Accuracy improvements for Ruger 10-22?

[tazman]

I have a standard Ruger 10-22 rifle that shoots less than stellar groups. Not even really adequate for squirrel hunting beyond 25 yards.
What can I do to improve the accuracy of this rifle without buying a lot of new parts for it?
I have already tried different brands of ammunition and changing the screw torque without any noticeable improvement.

I am not expecting benchrest accuracy. I need it to be able to hold 1.5-2 inch groups at 50 yards. Currently, it shoots about 1.75 inch groups at 25 yards.

Reliability in feeding has improved dramatically with use. I now have around 300 rounds through the rifle.
I had one of these 30 years ago that shot quite well. This one doesn't even come close.

[Brassduck]

I'd drop the gun out of the stock and check the screws that hold the barrel to the receiver, I think there is a torque for them. drop the trigger group and clean up the sear and trigger and than I would proceed to finish breaking the barrel in, at least another 300 rounds. if that don't work I'd find a used barrel and start over. in the past I've seen take off $20. good luck

[country gent]

As stated above.Improve trigger if it needs it, Check the barrel clamp screws and also consider the fit of barrel tenon in receiver, Then stock to receiver and barrels bedding. Another help to tuning is the mags tension,

The triggers arent the best and can be improved considerably with a little work.

The barrel clamp screw can make an improvement, make sure the bearing surface are bearing even and the heads seat square. Also that the barrel shoulder bears evenly around its face.

Barrel tenon fir is a big part also. measure tenon and reliever bore close as you can the tighter the fit the better. If to loose and epoxy. blue loctite. or if room a shim to tighten it up.

The mags tension can be adjusted by loosening the center bolt and rotating it one flat at a time. I have found that lighting mags tension will help with first shot fliers and group size both

[Electrod47]

I know you don't want to spend any more money But, you got to get a better trigger. My 1967 10/22 improved greatly with a Volquarten. And believe me being one of the first 100,000 produced had a lot of trigger pulls on it already and was USE smoothed about all it could already.

[JoeJames]

I know you don't want to spend any more money But, you got to get a better trigger. My 1967 10/22 improved greatly with a Volquarten. And believe me being one of the first 100,000 produced had a lot of trigger pulls on it already and was USE smoothed about all it could already.I considered mentioning that, but I figured that was elemental. I tried my old 10-22 out in a solid rest where the trigger did not effect it as much. I determined that with the right ammo, and I tried a bunch of different ammo (in my case Win Super X solids were the best) it had the potential ot be a good shooter. I put in a Volquartzen (sp) sear and trigger and got it down to 3 pounds or so. Fine accurate rifle.

[wilecoyote]

What can I do to improve the accuracy of this rifle without buying a lot of new parts for it?
I have already tried different brands of ammunition...

something cheap and do-it-yourself ?
a small cylinder, square at both ends, perforated in the center, hole as wide as the case of a .22lr and deep enough to insert the ammo, which must fully enter inside but stop due to the rim, which will remain exposed. with a digital caliper you measure the distance between the rear surface of the rim and the end of the opposite side of the cylinder. you will see that for each single loaded ammo you will often have a different measure. groups the ammo that give similar values to each other, and selects them by batches to shoot. you should get better accuracy because rim thickness determines the concept of headspace in .22. however, it works with cheap ammo or competition ammo. obviously a bit of care when handling the loaded .22s...
I apologize if I do not express myself better, but if interested it will be easy to post a drawing.
enjoy !

[tazman]

wilecoyote---No need for a drawing. I understand the instructions completely. Nice idea.

I will check the barrel screws and torque the stock-to-receiver screw before the next range trip.
I think I will also try removing the barrel band and see if that makes a difference also.

[wilecoyote]

wilecoyote---No need for a drawing...
Tazman, thanks you but the idea isn't mine, but comes from ol'time:drinks: free-rifle .22 shooters, when here cheap ruled.
have good time !

[Texas by God]

Mine shot best with the barrel band removed. Both of them.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Bigslug]

Outlandish thought, but see what Ruger will do for you. I've heard that they've built two or three of them. Maybe they've got an idea on what can go wrong.

[1006]

You might try the CCI Stinger. The longer case tightens up the fit in the chamber.

[uscra112]

About 6-7 years ago I tackled this problem by improving the commodity ammo I was shooting. Two things I did cut the "groups" in half. One was weight-sorting, the other was swaging the bullets to a uniform .2250" in a tool I made that was similar to the Waltz. Important to note that swaging only spoiled really good target-grade ammo. Final result was that weighed and swaged MiniMags were the best woodchuck ammo in that unmodified rifle.

Stingers, FWIW, were some of the most inaccurate ammo I ever fired in that 10/22. Worse even than run-of-the-bog Thunderbolts.

The snarky answer of course is to sell it and buy a Marlin. I didn't have to buy a Marlin, I already had several. But I did sell the Ruger. No regrets.

Never did try rim-thickness sorting. After all these years I finally went looking for a rim-thickness gaging tool. Because I still have a goodly amount of that sorted-and-weighed ammo, I'm thinking to restart the ammo-improvement experiments, although it won't be using that 10/22. The Raven Eye Custom rim-thickness tool works very nicely. Available from many sources, including Amazon.

[racepres]

About 6-7 years ago I tackled this problem by improving the commodity ammo I was shooting. Two things I did cut the "groups" in half. One was weight-sorting, the other was swaging the bullets to a uniform .2250" in a tool I made that was similar to the Waltz. Important to note that swaging only spoiled really good target-grade ammo. Final result was that weighed and swaged MiniMags were the best woodchuck ammo in that unmodified rifle.

Stingers, FWIW, were some of the most inaccurate ammo I ever fired in that 10/22. Worse even than run-of-the-bog Thunderbolts.

The snarky answer of course is to sell it and buy a Marlin. I didn't have to buy a Marlin, I already had several. But I did sell the Ruger. No regrets.

Never did try rim-thickness sorting. After all these years I finally went looking for a rim-thickness gaging tool. Because I still have a goodly amount of that sorted-and-weighed ammo, I'm thinking to restart the ammo-improvement experiments, although it won't be using that 10/22. The Raven Eye Custom rim-thickness tool works very nicely. Available from many sources, including Amazon.
Yup... I simply "Shoot" the 10/22... My M39 Marlin...that really gets the "job" done.. But, I do Not stress over 22RF stuff... If the Contender barrel is Not accurate enough for the Job... the 222 Barrel IS

[uscra112]

Off topic, but I kinda gave up on the .22 rimfire for garden defense against woodchucks and raccoons. Too dependent on making perfect head shots to assure humane kills, which in the real world is not as easy as the keyboard commandos would have you think, even with an accurate gun. Second is that the .22 slug can ricochet and travel some appreciable distance. I moved to a centerfire as well. More killing power and thin-skinned varmint bullets don't ricochet.

[DGV]

Put at least $1000 into your 10-22 with custom barrel ,stock, trigger etc. then sell it and buy a vudoo

[tazman]

Put at least $1000 into your 10-22 with custom barrel ,stock, trigger etc. then sell it and buy a vudoo

I appreciate the sentiment but, I won't throw money at piece of excrement and hope it turns into a peach.
I used to do that on a semi-regular basis and I hope I learned from it.
If I can't get this rifle shooting to my satisfaction without spending money on it, I will sell it.
I have a rule that has served me well the last few years. If, after 5 trips to the range and a good workout each time, the rifle still won't perform reasonably well, it goes down the road.
This one has made two qualifying trips so far.

[crappie-hunter]

Veral Smith, LBT molds has a fire lapping kit with instructions on fire lapping a 22 rimfire. I had a early model Ruger American that was absolutely horrible in the accuracy dept. I already had the kit that I fire lap all my cast bullet barrels with, so following the instructions for rimfire, I fire lapped it ,the rifle now on a good day, and if I am having a good day , the rifle will now do a 5 shot one ragged hole group at 50yds.

Fire lapping with his kit and following his instructions will greatly improve your cast bullet barrels. Following his instructions closely is very important.

[Wild Bill 7]

I have a early 70’s 10/22 with a fixed 4 power scope from K-Mart. Yes it’s that old. The trigger was horrendous to say the least. Never had the ability to fix the trigger, then the internet opened up a whole new world. Found a video the showed how to do a trigger job and another one that said to wrap a couple of turns of electrical tape around the barrel where the front barrel band is to tighten it up. That worked pretty good. Then I bought a Volquartsen trigger spring kit and wow that improved the trigger even more. Groups tightened up like never before. Just what I have done and results may vary if you try the same things. I love my 10/22 even more now.

[Mk42gunner]

I've given up on finding or making an accurate 10-22. Even though almost everyone you hear of or read about on the internet is more accurate than an Anschutz match rifle. Every one I ever shot was less accurate than any Marlin/ Glenfield Model 60 that I ever personally shot.

Unless you really want to spend twice the retail cost in parts. Then it may equal a Marlin. May not either.

What really soured me on 10-22's was the fine dust in Northern NV. Drop a mag in that and you might as well buy a new mag, no amount of cleaning and adjusting spring tension got any of them going again.

If I were to bet on the accuracy of stock, run of the mill .22 semiauto rifles, the order would be: Mossberg, Marlin, Browning, Remington and Winchester in fourth, Savage in fifth then the rest with Ruger coming in towards the end.

Robert

[rbuck351]

I only had one 10/22. It shot 2"+ groups at 25 yds. It went down the road. I'm not even messing with a 22 that shoots that bad.

[Patrick L]

I have played around with both rim sorting and swaging the bullet to a uniform diameter. I have Paco Kelly's tool for the swaging. I plan to add weight sorting to the mix this summer.

As to whether or not it helps, I think its a qualified maybe. In my experience, if ammo is shooting very poorly you're wasting your time. Likewise, I wouldn't do this on any premium ammo, it's already been done, that's why it's premium ammo. And don't forget, if you can't shoot a group, fixing the ammo won't help.

BUT, I found some inexpensive ammo "wants" to shoot. I have a ring binder that I keep all my targets in. I have found that CCI Blazers and Mini Mags would often shoot 4 rounds into a dime at 50 yards, but then there was ALWAYS a flier. I assumed I was just yanking one, but after repeatedly doing this over an extended period (like 3 years or so) I started to wonder. A VERY experienced older shooter told me he had tested this same thing extensively, and he felt that it was simply inconsistency in the ammo.

So to make a long story short, tweaking ammo that had ALREADY SHOWN POTENTIAL seemed to reduce those mystery fliers. Again if a particular brand is shooting 1 inch plus at 50 yards, probably a waste of time.

I'm not done yet, this project continues...

[30calflash]

I didn't read all the replies but unless you've bought a lot of A/M parts already maybe look into Ct. Precision Chambering:

http://ct-precision.com/

A friend had the work done to his, I'll see about the outcome on it.

[NSB]

I have seen very few Ruger barrels that shoot stellar groups. I’ve seen some so bad that you couldn’t group in five inches at fifty yards. I actually saw one once that had the bore off center at the muzzle. If it were mine, I’d buy an inexpensive aftermarket barrel for it and see how that works. Almost every aftermarket barrel I’ve ever seen put on a Ruger 10/22 shot anywhere from “pretty good” to “excellent”. I’ve shot literally hundreds of thousands of rounds of rimfire ammo over the years, much of it in competition. I’ve never seen a really poor barrel perform simply by shooting premium ammo. All you’re doing there is putting lipstick on a pig…..it’s still a pig.

[uscra112]

Well, nothing will fix a genuinely bad barrel, but it's easily demonstrable that sorting commodity ammo by weight and rim thickness, and swaging it to increase/uniform bullet diameter, will cut groups shot from merely ordinary barrels in half. In these days of ammo famine that's got to count for something.

[tazman]

If I can't get this rifle to shoot acceptably without spending money on new parts, and by just making adjustments, it will go down the road.
I am not going to use match ammo in it. I will shoot hunting ammo like I would use on squirrels or rabbits.
Acceptably means squirrel head sized groups at 50 yards. Call it about an inch.
Currently, it is nowhere near that.

[NSB]

Regardless of what you hear about weighing, sorting, etc, none of that will make a bad barrel shoot good. If it were me, and I didn’t want to buy another barrel, I’d send it down the road. All the other things you can try are usually a waste of time. If you want to give it a try, I have most of a container of LBT here that you can try using. It’s not something I’ll be using again so you’re welcome to it. It might help a little bit. Send me a PM if you want to try it.

[tazman]

Regardless of what you hear about weighing, sorting, etc, none of that will make a bad barrel shoot good. If it were me, and I didn’t want to buy another barrel, I’d send it down the road. All the other things you can try are usually a waste of time. If you want to give it a try, I have most of a container of LBT here that you can try using. It’s not something I’ll be using again so you’re welcome to it. It might help a little bit. Send me a PM if you want to try it.

Please forgive my ignorance. What is LBT?

[TimD]

My deluxe model dates from the mid 90's and does not have a barrel band. Accuracy was around 3" at 50 yards if memory serves. I don't remember aftermarket triggers and barrels being around. I decided to glass bed the action, not a fun job, and float the barrel. Groups shrunk to about 1" at 50 yards. It is not picky about ammo and shoots everything about the same. It is stock except for the bedding and a Bushnell 3x9 scope.

It was the first gun I glass bedded. I floated the barrel first then used a Dremel to hollow out the wood around the action, filled the receiver voids with clay, and used enough release agent for two bedding jobs. For a few minutes the next morning I thought it might be permanently bedded but it finally came out. It was not an easy job, but was worth the effort in the end.

A good while after I floated the barrel I read it was a bad thing because of the aluminum receiver, but I have not had any problems.

It has been a while, but I remember having to take a lot of material off the forearm near the tip, especially on one side.

[dverna]

My stock 10/22 did not shoot very well either. I got a Green Mountain barrel for it and it helped a lot. I had not shot it for years and took it out a couple of days ago. 16 (5 shot) groups averaged just under 1" at 50 yards. Just used Federal Auto Match I had. Going to try some other cheap stuff but I am OK with that if that is the best it will do. The trigger is not great so I may invest in improving it. And I need a better scope on it.

If you are adamant about not spending anything, I would try two things. Put a tight patch down the barrel and see if there are any tight/rough spots. Lapping would help if you find an issue. I would also touch up the crown using a brass screw and lapping compound.

I am curious about the rim measuring idea. I had a few groups with the Auto Match that were .6-.8". If rim sorting would get me from 1" to .7" that would be worth doing for the hunting ammunition I need.

Keep us posted on how you make out.

[NSB]

Please forgive my ignorance. What is LBT?
Look at response from Crappie-Hunter. It’s a bore lapping paste that’s pretty easy to use. Instructions for it can be found on-line. It’s pretty much just dipping a bullet in the paste and firing it through the barrel…clean, and repeat. Google LBT barrel lapping and it should come up. Dverna’s comments about a tight patch down the bore looking for tight spots is a good place to start. Put a lot of lube on the patch and make sure it’s fairly tight (don’t get it stuck) and you’ll feel any tight spots in there. That’s where the lapping compound does its work.

[uscra112]

I went and bought this gage:

https://www.amazon.com/Raven-Eye-Custom-Rimfire-Thickness/dp/B0776C1DPC/ref=sr_1_1_mod_primary_new?dchild=1&keywords=raveneye+.22+rim+gauge&qid=1624696350&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=8-1

$21 on Amazon. Haven't gotten real serious with it yet, but it's easy enough to use. A small sample of 65 Auto Match, already weight sorted, showed a min-max range of .0385 to .0400, leaving out one outlier at .0405 and one at .0375. (My digital caliper only resolves to .0005.) Something I found interesting is that almost any cartridge could be made to show thicker or thinner by by .0005 rotating it in the gage. Draw your own conclusions about that.

[Seeker]

For what it's worth, there are a few things that I have done to my 10-22 that has worked for me. It shot 2" 50 yd. groups at best and now it will shoot 1/4" groups at 50 and same hole at 25yds.

1- Shoot ammo with the velocity specs. to match your barrel length.
1000-1100 fps for 16"-18" barrel
1100-1200 fps for a 18-20" barrel
1200-1300 fps for a 20-22" barrel
1300-1400 fps for a 22-24" barrel

My 10-22 loves and is most accurate with CCI SV which is rated at 1070 fps and if I shoot any of the high velocity stuff, the groups open up.

2- Clean the bore good and the chamber really good. I do this by using a new or slightly used bore brush in the chamber and first 1" or so of the barrel after a good soaking with solvent. I'm betting that a lot of good .22s have been sent down the road because of poor accuracy, when a good cleaning was all that was needed to remove the carbon ring that builds up just in front of the chamber that can't be removed with just a casual cleaning. I use Ballistol on all my guns but others have their own preferences. The remainder of the barrel gets swabbed with patches and brushed once or twice with a worn out bore brush. You don't want to remove the seasoning from the bore. Remove that carbon ring and you will see a difference.

3- I was a little skeptical of this but it did improve the accuracy of my 10-22 that I bought back in the 80s. It's just a bare bones, birch stock, stainless barrel, aluminum receiver 10-22. everything is stock, except the electrical tape and Konus 6-24X44 scope.
Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud6TbXHJbo4&t=214s

I haven't felt the need to fiddle with the torque on the action screws yet, but I may play around with it some day. I hope some of this helps you out. I don't claim to be no expert by any means but it works for me. It doesn't cost anything to try and may save another perfectly good rifle from being sent down the road because it didn't shoot good. The 10-22 wasn't meant to be a precision shooter but it sure can be a tack driver if it's taken care of.

[30calflash]

Nice write up Seeker, may try it with mine.

I had 1980's version that shot honest 1.25" at 50 yds with Remington Golden HV and a Bushnell 4x scope. If I'd known better that the newer ones were difficult I wouldn't have traded it off.

[Thundarstick]

Ive got one that's suppressed, quiet as a mouse fart,and accurate to boot! The only thing stock is the receiver, and I could probably have bought an Anschutz with the money I have in it! I've built a bunch of them over the years, and they can be made quite accurate, but with few factory components worth salvaging, even some receivers aren't square from the factory! I'm whittled down to one 10/22 these days and only keep it because it's so unique.

10/22s have several things working against accuracy from the factory, the worst offender is that sloppy chamber! You can't do much with one on the cheep! So sell it and buy something that works better for you!

[tazman]

I took the Ruger 10/22 to the range today and gave it a work out. I cleaned it thoroughly before the trip.
I tried nearly everything people have mentioned in this thread. Nothing improved the groups except for playing with the stock screw torque.
Turns out, the rifle shot it's best with the stock screw barely tight.
Unfortunately, even shooting it's best, it was still too inaccurate to keep. The best group of the day with it measured slightly over 1.5 inches at 25 yards. 6 shots in 1 inch with 4 scattered around out of the group. Not anywhere near good enough.
I can do groups like that or better with my old Remington 512 bolt gun with open sights.
Thank you all for your input. It appears this rifle is one of the bad ones. I am not going to spend any more time or money on it.
It is going to go down the road.

[Rizzo]

tazman,
When I read your OP it reminded me of the wide variation in groups that I got with different ammo that I tried in my 10/22.
Back in 2013 or so when 22LR ammo was scarce, as it is today, I bought whatever was available.
I ended up with quite a few brands.
I tried them all (maybe a dozen or so) and saw quite a difference.

I scan my targets into my computer for future reference so I went and looked at that data.
On my 10/22, the most accurate were CCI HP Mini Mags, CCI Std. Velocity, Aguilla Super Extra 40 grn., and Rem. Golden Bullets.
The worst was Fed. Champion solids 40 grn.
You said that you tried various ammo, with no satisfaction, although you did not mention how many different ammo you tried.

I realize this isn't the time to go buy different brands because of scarcity but I can't help but think it might just be the ammo.
Anyway, I just wanted to mention my experience on a similar situation.

[NSB]

Taxman, if you want to give it one last try, I’ll mail you the LBT paste I have and it’s yours to keep. You can’t hurt the barrel any by trying it and it may just be the ticket to getting it shooting better. I don’t think it will be a tack driver, but it may get to where it shoots five shots into an inch at 25 yards. You would have to try some standard velocity ammo to find out. Let me know and I’ll send it to you to try. All you do is dip the bullet tip in the paste and shoot the gun. Clean thoroughly and repeat. After a few shots, test for accuracy. It’s free and you have nothing to lose. Give it one last shot…literally.

[tazman]

Taxman, if you want to give it one last try, I’ll mail you the LBT paste I have and it’s yours to keep. You can’t hurt the barrel any by trying it and it may just be the ticket to getting it shooting better. I don’t think it will be a tack driver, but it may get to where it shoots five shots into an inch at 25 yards. You would have to try some standard velocity ammo to find out. Let me know and I’ll send it to you to try. All you do is dip the bullet tip in the paste and shoot the gun. Clean thoroughly and repeat. After a few shots, test for accuracy. It’s free and you have nothing to lose. Give it one last shot…literally.

Thanks for the offer but I am not going to work on this rifle any more. I am done with it.


RIZZO--- I tried 8 or 9 different brands and types of ammo in this thing. I even tried some low end match rifle ammo in it without success. The match was a pain in the backside. It wouldn't open the action far enough to feed the next round and didn't eject about half of them. It still didn't group any better.

[uscra112]

Leave the man alone, guys. He's made his decision.

[1006]

My 10-22 has always been accurate, but I do not know how accurate—I like shooting fist sized rocks off of the 100 yard berm at the range.

Some time ago I read an article about 10-22 accuracy gains. The author measured groups after a few enhancements-barrel, trigger, and bedding. The trigger gave the most improvement. I do not remember all of the measured gains, just that the trigger gave the greatest improvement.

I have found the 10-22 to be such a small gun that I have a hard time getting situated with it when aiming. I installed a John Manson but pad to increase the LOP. The pads used to be sold for the Mini 14 and 10/22. They fit the standard Birch wood stocks that have a barrel band.

A number of U-tubers suggest that the secret to a stock 10-22’s accuracy is in the action’s mounting screw tension. Mine seems to work well around 10 inch-pounds.

[Geezer in NH]

Green Mountain replacement barrel

[uscra112]

Too late. He didn't want to put any money into it. Can't blame him,

[tazman]

Too late. He didn't want to put any money into it. Can't blame him,

You are entirely correct. As soon as I find something I want to get, it's gone.

[uscra112]

Adding money to a 10/22 is like horse.; once you've started you can't stop. Pretty soon you've spent enough buy by a new CZ, which will still shoot rings around it.

[tazman]

I was hoping to get lucky and get one of the good ones. Didn't happen.
I had a good one 30 years ago but life happened and I sold it. I guess I couldn't have lightning strike twice.

[barrabruce]

Take the barrel off and file it down till the cartridge engages the rifling.
Then refit it to the receiver.
Grind the top of the barrel band so it no longer touches the barrel Think I had to pin mine on. Or just ditch it.
Bed the action and just start of the barrel . then use some silicone on top of that and just snug screws.To glue it in.
Did that to one of the early ones and it was 5x as accurate.
Good luck if you decide to have a go at it.
Try lubing the barrel before you shoot it.

[dverna]

I understand the frustration of having a gun that will not shoot well. Some look at it as a challenge to be tackled, others do not.

I have a gun like that, but it was given to me over 55 years ago by my dad. One of the cheaper Anschutz sporters they made back then. I should do the work to get it up to snuff but I have other guns that shoot well and have no desire to get into it.

[Cap'n Morgan]

I'm late in this discussion (as always) but here's a simple trick I have used to test various rifles with non-floated barrels:

Remove the barrel/action from the stock and shim the barrel as close to the action as possible using cardboard or similar stuff.
Tighten the action screws firmly, and test the rifle once more (now with a free-floated barrel) Chances are groups will improve considerable.

Two of my buddies bought a 10/22 back in the eighties. One shot decent groups out of the box, but the other
required removing the barrel clamp and enlarging the barrel channel. Then it, too, shot as well as could be expected
from a semi auto .22.

[robertbank]

Tazman make your life fun again and buy yourself a CZ .22LR. With even the base model it will do what you will ask of it and expect. They are the best bang for the buck. I don't own one, but have shot the 457 Model I may have the number wrong. At 50 yards I got regularly 1/2 to 3.4 inch groups off a rest. I am no rifle shooter but from a rest the shooter is mostly out of it. There are reasons why guns exist. Run of the mill 10-22 are like Glocks they need a little work or lots depending on the day it was made.

Take Care

Bob

[tazman]

Tazman make your life fun again and buy yourself a CZ .22LR. With even the base model it will do what you will ask of it and expect. They are the best bang for the buck. I don't own one, but have shot the 457 Model I may have the number wrong. At 50 yards I got regularly 1/2 to 3.4 inch groups off a rest. I am no rifle shooter but from a rest the shooter is mostly out of it. There are reasons why guns exist. Run of the mill 10-22 are like Glocks they need a little work or lots depending on the day it was made.

Take Care

Bob

Your advice is sound.
If you have not already done so, check out this thread. I have been participating in it and just posted some more results today using one of my unmodified CZ bolt rifles.

I bought the Ruger 10/22 because I wanted a semi auto that was made in the USA. Unfortunately, it would not give me even somewhat decent accuracy. I own old bolt rifles that are older than I am that shoot better than that 10/22 does.

[robertbank]

Your advice is sound.
If you have not already done so, check out this thread. I have been participating in it and just posted some more results today using one of my unmodified CZ bolt rifles.

I bought the Ruger 10/22 because I wanted a semi auto that was made in the USA. Unfortunately, it would not give me even somewhat decent accuracy. I own old bolt rifles that are older than I am that shoot better than that 10/22 does.

I bought a base model Savage A22 with a scope on it. I use it for Rimfire challenge matches. I am not very good at the sport but the gun is not the reason. With the scope on the gun it is surprisingly accurate. I got mine for under $300 with a $50 rebate that has been "coming" for over six months. I suspect, if you want an inexpensive, but capable semi I would take a look at it. Mine off a bench using solids and HP ammo should stay within an inch at 50 yards. I think yours will to. The gun is made in the US I think. They have a plant here in Canada and some of the parts might be made up here. I doubt you are the type that would mind a bit of beaver in your rifle.

Take Care

Bob
Don't rely on any of their promises for rebates. I doubt I will se a penny of the rebate. If I do I will type an apology here.

[tazman]

I bought a base model Savage A22 with a scope on it. I use it for Rimfire challenge matches. I am not very good at the sport but the gun is not the reason. With the scope on the gun it is surprisingly accurate. I got mine for under $300 with a $50 rebate that has been "coming" for over six months. I suspect, if you want an inexpensive, but capable semi I would take a look at it. Mine off a bench using solids and HP ammo should stay within an inch at 50 yards. I think yours will to. The gun is made in the US I think. They have a plant here in Canada and some of the parts might be made up here. I doubt you are the type that would mind a bit of beaver in your rifle.

Take Care

Bob
Don't rely on any of their promises for rebates. I doubt I will se a penny of the rebate. If I do I will type an apology here.

You are correct about the "beaver" parts.
I haven't heard or read much about that rifle. I will look into it.

[Texas by God]

Trade that 10-22 for two Marlin/ Glenfield model 60s! I'm only half kidding; those old semis always shot good for me. Also my son has a box stock Remington 597 that shoots well enough for 150 yard prairie dogs and thumb sized turtle heads in the pond.
I've owned four 10-22s since 1976 and I never warmed up to them. I even fit a Winchester 75 target barrel to one and it shot well but I don't like heavy guns. A man at a gun show fell in love with it and traded a shooter grade Remington 81 for it!
I almost ran to my truck and left before he changed his mind.....

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[tazman]

I have heard a lot about those Marlin 60 rifles. Never held one or shot one. May try one out. Can't possibly be any worse than the Ruger.

[uscra112]

They just won't give up, will they Tazman. :roll:

But to defend Texas by God's post, I've bought cast-off Marlin 60 barrels on Gunbroker for anything from $40 to $60 and used them to rebarrel tired old boys' rifles, just for the fun of it. Chambered with a Lilja reamer, they always shot better than I could see those simple sights. Marlin, unlike Ruger, cared about making good barrels. (I really should glue a scope to one to see just how good they are!)

[tazman]

They just won't give up, will they Tazman. :roll:



At least now, they have realized I'm not spending any money on the Ruger. They are making suggestions as to what to replace it with. That is being helpful.

[barrabruce]

Get an old Lithgow single shot 22lr.
They also made semi autos.
They’s were made wit left over ordanece steel

[robertbank]

tazman read through the other thread you referenced me to. Wow! You are in an area I know little about. I am facinated by the accuracy achieved. Way over my pay grade. I limit myself to gopher groups and squirrel requirements. When I get back home I'll do some 50 yard targets with a couple of my .22's. Most of my ammo will not be in Ely class but we shall see what the guns can do or at least what I can do. You got me thinking....

Take Care

Bob

[Bigslug]

Taz,

Since loosening the action screws improved your grouping, my gut tells me you've got a barrel channel alignment issue - perhaps with the alignment of the receiver socket to that channel being a contributing factor. Something's flexing that doesn't want to be flexed, and since with the screws undone you're unflexed but sloppy in the stock, the gun is better, but still not going to deliver. You need to be clamped down, yet still unflexed.

A replacement stock might do the deed. If you have a buddy with another 10/22 (who doesn't?), it would be easy enough to start the process of elimination with a quick swap.

Dry-erase marker on the underside of the barrel and receiver followed by a careful drop in and snug down would tell you where it binds up the hardest. From there, possibly add business card shims to fill in some of the "no-hit" spots before you remove material from the "hit" spots. Once you figure that out, bed and/or float accordingly.

The gun is probably worth at least that much work, or at least a call to Ruger to see what can be done with zero effort besides the shipping out. There's little sense in rejecting it because it's not an Anschutz 54, but one of those two options should tighten things up into the realm of realistic expectations.

[tazman]

tazman read through the other thread you referenced me to. Wow! You are in an area I know little about. I am facinated by the accuracy achieved. Way over my pay grade. I limit myself to gopher groups and squirrel requirements. When I get back home I'll do some 50 yard targets with a couple of my .22's. Most of my ammo will not be in Ely class but we shall see what the guns can do or at least what I can do. You got me thinking....

Take Care

Bob

The best accuracy was achieved by OS OK and his built up rifle. I don't have deep enough pockets to go that route.
I am trying to get into it on the cheap or at least cheaper. I bought a CZ 457 Varmint MTR which is their current match rifle. They aren't terribly expensive. With good ammunition, it shoots quite well.
The competitions where I hope to participate, have a class for unmodified factory rifles that cost under $1000. That is the slot I am aiming for.
OS OK would be in the unlimited division. Big money rules there.

Bigslug---I am only expecting about one inch groups at 50 yards from the 10/22. I think that is reasonable. It won't do that even at 25 yards. I have some old bolt rifles that do this easily(Remington 511, 512, Winchester 72a). I want a semi auto that will do that. I don't think that is unreasonable.

[Wally]

I had the same experience with mine as well.



Mine shot best with the barrel band removed. Both of them.

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[Wally]

I had the same experience with mine as well.



Mine shot best with the barrel band removed. Both of them.

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[robertbank]

tazman I will do some testing for you using my A22 Savage if you are looking for a semi auto. As I mentioned earlier mine is the low end version. They make a competition version that sells for under a grand. If it must be a semi auto, and shoot 1" groups at 50 yards I got to think the Savage might be the answer. The old Marlin Model 60 was the other rifle that you might look at, used of course. Everything I have read about the rifle has been good. No personal experience with the gun.

From what you described you are not and will not get there with the 10/22 without spending a lot and then likely will not get there with the Ruger you have. I fellow I shoot with who can shoot, had the target version of your gun. It shot 10 inch groups at 25 yards on his best attempts, with a mounted scope! He never did get it to shoot. He refused to sell it used to anyone. I had my Shur Shot (Model 60 Cooy) .22lr out the day he called it quits with the gun. My $22 circa 1955 shot 1" groups or less at 25 yards without a rest using a cheap scope. That did it for his Ruger.

I will get back to you on my tests.

Take Care

Bob

[Bigslug]

Bigslug---I am only expecting about one inch groups at 50 yards from the 10/22. I think that is reasonable. It won't do that even at 25 yards. I have some old bolt rifles that do this easily(Remington 511, 512, Winchester 72a). I want a semi auto that will do that. I don't think that is unreasonable.

Nope. Not unreasonable in the slightest. My pre-warning Deluxe Sporter has no barrel band, is wearing a set of Tech Sights M1 Garand knockoffs with the aperture enlarged slightly, and it delivers about that level of accuracy.

Again, I'd probably give Ruger the opportunity to make it right. They have always understood that reputation rides on product, and so are very good about it, and I think you have ample evidence to illustrate you have one of the occasional duds. I've seen them completely re-gut a 20+ year old MKI pistol on which the major flaw was that the previous owner/owners had worn it out, and they did it free of charge. Given that they have the jigs, fixtures, gauges, etc... to determine what's what, where the rest of us are just guessing, it's probably your quickest, most reliable means of sorting it out.

[tazman]

Robertbank-----I would love to see the results from your tests. I don't plan to use the semi auto for competition so the inexpensive version is perfect. I just want one for myself and general use. I already have a competition rifle.

I will give some thought to a call to Ruger.

[Texas by God]

If one can be found, check out a Hammerli SA22 rifle that was sold by Academy a few years back. I had one for a time- very accurate. Weirdly built to resemble an air rifle by Umarex in Mexico. Actually a very neat rifle, though. Full sized, it weighed about 7 lbs unscoped.

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[robertbank]

Robertbank-----I would love to see the results from your tests. I don't plan to use the semi auto for competition so the inexpensive version is perfect. I just want one for myself and general use. I already have a competition rifle.

I will give some thought to a call to Ruger.

Will do. I don't leave for Terrace until next Saturday. I have some famiy matters to get cleaned up but should be on the range 10 days from now. I will test at 25 and 50 yards. PM to follow.

Take Care

Bob

[tazman]

Will do. I don't leave for Terrace until next Saturday. I have some famiy matters to get cleaned up but should be on the range 10 days from now. I will test at 25 and 50 yards. PM to follow.

Take Care

Bob

Thank you.