Ok, What 10/22 should I buy

[wareagle]

Guys,

I plan to pickup a base model 10/22. I hear that there are different levels of quality depending on vintage and supply channel. What should I be looking for? Any serial# range or physical attributes to consider? Forearm band, plastic trigger group.....?

Thanks much,

[xd shooter]

What are you wanting to do with it?

Me I have nothing against the plastic triger groups. I acually swapped mine & sold the metal ones for the extra cash!

[Oh Shoot]

They're all plastic trigger groups now.

You can't tell the diff shooting them though.

Matter of fact the guts are all the same, cept for the target model having a slightly better trigger.

I'd just buy a $199.99 basic carbine with wood stock and shoot the pee out of it for a while, then change whatever you don't like.

- OS

[Guest mosinon]

Uh, hold off that purchase for a few days War Eagle. I just got a 10/22 for valentines day, still in the box and all but I already have one. I am stuck between telling my wife I already have one and selling the new one or keeping mum and selling the old one. Leaning hard to the idea of selling the new one. I'll charge sticker price, no tax or tics so it'll be the cheapest new 10/22 you'll find.

Well, this brings up an interesting question. I've got a stainless 10/22 from the eighties and a brand new one. I'm selling one. Which one should go?

[2000silverz28]

Gander mountain has one with the synthetic stock and stainless barrel with a simmons scope for $249 + tax/background. I think I'm gonna pick one of them up this week.

[I_Like_Pie]

Supply channel....all are the same

Vintage...4 years ago they switched to polymer trigger guard and other parts. Some people hate them because they are plastic, but the tolerances are much higher than the older ones.

Ohshoot is right. Get the $200 one and shoot it a lot. Only improvement you will probably like to add is a $30 VQ or Clark hammer for a lighter pull...the factory pull is awful heavy. Iron sights are awful too...can't seem to get low enough. Buy a 10/22 magnum front sight for $6, buy some aftermarket iron sights for $30 or scope it.

Every thing else is fluff. If you want to trick it out....that is a whole other industry.

[Oh Shoot]

Uh, hold off that purchase for a few days War Eagle. I just got a 10/22 for valentines day, still in the box and all but I already have one. I am stuck between telling my wife I already have one and selling the new one or keeping mum and selling the old one. Leaning hard to the idea of selling the new one. I'll charge sticker price, no tax or tics so it'll be the cheapest new 10/22 you'll find.

Well, this brings up an interesting question. I've got a stainless 10/22 from the eighties and a brand new one. I'm selling one. Which one should go?

I'd keep both. Extra guns are good. Also, you'd still be married and all, if that's a plus to ya.

- OS

[Guest mosinon]

I'd keep both. Extra guns are good. Also, you'd still be married and all, if that's a plus to ya.

- OS

every other weekend if I can get the kid to watch cartoons....

[jcj]

Uh, hold off that purchase for a few days War Eagle. I just got a 10/22 for valentines day, still in the box and all but I already have one. I am stuck between telling my wife I already have one and selling the new one or keeping mum and selling the old one. Leaning hard to the idea of selling the new one. I'll charge sticker price, no tax or tics so it'll be the cheapest new 10/22 you'll find.

Well, this brings up an interesting question. I've got a stainless 10/22 from the eighties and a brand new one. I'm selling one. Which one should go?

She'll find out if you sell the new one. Keep them both! Keep one stock and make one tacticool or something.

So many options and configurations for the 10/22 there are countless ways to have fun with both.

[LA_357SIG]

I would just buy a used one from a pawn shop. I am only interested in a good receiver, bolt and trigger group. All the rest can be changed out with aftermarket parts. Just about everybody that has a 10/22 will eventually trick it out and starting from scratch, even with Ruger factory parts will be expensive. It is far easier to start with a donor rifle and swap out the barrel, stock and trigger.

[graycrait]

Try and find one with a metal trigger group at a pawn shop or used somewhere. I have 5 10/22s. 3 have aftermarket barrels, with one of the barrels costing nearly 300.00. 3 of my 10/22s have sub 3lb triggers and one has sub 4lb. Today I was wrasslin' with a new to me 10/22 with a plastic trigger group. I polished everything that touched or moved: Trigger Group Modifications - RimfireCentral.com Forums

After having done some work on 10/22s for about 10 yrs I decided to go the whole Monty on stock parts. I couldn't get the parts to lower than 6.5lbs in the plastic trigger group. I took the parts out, got out a metal trigger group I had and stuck the reworked stock parts in. 3lbs 11oz.

The 10/22 is good basic mass production design that can lend itself to some interesting variations. I have had many, some wilder than others. I have wasted some serious money on these so I feel like I am qualified to tell you some things not to do.

Below are my 4 shooting 10/22s. I have one for parts and quite a few extra parts from projects gone awry. The top one is pretty stock except for a nice trigger and Green Montain Running Boar barrel. These barrels are good for shooting at moving targets.

Next is one that the only thing stock is the receiver. Bolt, trigger group and barrel are all Rimfire Technologies. The barrel is a threaded and an aluminum shrouded one that has a chamber cut specifically for CCI ammo. Having a barrel chambered for one type of ammo was sort of dumb, but CCI is available a lot of places so it works pretty well.

The next one looks stock but has a nice after market trigger job and a stock barrel that has been rechambered and crowned ny Rimfire Technologies.

Bottom one is the one that I had to take off the plastic trigger housing. It is pretty much stock with a lot of stonining and a bit of spring change.

If I had a used but stock 10/22 with a metal trigger group I would do the following:

Save my money and time and get Randy at CPC to rework the whole rifle: CPC 10/22 Bolt Rework,

He can get you a nice trigger in any housing; accurize the barrel, machine and match the bolt to your barrel. You get your barrel, bolt and trigger housing back from Randy, then attach it to your receiver and install in your favorite stock. No FFL required if you keep the receiver at home. The squirrels will never know what hit them. I've fiddle farted around with a lot of scopes & optics and for the money the Weaver 2-7x28 is my favorite on a 10/22.

Edited February 17, 2011 by graycrait
forgot pic