I just recently upgraded my 10-22. I put a fajen adjustable stock with an ER Shaw barrel. I am going to put a trigger on but have not yet installed. The ER Shaw is unreal. At 40 yds, I shot 5 groups of 5 shots each and the biggest was just over a 1/4". It cycles every brand of ammo I feed it and it shot a 1/2" group with bulk winchester and cci ammo. The other groups were shot with wolf match. I'm extremely pleased with the results. I wil be taking it out further once I get to the range.
10-22 upgrades
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Good on you, mate. Welcome to my world. I've built many a 10/22, depending on how I felt that week. All the way from full target custom to custom hunting rifles that do double duty as a target rifle.
Try the Velocitor ammo. After a few years of trying out different brands and bullet weights I've settled on the Velocitor for all my needs. Best 5 shot group to date is .137" at 50 yards with most groups about 1/2". And that .137" group was shot with a factory barrel, albeit a 22" Wal-Mart stainless steel getup.
I like bells and whistles. It's fun on a cold Winter night to build up something special. Glad I did mine, starting many years ago. Rheumatoid Arthritis has taken it's toll on what my fingers and hands will do ... but I can still squeeze 'em off with the best of 'em.
Try the Velocitor ammo. After a few years of trying out different brands and bullet weights I've settled on the Velocitor for all my needs. Best 5 shot group to date is .137" at 50 yards with most groups about 1/2". And that .137" group was shot with a factory barrel, albeit a 22" Wal-Mart stainless steel getup.
I like bells and whistles. It's fun on a cold Winter night to build up something special. Glad I did mine, starting many years ago. Rheumatoid Arthritis has taken it's toll on what my fingers and hands will do ... but I can still squeeze 'em off with the best of 'em.
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106 Posts
Over the years I've mainly modified, worked with and shot the Ruger 77/22's.
However a couple years ago that all changed. Since then I have modified several Ruger 10/22's for buddies, including building one for myself.
The great thing about the 10/22 is you can "have it your way". There are so many different aftermarket parts available you can literally build a complete gun from custom parts without using a single Ruger part if so inclined.
As per the Trigger Groups for the 10/22 there again are several options. My future son in law sprung for a complete Volquartsen TG2000 Complete Trigger & Housing. Truth be know the Volquartsen TG2000 is not enough better than the Factory Trigger Group my nephew set out to TT Shooter for a complete trigger job to warrant twice the price.
Then again the Volquartsen TG2000 is not enough better than the trigger job I did myself on my 10/22 with the only custom parts I used were a Volquartsen Custom Target Hammer and Power Custom Spring Kit to warrent the price difference either. But then I spent hours polishing all the parts in my trigger group, including the Volquartsen Custom Target Hammer.
There are a few different postings on RFC on how to improved your factory trigger. The way I looked at it is like this, if I messed up I'd just then buy a custom trigger group, what I contemplated doing in the first place. In my case I didn't mess up so I didn't have to spring for a custom trigger group.
Larry
However a couple years ago that all changed. Since then I have modified several Ruger 10/22's for buddies, including building one for myself.
The great thing about the 10/22 is you can "have it your way". There are so many different aftermarket parts available you can literally build a complete gun from custom parts without using a single Ruger part if so inclined.
As per the Trigger Groups for the 10/22 there again are several options. My future son in law sprung for a complete Volquartsen TG2000 Complete Trigger & Housing. Truth be know the Volquartsen TG2000 is not enough better than the Factory Trigger Group my nephew set out to TT Shooter for a complete trigger job to warrant twice the price.
Then again the Volquartsen TG2000 is not enough better than the trigger job I did myself on my 10/22 with the only custom parts I used were a Volquartsen Custom Target Hammer and Power Custom Spring Kit to warrent the price difference either. But then I spent hours polishing all the parts in my trigger group, including the Volquartsen Custom Target Hammer.
There are a few different postings on RFC on how to improved your factory trigger. The way I looked at it is like this, if I messed up I'd just then buy a custom trigger group, what I contemplated doing in the first place. In my case I didn't mess up so I didn't have to spring for a custom trigger group.
Larry
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571 Posts
I've shot unreal groups at 100yds with the velocitors. So unreal I would be accused of lying on the internet. They can be that good.
I took a velocitor round, filed the nose of the bullet flat for a large meplat and then drilled it out for a hollow point. One day there was a starling waiting to be victimized, I pulled the trigger and it came down in 3pcs. Great little rounds
My 10-22 has the Clerke 16" heavy, Hogue OM stock and basic 3-9x zoom. Bought the combo for 95.00 from J&G Sales in Arizona about 7yrs ago. Sure love this little squirrel sniper.
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106 Posts
Sounds like your combo is working quite well. It is amazing how well these 10/22's can shoot once you find the right combo.
Larry
Larry
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571 Posts
Time to terrorize the squirrels and starlings.
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817 Posts
The 10/22's can really become an addiction. I started out buying a 10/22 Target. I worked the trigger, pillar bedded the stock and bedded he first couple of inches under the barrel in front of the V-block. It shoots some really nice groups. I then acquired a old beater gun from a pawn shop and completely refurbished it. I stripped the action and trigger group housing and refinished it. I worked the trigger, did the bolt release mod, installed an extended mag release, refinished the stock, installed an ultralight 16.5" barrel, pillar bedded the action, glass bedded the barrel and a few other things. I gave it to my father in law as a gift. He has ordered a scope for it and is awaiting it's delivery. I can't want to see how it shoots. In the meantime I have acquired another old tired 10/22 from the pawnshop and I'm going to do a similar build for myself. I just can't get enough of these things.
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I have been on the lookout for a new squirrel gun, and my first inclination was a bolt gun. With that said, I have recently been thinking that maybe I would buy a 10/22 and customize something just for me.
What is the best route for a base gun? Thanks for all of the good info.
Dan
What is the best route for a base gun? Thanks for all of the good info.
Dan
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817 Posts
Well, you have a bunch of options. You could find and old beater in a pawn shop or gun show and do a full rebuild. You could start with a bare aftermarket receiver and build the whole thing or you could buy a new one and just do some upgrades to it. I all depends on what you are wanting the end result to be. If you just want a walking around gun to hunt tree rats and small game you may just want to start off with a base model gun. The first thing I would do after than is either work the trigger or buy an aftermarket hammer. The trigger pull on the stock Ruger's is horrible but with an aftermarket hammer you can get it to 2.75-3.0 lbs. After that the sky is the limit. A lot of guys have bolt work down, firing pin pinned down, rear of bolt radiused, aftermarket or worked extractor, headspace adjusted, etc. There is a guy over on Rimfire Central that does all of this for $30 and his work is well worth the money. He is a sponsor on that site and uses the screen name of Que.
The barrels on the standard 10/22s can be a crap shoot. Sometimes you will get a good one sometimes you don't. Most of the time the ones that don't shoot have a crown issue. You can recrown and have the chamber set back and reamed to tighten it up and they will usually shoot really well. There are several guys doing this work pretty cheap such as CPC and Dearborn Guns. Of course you could just buy an aftermarket barrel install it yourself, which is super easy. Like I said the sky is the limit. The 10/22 is one of the most customized guns in the world and can be a lot of fun to tinker with. If you want to learn all there is to know about them go over to www.rimfirecentral.com and do some reading. There's a ton of info there and some customized rifles shooting some awesome groups.
The barrels on the standard 10/22s can be a crap shoot. Sometimes you will get a good one sometimes you don't. Most of the time the ones that don't shoot have a crown issue. You can recrown and have the chamber set back and reamed to tighten it up and they will usually shoot really well. There are several guys doing this work pretty cheap such as CPC and Dearborn Guns. Of course you could just buy an aftermarket barrel install it yourself, which is super easy. Like I said the sky is the limit. The 10/22 is one of the most customized guns in the world and can be a lot of fun to tinker with. If you want to learn all there is to know about them go over to www.rimfirecentral.com and do some reading. There's a ton of info there and some customized rifles shooting some awesome groups.
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As Range Junkie has stated you can have a 10/22 your way. Build it mild or wild what ever suits you fancy. They can be a money pit though, but then again it depends on what you want as a end result.
On my own 10/22 I bought a used one from a buddy that had been sitting in the garage for years. The outside of the barrel was solid rust and the stock was all dinged up. I wasn't too worried about the condition as I was planning on a rebuild it anyway.
I completely disassembled the entire 10/22. I decided to see if I could get it cleaned up and shoot it before I started buying aftermarket parts. Once I had the barrel off of the receiver I spent an hour watching TV and working on the barrel with 0000 steel wool keeping the barrel wet with Break Free CLP. Believe it or not but it really cleaned up quite good.
I then went to work on the inside of the barrel (yeah I know I did this backwards as I should have did the inside first). There was a heavy coating of wax in the barrel and no rust. It actually cleaned up really good.
Then following the instructions on RFC I did a complete action job on it. I chamfered (radiused) the rear surface of the bolt where it contacts the hammer during cycling. This provides for smoother bolt operation especially with Standard Velocity Ammo. I also added a Tuffer Buffer Recoil Buffer.
I then removed the factory bolt release and did the auto bolt modification to it. This is done so once you have the bolt locked to the rear it does not take two hands to get the bolt back into battery. With the auto bolt modification once the bolt is locked to the rear it is a simple matter of pulling the changing handle to the rear and letting the bolt go forward into battery.
I then polished the hammer, sear and disconnector. Eventually I did replace the hammer with a Volquartsen Custom Target Hammer and used Power Custom Springs.
I also have the factory 18 1/2" Barrel shortened to 16 1/2" (removing the front sight and recrowning it in the process). When I started this project I had wanted a 16" Stainless Bull Barrel. Well this shortened Factory Barrel shot soooooooo good I couldn't replace it. So I went with the next best thing. I secured a Green Mountain Aero Shroud and modified my factory barrel (I had to turned down the diameter of the barrel immediately in front of the dovetail for the V block so the shroud would fit onto the barrel) to mount the Aero Shroud. Now it appears as though it is a 16" Bull Barrel without the weight.
When I bought this 10/22 I had a plan. Since I have two AR-15's I wanted to set this one up in a AR style stock. At first I used a Tapco T-6 Stock but in the end I ended up replacing it with a Nordic Components AR-22 Receiver Chassis Kit. To this I added a Stoner Buffer Tube & 6 Position Collapsable Stock, AR-15 Free Float Tube and AR-15 Pistol Grip.
The end result is a 10/22 with a slightly modified factory carbine barrel that shoots way better than I thought a 10/22 with a factory barrel could shoot. I am super pleased with my 10/22, and the kids at our local indoor shooting range just love shooting it. They say it looks cool, but the most important part is with the adjustable buttstock they can make it the right length for each one of them individually.
Larry
On my own 10/22 I bought a used one from a buddy that had been sitting in the garage for years. The outside of the barrel was solid rust and the stock was all dinged up. I wasn't too worried about the condition as I was planning on a rebuild it anyway.
I completely disassembled the entire 10/22. I decided to see if I could get it cleaned up and shoot it before I started buying aftermarket parts. Once I had the barrel off of the receiver I spent an hour watching TV and working on the barrel with 0000 steel wool keeping the barrel wet with Break Free CLP. Believe it or not but it really cleaned up quite good.
I then went to work on the inside of the barrel (yeah I know I did this backwards as I should have did the inside first). There was a heavy coating of wax in the barrel and no rust. It actually cleaned up really good.
Then following the instructions on RFC I did a complete action job on it. I chamfered (radiused) the rear surface of the bolt where it contacts the hammer during cycling. This provides for smoother bolt operation especially with Standard Velocity Ammo. I also added a Tuffer Buffer Recoil Buffer.
I then removed the factory bolt release and did the auto bolt modification to it. This is done so once you have the bolt locked to the rear it does not take two hands to get the bolt back into battery. With the auto bolt modification once the bolt is locked to the rear it is a simple matter of pulling the changing handle to the rear and letting the bolt go forward into battery.
I then polished the hammer, sear and disconnector. Eventually I did replace the hammer with a Volquartsen Custom Target Hammer and used Power Custom Springs.
I also have the factory 18 1/2" Barrel shortened to 16 1/2" (removing the front sight and recrowning it in the process). When I started this project I had wanted a 16" Stainless Bull Barrel. Well this shortened Factory Barrel shot soooooooo good I couldn't replace it. So I went with the next best thing. I secured a Green Mountain Aero Shroud and modified my factory barrel (I had to turned down the diameter of the barrel immediately in front of the dovetail for the V block so the shroud would fit onto the barrel) to mount the Aero Shroud. Now it appears as though it is a 16" Bull Barrel without the weight.
When I bought this 10/22 I had a plan. Since I have two AR-15's I wanted to set this one up in a AR style stock. At first I used a Tapco T-6 Stock but in the end I ended up replacing it with a Nordic Components AR-22 Receiver Chassis Kit. To this I added a Stoner Buffer Tube & 6 Position Collapsable Stock, AR-15 Free Float Tube and AR-15 Pistol Grip.
The end result is a 10/22 with a slightly modified factory carbine barrel that shoots way better than I thought a 10/22 with a factory barrel could shoot. I am super pleased with my 10/22, and the kids at our local indoor shooting range just love shooting it. They say it looks cool, but the most important part is with the adjustable buttstock they can make it the right length for each one of them individually.
Larry
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817 Posts
Hit the pawn shops and guns shows. You can usually find some older guns you can pick up for around $100 if you don't mind doing a little work on them. If you think you might want to refinished and keep the original stock try and find one that is walnut. Ruger used birch on a lot of them but there are some walnut versions still out there. I rebuilt and old gun a little while ago and used the original stock. I cut it off at the barrel band and recontoured the front of the fore end. I opened the barrel channel up and installed an ultralight bull barrel. It turned out quite nice but the birch stock could have been a little better. I have another one now I haven't even started on yet. It has a walnut stock that is in nice shape with just a few minor dents and dings I will have to steam up. It has some really nice grain to it. It needs a good refinish job but once it's done I think it will be a beauty. Good luck on your search.
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Oneeye66 ... If you make it over to Davison, Mi, on the Eastern side of the State, check out Williams Gunsight ... they usually have a few laying about at fair prices. You can even check on-line on their website. They list all the used firearms they have and the prices.
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Also take a look over at the Trading Post section of www.rimfirecentral.com There are always 10/22s for sale over there and tons of accessories for them too.
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