What accuracy out of a Ruger 10-22

[jaysouth]

I watched someone shooting a 10-22 at my club last week. He was shooting way under MOA at 50 yards, MOA at 100 yards and never missing 12" gongs at 200 yards.

The scope he was using was a Leupold about 2 feet long with target turrets.

Go to this link and see what real 10-22 fanatics are doing:

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9

 

[holdencm9]

I put a 3lb hornet trigger in my 10/22 and put it into a tapco stock (not for tactical reasons, I just find a pistol grip more comfortable). With a cheapo simmons rimfire scope I can get 1" groups at 50 yards with CCI mini mags, no problem. Weirdly the other ammo it shoots even better is Thunderbolts. So here's another vote for trying every ammo you can get your hands on.

I don't shoot it beyond that distance too often. Whether it is me or the rifle, groups open up to 3 or 4 inches at 100 yards. Although one time, i had access to a quarry with 300 yards clear, and it was fun to shoot subsonics at an old skillet with my pals. We hit it about once every 5 tries, the bullet takes (seemingly) a few seconds to get there, and you could see the bullet arc through the spotting scope.

 

[d2wing]

They vary a lot in accuracy out of the box. Some are tack drivers. Some not so much. I would clean it real good, use some lead remover. That has fixed several rifles for me. Make sure the barrel screws are tight and everything torqued correctly. If that fails buy a quality barrel.

 

[bikemutt]

10/22's may be the only $200 gun you can spend $1000+ on and still need more gadgets.

I have a Volquartsen that goes way back....when Tom Volquartsen did the actual work. He specifically cut the chamber for Eley Tennex ammo. The rifle will shoot ragged holes at 100 yards, most of the time we shoot flies at that distance for entertainment.

With the proper accessories and more important....proper ammo, you can do some amazing things. Just how much money you want to spend.

Too true. I paid $800 for my Kimber 82 which will outshoot my 10/22 all day, any day. But, they are different creatures.

 

[farmerboy78]

I have a 10/22 with a whistle pig barrel and i have shot 3/4" groups @ 62 yds using a 4 power fixed scope... it seems to like the federal auto match ammo... I also have a vostok cm2 that will do a 1/4-3/8" group at 50yds with eley

 

[Swampman]

My 10-22 is slightly more accurate than my 40 year old Marlin-Glenfield Model 60.

But the Model 60 is bone stock and I've replaced the barrel, stock and trigger on the Ruger, at a cost of $100+ (I'm not saying how MUCH plus, my wife might see this )

The Ruger is an awesome little rifle, but "accuracy per dollar spent", isn't really it's best feature.

You might try some of the Aguilla "Golden Eagle" match ammo, it's not the most accurate I've ever shot, but it's very good for the price.

 

[MaterDei]

Stock 10/22s are plinkers. For the price of an Anschutz you can have a ton of fun and make a rifle as accurate as a CZ.

I have had a stock 10/22 for 20+ years and really enjoy it but prefer to go with other platforms to sate my accuracy appetite.

With that said, 4 MOA with a scope suggests to me either a bad fit for the shooter or that something is wrong with the rifle. Have you had other people shoot it? Same results? Have you tried it with the irons?

 

[squarepants33889]

I've found my 10/22 likes CCI Stingers for the best accuracy.
Of course that's my luck.
Just like my wife, my gun has expensive taste.
FWIW, about 2-2.5 inches is all I ever get at 100 yards.

 

[ThomasT]

I didn't see it mentioned but one area of attention on the 10-22 is the back of the receiver and the stock fit. They almost always have a little play in them. You can push down on the back of the receiver and feel it flex. Its simple to bed this and remove the play. It has helped on every 10-22 I have done it to.

And reread post #9. In spite of what you have been told 22 barrels do need to be cleaned. And not just with a bore snake. 22 ammo has dead soft lead bullets. You would never consider shooting dead soft lead from a pistol at 1100 FPS because it would lead. And 22 ammo is about the dirtiest ammo made. And when you shoot you don't just shoot 20 or so rounds. You shoot a bunch of it. Clean your gun and bed the back of the stock. You might just save yourself a bunch of money by not buying a new barrel. And good ammo helps too.

 

[SARuger]

I have a 2nd Edition model that is set up for Appleseed, basically a LTR with the military style peeps on it(not the cheap peep sights it came with). My rifle has the Timney trigger as well. I get a 1" 10 shot group at 50yds, on a lead sled. My rifle likes Federal Target Match. My barrel was canted when I got the rifle and I had to adjust on it but its a great shooter now. It can't touch the Marlin 795 pictured with it, that thing is a really good shooter!

 

[Onward Allusion]

Do you shoot any better with other 22 rifles? 4 MOA is probably a bit off from the norm but you gotta keep in mind that it's a 10/22. It's suppose to be a fun gun not a tack driver.

 

[MechAg94]

I have upgraded my 10/22 and have been able to put 5 shots into one of those little black stickers that come with shootnc targets at 50 yards. That was with Federal HV Match ammo.

Mine has a match bull barrel I got from Midway. I also bought a Hornet Products drop in trigger pack. It was cheaper than other options and has an excellent pull. The Ruger trigger replacement is less, but I haven't tried it. At the time, I had a 4-12X Nikon scope so it was easy to zero in on the bullseye. I upgraded the parts in a trigger on another 10/22. I will NEVER disassemble a 10/22 trigger again if I help it. That was a pain. Complete triggers replacements are the way to go IMO.


Find match 22 ammo if you can. I found it to be much much more consistent. The powder all burns in the barrel with little muzzle blast and it just sounds consistent shot to shot. I got a couple of bricks of Federal HV Match ammo just before the ammo shortage a couple years ago. The Aguila match is nearly as good.

 

[solman]

Onward: Yes I can do better, I can get 5 shots touching each other with my CZ 452.

Ammo is very hit or miss as to what I can get. I have some CCI green tip I will try this weekend after scrubbing the barrel.
I hope it's not too cold to shoot.
I have never bedded a rifle or floated a barrel etc...
I rather watch it done once or twice before I try this. Any good you tube links on this?

 

[JWH321]

I have a 1964 model 10/22. It has a 1964 model scope (Simmons I think, but the labels have long since gone away). It can shoot 2 inch groups at 75 yards from a bench rest. I know that is not too impressive, but the rifle is more hindered by my eyesight than the rifle's accuracy. The interesting thing though is that it has the same barrel it came from the factory with. I replaced the front sight when the little gold dot fell out. Nothing else has changed. The rifle is as accurate today as it was when it was new -- I wish I could say that about the shooter. It was my first "semi-automatic" gun of any kind.

 

[HKGuns]

Bone stock 10/22 @50 yards with a scope, shooting CCI MiniMags.

> 25 or so shots in this group.

 

[CraigC]

I expect a bone stock rifle to shoot an inch at 50yds with ammo it likes. My Marlin doesn't do any better than that and I consider the Ruger to be a better made rifle. This is accurate enough for the purposes for which the rifles are suited. Like this one I setup for after dark pest control. It's seen a good bit of use as of late, accounting for five skunks over the last several days.



Set it up with a "good" aftermarket barrel (not a cheap one) and it will shoot circles around anything similar. On par with many bolt guns. IMHO, many slap a cheap barrel on and then complain it doesn't shoot any better than a Marlin.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

jmr40
Member


Join Date: May 26, 2007
Posts: 8,876
Accuracy seems to vary quite a bit. If you're using cheap bulk pack ammo 2" at 50 yards is pretty typical. You won't do much better with any rifle with that ammo. With good ammo most all of them I've shot would keep 5 shots inside 1" at 50 yards. Once you start modifying them you might shrink that to 1/2" or even closer to 1/4".

you need to try a CZ 455 it shoots better then that at 100 yards with cheap bulk ammo

 

[CraigC]

If you're using cheap bulk pack ammo 2" at 50 yards is pretty typical. You won't do much better with any rifle with that ammo.

I don't agree. I've never had bulk ammo shoot that poorly. This is what Remington bulk does out of my CZ. Smallest is 0.39", average is 0.49" for five shots at 50yds.

 

[greyghost01]

I have the Target model at 50yds I can put 5 shots under a dime easy with cci ammo only anything else so far is not even close, I was going to get rid of the rifle until I FINALY got hold of some cci.

 

[bikemutt]

I got mine out to the range today, mostly because it was raining so hard I didn't want to walk out to 100

Anyway, I was pretty happy with the new barrel, got work to do. She's wearing a Guardian 22 suppressor, all I hear is the action.

I think I can do much better with this rig, pleased nonetheless.

 

[double bogey]

10-22's only have one action screw. I prefer to bed the action on the rear, pillar bed at the action screw, glue a piece of inner tube about 2" to 3" in front of the pillar bed for the barrel to rest on. experiment with action screw torque until the accuracy is the best. Many other mods can be made cheaply. I would try this after I made sure the barrel is clean. On mine, I clean the chamber after 500 or so rounds. Barrel after 1500 or so.
rimfiecentral.com is the best resource for anything .22.

 

[fariagaurd]

10/22 accuracy

This is long winded but there is a point regarding ammo - rifle and marksmanship skills.

I too love my 10/22 purchased new over 20 years ago. It's the standard carbine version, 18" skinny barrel with barrel band. I never concerned myself with the smallest group as it was purchased as a plinker and to dispatch pests.

Then I attended a Project Appleseed in 2015 (I have no affiliation with them) and I learned the techniques of shooting. I have been shooting my entire life and thought I was an average to above average shot. I learned quickly I was a terrible shot in real world positions (no bench rest) and when rushed moving between different positions. The courses of fire are timed. It's a two day event.

My point is my stock 10/22 is more capable than I am. The course of fire is at 25 meters shooting at 1" squares. I used iron peep sights. Others use optics but I thought an optic at 25 meters would not be as challenging and looses some of the romance IMO. If you attain the skill to hit the mark with irons you will be even better with an optic IMO. By the start of the 2nd day I was putting 5 shot groups inside the 1" square. Many of my groups had all five holes touching inside the square!

It was my technique that was the accuracy issue not the rifle or ammo which was hard to accept. The ammo used was CCI MiniMag standard 36gr CPHP. I contacted Ruger about using the Hypervelocity rounds like the CCI Stinger and they advised against is as it creates more wear on the action.

The course of fire is 400 rounds for the two day event and the instructors are professional shooters.

I have a challenge for you. Print out some 1" squares, place them at 25 meters. If you cannot repeatedly hit the squares from standing, kneeling, sitting and prone (NO BIPODS) bench rests or scopes the problem might be technique not ammo. It's a lot harder than you think. No offense intended. I was terrible at the start! As a result all of my ammo in my various rifles is now "magically" more accurate. Happy plinking!

 

[d2wing]

I was in a match last year, any sporter. A guy tied me for first. I was shooting a CZ 452 American, he was shooting an older stock stainless Ruger 10/22. I won the tie breaker but it was close. And my old 10/22 is fairly accurate too. Some 10/22's especially older ones shoot really well stock. But most need help.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

Remove the better band. I did that on mine, and did a bedding job on the barrel. Groups tightened up to about an inch at 50 yards.

 

[Swampman]

Set it up with a "good" aftermarket barrel (not a cheap one) and it will shoot circles around anything similar. On par with many bolt guns. IMHO, many slap a cheap barrel on and then complain it doesn't shoot any better than a Marlin.

______________________________________

And some people spend their money putting five Picatinny rails, a "tactical" telescoping stock, a vertical foregrip and a half million candlepower light on a .22 rifle.

To each his own...