Accuracy improvements for Ruger 10-22?

[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.....

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[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.

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.

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.