a $170 Marlin 60 in the next lane? Priceless....

Stay away from RIMFIRE CENTRAL and 10/22's---They will BLEED YOU DRY!!

 

[aka108]

Had a 10/22. Got it when they had walnut stocks. Never shot well and was a frequent jammer. The Winchester 190 I bought in 1970 came with a Weaver 4X scope and cost 49 dollars would out shoot the Ruger and has never jammed. I have a low opinion of Ruger products and have been dissappointed with each that I have ever owned. All the ones I've had now have different owners.

 

[ArmedBear]

Getting out-shot by a $170 Marlin 60 in the next lane? Priceless....

You can't say I didn't warn you, right here in this forum.

And mine was $135, though it does have a $100 Nikon scope on it from Wal-Mart, so it comes to about $255 with sling swivels and sales tax.

I am sorry I also recommended the Magnum Research. Without fail, all of the ones I've seen have been quite good. I'm not sure what happened to them.

I much prefer the Ruger's rotary magazine to the tube mag

I would too, in theory, but that would require them to work worth a damn -- and that I wouldn't have to buy several and find the ones that feed.


Back to the OP, from what you see in this thread, a lot of the people who really like their 10/22s have thrown away the majority of components, ALL the major ones but the receiver, and replaced them with aftermarket stuff. That's all fine and dandy, if you want to spend your money that way, but it has little relevance to the 10/22 as you will buy it off the rack. A $3500 custom Mauser hunting rifle isn't the same as a $100 surplus Mauser, either. Like many "10/22s" they may share receivers, but they aren't the same rifles.

 

[JBNAL]

Just buy both and lots of AMMO....

I have (2) Ruger 10-22, (2) Marlin 60 and even a Mossberg 702, wouldn’t trade any of them and each have their own appeal and use. My first 22 was my grandfathers Winchester 47, I moved to a 10-22 the following year and have shot it for close to 25 years. I dont have a preference as longs they go boom when requried.
The joy of collecting is the ability to have tools to meet tasks even if you never have to perform those tasks...

 

[Maverick223]

I am coming in late, and haven't read the entire thread, but here are a few thoughts on the Ruger 10/22:

My 10/22 has been very reliable, more reliable than most .22LRs, but not 100%. I didn't keep a round count, but I have undoubtedly put in excess of 100,000 rounds through it in the last decade and a half, and have only needed to replace the extractor (Volquartsen makes a great replacement). I kept the rifle stock for many years, but decided to modify it into a target rifle a few years back, in doing so I replaced the stock, the bolt release (a great mod., that allows the bolt to close by pulling the charging handle back), and the barrel. IMO that is the best use for the 10/22, someone that wants a semi-auto custom target rifle.

Parts are very available. It is the Rem. 700 or AR-15 of the custom .22lr market. Modifications are exceptionally simple, no gunsmithing, and little tools are required for most modifications. Most operations are performed by just unbolting and unbolting the part.

If you are not looking for a custom rifle, to modify with aftermarket parts, and quite frankly spend more than the value of the rifle on, the 10/22 may not be the rifle for you. IMO the Marlin M-60 is a better value, and every one that I have shot, has performed better than a 10/22 out of the box. To achieve a comparable accuracy level, you will have to spend a good bit more on the 10/22, which is already a more expensive rifle without modification. That said, if you do it right, the 10/22 can easily outshoot the Marlin, it all depends upon what you want to spend to get there.

The new ones may be just as strong, and just as good, but I don't like em'. It is one thing to have Al. parts on a rifle, but something completely different when you start replacing parts on a traditionally styled rifle with plastic. I like my old model, and if I were to look for a replacement I would search for a model with the original Al. parts and anodized receiver (current model is painted instead).

 

[usmc1371]

I don't know how old my 10-22 is but I have been shooting it since I was 5 and I am 32 now. Still works. Still my fault if I don't hit what I am shooting at. Never been apart or had a patch down the barrle and still kills truck loads of sage rats every year. I think my old man bought it when he was stationed in Yuma in the mid seventies. There is a couple newer ones in the safe that seem just fine but I still love the beat down old one that I learned on. I can't see me ever being with out one.

 

[WNTFW]

Ruger 10/22 is easy to clean compared to a Marlin 60. I have a Marlin 60 and have dealt with 10/22s. Although a 60 is a great gun, it does not not render a 10/22 to a piece of junk. The 10/22s I've shot still come down to the operator having to work at it just like the 60 to shoot well. I have not seen the big difference in accuracy between the 2.

I'd get a 10/22 just as quickly as a 60. The 10/22 is just a great .22 for different reasons.

 

[Red Cent]

Ahhhhhhh, the perennial argument. Never had a 60. Can't debate the match. I do have two 10-22s and mine are very reliable.
I tricked this one out. I recut the factory stock, E. R. Shaw barrel ($95.00), adjustable sear (30.00), pillar bedded ($5.00) barrel tension screw pillar bedded (7.00), action bedding bolt ($35.00). Some other little tricks like a safety pin trigger return spring.
Adjust the sear, polish the hammer, touch of filing and I have 2.2# trigger measured by digital scale. Heapspaced at .0425. CCIMini Mags will shoot about a half inch 5 shot groups any time at 50 yards. Lousy eyesight. I need to let a true benchrester with good eyes shoot it. Bet it will approach a quarter inch. $600.00 bucks? HA!!
Now the really big problem. Other than replace the stock, I'm outta things to do to it. Bummer!

 

[Red Cent]

 

[WNTFW]

Red Cent,
Nice job on the stock cutting. Heard good thing about the E.R. Shaw products.
What scope & mount?

 

[CraigC]

I would search for a model with the original Al. parts and anodized receiver (current model is painted instead).

Good luck, the "blued" receivers have not been anodized since 1968 when they went to a teflon coating. We all know what 40yr old anodized aluminum looks like, usually not very good.

There are lots of complaints about the presence of the new plastic trigger housings but so far not one report of failure or an actual problem. Since, in my opinion, there is blued steel and then there's everything else, it is a step in the right direction. The polymer is stronger, the parts are more consistent, the color is molded in and won't chip or peel and they accept all the same aftermarket tuner goodies as the aluminum housings. The hardcore shooters were gonna replace the whole thing anyway.

Apparently there are also those who cannot tell the difference between matte blued steel and paint but that's a discussion for another thread.