this is gonna take a littl to explain properly...
if I do go with the 10/22, is there any reason to not buy a used model?
well unless you can find one with the original stock from before they stopped putting walnut on ALL of them, and/or are really a "walnut lover", the price you'd pay for a used one (unless someone is giving it away) esp one that's been "built up" a bit or even had just a few volquartsen or similar aftermarket parts put in, is gonna be so close to that of a brand spanking new one. that in my oppinion (for what little THAT'S worth
) it's not really worth the infinitesimal amount you MIGHT save.
many used 10/22s wind up being as much or, if they contain upgrade parts, MORE than a new one from say Wal-mart (most local gun stores i've seen no longer carry the 10/22 b/c wally world sells them for what the local guy pays the distributor). now if said gun contains PROPERLY installed parts of certain types, AND the price for said used gun is less than "cost of new gun + cost to you of the aftermarket Part(s) and the cost to you if you had a smith put those in" then it may be a good deal.
things to be aware of in a Used 10/22 (some of which i have never seen but have been told happen enough to look for)...
"Gunsmithing by BUBBA" aka kitchen table fooling around with things that ought not be messed with by amatures..... there are WAY too many of these guns out there that are in the used racks b/c some person didn't want to pay for a quality trigger job or better parts, so decided to "smooth out the sear" or some similar thought, thus turning the gun into a Full auto weapon, or another unsafe, unreliable, or down right BROKE config, that will require money you don't wanna spend, just to make it work, safe and/or legal. the problem with this and the next item is that you probably won't be able to tell utill you shoot the thing.
improper installation of an aftermarket part. can cause the above problems plus others.
remember the only reason you WANT the last guy to have sold this thing for is money, as in he/she needed it. but the most common case for a 10/22 to be in a used rack, (b/c the thing was so inexpensive to begin with that you;re not gonna get very much from it if you sell it to a shop) is that the gun is screwed up/broken somehow.
ok things that
I would check if i bought one used, seeing as how i have owned two (the 30+ year old one i learned to shoot with at age 12, that my father gave to me two years ago b/c he didn't shoot it any more, that i still have, and one i bought for myself 3 years ago then used for "trade goods" on a shotgun), and regularly shot a thrird (dad's second 10/22 a laminated "international" stock version).
some of these checks require you to take the rifle down some (major assemblies, not detail strip) so make sure to see if' it's alright with the guy behind the counter to do so, and make sure to tell him WHY you want to and what you're looking for. or better yet see if there is a shop empolyee willing to go over these point with you (IE take it down while you watch and observe and take note of these points), since if you don't HAVE a 10/22 you may have trouble with at least one part of RE-assembly
most of this is beyound the truly basic stuff that everyone knows, like examining the barrel, obvious "can see it while it's on the rack" damage, etc
check how the "feel" of the bolt in the receiver, is it gritty? if so find out why, is it a bit TOO loose (like maybe the recoil spring has weakened or been doctored too much)
seperate the stock from the receiver-barrel group, and examine the Bolt stop pin (larger diameter pin at the rear of the receiver Above the trigger grop and it's retaining pins) and surrounding area for signs of peening or excessive wear or battering (more about this later) i've never seen it but some shooters claim that some high round-count 10/22s will show damage to this area. again i have a 30 year old gun that does NOT show these signs, so i don't know.
push out the two pins holding the triggergroup in place, and take it off the rifle, this contains everything but the receiver, bolt, Recoil spring/guide rod/cocking handle assemby, and barrel. this is the true working guts of the gun. examine it to see if there are Obvious signs of someone messing with it. i can't tell you the detailed signs to look for, but if something has OBVIOUSLY been done then that's sort of a caution sign, and time to ask if you can have it gone over by a competent 'smith before you'll buy.
take out or have taken out by someone who knows BOTH how to take it out AND how to get it back in!!
b/c it's a pain in teh rear to get pack in ther correctly some times, the bolt and cocking handle/spring/guide rod asemblies. check the bolt for burrs, dings or other signs of damage or things tht might make it hang up. also check to see if possibly the previous owner has radiused the rear of the bolt (esp if when you check earlier drawing the bolt back on an uncocked hammer didn't produce a distinct "stage" in the movement of the bolt, where bolt and hammer came in contact) this is not nessisarily a BAD thing can be quite good actually, but if not done carefully/properly it can cause problems and is another case of "be aware something MIGHT be wrong there"
If there is a scope or scope rail on teh gun, take the opportunity while you have the bolt out to make sure that the ends of the mounting screws for the rail are not sticking down into the bolt raceway, and thus impinging on the operation of the bolt (easy fix but you may as well check to see if this is happening, If so then the gun may be otherwise clean and the simple expedient of getting proper length screws will "fix" it)
well that's what I personally would take a look at others may have more to say.
in any case go over to the
Rimfire Central forums and ask those guys. as well as checking into the links page there.
regardless of new or used if you get a 10/22 and want the best performance you can get from it i suggest getting a "performance package" from
WeaponKraft (Look under "10.22 LR upgrade packages"), and a volquartsen or Power custom hammer (hammer and shims ONLY, keep and use the factory hammer spring) are the best way to "tune" a 10/22. these together run around $60 ($24-26 for the weaponcraft kit, and $35 for the hammer) and ar the two "biggest bang for the buck" upgrades out there.
the hammer replacement will reduce the trigger pull to around 2.5 lbs
the buffer (a urethane "alloy" replacement for the bolt stop pin) in the weaponcraft kit will do a number of things, it softens the impact between the bolt and receiver, thus it rids the gun of that "CLACK!" that you hear adn feel with each shot on a stock gun, reduces felt recoil b/c most of the recoil is the bolt hitting the stop and transfering it's energy, ultimately to you, and lastly b/c the buffer also slightly lengthens the bolt travel, this gives just a slight bit more time for a spent case to clear the ejection port and this plus the next itme drasticly improves the reliability of the gun
the weaponkraft "performace kit" also includes a "Volquartsen Exact Edge Extractor" which is an improved exrtactor and spring set. this is an item you see spoken of many times on the 10/22 portions of Rimfire central as "a good idea"
the last bit of the WeaponKraft kit is a Hexhead takedown screw and a proper sized T-wrench, this not only makes it easier to take the gun down b/c of the hexhead won't tend to slip etc like a flattip screwdriver, but it also allows the one and only attatchment point between the stock and receiver group to be more securely and consistently tightened and/or Torqued down.
well that's MY spiel on how i see this. hope to have been of help or at least not a hindeence
have fun.
