Ruger 10/22 "Build" Thread
- Thread starter bdbecker
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becker_ you know I bought a stainless bull barrel for my 10/22. If I get time I'll post some pics later. at any rate. I would shoot like three or four shots and my group would move like three inches left and up. I tightened everything, double checked I was free floated, I went through everything. finally I sold the barrel and put a ruger factory bull on it, and I'm back to tiny little tight groups. If you are confident enough in your shooting abilities that you know it isn't you, I'd have that barrel looked at? I don't mean anything by that, I just don't make assumptions either way on how someone I never met can shoot. My factory barrel was tighter than the groups your getting
ColtPythonElite
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Nice shootin Punisher,
I took my 1990 10/22 out to the range just today. Using Federal 36 gr. copper stuff, the best group I could shoot might have been covered by a silver dollar. Mine has always shot not so great. The trigger is horrible.
I took my 1990 10/22 out to the range just today. Using Federal 36 gr. copper stuff, the best group I could shoot might have been covered by a silver dollar. Mine has always shot not so great. The trigger is horrible.
wnycollector
Member
I have a 10/22 that is pushing 30 years old. It has seen thousands upon thousands of rounds over the years. Out to 50 yards it has always produced decent accuracy with open sights. Last year I popped a scope on it (wally-world centerpoint 3-9x32).
I figure I got my money out of the old workhorse plus a new CZ452 varmint would set me back ~$425, I decided to "upgrade" the old 10/22. I ordered a Boyds tacticool stock, a Green Mountain 18" fluted bull barrel and took the trigger housing to a local gunsmith to try to clean up some of the creep. Those upgrades set me back ~$250. Once all the parts come in (6 week back order for the boyds stock!) I will top the rifle off with a mueller 4.5-14x40 APV scope and DNZ mount. I'm looking forward to see what my "new" rifle can do at the range
I figure I got my money out of the old workhorse plus a new CZ452 varmint would set me back ~$425, I decided to "upgrade" the old 10/22. I ordered a Boyds tacticool stock, a Green Mountain 18" fluted bull barrel and took the trigger housing to a local gunsmith to try to clean up some of the creep. Those upgrades set me back ~$250. Once all the parts come in (6 week back order for the boyds stock!) I will top the rifle off with a mueller 4.5-14x40 APV scope and DNZ mount. I'm looking forward to see what my "new" rifle can do at the range
JohnnyJohnsoninWI
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- Feb 23, 2009
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- 13
try a cantilever scope mount
bdbecker,
You have something serious going on here. The worst trigger in the world shouldn't account for your groups. Is your scope known to be good? Are your mounts and rings tight? Are the barrel clamp screws tight?
Try a cantilever scope mount; which is one that is screwed to the barrel. Clamping a short barrel shank into an unthreaded, aluminum, Ruger action is not rigid in the same sense that the barrel and action are screwed together on your bolt gun. I think the 10/22 is more susceptible to stock flex and other variables, many of which the cantilever mount eliminate.
Of course, with a bull barrel and cantilever mount, bedding the barrel is as (if not more) important than bedding the action.
Also, while shooting your 10/22, eject a few unfired rounds and inspect them. Are small slivers of lead being shaved off the sides of the bullets during chambering? You may need to put a small radius or polish the edge of your chamber.
Lots of ammunition shoots fairly well out to 50 yards, but not at 100. Even with good ammo, your (10 rd) groups will likely increase by a factor of 2.2 - 2.5 when doubling the range. Also 10 round groups tell more about the ammo's capability than do 5's.
Note: I'm not a competitor nor do I surf any rimfire / benchrest forums so I'm not aware of what's currently in fashion. Take my two cents worth from someone who just likes to butt in and give opinions.
Take care,
John
bdbecker,
You have something serious going on here. The worst trigger in the world shouldn't account for your groups. Is your scope known to be good? Are your mounts and rings tight? Are the barrel clamp screws tight?
Try a cantilever scope mount; which is one that is screwed to the barrel. Clamping a short barrel shank into an unthreaded, aluminum, Ruger action is not rigid in the same sense that the barrel and action are screwed together on your bolt gun. I think the 10/22 is more susceptible to stock flex and other variables, many of which the cantilever mount eliminate.
Of course, with a bull barrel and cantilever mount, bedding the barrel is as (if not more) important than bedding the action.
Also, while shooting your 10/22, eject a few unfired rounds and inspect them. Are small slivers of lead being shaved off the sides of the bullets during chambering? You may need to put a small radius or polish the edge of your chamber.
Lots of ammunition shoots fairly well out to 50 yards, but not at 100. Even with good ammo, your (10 rd) groups will likely increase by a factor of 2.2 - 2.5 when doubling the range. Also 10 round groups tell more about the ammo's capability than do 5's.
Note: I'm not a competitor nor do I surf any rimfire / benchrest forums so I'm not aware of what's currently in fashion. Take my two cents worth from someone who just likes to butt in and give opinions.
Take care,
John
ThePunisher'sArmory
Member
First off...Thanks man!! Not to sound like an a hole but I have never used a trigger as an excuse. You just have to get used to that trigger and learn to shoot steady with it. If you can shoot great groups with a crap trigger......YOU CAN SHOOT ANYTHING. That's my counter every time I hear the trigger issue. Now don't get me wrong I have some guns with great triggers too. I just choose to master the crap trigger......Plus I just cant see spending $200+ on a 10/22 trigger group
. Lastly I did note that my 10/22 was way older (better metal trigger) not like the new 10/22s (plastic very heavy trigger). That I have noticed because I own both old and brand new 10/22s.........But still shoot good with both.ColtPythonElite
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I wasn't blaming the grouping on a poor trigger. I was just stating the "fact" After owning the gun 21 years, I've figured out how to deal with it. If I thought a trigger job or replacing the trigger would make the grouping any better, I would have likely replaced them long ago....My gun simply doesn't shoot any better than it does. It doesn't seem to matter what ammo is used in it or who the shooter is. The results are usually about the same.....On the other hand, I bought a beat all to crap other brand, rarely seen 40 year old semi-auto last fall. It will shoot nice goups will all the shots touching at 50 yards.
Wow, thanks for all the input! Here's a rundown of what I know...
I checked the torque on the scope rings and mounting bolts last night, the in/lb torque wrench clicked as expected. I could swap scopes with my old .22 to eliminate that variable.
Magoo - I am not familiar with the action screw torque adjustment, I'll have to look into that.
I'll be getting some lower velocity ammo and seeing how that works out. I can imagine that a 16.5" barrel probably doesn't stabilize a high velocity round very well.
I am starting to wonder a little bit about the barrel. One thing I've been thinking about, and this is a little out there and I'm not sure if it would be making that big of a difference, but I almost wonder if I didn't get a 1:9 twist barrel instead of a 1:16 as the box said. TacInc makes both and they look exactly the same on the outside, but I've worked manufacturing long enough to know that sometimes mistakes happen. I'll have to find some time this weekend to take apart my old Ruger and compare the twist rate, just to eliminate that possiblity. If I run through all the other issues and can say that the barrel is the problem, I'll get ahold of TacInc and see what they might know. Worse case scenerio, I get a different barrel/brand and just use this one for another project rifle specifically built as a truck gun/plinker, might have to get one of those folding stock setups Magog was talking about.
While I'm no sharpshooter, I've never had problems throwing down good groups with any of my rifles. I can get sub-1" groups out of the .223 at 100 yards no problem, and even my old Ruger will punch the center out of a chew can lid at 50 yards. I'm using sandbags both on the front and rear, so basically all I have to do is focus on my breathing and squeeze the trigger.
Like I said earlier, I'm going to hold off with making any major changes until I can get some nicer weather and some more ammo to play with. I guess I'll just have to go do some more shooting... darn...
I checked the torque on the scope rings and mounting bolts last night, the in/lb torque wrench clicked as expected. I could swap scopes with my old .22 to eliminate that variable.
Magoo - I am not familiar with the action screw torque adjustment, I'll have to look into that.
I'll be getting some lower velocity ammo and seeing how that works out. I can imagine that a 16.5" barrel probably doesn't stabilize a high velocity round very well.
I am starting to wonder a little bit about the barrel. One thing I've been thinking about, and this is a little out there and I'm not sure if it would be making that big of a difference, but I almost wonder if I didn't get a 1:9 twist barrel instead of a 1:16 as the box said. TacInc makes both and they look exactly the same on the outside, but I've worked manufacturing long enough to know that sometimes mistakes happen. I'll have to find some time this weekend to take apart my old Ruger and compare the twist rate, just to eliminate that possiblity. If I run through all the other issues and can say that the barrel is the problem, I'll get ahold of TacInc and see what they might know. Worse case scenerio, I get a different barrel/brand and just use this one for another project rifle specifically built as a truck gun/plinker, might have to get one of those folding stock setups Magog was talking about.
While I'm no sharpshooter, I've never had problems throwing down good groups with any of my rifles. I can get sub-1" groups out of the .223 at 100 yards no problem, and even my old Ruger will punch the center out of a chew can lid at 50 yards. I'm using sandbags both on the front and rear, so basically all I have to do is focus on my breathing and squeeze the trigger.
Like I said earlier, I'm going to hold off with making any major changes until I can get some nicer weather and some more ammo to play with. I guess I'll just have to go do some more shooting... darn...
Last edited:
7thCavScout
Member
bdbecker, is that a new barrel? And if so, was it properly broken in?
Here's a picture of my Huckleberry....
Parts List
Hogue Overmolded Stock OD Green
Green Mountain 18" Target Barrel
Volquartsen TG2000 Trigger guard(complete)
Volquartsen Exact Edge Extractor w/ spring
Volquartsen V-Locking Block
Volquartsen Extended Bolt Handle and Recoil Rod Assembly (Black)
Volquartsen raised Weaver base
Tuffer Buffer
BSA Tactical Mil-Dot Rifle Scope 6-24x44mm
Harris BRM Bipod 6-9"
Here's a picture of my Huckleberry....
Parts List
Hogue Overmolded Stock OD Green
Green Mountain 18" Target Barrel
Volquartsen TG2000 Trigger guard(complete)
Volquartsen Exact Edge Extractor w/ spring
Volquartsen V-Locking Block
Volquartsen Extended Bolt Handle and Recoil Rod Assembly (Black)
Volquartsen raised Weaver base
Tuffer Buffer
BSA Tactical Mil-Dot Rifle Scope 6-24x44mm
Harris BRM Bipod 6-9"
Here is the first custom 10-22 I had done up; Not real fancy but adequate for Chevy Team Challenge type matches.
Shilen barrel
Volquartsen trigger set up
Dane to Dusk AO scope
Bell & Carlson stock
The rifle does the sub 1/2 MOA with several types of ammo. It likes Ely best at 0.3 but WW Super X HP's do 0.4 all day long.
This is a whim gun.
I got the hots for this one because I shoot a 22 Short in BE at times and also because I have an old Winchester Gallery gun in 22 short. The wife bought the the conversion kit for Xmas a few years ago and I got a deal on the barrel form Volquartsen.
Greg
Shilen barrel
Volquartsen trigger set up
Dane to Dusk AO scope
Bell & Carlson stock
The rifle does the sub 1/2 MOA with several types of ammo. It likes Ely best at 0.3 but WW Super X HP's do 0.4 all day long.
This is a whim gun.
I got the hots for this one because I shoot a 22 Short in BE at times and also because I have an old Winchester Gallery gun in 22 short. The wife bought the the conversion kit for Xmas a few years ago and I got a deal on the barrel form Volquartsen.
Greg
30 degrees and sunny here with very little wind, so I decided to head down to the range and was happy to see she's starting to come around. These were my best 3 groups from today using up the rest of the Federal Champion 40 grain RN I had.
No wind, adding a dot to the center of my circles, and putting a towel over my stock to use as a cheek rest really helped pull the groups in. I realized when I was shooting today is that I wasn't holding my head in the same spot every time on the stock, so I put the towel on. If anything, it helped me to relax a little more while shooting because I didn't have to hold my head up. The "sampler pack" shipment of standard velocity ammo is due to arrive on Tuesday and the weather looks like it's going to be favorable, so hopefully I'll be able to play around a little more this week and see if I can tighten the groups up a little more.
No wind, adding a dot to the center of my circles, and putting a towel over my stock to use as a cheek rest really helped pull the groups in. I realized when I was shooting today is that I wasn't holding my head in the same spot every time on the stock, so I put the towel on. If anything, it helped me to relax a little more while shooting because I didn't have to hold my head up. The "sampler pack" shipment of standard velocity ammo is due to arrive on Tuesday and the weather looks like it's going to be favorable, so hopefully I'll be able to play around a little more this week and see if I can tighten the groups up a little more.
pikid89
Member
CraigC....that is prob the sweetest 10/22 build i have ever seen
somthin about it just calls to me
I have a stainless 10/22 but the only thing ive done to it is tech sights and a blackhawk axiom stock
somthin about it just calls to me
I have a stainless 10/22 but the only thing ive done to it is tech sights and a blackhawk axiom stock
I got to rereading this and came up with something from way back in my old school days. Originally no aftermarket barrels were available for the Ruger and that is when we started doing them out of blanks. Mine, as above, was made up with a Shilen. We debated the rear action screw issue and my 'smith did one up. His shot fine with it. I never bothered but the Bell & Carlson seemed to snug everything up nicely.
One thing that some guys did was to bed the barrel and free float the action. Those big old barrels stress the snot out of things and barrel "droop" is not uncommon. The bedding helped a lot on those issues.
Also the cantilevered mounts seem to help getting them to group when this problem comes up.
Greg
One thing that some guys did was to bed the barrel and free float the action. Those big old barrels stress the snot out of things and barrel "droop" is not uncommon. The bedding helped a lot on those issues.
Also the cantilevered mounts seem to help getting them to group when this problem comes up.
Greg
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Thank you!
NeuseRvrRat
Member
are you cooling the barrel well? a warm bbl will kill my 10/22's groups.
I'm not too sure a hot barrel is the problem, most of my shooting has taken place when the temp is around the 30's. I usually wait 5 seconds or more between shots, and a minute or so to reload the magazine, more if I go and take a look at the groups.
I came home from work yesterday to find my box o goodies sitting on my back step.
- Wolf Match Target 40 Grain
- Aguila Match Rifle 40 Grain
- Armscor Target 40 Grain
- CCI Standard Velocity 40 Grain
- Eley Target 40 Grain
- Fiocchi Match Training 40 Grain
Just for the heck of it, I also got some Winchester Super-X Subsonic 40 Grain Truncated Cone Hollow Points for the varmints.
I picked up a box of each, hopefully I'll be able to find what my rifle likes. I tried to keep my wallet in mind when I put together this order, so I did not go for the highest end stuff mainly because I do not want to get addicted to .22 ammo that is almost as expensive as the stuff I feed my .223. Looks like the forecast has changed for the weekend, maybe I'll be able to get some results on Saturday.
- Wolf Match Target 40 Grain
- Aguila Match Rifle 40 Grain
- Armscor Target 40 Grain
- CCI Standard Velocity 40 Grain
- Eley Target 40 Grain
- Fiocchi Match Training 40 Grain
Just for the heck of it, I also got some Winchester Super-X Subsonic 40 Grain Truncated Cone Hollow Points for the varmints.
I picked up a box of each, hopefully I'll be able to find what my rifle likes. I tried to keep my wallet in mind when I put together this order, so I did not go for the highest end stuff mainly because I do not want to get addicted to .22 ammo that is almost as expensive as the stuff I feed my .223. Looks like the forecast has changed for the weekend, maybe I'll be able to get some results on Saturday.
Bingo! Wolf Match Target is the winner of today's shooting session. I threw down decent groups with all of the brands listed above, but nothing came close to this.
For reference, the dots are 3/4" diameter.
Group #1
Group #2
Group #3
Got a little excited on the last one and pulled a few shots to the left.
For reference, the dots are 3/4" diameter.
Group #1
Group #2
Group #3
Got a little excited on the last one and pulled a few shots to the left.
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