The Ruger 10/22 .22 caliber self-loading rifle is a firearm everyone should own, use, and enjoy. The 10/22 is perhaps the best combination of reliability and economy in a rimfire rifle.
While Ruger offers a good-quality takedown rifle and highly developed target versions of the 10/22, the price leader, with a plastic stock and without sights, is available for just over two hundred dollars. It is supplied with an optics mounting rail and makes a good base for upgrades. The 10/22 is a rifle that has been around the block.
I have used it in training and small-game hunting. My Ruger rifles have proven completely reliable with quality ammunition. They seldom fail to function with even the cheapest dirty loads. Since it chambers the little giant of cartridges, the .22 Long Rifle, I can afford to fire it often and experiment with different loads.
There are things about the Ruger that may be upgraded and things to leave alone. Ruger’s rotary ten-round magazines are famously reliable, and the extended X magazines are a lot of fun to use.
The original ten-round magazine doesn’t protrude from the stock. I use that magazine for bench rest and target work and the X magazine for fun. I have worn out one .22 rotary magazine in fifty years! Stocks, optics, and the trigger action may be upgraded if you wish, and you may enjoy a great deal of improved accuracy.
The Ruger is easily disassembled, a big plus. The rifle is a fine choice for beginners, but in this case, I am building a rifle for a more experienced shooter.
Not so highly upgraded or specialized that it will not be useful as a go-anywhere, do-anything .22, but it is enough of an upgrade that what it does, it does very well.
Tutorial
It is simple to disassemble the Ruger 10/22.
First, be sure the rifle is unloaded. Did I say unload the rifle? Double-check the chamber!
Then, remove the barrel band. Loosen the retaining screw and bump the barrel band off.
A single bolt holds the action and stock together. Remove this bolt move the safety to the middle position to press the action from the stock. That’s it.
To install a custom trigger group turn the action upside down. Bump out the two action pins with a punch. Now here is the trick- some action pins simply fall out with little effort.
The newer guns with painted finish can be a pain. Use a punch and a rubber hammer to bump these pins out.
With the pins out simply pull the trigger group away. Next choose a quality aftermarket trigger group. I have long experience with Timney triggers. This rifle was fitted with a Timney Calvin Elite trigger.
The Calvin Elite features three trigger shoes that may be adjusted for height and cant. The factory setting is just over 2.0 pounds and very sharp with a rapid crips reset.
Take the trigger group and press it into place where the original trigger group once rested. Run the pins back in and you are done.
The pins are easy to drop. A tarp or neutral color rug in the workplace is good to have.
Don’t dry fire the trigger outside of the rifle. The springs will fly everywhere! That is how I learned to replace Ruger trigger springs.
Some improvement is possible by changing out the springs. A superior custom action is the better choice for greatest improvement. Once the trigger is assembled you may replace the action in the stock simply enough.
The interface between the rifle and the shooter could stand improvement. Factory stocks are ok, not bad, but not ideal either. They are made to fit many different body sizes. There are many good choices, the stock illustrated is my choice.
Boyd’s stocks offer good-quality replacement sets for many rifles and custom-grade stocks suitable for hunting, tactical use, or competition. I selected the AT One laminate stock. You cannot fault it on looks. My rifle would be a target gun, maybe even falling into the simulated sniper-grade rifle niche for practice.
The wood is cut and dried—that’s where the cut and dry expression originates in woodworking—and finished in hard wood veneer. The finish is weather—and chemical-resistant.
The stock may be set for a length of pull from 12.5 to 14 inches. The comb offers considerable adjustment as well. It weighs about three pounds, which is about .5 pounds more than the plain Jane Ruger 10/22 stock.
There was no fitting at all, the barreled action simply went into place. The lines of the stock are pleasing to the eye and ergonomic fit and feel outstanding. I would not hesitate to use the rifle for small game hunting, informal target shooting, or some forms of competition.
Adjustment is simple- press a plunger in the stock to adjust butt stock length or to raise the comb mounted cheek rest.
Barrel Tech
Next, I considered the barrel. 10/22 barrels are easy enough to change out. With the action removed from the rifle, look under the barrel near the chamber.
Two screws are holding the barrel in place. Carefully twist these out. The difficult part is slowly turning the Allen wrench. The barrel will usually bump out easily. But not always!
Some of the newer rifles with a different finish may be troublesome. Bumping the barrel with a rubber hammer will loosen them up.
Sometimes, the receiver must be stabilized in a padded vise. I choose a Beyer barrel. Mine is a midweight fluted aluminum barrel.
I will copy some of the details from the Bayer website—
- TWIST- Button-rifled Chromalloy steel liner with precise 1-16″ or 1-9″ rifling for excellent accuracy. The 1-9″ rifling works well for 60-grain subsonic .22 LR ammo.
- FINISH – We offer a variety of finishes: Stainless Steel, Matte Black, OD Green and Custom Colors. Our ceramic finishes are baked on and resists corrosion, scratches, and surface wear.
- FLUTES – Flutes are decorative but also serve another purpose to lighten the barrel weight, flutes help stiffen the barrel and increase cooling. We offer two kinds of flutes: stright flutes and diamond flutes. Our flutes can be painted or unpainted depending on the desired appearance.
- THREADS – Threads allow for addition of muzzle breaks and silencers. 1/2-28 TPI muzzle threads accept a variety of AR-15/M16 flash hiders and muzzle brakes. Threads can be added to any barrels we offer.
- MUZZLE BRAKES- Originally muzzle brakes were created to reduce the rifle recoil. In rimfire barrels muzzle breaks are used to stabilize the muzzle and increase target acquisition during rapid fire competition. Our muzzle breaks can be coated with custom colors to match your custom barrel color.
Line the barrel up with the receiver and bump it into place, then tighten the barrel screws. Simple as that, no need to worry about headspace, simply butt the barrel into place. Next, I chose an optic.
The Burris Fullfield 6.5x20x50mm is a great optic with a clear lens, excellent adjustment, and good magnification. It was too much for a .22 rimfire, but the bottom line is that I had it on hand.
Along the way I fired a number of loads for both velocity and accuracy.
- CCI Mini-Mag Segmented – 1220 fps
- CCI Mini-Mag 36 grain Hollow point – 1233 fps
- Federal Small Game Match 40 grain – 1171 fps
- CCI Velocitor – 1399 fps
- Federal 38 grain Plated Hollow Point – 1177 fps
- CCI Stinger 32 grain Hollow Point – 1501 fps
- Remington 40-grain Golden Bullet – 1129 fps
I chose to sight the rifle properly with the fast-stepping Velocitor loading. As a bonus, this rifle delivers velocity as much as ten percent higher than my other two 10/22 rifles.
Since accuracy is also there, I take this as a gain. From my perspective, benchrest accuracy is good, but the real gain in accuracy is off-hand accuracy. The rifle comes to the shoulder quickly, and the clean trigger break makes for excellent practical accuracy.
How much difference did the custom barrel make? I fired several three-shot groups at a long 50 yards.
Accuracy Results
- Federal Hunter Match .5 in.
- CCI Mini Mag 1.0 in.
- Remington Golden Bullet 1.0 in.
- CCI Stinger .9 in.CCI Velociter .7 in.
This is the first time the Stinger has turned in this type of accuracy for me, and I was well pleased. All things considered, these groups fired from a solid bench rest are excellent.
Conclusion
The Ruger 10/22 upgrade is among the most enjoyable projects I have undertaken. It provides a good performance improvement for a minimal outlay.
Where To Buy
