Ruger 10/22s: disappointing

[Neutron]

I bought the take-down model when they first came out. It's been a good little carbine with no malfunctions. Like most 22's, it has ammo preferences with some more accurate than others. I did replace the trigger with a BX trigger and I cut a regular 10/22 birch stock to fit the takedown. I just like the feel and looks of wood over plastic. I'd like to find a nice walnut stock for it someday. That being said, if you can find a used Marlin or Glenfield 60 with the last shot hold open (LSHO) feature, I'd opt for that. The ones with the LSHO should have the one piece feed ramp and are very reliable and accurate.

 

[Boats]

in my experience, 10/22s need a couple thousand rounds to break in to achieve optimal reliability. Additionally, magazines other than 10 rd factory are hit an miss.

 

[alucard0822]

10/22s are a decent design, and for the money hard to beat. There are a few things that can cause problems, mostly rough spots in the receiver, burrs on things and an edge on the chamber that can cause jams. These all improve after a brick or two, or can be cleaned up before. I gave up trying to get random ammo to run well, 90% of the time I shoot rimfire it is suppressed, so I use CCI SV almost exclusively, also use factory 10/15/25 rd mags only. These two things pretty much eliminate problems, and my 10/22s old and new are about as reliable as a firearm can be. There is a lot to be said for an easily upgradeable rifle, but like an AR15 often times you are better off buying a stripped receiver, either Ruger or the several clones or improved brands, then building from there. Thing is most other 22s aren't much better, and all can easily jam up with a few common brands of crappy ammo. Sometimes a tube mag can feed better than a box mag with rimmed cartridges, but they are a PITA to load, and have their own drawbacks.

 

[erwos]

in my experience, 10/22s need a couple thousand rounds to break in to achieve optimal reliability. Additionally, magazines other than 10 rd factory are hit an miss.

The number of people telling me they have perfectly running BX-25s: roughly a million
The number of perfectly-running BX-25s I've seen in real life: absolutely zero

I've seen some BX-25s come closer to working well than others, but they all inevitably choke at some point.

 

[Bolts Rock]

The only problem I've ever had with the two I own is they do not like aftermarket mags. The TALO M-1 carbine version is probably the most fun gun I have to shoot.

 

[joppaj]

I agree on the BX-25. Clear, factory 10s are my preference. Mine also runs best on CCI AR Tac if you can find it.

 

[Harrys]

I was thinking of getting another Ruger 10/22, but I've been really disappointed with two of the three I've had. One, with a neat Choate(?) stock, just stopped shooting. The trigger wouldn't activate. I'd gotten about a dozen practice rounds through it before a steel plate match, and zip...wouldn't shoot anymore . Number two with a neat tactical collapsible stock, constantly mis-fed and jammed. Same with several magazines, both factory and aftermarket, and with various ammo. Maybe they don't like replacement stocks. Number three, a take-down, would take-down fine, but struggled with the bolt lock. They were all just too frustrating. Now, post Atterbeary, I don't know if I want to chance getting stuck with another 10/22 and maybe be disappointed, again. Any recommendations on a moderately priced semi-auto rimfire?

I had a 40 year old 10/22 which I bought brand new and never had any issues at all was the best 22 I ever had. I gave it to my oldest as he did not have a 22. I switched to a lever action 22 which shoots shorts, longs and long rifle rounds. In my opinion the newer manufacturer standards suck in gun construction. They try to make things cheaper and lighter while charging a preimum. Just call me OS but many manufacturers and putting too much tupperware in their construction of their guns today. In everything from frames, trigger guards, stocks and sites. There is a reason you see older guns are still working.

 

[DutchV]

The TCR22 is very nice and worth the upgrade for the chromed quick clean bolt, milled rail, threaded barrel, and solid trigger pack.

I like the TCR22 but there aren't any available at the moment. Smith & Wesson has closed Thompson/Center and is looking for a buyer.

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. Announces Intent to Divest Thompson/Center Arms™ Brand

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[lazarus]

I love my 10/22. It has a few small upgrades to make it better for an Appleseed shoot but nothing insane.

The only issue I really had with mine was the extractor needed replacing as it was stove piping sometimes. That plus running some very fine steel wool in the chamber on a drill to polish it fixed that issue. Now it runs just about everything, just about perfectly.

I've done a fair amount more to it over the years, but that was all it needed to run right. $.25 of steel wool, $12 extractor (I think I went powercustom extractor? I can't remember). I have replaced the bolt handle with a power custom "skeletonized" extended bolt handle. Powercustom reduced power trigger spring, volquartsen bolt hold open, someone other others polymer extended magazine release, tacsol threaded barrel, polyurethane encapsulated steel recoil pin, someone's weaver base for scope rings and scope, and a Ruger 10/22 modular stock.

Probably all told $400 of parts, including the scope and rings.

All it needed to run reliably was the $12.25 though. It was about a 2MOA gun with nice ammo before. Its maybe a 1.75MOA gun now with nice ammo. But it works a lot better the way it is setup.

If I were buying a BRAND NEW 22lr rifle, I'd probably look at a Winchester Wildcat with threaded barrel. Some nice features there and not a lot I'd probably want to touch. And 10/22 magazines, which the Wildcat uses, work really, really, really well. I do love my 10/22 is so customizable. If the factory barrel had been threaded, I would have saved about $130 not needing a new one. And ignore rings and scope cost, I'd actually be more like $180 or so in on this gun. Looking at a Wildcat, some of that stuff is probably not stuff I would need to do.

 

[lazarus]

I (or, rather, my kid) shoot high volumes of garbage Fed Automatch through my 10/22s with almost zero problem (other than the oddball stovepipe, which is 100% the ammo since Mini-Mags don't do that). One of them is a new TCR-22, the other is a beat-to-shit consignment 10/22 I bought for $200. I strongly recommend swapping the trigger group to a BX/Kidd/VQ, going to the VQ reduced strength recoil spring/CH, and maybe an extractor upgrade if you're having problems. These are very simple rifles, there's not really a lot to screw up.

BX-25 magazines do not work very well in my experience, and inevitably are a source of problems when I see them in use. I own seven. None of them are reliable enough for match use due to ammo being fed too low and hitting the front of the feed lips. The "shell fix" doesn't really help with that enough. I have been experimenting with a 3D printed bushing with tighter tolerances, but haven't quite gotten it to where it needs to be. IMHO, these magazines have a defective design and Ruger probably knows it, which is a shame, because the magazines themselves are otherwise fairly high quality in terms of build.

(It sounds like the OP had a bad trigger group in rifle #1 (or incorrectly assembled), and a bad magazine catch in #2.)

Huh. I don't use the three BX-25 I have much, but I can't remember ever having a failure with any of them. Probably only hundreds of rounds feed through each, not thousands like I have with most of my BX-10 magazines. I suspect it is as much that specific gun, possibly with specific BX-25s.

As for the random ammo comment from Alucard, yeah. I have a bunch of random ammo and yeah, I've certainly found that. Aguilla is extremely hit or miss for me. My 10/22 has basically 0 issues with any CCI. Maybe the rare 1 in 1000. Aguilla sometimes it runs okay, and then I'll have 3 issues in a box. My Buckmark is very ammo picky, but runs very well with CCI. That one took a LOT of work getting to run right, but I also got a very early 90s Buckmark with obviously a TON of ammo through it. The buffer has disintegrated, the extractor had visible wear and lots of light strikes. So new buffer, new firing pin (the pin had some visible wear), new extractor and it still was running about 1 in 10 light strikes. A new main spring solved that and now it is running about 100%. But Aguilla ammo runs about 1 in 15 will misfeed a round and crush the case. Both the mag that came with the gun and two brand new magazines. I have not tried all that much in my Buckmark (I only have about 600 rounds through it, mostly Blazer, CCI minimags and Aguilla. Minimags and Blazer are now basically 100% function). Anyway, my 10/22 still has some issues with aguilla sometimes. Federal and CCI seem to run close to 100% as rimfire will. 1 or 2 in 1000 will have some sort of an issue. Winchester is ammo type specific, but it mostly runs okay, but tends to have maybe 1-2 problems in a brick. Remington the same. Others like Aguilla might be fine for a box or two, and then have 1-3 problems in a box.

Other than some SS stuff for varmints and some minimags direct from CCI, I haven't bought any rimfire since pre COVID. But I'd mostly switched to only buying CCI and Federal because of their general reliability. I need to test stuff more widely in my buckmark at some point here as rimfire prices continue to come down. But for the volume I shoot, an extra penny or two a round makes little difference and I'd rather get stuff I know well. So I'll probably just get CCI from here on out. Though if Federal will run well in it, that would be good to know too. I don't mind having multiple sources, just that these days I shoot maybe 1500 a year of 22lr. 2 cents a round more is only $30. I don't mind if someone wants to give me $30, and I certainly wouldn't just take a $30 and light it on fire. But $30 for more accurate ammo that runs pretty much problem free is well worth it.

 

[wilcam47]

I usually never really mod mine, i just like the classic 10/22. The one i have now is modded with suppressor and rubber stock

 

[The Saint]

BX-15s have been total hit or miss, for me....but 25s were ALL awful.

 

[wilcam47]

BX-15s have been total hit or miss, for me....but 25s were ALL awful.

Really?

 

[The Saint]

Really?

Yep, I traded them all off for 15s, and 50% of those were terribad, too. 10s have never given me trouble...no wobble and slop in the magazine wells like the higher cap.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Most of my adult live, I thought I needed a 10/22. Everybody had them! I got one on a nice deal. I took it to the range and thought 'Meh'. "Oh, but they are so customizable!' they said. Now why in the hell would I-should I dump hundreds of dollars into customizing a much ballyhooed gun? A .22, no less. I sold it and moved on.

How about it, marketing options and easily customizable can be appealing to some.
That’s why people like them I guess so it’s all good.
I have one, never modified it ,worked on a bunch for others.
Ton of them sold though, not surprised someone is not satisfied so seems to reason.
I’d rTher have a quality single shot 22 than a mass produced disappointment.

 

[alucard0822]

The number of people telling me they have perfectly running BX-25s: roughly a million
The number of perfectly-running BX-25s I've seen in real life: absolutely zero

I've seen some BX-25s come closer to working well than others, but they all inevitably choke at some point.

BX15s and 25s are pretty much all I run in mine, no issues. I have had to smooth the edge of the chamber on a couple, a sharp edge can catch the bullet and jam up. My most recent 10/22 an 8" charger with side folder ran 100% out of the box, but does choke a little faster from lack of lube than my older 10/22s, a couple drops of oil, rack the bolt to break up the dirt, and back up and running. Probably just because it's kinda new and probably within it's first couple bricks of ammo.

 

[jr88]

I'm not going to put down Ruger 10/22's but I have never found one that I liked. I've sold at least 3 thru this website that I never fired and have built a collection of magazines for a rifle I don't own.
My first 22 semi auto was a $100 Remington 572, still have it and love it so much I bought the pump version the 552. (I may have models reversed). I also have the tack driver bolt action CZ457 which is a great rifle.
This past Spring I heard about some rimfire matches that sounded fun but were best shot with a mag fed rifle. Back to having the need for another 22 like the 10/22 but instead I picked up one of these used for less than a base 10/22. Very Happy with it and it shares magazines with my other CZ. So now I have the CZ 512 in both .22wmr and .22 LR gues I'm good for now.

 

[erwos]

Yep, I traded them all off for 15s, and 50% of those were terribad, too. 10s have never given me trouble...no wobble and slop in the magazine wells like the higher cap.

This is exactly my experience, too. I bought a few Black Dog 10/22 mags to see if they'll work any better... not optimistic, but you never know.

 

[JohnnyE]

The complaints about reliability shock me. I've gone through three 10/22's. The first one dates to the early 1980's, and the other two the last 10 years or so. All three run flawlessly with Ruger mags of all capacities, 10, 15 and 25. I shot the daylights out of the 1980's gun by feeding it from 50 round, teardrop-shaped Mitchell Arms mags. I can't believe the rubber belts are still good.

 

[outrider58]

How about it, marketing options and easily customizable can be appealing to some.
That’s why people like them I guess so it’s all good.
I have one, never modified it ,worked on a bunch for others.
Ton of them sold though, not surprised someone is not satisfied so seems to reason.
I’d rTher have a quality single shot 22 than a mass produced disappointment.

I had more fun shooting my grandfather's Western Auto Revelation .22

I bought one of these and love it. With my can on it, all you hear is the trigger trip.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/product_info.php/products_id/71899/savage+mkii+fv-sr+.22+lr+threaded+barrel