Got My Ruger 10/22... Now What?

[ShotgunBlast]

Looking at the price of the peep sights I was thinking about just getting a scope instead. Any recommendations?

[FiremanBob]

I'm narrow minded about boycotting Chinese products, which eliminates several brands from my shopping and pushed me pretty far up the cost curve. I have a Nikon ProStaff Rimfire 3-9x40 BDC which works great. For other options, it can be useful to read the review comments for each product on Amazon - people there don't mince words.

For the peep sights, I have Tech-Sights on one of our 10/22s. They work really well, especially with the optional small aperture kit. Compared to the scope they were a screaming bargain. I was surprised how well I could shoot even at 100 yards with the iron sights, although it was much easier with the scope cranked up.

[Mindflayer]

I think I'll add the automatic bolt release to my list. Would definitely make things easier. Looks like it's back to spending money.

It's the only mod I have made to my 10/22 Takedown other than QD scope rings.

[jasonallen127]

Here are the four mods that I consider almost mandatory:

1. Volquartsen hammer/spring kit: reduces trigger pull from 7l lbs or more OEM to 2-2.5 lbs.
2. Extended magazine release.
3. Automatic bolt release (enables bolt to close merely by pulling it back from the locked position. There are good instructions on the web to modify the bolt release DIY.
4. Tech-Sights: M1-style peep sight. Much improved accuracy compared to the OEM buckhorn.

A great source for these is rimfiresports.com in Ashburn.

I agree with Bob on 1-3 being MANDATORY, with 4 being a fine addition if you're not adding optics.

1, The Volquartsen hammer/spring kit reduced the trigger pull on my 10/22 to 2.5 lbs. I re-installed the factory trigger reset spring to bring it up to a perfect (for me) 3 lb pull. This alone drastically improved my accuracy with the 10/22.

2, The extended magazine release makes it easier to quickly drop a spent magazine, whether it's the 10 round rotary mag, or a 25 rounder.

3, The automatic bolt release makes cycling the bolt much more natural. Just an ergonomic nicety.

Make these modifications, and shoot your rifle often! Figure out what you like about it and what you don't like about it. My girflriend, range buddies, and I have put probably 10000-12000 rounds through my Ruger in the past year, and I have slowly tuned mine into what I consider "the perfect plinker"!

Additional modifications to consider down the road (which I have done to my 10/22):
-Change out the thin factory barrel for a bull barrel. If you fire many shots in rapid succession, you will notice your patterns quickly start to open up as the barrel heats up. I spent $130ish on a Green Mountain fluted bull barrel for my 10/22, and I now see NO CHANGE in accuracy, even after rapid-firing many magazines. Other than the trigger modification, this was the best thing I did to my rifle to improve accuracy. I am now able to print 5 shot groups inside of an inch at 100 yards with a hot barrel, or a cold barrel.
-Consider optics... a cheap no-name red dot optic, or a $40 Barska 3-9x40 scope makes the Ruger 10/22 a lot more fun! My girlfriend was able to print 25 shots in a 2" group at 50 yards her first time ever firing a rifle when I had my red dot optic on the 10/22. With the 3-9x40 I later added, we were cutting smiley faces into the paper at the 50yd line. I've since changed out my scope to a Nikon 4-12x40mm BDC scope, and it works beautifully out to 200 yards!
-Add sling swivel studs on the foregrip and butt of your stock. This allows you to mount a carrying sling, which may also aid your accuracy - depending on shooting stance.
-Add a cheap swivel-stud-mountable bipod. This was another great tool allowing for rapid improvement in my long range shooting (100+ yards).
-Consider changing out the stock. I was fine with the wood stock when using the factory barrel, but free-floating the newly added bull barrel further improved my accuracy. I currently use an Archangel Deluxe Target Stock on my 10/22, which features a beefy pistol grip, adjustable length of pull, raised cheek rest, free floated barrel channel, sling stud mounts, and a small storage compartment in the pistol grip (where I keep a boresnake cleaning kit).

There are many magazines available for the Ruger 10/22. The factory 10 round magazines are 100% reliable in my experience (I own and use 5 of them). The factory 25 round mags are great too! If you want to save a few bucks, I've had great luck with the Butler Creek STEEL Lips (steel feed lips) 25 round mags (I own and use 10 of them) - but I'd avoid the HOT lips mags (plastic feed lips) as they caused a lot of failure to feeds in my rifle.

There are many things you can do to further modify your 10/22... these are just the modifications I found useful for my shooting needs. There are kits to dress up your 10/22 like an H&K G36 and other tactical/"Tacticool" stocks, but they don't add much in the way of function, and make it harder to take down your rifle for cleaning. There are plenty of different optics options, depending on if you're shooting near or far. There are many barrel options available, including bull barrels that are threaded for a suppressor.

Of course, the best thing you can buy for your rifle is ammunition and range time. Practice makes perfect! Happy shooting, sir.

[FiremanBob]

I have one more suggestion: take it to an Appleseed clinic for some real marksmanship training. Be prepared to shoot up to 600 rounds in one weekend. By the end, you will really know your rifle.

[ShotgunBlast]

I have one more suggestion: take it to an Appleseed clinic for some real marksmanship training. Be prepared to shoot up to 600 rounds in one weekend. By the end, you will really know your rifle.

That's my goal!

[ShotgunBlast]

I had some spare time today so I went ahead and did the automatic bolt unlock modification myself. Two hours of my time to take it apart, find a file that would fit, grind it down, put it back together, take it apart again when it wouldn't automatically unlock, grind it down some more, put it back together again, and get it to work properly, but I saved $11 on buying the replacement part!

[Dooga]

I saw two Butler Creek magazines that snap together. That's pretty cool.

If you get a Butler Creek, get the ones with the steel lips.

[ShotgunBlast]

I saw this video tonight and I couldn't figure out what this modification actually does. Something about making it quieter to shoot? Not sure if I want to replace stock parts with $0.71 nylon bolts from the hardware store, but if anyone can chime in on this I'd appreciate it.

[Jakeiscrazy]

I saw this video tonight and I couldn't figure out what this modification actually does. Something about making it quieter to shoot? Not sure if I want to replace stock parts with $0.71 nylon bolts from the hardware store, but if anyone can chime in on this I'd appreciate it.

The idea is, it's a little softer recoil and supposedly less wear and tear on the parts. Personally it's a .22 if you have an issue with the recoil guns aren't for you and if the 10/22 needed a plastic buffer Ruger would have put on in a long time ago. People shoot these guns stock for thousands upon of rounds the nylon buffers can break on you and that ruins your range day.

[jasonallen127]

I use a purpose-built nylon buffer in my 10/22. Over 10k rounds fired, and no signs of it quitting. I have 2 spares along with a few spare springs in my rifle bag just in case. It significantly reduces the harmonics of the bolt on the receiver. I found that the metal bolt buffer pin made a "clack" kinda noise and that it would cause harmonic vibrations after firing. Not a huge issue, but a minor annoyance that was easily fixed with a $3 part from Midway USA ($9 for a 3 pack): http://www.midwayusa.com/product/228126 ... ckage-of-3

[ShotgunBlast]

Saw these Williams Ace in the Hole sights that look good. Nice low profile sights with a rail so I can still add a scope.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/259159 ... steel-blue

[Snakester]

That Williams Sight is a Great Product. You will love it. I put this sight on my S&W 15 22 . I bought a Red Dot Scope at the same time , but the peep sight works so good I don't want to change it.

[FiremanBob]

If you like to shoot at different distances, you'll find the lack of adjustment on that sight frustrating. For example, I shoot events at 25, 50 and 100 yards. It is adjustable by loosening the set screw and moving the rear sight, but you can't get a repeatable setting that way. The Williams Foolproof sight is the only one in their line with repeatable, click adjustment for both windage and elevation.

That's an advantage of the Tech Sights, on which both front and rear sights are click-adjustable.

[ShotgunBlast]

If you like to shoot at different distances, you'll find the lack of adjustment on that sight frustrating. For example, I shoot events at 25, 50 and 100 yards. It is adjustable by loosening the set screw and moving the rear sight, but you can't get a repeatable setting that way. The Williams Foolproof sight is the only one in their line with repeatable, click adjustment for both windage and elevation.

That's an advantage of the Tech Sights, on which both front and rear sights are click-adjustable.

How far out are you shooting with sights before you switch over to a scope? I was thinking with those sights it'll work fine until I get a scope because my range is only 25 yards. I was only interested in the Williams sights because I can have that and a scope on at the same time.

[FiremanBob]

I have one 10/22 with irons and one with a scope. I'll use the iron sights comfortably out to 100 yards for paper and steel targets. If I were squirrel or rabbit hunting would probably use the scope just to make sure it's a one-shot kill, but I don't hunt small game currently. I prefer the iron sights for speed, such as in Rimfire Steel matches, where you engage five targets in about 2.5 seconds if you want to be competitive. The scope can't do that.

The M1 rifle used in WWII, which Appleseed training sort of emulates, is used with iron sights out to 500 yards in military training, and is used in NRA high-power matches at 600 yards. The top NRA shooters get nearly all 10s. Rimfire Appleseed shoots are typically done at 25 meters. I've used both irons and a scope to shoot Rifleman scores - the scope was so easy it felt like cheating.

10/22s are like Lays potato chips.

[ShotgunBlast]

Thanks for the clarification. I think it'll come down to what I can see comfortably through the sights and dial the sights in for that. If it's only 25 or 50 yards that's fine. Anything more and I'll just have the scope. The ability to go back and forth without having to take off the scope is what attracted me to the Williams sights.

[Dooga]

Everyone suggests that if you go with irons you should consider peep sights which I guess are also called ghost rings.