Ruger 1022 Air Rifle

[jazzman251]

I have been seriously thinking of getting a Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle. It looks like a fun plinker with lots of accessories. Hopefully someone here has one and can offer some insight. Thanks.

[Tripplebeards]

I had one and sold it. Mounted a scope rail and a cheap multi reticle gree/red dot on it. Basically got it for free. Ruger sent me a $100 gift card when I had issues with my 450 BM American. I bought the air rifle on Rugers website with the gift card and gave it to him. He just likes his air pistols better and never used it so I sold it. It was really accurate. It was funnier to shoot than my brake barrel rifle because it’s not hold sensitive. Semi auto not so much as the trigger pull was horrible. If you cock each time it has a nice acceptable trigger pull. It takes 2 co2 cartridges. The first gun Ruger sent leaked the co2 cartridges out immediately with a loud hissing sound. The 2nd one worked great. Don’t leave the cartridges in place for long or they get stuck. It was a fun novelty gun but I’d rather use my way more powerful 22 cal Walther talon magnum with a nitro piston. My Walther is 22 cal around 1200 plus fps vs 530 fps, or so, in a 177. The Ruger was like an accurate red Ryder on steroids. I am sure you will have fun with it. I used terminator pellets with the steel point. It took down a few black birds and mice. The double co2 cartridges seemed to last for quite some time.

[sandog]

I bought the Ruger a few months ago for my neighbor, a 75 year old Marine vet. From reviews I'd read I expected it to be a mildly accurate, mildly powerful backyard plinker. It does that, and also keeps the pests away at shorter backyard distances.

I mounted a Gamo 4x scope on it and for my neighbor's backyard distance of 13 yards the rifle groups 5/8"-3/4" with Crosman pellets.
Haven't chronographed it but I'm guessing around 500 fps.
The magazine is easy to load but requires pushing some of the pellets in flush with a tool like the end of a ballpoint pen against the hollow base of the pellet.
As Tripplebeards said, trigger is good in single action mode (cocking the bolt handle back for each shot) and really heavy in double action (semi-auto).

I discovered one thing about the rifle that baffled me for about 30 minutes. I had been shooting the 10-22 with my neighbor, went to reload the mag and it would not come out. I couldn't figure it out, but then happened to dry fire the gun, and the magazine came out easily.
There is a metal bar that slides into the mag and locks it in when the rifle is cocked. So don't try to remove the mag unless the hammer is dropped.
And after not shooting the rifle for a few weeks I had a brain fart concerning the buttplate removal.

I visited the neighbor and was helping him put in some new Co2. I turned the thumbscrew at the back of the plate and expected the buttplate to pop out a ways. It doesn't do that, and took me a few minutes to remember to hook a fingernail under the edge of the plate and pull it out to remove.
You can run the 10-22 with only one Co2 cartridge if you only anticipate only needing 30-35 shots. Just insert a new cartridge first into the gun, then load an empty cartridge last.
With 2 cartridges you'll get 60-70 shots.

It doesn't hurt anything to leave a Co2 (or PCP) charged up all the time. O-rings will stay seated and not dry out, and if you do develop a leak you'll be aware of it sooner. Most guys recommend putting a drop of Pellgun oil or silicone oil on the tip of each Co2 cartridge on every other reload, if not every one.

The Umarex made 10-22 is true to the rimfire version as far as feel and handling. You just have to remember that shooting it semi-auto like a real 10-22 will result in a poor & heavy trigger pull.
It takes some doing to remember to pull the bolt back for each shot to get the lighter pull.

I edited this to add : If you buy one, stick with Umarex Co2 catridges. I had no issues using the Umarex ones. I read more than one review that said there were problems when Crosman Co2 cartridges were tried, they didn't always get pierced.
I found a 50 pack of the 12 gram Umarex Co2 cartridges for $18 at Sportsman's Warehouse, I think Amazon has a similar price.

Also one reviewer said you had to stick with domed pellets for reliable feeding, don't even consider pointed or wadcutter styles.
I wouldn't go that far. I think whatever pellet you want to use will work as long as it's not too long for the magazine.
The magazine itself is the same size as a Ruger 10/22 10 round rotary .22LR mag on the outside, but the rotating red disc that holds the pellets is barely as thick as the pellets are long.

[Tripplebeards]

And also when your CO2 cartridges get low on air the pellets will stick halfway out of the red magazine and won’t come out of the magazine without some “Jimmying” and force.