A pawn shop 10/22 will give you a receiver and action. do your own
modifications to it to tune it up.
Rimfire Central is full of action how-to's.
Get a
quality scope, not a cheap one. Don't just think magnification, but also clarity and light. The best thing you can add to any target rifle is a quality scope. For a 22 rifle, I have grown fond of Nikon's 4X32 Prostaff. Get quailty rings and mounts.
Next, look into
Whistle Pig barrels. They are a great value for the money.
A .920 barrel will necessitate a stock to contain it. If you watch
Midway USA and are not too particular, you can usually find a Fajen laminated stock in a strange color on sale. You can also inlet a factory stock if you are handy. Some folks have successfully modified factory stocks into wild creations. Again, see Rimfire Central for inspiration.
Expect to invest a little more than $450 before you are done.
Stock $150
Barrel $175
Pawnshop 10/22 $125
Scope $100-200
Total $550-650, and you are just gathering parts.
Avoid cheap stocks, cheap scopes and cheap barrels. They are not wise investments. It is far better to wait and save a bit more for quality stuff. Do not expect to get your money back out of the gun. If you are not doing this for the joy of it, you are looking at the wrong endeavor.
Here are a few of my 10/22s.
This is my "Turtle Gun", so named after an afternoon of executing turtles in a pond about 75 yards from the back porch. Modifications include a Barracuda stock, Magnum Research carbon fiber barrel and Volquartsen hammer, sear, and magazine release. The rest of the action was polished, an auto bolt release was installed along with a bolt buffer, and the firing pin was pinned. The trigger group is bedded. The scope is a Nikon Monarch 6.5-20X44 on Weaver 4X4 rings. This rifle was bought as a $100 pawn shop stainless carbine.
This rifle started life as a $109 Deluxe 10/22 I found in a pawn shop. The stock is a Fajen Silhouette in orange, green and teal. The barrel is a 20" Whistle Pig matte aluminum, free floated in the stock. The trigger group is bedded. The action has been polished with an auto bolt release, Volquartsen magazine release, and bolt buffer. The bolt has been chamfered and firing pin pinned. The scope is a Nikon 4X32 Prostaff on Weaver 4X4 rings.
This rifle started out as a new black 10/22 carbine purchased at a K-Mart going out of business sale. If I remember right the price was $139. Modifications include a F.A. Enterprises 3 way adjustable target stock, Butler Creek fluted barrel purchased on clearance, and free floated. The trigger group is bedded. Other modifications include auto bolt release, pinned firing pin, bolt buffer, and action polishing. The scope is a Nikon Monarch 3.5-10X50 on Millet rings.
This is a 1970 model 10/22 carbine that I bought in a pawn shop for $79 in 2005. It has the early "no warning" barrel, anodized reciever and trigger group, a nice walnut stock with an aluminum buttplate. I liked it so much that I decided to keep it looking stock, because it reminded me of my 10/22 when I was a kid. I did accurize it though. Modifications so far include a pinned firing pin, recessed muzzle crown, floated barrel, bedded trigger group, bolt buffer, auto bolt release, lots of action polishing, and a resurfacing of the breechface and boltface. Future plans include a match chamber from Randy at CPC. The scope is a Japanese Tasco 2.5-10X44 on Leupold see through rings.
This rifle appears to be a standard 10/22 Deluxe. In fact, it is a low dough special. I had a 20" stainless steel barrel and a deluxe stock left over from one of my Ultimate builds. I found another pawn shop special 10/22 and robbed the reciever and trigger group from it. I stripped the paint off the canibalized parts, and polished the action. I then converted the bolt release to automatic, and installed a bolt buffer. The action is bedded, and the barrel is floated. The scope on this rifle is a Nikon Buckmaster 3-9x40 mounted on a Weaver base with Weaver 4X4 rings. I bought a Marlin 336CS with the scope on it for $149 at the same pawn shop. I then took the scope and sold the 30-30 at the local barber shop for $150.
This 1974 10/22 carbine was bought at a local pawn shop for $76.99 out the door. It came complete with a Simmons 3-9X32 scope mounted on Leupold see through rings and two magazines. It has the pre-warning barrel sans front sight, and the walnut stock with aluminum buttplate and assorted dents and dings. Note that the rear scope ring is mounted backwards, a common practice in my area. This rifle is awaiting the next fit of modification madness. For $75 and change, it was just to good to pass up!
As you can see, it can get addictive.........