Ruger 10/22 information

[NwoSlave]

I have had in my possession a 10/22 carbine rifle from Ruger. it is not the plastic body one but the wood. Ive decided to upgrade it since my AR15 is at a place I am happy with.  I was hoping more experienced owners can tell me some things about it or at least confirm what i have researched because i basically know nothing related to it.

first, it appears it was manufactured in 1970/71. the serial number on my rifle begins with 110-062 and according to Rugers serial number website those were the two years that beginning serial number shows up but the rest of my serial number is not 20100 or 64595 but does fall in that range. can i assume with 99% confidence that it is that old? it does not have the release lever for the magazine but the push button. not sure if that was standard until the lever was added or not.

second, with that in mind im looking at getting an extended magazine for it.  palmetto has one and states "magazines will work with any factory original Ruger® 10/22® rifle". with the age of my rifle will something this new work with mine?

finally, this is basically off the top of my head so any information about it i should know,  must have accessories or things to watch out for would be appreciated.

 

[Oh Shoot]

1 hour ago, NwoSlave said:

.....

first, it appears it was manufactured in 1970/71. the serial number on my rifle begins with 110-062 and according to Rugers serial number website those were the two years that beginning serial number shows up but the rest of my serial number is not 20100 or 64595 but does fall in that range. can i assume with 99% confidence that it is that old? it does not have the release lever for the magazine but the push button. not sure if that was standard until the lever was added or not.

Dunno what to tell you there, as 110-20100 is shown as the lowest starting number. Like you, I would assume that anything starting with the 110 would have to be in those two years, but that's odd.

1 hour ago, NwoSlave said:

second, with that in mind im looking at getting an extended magazine for it.  palmetto has one and states "magazines will work with any factory original Ruger® 10/22® rifle"....

I would recommend staying with Ruger BX 25 or BX 15 mags.

- OS

[No_0ne]

My guess is that they began the changeover to the hyphenated numbering system in late 1969 and that your rifle was made at that time.  Like Oh Shoot says, if you stick with Ruger mags you're more likely to have fewer potential problems.  If you're replacing the stock, I would be interested in the original, as I have a barreled action that could use one.

[billmeek]

The older 10/22 rifles had a push button for the mag release.  Newer rifles all have a lever for the mag release.  You can get varying lengths and designs for the mag release.

Any 10/22 mag should fit and work in all generations of 10/22.  The only exception that I'm aware of is the Thompson Center T/CR22 (10/22 clone) mags which incorporate a last round hold open when using the T/CR22 receiver.  The T/CR22 can use standard 10/22 mags without the last round hold open.

I've found that the 10-round Ruger mags to be the most reliable. I have a few BX-25 mags and they have been hit and miss.  Surprisingly, the GSG 110-round mags have worked well for me if I load them to 100-rounds and take care to load them correctly.  One of the most interesting 10/22 mags is from HC Mags. I have a couple of their HC3R Tac Packs (Gen 2) on order that should be here mid to late February:

https://store1.hcmags.com/products/hc3r-tac-pac-gen-ii.html

The stripper-clips allow you to load (and reload) an extended mag quickly.  This way the spring in the mag doesn't loose tension by leaving it loaded all of the time.

There is a plethora of options and accessories when it comes to 10/22 platform.  It all depends on what you want to achieve and how much you willing to spend.  I have several 10/22s that the only stock Ruger item on them is the 10-round Ruger mag.  If you are going for precision, it's not hard to drop a couple of grand into a 10/22.  If you just wanting a good plinker, you don't have to spend a lot.  I do recommend either some trigger work or a drop in replacement.  While they are far from cheap, I'm a big fan of the Kidd triggers.  Another good (and less expensive) option on triggers is to send your existing trigger to Brimstone:

http://brimstonegunsmithing.com/

Of course, you can always just learn to to do the trigger work yourself.

The one thing I definitely would do to any stock Ruger 10/22 is install an auto bolt release.  Rather than having to fiddle with the bolt lock to release the bolt, the auto bolt release allow you to slightly pull back on the charging handle and let go. It's well worth the small amount the part costs.  Example (without shopping around) that I've used:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R11VMDP/

Rather than buying the part, you can do a modification yourself:

If you will provide an idea of how you plan to use the 10/22 or any goals you want to achieve (precision, defensive use, etc.) I can provide more suggestions.

 

[krunchnik]

My Brother had a older model similar in year to yours.

It also had the wood stock-which I came into possession of-which later took up residents on a new model plastic stock plain Jane sport model.

The original new model now is a mix and match old and new-old model wood stock and reworked trigger group which is metal-shoots great.

10-22 Ruger is probably one of the most accessorized firearms ever made-next to a 1911 or AR15.

[NwoSlave]

@billmeek @Oh Shoot

thanks for the input. im not looking to get crAzY with it but just upgrade it here and there for practice shooting. those 9mm and 556/223 ammo prices make it almost too expensive to shoot those guns.

[Clutch80]

I've got a 1967 vintage 10/22, serial # 103xxx with the original Mannlicher stock.  It will run BX-25 and other clone magazines but using anything but the 10-round mags feels like sacrilege with that rifle.