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10/22 Build Idea...opinions?

Viper22

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I'm looking at getting a ruger 10/22 as soon as my permit comes in. I'm thinking I want to make it into a target gun, and have settled on the stock; a Predator Gunstocks Raptor. Its the grey colored stock, and I want all exposed metal to be black. Since I'm new at the customizing, I'd like some opinions on which barrels are best for target shooting (I'll be shooting at an outdoor range), and what modifications should I make to the internals. I've been doing some research online, but I'd like to get some opinions on what products are worth the money.

Thanks.
 
In my opinion, if you're a relatively new shooter, shoot it mostly stock for a while before you dump a bunch of money into it. That's my situation, and my plan. I'm doing the basic "Liberty Trainer Rifle" upgrades, and that's it.
Tech Sights, auto bolt release, extended mag release, target hammer, and sling.
 
Having built a bunch of these I'm jump in too. Gotta kinda decide a couple thigns first. 1) how big is the budget for this build and 2) what aspect is most important - looks or performance?
You have a lot to choose from. Best bang for the buck is Green mt. bbls. Avoid Butler Crek fodder. For top shelf - Lilja. I prefer the Whistle Pig stuff myself. Great performance with the fantastic CS and finishes. Trigger work, you can do yourself with one of the many DIY kits, buy a complete assembly of send your off to be reworked. Unless you're really wanting top-shelf stuff, I've found the best bet is to have it reworked by TT Shooter. Gives a much better result than any of the DIY stuff (I've tried many) and is about the same price. From there you can go with a Jard or the Kidd which is the creme de la creme of 10/22 triggers. In a nutshell that's the basics most ppl deal with. There's more if you want to go further. Best bet, go to www.RimfireCentral.com and start reading. Do some searches and read, more searches and read more. It's THE home for anything 10/22 and it's ALL been asked over and over again. You'll see that the big names like Volquartsen aren't the only game and in many cases aren't the best to go with. The do have great bbls but the rest is mediocre now.
Got any specific Q's, shoot 'em this way. Happy to help if I can.
 
I have an old 10/22 ... somewhere in the 60s/70s that is stock as day 1 and shoots great. I do however like the look/feel of the heavy barrels so I will be looking into that as well. Check out rimfirecentral.com for more than enough info on 10/22s. If you can find a cheap deal on a stock heavy barrel I would pick it up, they are nice barrels from what I have seen.
 
I've got around $500 to play with, so with purchase of the gun I'll have about 250 left...so the stock and barrel will most likely wait until I'm back home from college and working again. To start with, I'd probably purchase a few more mags, a bipod, and probably a scope. Would a bipod mount to the stock of the 10/22? Is there any modifications needed to be made in order for the bipod to fit? As far as the scope goes, what would I be looking for to start off with?

P.S. Most of my experience is with handguns.

Edit: Which Model/stock should I go with since I plan on mounting a bipod to it? I looked at the wooden stock with the blued barrel, but I also like the look of the black synthetic stock with the ss barrel. Opinions?
 
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I've just finished rebuilding my old Walmart stainless 10/22 carbine. The main reasons for upgrading were to install Tech Sights and to improve the trigger pull (both of which are the major complaints for a stock 10/22). I also went with a 20" Green Mtn .920 barrel and a Hogue rubber stock, and miscellaneous addons (magazine release, bolt release, extractor).

Having finished, I'm most impressed by the improvement in the trigger pull (I used a Clark kit), and of course the sights. However, in retrospect, I'm not sure that the barrel and stock were really worth it. Both look nice, and I like the increased mass, but I'm not convinced that a heavy bbl is necessary for .22lr. Also, installing the Tech front sight on the standard barrel is simpler than using the .920 mount, and requires less guesswork (the 920 mount requires manual alignment of front sight post, and is fixed with loctite). If I were to do it again, I'd probably skip the barrel and stock.
 
Did the barrel affect accuracy at all? Also do you prefer the feel of the new stock compared to the ruger stock?
 
Simply changing to a heavy bbl and a new stock isn't neccessarily going to give better performance. They do need to fit correctly to work in conjucntion with each other. Generally having the bbl free floated helps but not always. However I've found just the slightest pressure on the bbl from the stock can effect the performance quite a bit. It doesn't nned to be of a heavy profile either as the aluminum bbls are evidence of that.
With extra mags being mentioned, note that there's defiante differences with those as well. Avoid if possible the "lips" stuff. Tactical Innovations has the only worthwhile hi-caps if that's your choice.
 
He's in MA, so new hi-caps are a no go. From everything I've read, if you're sticking with 10 rounders, the factory Ruger mags are the way to go. They regularly go on sale at Midway.
 
Yeah, no hi-cap mags here. I was planning on sticking with the factory ruger mags anyway. Dicks Sporting Goods has a ton of em and they're fairly cheap. I found mag connectors online for the stock mags, pretty much it connects the two ends, so all you have to do is flip the mag around.

I'm trying to figure out what needs to be done to make a more accurate range gun.....I'll be going to the outdoor range in Monson often, since its right in town.
 
It might be more cost-effective to just BUY a target 10/22 and learn what you want/need, instead of building one from scratch. I've got one the builder dropped about a grand on; the project will suck whatever you alot to it - and then some.

FWIW, I saw one of the Ruger "US Shooting Team" 10/22's in the used rack at NET.
 
I just looked at the ruger site, and the target model, while really nice, is kinda pricy.....although it already has the bull barrel on it....

If anyone has shot both the normal model, and the target model, is there any differences in accuracy, and is it worth the extra money just for the bull barrel. Would it be cheaper to buy a normal model and put an aftermarket barrel on it? I assume I would still have to do the trigger mods and other internal mods to the target model as i would a normal model?
 
When I installed the larger diameter barrel with the match-chamber, I found my formerly reliable large capacity mags wouldn't feed reliably, so I traded them for a few AR mags.
 
Did the barrel affect accuracy at all? Also do you prefer the feel of the new stock compared to the ruger stock?

I'm afraid that I can't speak to any improvement in accuracy, as I didn't put very many rounds through the stock configuration, and what I did shoot was compromised by the sloppy factory trigger and abysmal factory sights.

The stock does feel better, but that's pretty subjective. My particular stock is not very rigid, and I suspect that I'll need to take it easy when using a sling to prevent it from pulling against the bbl. I'm guessing that the Predator you're looking at will probably be better suited to slinging.

I should try to get some more empirical evidence by swapping the stock and bbl back to the factory set. I'll be glad to give it a try, but I'm afraid I probably won't get enough range time in until the spring to conduct a proper test.
 
Thanks for the info. What I'll probably end up doing is buying the 10/22, and put a scope and bipod on it....then I'll shoot it, a lot. Once I'm very familiar with the gun, I'll decide if I want to put a barrel and stock on it. I'll definetly be doing some of the internal mods to begin with too. What I want to end up with is a very nice shooting, very accurate 22 for range/target use.
 
I added a Choate Dragunov style stock and Butler Creek bull barrel. Not the most high end parts but it looks and shoots much better than the original set up. It wasn't until I went with some quality scope rings that I noticed a real improvement in accuracy.
Next is a trigger set up and better scope than the BSA Catseye cheapie I'm currently using.
 
I like my 10/22, it is reliable and ergonomic to shoot. However, it is a pain in the neck to get the bolt back in after cleaning. It requires three hands to hold the slide lever back while dropping the bolt in.
 
You need to buy a second 10/22 and the kit to make:

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What kind of accuracy can be expected from one of those?
Even if it's only accurate enough to walk down a row of cans lined up on the 25-yd berm, that's enough to keep me occupied for an afternoon [smile]

Ironic that the double-barreled gatling 10/22 is legal in MA, but I'd still have to hunt around for the pre-ban mags [frown]
 
Even if it's only accurate enough to walk down a row of cans lined up on the 25-yd berm, that's enough to keep me occupied for an afternoon [smile]

Ironic that the double-barreled gatling 10/22 is legal in MA, but I'd still have to hunt around for the pre-ban mags [frown]

I happen to have two pre ban 25 round black plastic mags (Butler Creek I think) and one pre ban 30 round Eagle magazine. These are old and broken in well. Even though the new ones I see in stores and at shows look exactly the same in every detail, I hear they aren't as reliable as the old ones. Not sure why unless its because the older ones are already worn and broken in.[thinking]
 
I stopped at Nick's Sport Shop in Palmer, MA today. Had a 10/22 TS. I think the adjustable stock is awesome. If its still there by the time I get my permits I just might buy it.

Also, there was a Romanian AK-47, and a few AR-15's there. Had a decent selection of handguns, shotguns and rifles.

There was a Kahr MK9 for a reasonable price on the wall.....I want......
 
Well, what to get depends on what you want. I've got 6 Ruger 10/22's.

$500 to spend? Want decent accuracy?

$232 for a Wal-Mart 10/22 Rifle with 22" barrel. Add Tech Sights, extended mag release, Volquartsen Bolt Release and Hammer Combo, and a decent sling. Don't like Tech Sights? Use a decent scope instead.

Or, $183 for a Wal-Mart 10/22 Carbine, all the mods as above, add sling swivel studs and 1 1/4" swivels and a USGI M1 type sling.

Instead of a bipod, use a ruck sack.

http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=32.0

A list of parts is on page 6.
 
I stopped at Nick's Sport Shop in Palmer, MA today. Had a 10/22 TS. I think the adjustable stock is awesome. If its still there by the time I get my permits I just might buy it.

The TS is a TALO edition. TALO contracted with Ruger to provide the firearmwhich is a standard T model. They contracted with Fajen to provide the stock. While not a huge success it's neat to see another model of the 10/22 made availble. Even though it's a "limited" model it's not one that'll be a collectable so get it, shoot it, enjoy it.
 
I know they make the 10/22 in .22WMR. Do they also now make it in the .17HMR, and .17H2? These are allegedly more accurate and better for hunting squirrels, rabbits, etc. at longer distances.
 
Here is my current build. I'm trying to build an ultimate shooter on a budget. This is my first.

A donor 10/22 receiver and trigger assembly. Try and find the oldest, most beat rifle you can. You can sell your un-used parts (stock barrel, stock, barrel band) for some cash.

I bought:
RimFireTechnologies adjustable sear: $36
Some random bolt buffer: $6
Modified my own auto bolt release: Free with the use a dremel for 10 seconds
Modified my own mag release: Free with a little enginuity
VCL exact edge extractor: $12
Power Custom Competition Hammer: $28

After that stuff comes in, I'm going to buy a barrel. Haven't decided yet.
I am building the stock myself.
I am likely going to put a Mueller APV scope ($140 and scope rings $40) on it. I currently have a factory 10/22 Target edition and love it (have the Mueller MPV on it). However, I think I can build a better one. The Target edition is roughly $400.

Good luck with the build.
 
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