ruger 10/22 hang-ups

[Superpsy]

I recently bought a new Ruger 10/22 as my plinking gun. I'm using Federal .22 LR ammo. I've been taking it out the last couple of days...On the first day there were maybe two or three failures to properly eject, resulting in misfeeds. After that day I took it, cleaned it out and lubed it up, especially the action. Took it out again yesterday and still had the same problem...this time at least once every 10 rounds or so...I've even tried different mags. I'm going to clean it again tonight.....any suggestions on anything else to do? A buddy of mine said that the gun is still being "broken in"...what do you guys think?

 

[Bridger]

My 10/22 was perfectly reliable out of the box with Federal 550 rd packs from wal mart. I think it went thousands of rounds without cleaning or extraction errors. I got a few failures to extract during rapid fire (wasting ammo ) and cleaned it and the issue was resolved. I then installed a Volquartsen extractor and have never had anymore extraction issues.

You might want to try some other brands of ammo first and see what happens.

 

[Owen]

.22's are notoriously picky about ammo. You may want to try one of the other brands of bulkpack ammo first.

 

[Superpsy]

good news!

Went out to the range today to try out a different ammo brand. I went with CCI high velocity. A little more expensive than the federal but it was all K-mart had... Shot 100 rounds straight and no hang-ups whatsoever. Switched to federal and had failures to eject with the first mag.

Before I went to the range I cleaned and lubed the gun up. Does this little experiment mean that I have to purchase more expensive ammo for a .22? I think I'm going to experiment with more brands...oh, well...just means lots more shooting in the next few days.

 

[Jim Gross]

I have had a 10/22 for about 22 years and I have put thousands of rounds through it. I have found that it is very pickey when it comes to extractions. The CCI minimags work the best for me. When I use the cheaper ammo it will consistently have ejection problems. The CCI's have absoultly no problems. Just thought I would let you know your not the only one with this problem. good luck and good shooting.

 

[Outlaws]

Mine has problems with certain ammo. I don't recall the Federal 550 round bulk packs giving it any problems, but then every gun is different.

Federal Lightning (the red boxes) are aweful though in my 10/22. Won't feed, won't extract, and won't hit anything. Same with Remington Thunderbolts.

 

[jman74]

CCI's or winchester. I've never had any issues with either in my 10/22. If it will cycle the action, the gun works perfect.CCI standard velocity seem to be the most accurate though.

 

[rra_casper]

I've put probably 3,000 rounds through my 10/22 in a year, and Federal Champion bulk-pack seems to be its favorite. However, try to feed that stuff to my dad's 10/22 and you'll spend more time clearing jams than shooting. His likes the AE and Rem Golden Bullet, both of which cause mine to gum up like crazy. I've met a few people who only shoot CCI because that's all their guns will take. Hope you find something cheap and reliable for high-volume ammo-wasting.
Oh, and Win Super-X is a rare treat for my baby. Love that stuff...

 

[ArmedBear]

Mine doesn't care for unplated bullets or American Eagle ammo.

Remington Golden Bullet bulk ammo from Wal-Mart has worked flawlessly in it, and of course a lot of more expensive stuff.

 

[Phenom]

I've seen a 10/22 eat everything reliably except Federal's American Eagle. That stuff is total garbage. Winchester WildCats work wonderfully and cost about $9.00 a brick.

 

[johnsonrlp]

Mine works good with the Rem plated bulk. But then I hate getting lead on my fingers so I only use plated I'd try all of the cheap stuff first.

 

[rustymaggot]

both my rugers used to be picky about ammo. i got volquartsen exact edge extractors and both the 10/22 and the mk1 have eaten everything ive fed em.

 

[dmckean44]

I've found that not just the 10/22s but semi-auto 22 LRs in general prefer high velocity ammo. Especially CCI minimags and Remington High velocity.

 

[stdlrf11]

I only shoot high velocity JHPs in my 10/22, and I found that Remington, Federal and some Winchester bulk packs are too dirty. They cause feeding problems after about fifty rounds. If I remember the name correctly, Winchester's Dyna points are my choice when I can find them. If not, I go with CCI or Aquilla. The cheaper the better.

 

[DWARREN123]

Try over at

WWW.RIMFIRECENTRAL.COM

They may have an answer for you.

 

[rangerruck]

the extractor is everything! I thought buying after market parts for rugers was crap. i finally broke down last month and bought my first 10/22. My usual test of 22 's includes using at a minimum 50 diff brands of ammo, in all shapes and weights. After this first test, it only reliably fed 6 rounds, thats it. Mind you I allready had some after market parts, and work. Trigger job, bolt buffer , s.s. take down allen screw, mag release extension, but i had bought or used no after market parts in the action itself. I was seething not to do this. i finally did, and got an exact edge exractor, Volquartzen also makes one. This is the only action part i replaced.
Waalaa! Magic baby! Performed the exact same test again, this past weekend, and only one type of ammo had any problems. Just one. The extractor is no doubt a pain to replace, but it was worth every penny.

 

[KINGMAX]

I have had problems w/ the FEDERAL ammo as well

I have purchased my LAST box of FEDERAL ammo. I have had problems w/ FEDERAL ammo in a Remington 597, Walther P22, and if you can believe it a RUGER 10/22. I went back to REMINGTON in the 550 packs, no problems. The CCI mini-mags and Stingers work well in anything I put them through. I use the Stingers and Mini-Mags for hunting and personal protection rounds. I seldom use them for target. I do carry my P22 for personal protection on some occasions. I like light weight and ease of concealment.

 

[Radjxf]

Often some of the cheapo 22 ammo doesn't have the "oomph" to work the action properly. Also has too much dimensional variance that can cause poor extraction along with the gumminess.
Clean the chamber, make sure the extractor isn't "rounded off" and I used to polish and chamfer my bolts and guide rod when I had a 10/22. Also check that the filler screws or scope mounting screws aren't protruding into the bolt area (maybe that was a 597 issue?). Good luck.

 

[made2cut]

I've been using CCI mini-mag too with good results. Funny how many people have problems with the Federal AE .22 ammo. That is the only stuff I buy for my 9mm and 45 pistols, it's always worked well.

 

[Davo]

Break in and a good cleaning will help. I use federal bulk pack in my 10-22 almost exclusively, and it works fine. When a rifle is new, I will manually cycle it several hundred times and this smooths things up also.
I highly recommend that you look into the VQ exact edge extractor-its not needed, but it improves the reliability of the 10-22 quite a bit, even when the gun is dirty. Since I put one in my 10-22, I have had NO stovepipes.
Id you check out rimfirecentral there are dealers that sell the VQ extractor, and a recoil buffer for about $20, shipping included. I recommend it.

 

[Robereno]

Having the same problem though I haven't had a chance to try all the different combinations of ammo.

Found the extracter at Midway here.

Doesn't look like it would be too hard of a fix.

 

[MISTER]

Try Wolf Match Target......Very Reliable and won't break the bank either.

 

[Crosshair]

I feed my guns Remington or Winchester brick ammo. None of my autoloaders will reliably feed Federal 22LR ammo. (S&W 22A, 10/22, MKII)

 

[Superpsy]

ordered volquartsen extractor and recoil bolt buffer from WeaponKraft (I'm no no way affiliated with them ) Like I mentioned before I was having extraction probs. I received the parts today...installed them in about 5 minutes, went off to the range and shot until I was tired of wasting ammo I had zero problems... I heartily recommend Weaponkraft and these parts... Now I'm off to shoot something again.

 

[Davo]

Glad we could help you out...FYI the VQ extractor aids reliability in the mkII series pistols as well. The buffer is not needed, but it reduces stress on the rifle, especially the reciever. I look at it as cheap insurance.