N183CS
12-21-2007, 07:22 PM
In the early 1960's Bill Ruger Sr. created what is today the most popular rimfire rifle in America. The company, Sturm Ruger was founded on a simple little autoloading 9 shot .22 pistol, now known as the Mk1. In the mid 1950's, the .44 Magnum cartridge was developed and showed great promise for both large handguns as well as small rifle aplications. Ruger introduced the .44 Mag Deerfield Autoloading Carbine and shortly afterward, introduced a scaled down version based off the same action, chambered in .22LR. The model 10/22 hit the market with great success in 1964.
Today the 10/22 enjoys a cult following that only a few other firearms can rival, namely the 1911, Remingon Model 700 and AR-15. While these are all great firearms, they don't offer the same level of simplicity or bang for the buck fun as the 10/22. A quick internet search yeilded no less than 50 aftermarket companies producing add on parts for the 10/22. If you are at all mechanically inclined and into tinkering, the 10/22 is one rifle that should be in your safe, and here are a few reasons why.
1: Everyone who is remotely interested in shooting can afford one. Typically they sell for around $200 brand new, and can be had for substantially less used. Over 5 million have been produced so availability isn't an issue, even in my little remote Alaskan town there are half a dozen for sale at various stores.
2: They take loads of abuse and keep on firing. I have put over 1000 rounds through one of mine without a single jam or issue. They can take a beating and continue to function. 1000 round may not sound like a lot to the centefire shooter but when shooting dirty rimfire ammunition from a blowback action, it isn't long before a crud buildup that would jam lesser weapons can accumulate.
3: The aftermarket is limitless. A 10/22 can quickly become a labor of love and it takes a pretty good level of personal restraint to not get carried away when customizing one. My first one has cost me over $1200 in parts/accessories and custom work to get it where it is today. Factory parts are cheap so it is a fun way to test out any improvement ideas using factory parts. If you mess something up, Ruger will supply you with any part you desire, except for the receiver.
4: .22LR may well be the last of the inexpensive cartridges, you can buy a brick of medium quality ammunition for anywhere between $10 and $25, with good quality match ammo sometimes reaching upwards of $.50 a round.
5: Versatility, parts exist to turn the 10/22 into anything from a high grade sporter that any hunter would be proud to hang on his/her wall to a tactical assault rifle with all the accessories a mall ninja could desire to a benchrest tack driver rivaling high grade match rifles in accuracy to a suppressed survival rifle for use by bush pilots and outdoor junkies. The possibilities are limitless.
Hopefully these reasons are enough to make you go "Yeah I could really have fun with one of these", and the emphasis with this little rifle is indeed fun. Maybe you have heard that they have horrible triggers that throw shots and there are other autoloaders out there that would be better out of the box. While it is true the factory rifles do have heavier than average trigger pulls, it is extremely simple to turn a heavy factory trigger group into a reliable, predictable trigger that is safe in all applications and can please even the most demanding shooters. The design of the 10/22 is modular and with a little practice they can be detail stripped, cleaned, lubricated and fully reassembled in as little as five minutes. With that being said, the best thing that can be done for a new rifle is an improved trigger pull. This can be accomplished in a few ways, the most popular being an aftermarket hammer. Aftermarket hammers are made by several companies that can have dramatic effect on the feel of the 10/22. The basic concept with these hammers is that they contain less metal in critical areas which allow the internal parts to have less mechanical resistance when interacting with one another during firing. For most folks, a simple $30 aftermarket hammer is enough to bring the 10/22 trigger on par with any other rimfire rifle out there. While it is possible to modify the factory hammer to achieve the same results, it should only be attempted by a gunsmith or someone who has studied the inner workings of the action at great length. The basic design of the hammer is such that any misalignment of parts can lead to an unsafe and unreliable rifle that should never be used until the condition is corrected.
To this day dedicated 10/22 owners and amateur gunsmiths have been coming up with cheap DIY ways to improve the action. A few of the most common DIY tricks involve strategically placed epoxy resin on the internal mechanism to remove trigger slack, as well as a multitude of different takes on overtravel adjustment ranging from simple set screws to nylon bushings cut from line trimmer string to polished plungers and pieces of spring taken from ordinary ball point pens to bobby pins bent with watchmakers precision to achieve a lighter trigger pull. While you may be thinking,"this sounds like a bubbah hackjob special" in reality, the design of the 10/22 lends itself well to unbelievably simple modification that have had countless hours of research and development put into it by dedicated owners.
Because the action is a semi automatic, the bolt is moved rearward by the expansion of gasses pushing the shell rearward. Unlike some of the more popular semi automatic rifles that use trapped gas tapped off the barrel to operate the action, the 10/22 simply uses the rearward force of the shell to cycle the bolt. If you've ever fired a 10/22 in stock form you've probably noticed a distinct "PING" sound during each shot. This is caused by the bolt slamming into the steel recoil pin at the end of its rearward travel. This causes unnecissary vibration in the action that can eventually damage delicate scope reticle wires, not to mention the ear drum damage it can cause, being right next to the shooters ear. One of the best ways to eliminate this, and the single most inexpensive aftermarket part for a 10/22 is a synthetic bolt buffer. Many companies offer different takes on this part, but no matter which one you choose, they all make a dramatic difference in the overall shooting experience of the 10/22. They can be had from anywhere between $3 to $10.
While all these tricks and modifications are designed to make the interaction between shooter and rifle more enjoyable, there are several modfications that can have dramatic effects on accuracy that completely eliminate the shooter from the equation. The most important piece of a rifle is the barrel. Without it the bullet would have nothing to guide it in it's flight to the target. The stock, action, and trigger all exist simply to provide a means for the shooter to deploy the round downrange, once the bullet enters the barrel the shooter is taken out of the equation(aside from holding the rifle steady for the split second the bullet is traveling down the bore). This means the barrel must be able to handle rapid changes in pressure and temperature repeatedly and reliably shot after shot. The factory 10/22 barrel is fine for most uses, but in some extreme shooting scenarios it is lacking. The factory barrel has a .920" outer diameter at the chamber end and tapers down to just over half an inch at the muzzle. This skinny barrel is more prone to vibration caused by the rapid transit of the bullet down the bore. While the vibration is on a microscopic level, it can still affect accuracy, especially when the little .22lr cartridge is pushed to the limit of it's effective distance. Aftermarket barrel manufacturers realize this and answer the call with dozens of styles of bull barrels. These barrels are a constant thickness throughout their entire length, the most popular being .920 since this is the standard chamber thickness of most .22lr rifles. The thicker barrel will be much stiffer and vibration resistant. A short barrel will have higher muzzle velocities and be less succeptable to vibration, while a longer barrel will be affected more by vibration, but can provide a steadier path for subsonic target ammunition. They are often found on higher end target rifles Harmonic microadjustable barrel tuners are often found on these barrels. A good aftermarket barrel will have a recessed crown, as this is the most important part of the barrel. The crown must have a uniform angle all the way around in order to have equal gas distribution when the bullet exits the bore. Even a small nick or scratch in the crown can affect the path of the escaping gas, which can push a bullet off it's flight path.
A 10/22 aftermarket barrel will have a Bentz chamber, meaning the reamer used has a slight 1.5 degree taper, allowing for easy extraction of rounds from the chamber. A bolt action rifle will often have a match type chamber, which has a straight profile and is tigher than a semi auto chamber. This is possible because bolt action rimfire rifles use dual extractors and can pull a round easier than a single extractor used on a 10/22. The factory barrel uses a sporting chamber, which is larger in diameter and longer than a Bentz or Match chamber. This allows for the use of several different types of .22lr cartidges to be used. The Stinger style cartridge uses a 38 grain bullet as opposed to a 40 grain and has a slightly longer case than standard, allowing more powder charge and higher velocity. These work fine in sporting chambers but should not be used in Match chambers as they will stick and eventually cause wear on the throat. Bentz chambers can handle Stinger rounds, but be aware that they will eventully cause undesireable wear. The throat on a Bentz chamber is set up so that a standard good quality 40 grain .22lr round will engage the rifling and seat properly, allowing for little to no slack. Quality ammunition is designed so the burning powder will reach a certain case pressure before pushing the round down the barrel. A tight chamber allows for consistent expansion of the case, causing a good powder burn which is essential to getting accuracy out of every shot. If a match chamber were used on a 10/22, the round may not always eject properly and the action will not cycle. Basically a Bentz Chamber is a compromise between a sporting chamber and a Match chamber. For most shooting applications involving a 10/22 the effect will be negligible.
Another part of the 10/22 that can have a dramatic effect on accuracy is the bolt. The firing pin rides inside a small groove in the top of the bolt and is held in pisition by both a roll pin and the cocking handle, which sits in a groove. While the cocking handle holds the firing pin fairly steady, there is still a bit of slack which can allow the firing pin to strike the rim of the round in different spots from shot to shot. This can cause a light strike which will either fail to fire or hang fire, which is extremely undesireable for bot accuracy and safety. A quality gunsmith will install a pin in the front of the bolt to hold the firing pin in place and provide consistant firing pin strikes. An often overlooked part is the actual firing pin, which is made of steel. Aftermarket firing pins can be had that are made of titanium, a much lighter metal. The lighter pins travel faster towards the rim, improving lock time. While it may not seem important by itself, any two or more simple modifications such as a firing pin and trigger job can have a dramatic affect on the overall operation of the rifle. All action parts that slide over one another should be polished to reduce friction. A light coat of good quality gun grease will ensure that corrosion can not find it's way into the action, and will provide added lubrication, just don't go crazy with it or it can actually slow the action down and attract dirt.
While physically the largest part of a rifle, the stock is a topic for debate among shooters and it all boils down to personal preference. The standard 10/22 Carbine uses a sporter style stock that is fine for most applications. Stocks exist for many different styles of shooting and it is up to you to pick the one that works best for your desired shooting style. One common modification that will benefit every 10/22 out there is bedding the action to the stock. This can be done using either an epoxy resin, aluminum blocks or metal pillars that go all the way through the stock. The idea is to make the action sit totally independent of the stock, while providing a solid fit that does not promote movement. Accurizing a 10/22 stock is easy and can be a fun learning experience. Many gunshops who sell aftermarket stocks will have a few factory stocks kicking around that they will be willing to sell. Average selling price is around $35, it is adviseable to pick one up and play around with different ideas you may have about bedding. The most important thing to keep in mind is to make sure the barrel has no unnecessary contact with the stock. Free floating the barrel is the most common way to achieve this. Even a small pressure point on the barrel can affect the harmonic vibrations enough to trow a shot. On the 10/22 Carbine, Ruger uses an aluminum barrel band to hold the foreend of the stock to the barrel. For most shooting applications this is fine but if you move up into serious target shooting it can be undesireable. The reason behind the barrel band is to steady the action in the stock, as the 10/22 uses only a single takedown screw as opposed to two or three on bolt action rifles. The problem is that the band causes a pressure point on the barrel, which can change harmonics, especially with a skinny, less stiff barrel.
Hopefully after reading this you will have a better appreciation for why the 10/22 is the most popular rimfire rifle in America today. If the DIY'er in you is looking for a fun project that can quickly turn into an obsession if left unchecked, head down to the gunshop and pick up a 10/22. You won't be sorry.
Today the 10/22 enjoys a cult following that only a few other firearms can rival, namely the 1911, Remingon Model 700 and AR-15. While these are all great firearms, they don't offer the same level of simplicity or bang for the buck fun as the 10/22. A quick internet search yeilded no less than 50 aftermarket companies producing add on parts for the 10/22. If you are at all mechanically inclined and into tinkering, the 10/22 is one rifle that should be in your safe, and here are a few reasons why.
1: Everyone who is remotely interested in shooting can afford one. Typically they sell for around $200 brand new, and can be had for substantially less used. Over 5 million have been produced so availability isn't an issue, even in my little remote Alaskan town there are half a dozen for sale at various stores.
2: They take loads of abuse and keep on firing. I have put over 1000 rounds through one of mine without a single jam or issue. They can take a beating and continue to function. 1000 round may not sound like a lot to the centefire shooter but when shooting dirty rimfire ammunition from a blowback action, it isn't long before a crud buildup that would jam lesser weapons can accumulate.
3: The aftermarket is limitless. A 10/22 can quickly become a labor of love and it takes a pretty good level of personal restraint to not get carried away when customizing one. My first one has cost me over $1200 in parts/accessories and custom work to get it where it is today. Factory parts are cheap so it is a fun way to test out any improvement ideas using factory parts. If you mess something up, Ruger will supply you with any part you desire, except for the receiver.
4: .22LR may well be the last of the inexpensive cartridges, you can buy a brick of medium quality ammunition for anywhere between $10 and $25, with good quality match ammo sometimes reaching upwards of $.50 a round.
5: Versatility, parts exist to turn the 10/22 into anything from a high grade sporter that any hunter would be proud to hang on his/her wall to a tactical assault rifle with all the accessories a mall ninja could desire to a benchrest tack driver rivaling high grade match rifles in accuracy to a suppressed survival rifle for use by bush pilots and outdoor junkies. The possibilities are limitless.
Hopefully these reasons are enough to make you go "Yeah I could really have fun with one of these", and the emphasis with this little rifle is indeed fun. Maybe you have heard that they have horrible triggers that throw shots and there are other autoloaders out there that would be better out of the box. While it is true the factory rifles do have heavier than average trigger pulls, it is extremely simple to turn a heavy factory trigger group into a reliable, predictable trigger that is safe in all applications and can please even the most demanding shooters. The design of the 10/22 is modular and with a little practice they can be detail stripped, cleaned, lubricated and fully reassembled in as little as five minutes. With that being said, the best thing that can be done for a new rifle is an improved trigger pull. This can be accomplished in a few ways, the most popular being an aftermarket hammer. Aftermarket hammers are made by several companies that can have dramatic effect on the feel of the 10/22. The basic concept with these hammers is that they contain less metal in critical areas which allow the internal parts to have less mechanical resistance when interacting with one another during firing. For most folks, a simple $30 aftermarket hammer is enough to bring the 10/22 trigger on par with any other rimfire rifle out there. While it is possible to modify the factory hammer to achieve the same results, it should only be attempted by a gunsmith or someone who has studied the inner workings of the action at great length. The basic design of the hammer is such that any misalignment of parts can lead to an unsafe and unreliable rifle that should never be used until the condition is corrected.
To this day dedicated 10/22 owners and amateur gunsmiths have been coming up with cheap DIY ways to improve the action. A few of the most common DIY tricks involve strategically placed epoxy resin on the internal mechanism to remove trigger slack, as well as a multitude of different takes on overtravel adjustment ranging from simple set screws to nylon bushings cut from line trimmer string to polished plungers and pieces of spring taken from ordinary ball point pens to bobby pins bent with watchmakers precision to achieve a lighter trigger pull. While you may be thinking,"this sounds like a bubbah hackjob special" in reality, the design of the 10/22 lends itself well to unbelievably simple modification that have had countless hours of research and development put into it by dedicated owners.
Because the action is a semi automatic, the bolt is moved rearward by the expansion of gasses pushing the shell rearward. Unlike some of the more popular semi automatic rifles that use trapped gas tapped off the barrel to operate the action, the 10/22 simply uses the rearward force of the shell to cycle the bolt. If you've ever fired a 10/22 in stock form you've probably noticed a distinct "PING" sound during each shot. This is caused by the bolt slamming into the steel recoil pin at the end of its rearward travel. This causes unnecissary vibration in the action that can eventually damage delicate scope reticle wires, not to mention the ear drum damage it can cause, being right next to the shooters ear. One of the best ways to eliminate this, and the single most inexpensive aftermarket part for a 10/22 is a synthetic bolt buffer. Many companies offer different takes on this part, but no matter which one you choose, they all make a dramatic difference in the overall shooting experience of the 10/22. They can be had from anywhere between $3 to $10.
While all these tricks and modifications are designed to make the interaction between shooter and rifle more enjoyable, there are several modfications that can have dramatic effects on accuracy that completely eliminate the shooter from the equation. The most important piece of a rifle is the barrel. Without it the bullet would have nothing to guide it in it's flight to the target. The stock, action, and trigger all exist simply to provide a means for the shooter to deploy the round downrange, once the bullet enters the barrel the shooter is taken out of the equation(aside from holding the rifle steady for the split second the bullet is traveling down the bore). This means the barrel must be able to handle rapid changes in pressure and temperature repeatedly and reliably shot after shot. The factory 10/22 barrel is fine for most uses, but in some extreme shooting scenarios it is lacking. The factory barrel has a .920" outer diameter at the chamber end and tapers down to just over half an inch at the muzzle. This skinny barrel is more prone to vibration caused by the rapid transit of the bullet down the bore. While the vibration is on a microscopic level, it can still affect accuracy, especially when the little .22lr cartridge is pushed to the limit of it's effective distance. Aftermarket barrel manufacturers realize this and answer the call with dozens of styles of bull barrels. These barrels are a constant thickness throughout their entire length, the most popular being .920 since this is the standard chamber thickness of most .22lr rifles. The thicker barrel will be much stiffer and vibration resistant. A short barrel will have higher muzzle velocities and be less succeptable to vibration, while a longer barrel will be affected more by vibration, but can provide a steadier path for subsonic target ammunition. They are often found on higher end target rifles Harmonic microadjustable barrel tuners are often found on these barrels. A good aftermarket barrel will have a recessed crown, as this is the most important part of the barrel. The crown must have a uniform angle all the way around in order to have equal gas distribution when the bullet exits the bore. Even a small nick or scratch in the crown can affect the path of the escaping gas, which can push a bullet off it's flight path.
A 10/22 aftermarket barrel will have a Bentz chamber, meaning the reamer used has a slight 1.5 degree taper, allowing for easy extraction of rounds from the chamber. A bolt action rifle will often have a match type chamber, which has a straight profile and is tigher than a semi auto chamber. This is possible because bolt action rimfire rifles use dual extractors and can pull a round easier than a single extractor used on a 10/22. The factory barrel uses a sporting chamber, which is larger in diameter and longer than a Bentz or Match chamber. This allows for the use of several different types of .22lr cartidges to be used. The Stinger style cartridge uses a 38 grain bullet as opposed to a 40 grain and has a slightly longer case than standard, allowing more powder charge and higher velocity. These work fine in sporting chambers but should not be used in Match chambers as they will stick and eventually cause wear on the throat. Bentz chambers can handle Stinger rounds, but be aware that they will eventully cause undesireable wear. The throat on a Bentz chamber is set up so that a standard good quality 40 grain .22lr round will engage the rifling and seat properly, allowing for little to no slack. Quality ammunition is designed so the burning powder will reach a certain case pressure before pushing the round down the barrel. A tight chamber allows for consistent expansion of the case, causing a good powder burn which is essential to getting accuracy out of every shot. If a match chamber were used on a 10/22, the round may not always eject properly and the action will not cycle. Basically a Bentz Chamber is a compromise between a sporting chamber and a Match chamber. For most shooting applications involving a 10/22 the effect will be negligible.
Another part of the 10/22 that can have a dramatic effect on accuracy is the bolt. The firing pin rides inside a small groove in the top of the bolt and is held in pisition by both a roll pin and the cocking handle, which sits in a groove. While the cocking handle holds the firing pin fairly steady, there is still a bit of slack which can allow the firing pin to strike the rim of the round in different spots from shot to shot. This can cause a light strike which will either fail to fire or hang fire, which is extremely undesireable for bot accuracy and safety. A quality gunsmith will install a pin in the front of the bolt to hold the firing pin in place and provide consistant firing pin strikes. An often overlooked part is the actual firing pin, which is made of steel. Aftermarket firing pins can be had that are made of titanium, a much lighter metal. The lighter pins travel faster towards the rim, improving lock time. While it may not seem important by itself, any two or more simple modifications such as a firing pin and trigger job can have a dramatic affect on the overall operation of the rifle. All action parts that slide over one another should be polished to reduce friction. A light coat of good quality gun grease will ensure that corrosion can not find it's way into the action, and will provide added lubrication, just don't go crazy with it or it can actually slow the action down and attract dirt.
While physically the largest part of a rifle, the stock is a topic for debate among shooters and it all boils down to personal preference. The standard 10/22 Carbine uses a sporter style stock that is fine for most applications. Stocks exist for many different styles of shooting and it is up to you to pick the one that works best for your desired shooting style. One common modification that will benefit every 10/22 out there is bedding the action to the stock. This can be done using either an epoxy resin, aluminum blocks or metal pillars that go all the way through the stock. The idea is to make the action sit totally independent of the stock, while providing a solid fit that does not promote movement. Accurizing a 10/22 stock is easy and can be a fun learning experience. Many gunshops who sell aftermarket stocks will have a few factory stocks kicking around that they will be willing to sell. Average selling price is around $35, it is adviseable to pick one up and play around with different ideas you may have about bedding. The most important thing to keep in mind is to make sure the barrel has no unnecessary contact with the stock. Free floating the barrel is the most common way to achieve this. Even a small pressure point on the barrel can affect the harmonic vibrations enough to trow a shot. On the 10/22 Carbine, Ruger uses an aluminum barrel band to hold the foreend of the stock to the barrel. For most shooting applications this is fine but if you move up into serious target shooting it can be undesireable. The reason behind the barrel band is to steady the action in the stock, as the 10/22 uses only a single takedown screw as opposed to two or three on bolt action rifles. The problem is that the band causes a pressure point on the barrel, which can change harmonics, especially with a skinny, less stiff barrel.
Hopefully after reading this you will have a better appreciation for why the 10/22 is the most popular rimfire rifle in America today. If the DIY'er in you is looking for a fun project that can quickly turn into an obsession if left unchecked, head down to the gunshop and pick up a 10/22. You won't be sorry.