Should I buy and build a 10/22?

[Joe Link]

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to search for the term '10/22', so I had to start my own thread.

With ammo prices the way they are I can't afford to shoot my larger caliber rifles on my limited budget, so I'm thinking of building a fun gun to plink with. I already have a magazine fed Marlin .22 which I love, but it was given to me by my late grandfather and I'd prefer to keep it unmodified.

I'd like to setup the 10/22 with a heavy barrel and the other supporting mods that lend themselves to superior accuracy, a bi-pod, a nice scope, etc. While I have an idea of what I want, I don't really know how to measure it because I don't know what these guns are capable of. What would be considered respectable groups at 100 yards? 200 yards? Is the .22 caliber capable of doing anything besides punching paper that distance?

My largest concern is whether or not once I get this thing the way I want it that I'm going to lose interest in it. I've seen many people build their dream 10/22's then banish them to the back of the safe after putting a couple hundred rounds though them. Those of you who have had customized 10/22's for a while, are you bored with them? What do you like best about them?

Also, at the gun show today I only saw a couple 10/22's. The cheapest was $220 for a 40th anniversary model, which I thought was a little on the high side. Would I be better off buying a 10/22 that already has work done such as a bull barrel and maybe trigger work?

I'd appreciate any advice you guys can give me.

 

[ChrisVV]

I do not have one but it seems as though everyone around me does. My buddy has amassed a pretty good sized arsenal and the 10/22 gets all the action. with subsonic ammo he can take squirrels in his yard with out bothering neighbors. As far as I know it is the most accurate gun he owns.

Bottom Line. I want one too.

 

[Wildfire]

10/22

Hey there;
The 10/22 can be very accurate. We use Green Tag sub sonics. They are neighbor freindly and can be extremely accurate.
My Ruger 77/22 VBZ has a Weaver 4x16 scope w/target turrets. This one puts 1/4" groups at 50 and under 1" at 100 yards. Much past that is not very reliable if there is wind.
I have found only one faster round that will shoot good in mine. Win. Power Points. They group at 1" at 100 yards. I rarely use them. I have taken many crows at over 100 yards with the green tags.
Both of My brothers have heavy barreled 10/22s and they both shoot Green Tags also. These 2 rifles also group just a tad bit larger then my 77/22.

The Green Tags were settled on after trying just about every round made.
Even the Ely 10 X would not group as well.

 

[Wildfire]

Already doen.

Hey again;
I guess I would buy one that had the fat barrel and such already there.
You can spend a lot of $$$$$ on a 10/22 on trigger groups , barrels and such.
Most factory barrels shoot just fine.
The 10/22 does like to be cleaned often to keep the action working good.

 

[TAB]

If you looking for a tact driver, you can drop a grand into a 10/22 and a $160 bolty can beat it.

 

[Wildfire]

Maybe.

Hey;
Go to any shoot where they compete with .22s. You will see way more 10/22s on the line then any other .
My 77/22 with the scope and Bi-Pod is very near 1000.00........

 

[blindluck]

I think people relegate them to the safe because a built one is so boringly accurate. I've no idea which $160 bolt gun can beat a $1k 10/22 per TAB's post but I'd like to buy some of those bolt guns! I just recently put a whistlepig barrel, predator raptor stock, VXIII 4.5-14x40mm AO scope and am having a blast for pennies a pop. Check out http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/ and prepare to be amazed with these great guns.

 

[orvpark]

Be content with 100yds, anything after that with .22 rimfire is asking A LOT!

I say do it, the build is the fun part. I love my 10/22 but even with all the crap I threw at it it still can't shoot with my Marlin 60 and a home trigger job.

 

[RUDY850]

I have a 10 22 rifle. but just got a ruger charger i will sum it up as saying it is sweet and will be shooting it allot

 

[Mp7]

..has anyone mounted an undefolder with the Ruger charger, yet?

 

[Jeff F]

We shoot aspirin tablets at 100 yard at some informal shoots we have here.

 

[MCgunner]

I have a bone stock 10/22 aside from a Hogue overmolded stock. It's accurate enough for any plinking or hunting I'd wanna do with it. It's my favorite plinker and the only .22 I own with iron sights. I plan to keep it that way. If I were going to build it up, it'd be for accuracy, not tacticool. But, I have accurate .22s and the 10/22 is NOT that inaccurate for a plinker/hunter. I get about 3 MOA with it. My best .22 is a magnum and it has fired a few 1/2 MOA groups at 100 yards with a 3x9 scope. The 10/22 definitely fills an important niche for me. Everyone needs a good general purpose knock about iron sighted plinker.

The way I look at it, I guess, is there are accurate guns out there right out of the box, more accurate than you can probably build a 10/22 to match. If accuracy is what you want, why not just buy an accurate rifle? To each his own. Some just like building stuff and spending money on the aftermarket. The 10/22 lends itself to this, I will say, simple little gun. I just wanted a plinker and I really like the size and weight and feel and ruggedness of the 10/22 for a knock around outdoor gun/plinker.

 

[mainmech48]

If you enjoy the process and want to DIY something that suits your fancy and does your tasks just the way you want, by all means start with a 10/22.

Simple construction, modular design and huge aftermarket support make it easy, at least to the limits of your budget and imagination.

Just don't expect to recoup any large fraction of your investment on resale unless you find someone whose ideas about the perfect package are exactly the same as yours.

IME, most folks are unwilling to pay the full retail cost for the parts in a package that someone else has installed themself, much less anything for the time, effort and thought that went into making it.

On the other hand, there's always a ready market for a nice used 10/22 in stock trim, and one for lightly used components from well-known makers, too. You'll have to do a little work re-doing things, but your chances of being able to get a significantly larger portion of your money back are improved a good deal.

 

[ClemY]

Building a nice 10/22 is just plain fun. I took my Walyworld special and added a Green Mountain barrel, Kidd trigger, CDC bolt in a Hogue stock with a Weaver 2x7 rimfire scope. Works great. I had replaced everything but the receiver, so I got a new receiver and built up a stock gun from the parts left over.

I shoot mostly handgun. Yesterday, I went to the range and burned up 300 rds or so of .22. Brought some centerfire stuff, but just used the rimfire. One of the things I like is the shear precision of good rimfires, and of course the cost of shooting.

 

[rnr4me]

About 1 1/2 yrs ago, I built this one. GM barrel, VQ internals (hammer, trigger, sear) and topped it w/ a scope. I added about $400 total to the original price of the gun.



It shoots like this at 50 yds.




I took it and a brother or two on Saturday and shot a bunch of P-dogs w/ it. Didn't need the .223! I still use mine, not bored w/ them. But then again, I like to shoot.

 

[Squidward]

Hide the credit cards!!

Yes, you should and go here:

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/

 

[CRITGIT]

A couple of tips from someone who's build several of these.
They're extremely accurate if done correctly
More money doesn't equal more accuracy
A trip to a "commercial site" like the one mentioned will confuse most folks and result in spending/wasting money for non essentials.

Here's some basics which will produce a tack driver:

A suitable stock of your choice can be had for not much $$
Or hog out a factory one with a socket or electrical sweep wrapped in progressive sand papers.
A .920 "bull"
A GM Barrel either plain or fluted in 18"
A hammer, mag release , bolt release and buffer
A suitable scope rail
Some judicious polishing of parts

Definitely buy a used or bargain priced,($179.00) new, plain jane gun for a build since you're basically just utilizing the receiver and trigger guard/parts
I have some new parts which include auto bolt releases, extended mag releases and the bolt buffers.
If you need any help just PM me.




Here's one I just finished for a friend!

CRITGIT

 

[Jon Reremy]

Definitely. I'm working on building one right now. My first one was some kind of "tactical" (God I hate that word) Dragunov-like tack driver. Super accurate, but I couldn't hunt with it. Bigass 6.5-20x44mm Simmons scope, Harris Bipod, 20" Full GM barrel, much too unwieldy to hunt squirrels and rabbits with. Accurate as hell, but mostly relegated to the bench.

My next build will be a very lightweight all-purpose plinker and hunter. Whistlepig 16" aluminum barrel, Hogue OD green stock, Hornet Products trigger group, Weaver 2-7x32mm, all that good stuff. As you can see, I'm having a lot of fun deciding what parts are going on it. I say go for it. Guns are a hobby, but a 10/22 is a hobby within a hobby.

EDIT - Oh yeah, don't buy a brand new one. The trigger housing, barrel band, and trigger are all plastic.

 

[Jeff F]

That's a nice looking stock on that rifle Critgit. Looks like a real nice job. The GM barrels are sweet, I've put two together and wish I would of used a GM barrel on the first one. Went with a Volquartsen barrel on that one and it just never came around. Tried every type of ammo I could find and it never grouped very well.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

The 10/22 can be remarkably accurate. If you're going to go mod-crazy, get the basic $200 bottom line model since most of the stuff will be swapped out. Some people build completely from scratch using high end aftermarket receivers too so you can go that route. They make high end, complete drop-in trigger groups as well. I chose a 10/22 over a bolt-action because the semi-auto 10/22 is much more fun, in my opinion. Here are some photos showing something a little more exotic. I went with the SG2000 kit by IWD. Everything was discarded except the receiver body and trigger group, which was further modified. I do not know anyone else that currently runs this kit. It uses a fixed barrel tension system like the Walther WA2000 and a floating action. Uses an MRM fluted bull barrel, 24" and I forgot the twist rate. Trigger is under 3lbs estimated and its remarkably crisp for a bullpup. Checkering is done by myself and helps quite a bit.

At 50 yards, I've gotten under .250" best to date. I average under .500" regularly if I do my part. I'm not sure if the .213" group was a pleasant fluke or if the rifle is really capable of this accuracy and I'm just lousy.

At 100 yards, I haven't gotten under .500". Images are fairly typical. Its almost always under 1" under reasonable wind conditions but I've only shot with these shoot-n-see black targets which aren't great on black crosshairs. Finishing a 5-round group under the same wind conditions as the initial shot comprising that group seems to get tighter groups than if I took my time. The EPS bullet tip on the Eley Ultimate ammo seems to do as advertised in my limited experience and seems less susceptible to wind drift than traditional bullet shapes. I couldn't get patterns as tight using Lapua Midas and several other lower Eley lines.

I have yet to try at 200 yards. Last time I had higher rings and I didn't have enough elevation on the turret to get there (estimated 23MOA drop). I went with shorter rings which might give me a few more clicks, and possible holdover would get me to 200 yards. It would be interesting to see some 200 yard groups.

I tend to get "one flyer" when loading a new magazine however. I've read a theory that this is because the first round, when chambered by hand (and not the semi-auto action on firing) loads the round slightly differently than the action in semi-automatic mode. I tried wiggling the bolt handle a bit after the round is seated, but I have not put enough volume downrange to conclude if this helps or not. I guess I should put more rounds in my magazine and discard the first 5-round group

Image composites are from the last two trips. Guessing group sizes with calipers by eye might give -/+ .010" accuracy. You'd need an optical comparator on a micrometer table averaging the ID/OD to really get a better center-to-center distance of groups.

Loads are Eley Tenex Ultimate EPS, 40 grain, est 1050fps (no chrono )

 

[pgeleven]

with ammo prices being as they are, ill never get tired of my 10/22. personally, i would strongly suggest buying a standard model rifle, vice the tricked out versions at gun shows. you are most likely going to overpay for someone elses work that they consider 'customized'. thats a crock. anyway, go bare bones with it, standard barrel, iron sights, crappy factory trigger, and try it out at the range. dont forget to get a few hi-cap mags. see what you can do with it and if you so desire, add a scope. if you are pleased with your purchase and desire to take it to the next step then go ahead and get a new barrel, stock, trigger, sear, mag release, extended bolt handle, etc... if youre worried about not liking the rifle in the long run, youll be better off chucking it in the closet if you paid $200 for a wally-world special, vice a $600+ tricked out one.

the rifle is very easy to learn and pull apart. i replaced all of my aftermarket parts on my own by just using the owners manual and internet diagrams. make a project out of it and dont pay for someone elses labor. IMHO

 

[CRITGIT]

That's a nice looking stock on that rifle Critgit. Looks like a real nice job. The GM barrels are sweet, I've put two together and wish I would of used a GM barrel on the first one. Went with a Volquartsen barrel on that one and it just never came around. Tried every type of ammo I could find and it never grouped very well.

Thanks! I enjoy buying the stocks either unfinished or very rough and finishing them with an "old family recipe"!
I modify my own versions of the extended mag releases, bolt buffer and auto bolt releases. I've learned to do the trigger for a 1.75lb pull but for $30.00 the Power Custom Hammer is hard to beat for a 2.5 pull.
I too have had little luck with VQ products. Not to suggest they are inferior ..they are not..only that my experiences find them to be too much $$ for the intended results. VQ will stand behind their stuff. You should bring the matter to their attention. I have friends who have repeatedly sent back barrels that weren't up to VQ's standards.
I've always used the GM barrels in 16.5",18" or 20". They all seem to shoot equally well regardless of length.

CRITGIT

 

[Jeff F]

On both of my builds I used the VQ target hammer and polished up the the other trigger group parts myself for a decent trigger pull.
I tried a extended magazine release but did not like it so I went back to the stock one. I have taken mine out in the field a few times to do a little hunting and one time when I pulled the trigger the second time it went click instead of bang. Checked on why and my stock magazine was gone. Must of tripped the mag release somehow.

 

[CRITGIT]

The "over the top" mag releases can be a PITA

One of the most effective but low profile releases is the Butler Creek for cheap.
I often modify my own. The one on the right works well and stays out of the way.

CRITGIT

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I always wanted one. Checked out all the aftermarket goodies to create exactly what I wanted in a new .22LR. Then this came out and it offered everything I wanted in a 22 for a price cheaper than I was going to spend on the Ruger and extras. Now it's the gun I spend the most time with and all my others are getting jealous.