10/22 Accuracy

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FuzzyBunny

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I was just given a 10/22. Who can turn down a free rifle!
It was made in the late 80s or very early 90s and has less than 500 rounds through it.

Is there good and bad years on 10/22s?

What kind of accuracy is normal with this model using 22 Long Rifle and not the CCI minimags?

Stock has one tiny ding and it has been kept oiled and rust free and the bore looks brand new. Came with 2 new 25rd Ruger mags in the wrapper too.
 
They're not meant to be target rifles but they're plenty accurate enough for squirrel hunting, or for rolling a can around on the ground.

This group was fired from a Wally-World Special, stock out of the box, except for a 4x Bushnell blister pack scope, at 25 yards. It's actually two groups, the POA was shifted after the first six rounds.

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Not so Sav .250. i own rifles which can shoot better than I can. I would never consider buying a gun which could NOT shoot better than I could. What would be the point.
 
About 2" @ 50 yards with crap like Remington Thunderbolts when they light up. With CCI, probably 1" and less. Of course, this is me shooting.
 
They're not bad. I would say the older rifles probably shoot a little bit better than the newer ones. The great thing about the 10/22 platform is that you can change the barrel yourself or the trigger group or whatever, there are lots of great aftermarket parts from Kidd and Green Mountain and Volquarsten. The biggest thing holding the 10/22 platform back in terms of accuracy is the chamber/barrel from the factory.

For good quality but not too pricey standard velocity 22lr ammo, I like Wolf MT or Eley Sport. If you want to see what the rifle can really do, try some Eley Club or Eley Match; its expensive, but its almost always more accurate.

Rimfire rifles tend to be a little bit sensitive to ammo selection, so be sure to try a variety before you condemn the rifle's accuracy. Also, proper bench technique, equipment, and optics all play a part.
 
Is there good and bad years on 10/22s?

Not really they were all bad years. Likely the worst inaccurate rifle ever manufactured which explains why it has such a short production run. They have only been made from 1964 to the present with only a scant 5 million of the things made.

On a more serious note they are a pretty accurate little semi automatic 22 rifle and fun to shoot. Like many 22 LR guns certain rifles seem to favor certain ammunition more than others. My advice as to proper care and feeding would be to go here and download the owners manual and read it thoroughly, get familiar with the rifle and its operation.

As various 22 LR is available try several different flavors and see if the rifle seems to shoot better with some brands than others. The one I have happens to like Winchester Super X but that means nothing as what they shoot well varies from rifle to rifle in my experience. Mine doesn't shoot the more expensive target varieties any better than the bulk stuff. Your mileage may vary. Heck, just enjoy it for what it is and that would be a fun to shoot little rifle.

Ron
 
My 10/22 was my first gun and is a mid 90's model stainless. Bought new, I beat the crap out of it as a kid. Later in life when I started caring more about accuracy I put a good scope on it and tried a bunch of different ammo. Probably 15 types. Blazer 22 of all things shoots by far the best. I can shoot 20+ in about 1-1.5" circle at 50yds YMMV.

All 22's seem to like different loads. Not by model, but by individual gun.

Mini Mags are not always soooo good as the internet now tells us. Mostly their good reputation comes from the fact that they all go bang and all make approxmently the same sound (unlike golden bullets)
 
Like all .22s, I have found most will have a preference for one or two brands. Mine actually prefers SV Remington.
 
I have a 1995 10/22 that now wears a custom stock and a Green Mountain barrel. I can get 3/8" one hole groups at 50 yards with good ammo.
 
Thanks!

I had one years ago and it was fine. I thought there might have been a few bad years or something as he just gave it to me but he said it shot great. He is moving to an eastern state and had to clean out all his gun stuff. He forgot he even had this rifle plus he has 2 more 10/22s.

I cleaned it and it was spotless. He said he cleaned it and sprayed it with Barricade and it has been behind his safe for many years. No rust at all just dust all over it. It's clean now. Seems to hand cycle well and I'll go shoot it when its warmer and drier outside.

I doubt it will shoot as well as I can shoot my Marlin 22.
For some reason the Marlin hates the CCI and out of all the ammo out there the Thunderbolts shoots the best (when they fire). Go figure that one out.
 
While the 10-22 can be an extremely accurate rifle, the accuracy of the stock weapon as it comes from the factory isn't usually anything to write home about.

While a target quality barrel and trigger will usually give the greatest improvement in accuracy, even a stock rifle can be improved by ensuring that screws are properly tightened and that there is no binding of the stock when the barreled action is installed.
Little things like that can make a fairly big difference.
 
I had bad experiences years ago with larger capacity aftermarket mags when I has my old 10/22. These 2 mags are Ruger and they look well built with metal in the right places even though they are plastic.

If these mags work out well it will be great. I take the family out shooting and this will be great for working with new shooters. I have nieces and nephews moving back near me and this Ruger will be great for them to learn to shoot with. I love introducing new shooters to the sport.
 
Stock 10/22 are not one of the more accurate .22lr sem iautos. They are what they are , just a good solid fun gun that with the right ammo for your ruger well be a joy to shoot. Replacement sights from Tech-Sights will improve help with open sight shooting and make for a fine apple seed gun and put food on the table.
 
Around 1.5" at 50 yards with typical bulk ammo is common for most older 10-22's I've owned or shot. With better ammo, and I've found CCI Mini Mags to be pretty good, around 1".

The last 2 that I've bought were a bit better and will challenge my CZ. With good ammo I'm getting 1/2" groups with the new rifles.

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My stock carbine version seems to give me nickel size groups at 20 yards. But my rested shooting style sucks and that was with "only" a 4x fixed power scope. So dime or smaller should be possible.

But much of this depends on the individual rifle and the condition of the bore and crown. All you can do is take all our reports and sort of get an idea of the average and the worst and assume that your gun will be somewhere within those two.

If it's worse than the worst reported then consider having a smith clean up the crown.
 
No two rifles are the same really. You'll see 10/22's that shoot great right out of the box and some that don't. Older ones seem to be more accurate according to many. You certainly can't go wrong with that rifle though. If it isn't accurate buy a good barrel for it. As cheap as the rifle was for you it would be a small sacrifice to get maybe a great shooting semi-auto rimfire.
 
I hope it like thunderbolts as thats all the .22 ammo I have.
It would be a chore to test different brands as thay are just not around.
 
Aftermarket mags are prone to jams, the ruger brand 25 rounders work great. The 10/22 is a great hunting rifle and good plinker out of the box. Like most any gun, if you want competition accuracy, you'll have to do some custom work. But it's a great rifle with a ton of aftermarket available
 
I have one from around 1990 and it is very accurate. I don't recall group sizes. It isn't of course as accurate as my CZ's or 540xr but will shoot with my Win 74. Moss. 136b, and out shots my XT-22 and 795 Marlin and other 22's.
 
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