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Expected accuracy from bone stock 10-22

13K views 44 replies 33 participants last post by  Toomany22s 
#1 ·
What is the expected accuracy from bone stock 10-22?

Assume you put a big scope on the gun for the test?
Assuming you feed it good ammo?
Assuming that you leave it as is beyond that?


Heck, anyone taken a factory new one shot some groups next to your ultimate tack driver they want to show?
 
#2 ·
It depends somewhat on the model. A base carbine in a flimsy plastic stock I'd expect 2-3" at 50 yards. A deluxe sporter, a little better. A LVT, 1-2". A heavy Target, .75-1.5". Based on my experiences, that's what I'd expect. I generally don't shoot beyond 75 yards because of the terrain of my property, so my scopes are not what I'd consider big.

There are a lot of variables, and Ruger varies more than most. Triggers vary widely, even in the BXs, but the very best factory Ruger trigger I've encountered came in a Target model produced a decade ago. If I'd never experienced a Kidd trigger, I'd have been happy with it. Barrels are a crapshoot. I have a Compact that shoots very well - with a Kidd Single Stage Complete trigger group in it. The hammer-forged barrel on the Target model shoots a little under .5" at 50 yards with CCI SV, and isn't real picky on ammo. I have three Ruger carbine barrels laying around because they got replaced with aftermarket barrels that yielded much better accuracy.

The first 30 years or so that I owned a 10/22, I used a typical wood-stocked carbine with a VQ competition hammer and sear, with an inexpensive scope mounted in see-thru rings. It was a plinker - soup cans at 25 yards. During that same era, my squirrel rifles were bolt guns in .22-250. I didn't really care about owning an accurate 22lr rifle. That changed when my shooting environment changed, first with a 25 yard commercial indoor range, then with a move to the current home in the mountains where I can shoot in the back yard. That carbine got a new barrel , stock, scope, and eventually a new trigger. As time went by, it was joined by four more Ruger 10/22s and a Kidd Supergrade. Of the six, two have factory Ruger barrels and stocks. Three have Kidd barrels, all six have Kidd triggers. Three are lightweight guns, three are heavyweight bench guns. All are scoped with variable power AO scopes ranging from 3-9 up to 6-18, because I like to be able to see where my shots hit. I shoot paper, golf balls, steel, and live varmints both from a table and in hunting situations. I also have other rimfire rifles in bolt, semi-auto, pump, and lever actions from CZ, Marlin, Savage, S&W, Henry, and Remington - but the 10/22s are my favorites.
 
#5 ·
Aww thanks CZNUT! I put a ton of work into that post.

RW your question can't be answered. Sorry. Go put a trigger in your rifle. Forget the other stuff. Circle back after 1-2,000 rounds A bigger scope, a rest ammo, all are variables that you'll have to sort out. It was our own Dr. Gunner who said, "You can't bolt on accuracy and while 10/22's can be made to shoot well, they just aren't the best choice to do so." (or words to that effect.)

Get a good trigger
Use oversize receiver pins
Get some CCI SV ammo

go shoot a lot
 
#6 ·
beyond the basic rifle, scope, ammo. i think people tend to put a big emphasis on the smaller gains, where as bigger gains can be had through education. i.e. an instructed course. just my experience. my largest improvements have been through proper instruction and practicing that instruction.


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#8 ·
.5"-75" at 25yds can be expected with a stock 10-22.
CCI-SV

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That's pretty much my experience with 100% OEM 10/22's. At 50 yards anywhere from 1"-3" depending on what model. There are obviously exceptions, or so I've heard. I've yet to actually see a 100% OEM 10/22 that will shoot moa or better on any sort of consistent basis. A good trigger and decent ammo go a long way.
 
#9 · (Edited)
My one and only experience with a 10-22 goes way back. Used to own SN 104. Most inaccurate gun I ever owned. Always said it shot patterns - not groups. When it got stolen, I didn't even report it. Was relieved to be relieved of it.

I take that back - 2nd most inaccurate gun I owned. Worst was a Henry .22mag pump before they discontinued them the first time. It shot multiple patterns - not even in the same place.

I am now a happy CZ owner.
 
#13 ·
It varies pretty wildly, we had conversation about this today at the range.

My current number is 7 or 8 1022s that use factory receivers. I've purchased and built and flipped a bit over 20. All but 3 or 4 were shot in factory form. The variation is rather profound.

I have a donor that's from 2003 bought recently off the classifieds. Its bone stock save a trigger from some drop in, and a leupold in DNzs.

It shoots 10 in an inch and a half at 50 but not always. I'd say not the best but not the worst. Maybe 15% do better and 15% do worse.

Couple years ago a buddy bought a bone stock stainless 1022. Dropped it in a hogue camo stock we bought on clearance for 27$, I had a spare mag release and jwh hammer that was black friday sale 15$. Put a nikon on it in dnzs and it flat out shoots. We mostly do paintballs at 50 but occasionally farther out. It hangs with my customs, not on true bench or vudoo level but it's pretty good shooting. Put 200 rounds through it today and it will crack you up it's so accurate. Shooting two factory rifles right next to each other one sub .5 and one sub 1.5. Every now and again they crank out a great one.
 
#15 ·
Different ammo suits different barrels, it seems.

My daughter and I compete in a 100yd iron-sight match an hour away, but our regular local range is only 25yd indoor. One recent visit, I put on a 'scope and bipod, then we each shot several 5-round groups of Center-X, CCI SV, Blazer, and Mini-Mag. We're both mediocre shooters, new to rifle. The Blazer was by far the tightest for our 10/22 with a BX.
 
#16 ·
The Blazers shot better than Center-X? I wouldn't expect that to continue. On the other hand benched with a scope @25 yards ammo isn't as important as it is when you start to move further away. While it is somewhat true that different rimfire's shoot better with different ammo it's only by small margins. If you have ammo with strict QC, consistent MV, and small ES it's going to shoot good in pretty much any gun, assuming the gun is capable of shooting good.
 
#19 ·
when it comes to factory built guns, it's always been a crap shoot as to whether you get one that will group well or not..you can increase your odds by getting a Mannlicher, LVT, or Target model, but it's still going to be a bit of a gamble if you have to stick to a factory built semiautomatic rifle

but for anyone to say you're going to be able to shoot a group of .XX" if you use a certain Ruger built model of 10/22, with a certain scope, and put a certain ammo through it is just dumb, as there are just way to many variables involved ... the only way to truly know what any rifle is capable of, is to go out and shoot groups with it

...and that's part of the fun of shooting rimfire rifles :D
 
#20 ·
I watched an ex USMC sniper shoot a 5 shot .48" group at 25 yards from the sitting position with an out of the box 10-22 in a wooden carbine stock using Minimag 40 grain and factory iron sights. 5 sighters and 5 money shots. He definitely could shoot.
 
#21 ·




Fired from this Box Stock Ruger 10/22 basically a DSP with a 22" barrel, uncatalogued model that had the guys from Ruger smiling at a Ruger Days event at Mace Sports.





That's a Sightron 3-12x scope sitting on it and I'm certainly not any kind of "sniper" and this was off a bench.



This is the box it came in, supposedly a Birch stocked version of the DSP with a 22" barrel, that's obviously not Birch, not that I'm complaining. It was sitting in the rack at Mace priced at the Birch stocked price, way less than a Walnut DSP.
 
#22 ·
My experience with 1022s is that they shoot pretty darn good, if you can shoot. The standard taper barrels in a tupperware stock shoot better with a barrel band, the. DSP s shoot better with the longer barrels, the manlichers shoot good , cause of the nose cap. Its a semi automatic rifle lots of movement and vibration,,imho best to deaden as much of that as possible.

Thars why we scotch brite the inner receiver bed the action and the barrel or get a heavy barrel, smoother bolt, better trigger, better charging handle and rod , softer bolt block, and of course use Hornady One Shot.



Buy the stock one you want, shoot it, tweak it , and shoot it some more . A better trigger makes it easier to shoot better. Then A bigger heavier barrel is your next step.
 
#26 ·
i once entered an ARA bench match just for grins with my box stock 10-22 with 10x scope ... this was 50 shots at 50 yards ... Fiocchi Olympic ammo ... that is a score target but it shot just over a 2 inch 50 shot" group " .... evenly distributed in the group. note the 10-22 has no bedding at all min box form.

i once sponsored a fun bench shoot between marlin 60's and 10-22's ... the marlins won handily . my most accurate box stock autoloader 22 was a marlin 7000 ...

the most accurate hot rodded 22 auto i have seen was a remmy 597, but on any given day there could be a dozen modified 22 models rise to the top. i am working on a match winchester 74 ( from a trashed gun ) ...

a fun thread. comparing box stock guns is a fun thing during this rotten 2020 year ...

ken
 
#28 ·
I have personally only used 2 10-22's, one completely stock, old setup with a plastic wood look(ish) stock. That was my uncles and he and I started shooting together when i was 7, so once i had my basics down i would say it shot well, as we frequently did 20, 50ish, and 100ish yards (paced off, in the middle of the desert) with a mix of cheap ammo, i would say ~4moa, some days\ammo definitely better, some definitely worse. That's on irons, offhand or seated, cross legged elbow on my leg for stability. My uncle had his little bolt gun out there which with the same ammo and same targets kept MUCH improved groups over the 10-22.

I built a very custom 10-22, tactical innovations receiver and several parts, a 20 inch Kidd fluted barrel, overall a very nice gun. I have a reddot and a 3x magnifier on it, and with cheap whitebox winchester ammo i was keeping 2.5-3inch groups at 100, and these are groups of 5-10 rounds. Good ammo, and an update on my glasses will help as well. There are some that are way nicer than mine, and better shooters too. Hell mine is a toy, i know it, im a big guy with MAJOR t-rex arms, so i built a bullpup because i like the balance and think it's cool. I know it's a stupid toy, but it is frankly all kinds of fun and doesnt shoot too bad either. A gun more serious would do better.

So a stock 10-22 imho will still out shoot most novice or weekend warrior shooters.

The best thing you can upgrade for your 10-22 is you, practice maybe take some lessons. The skillset is 90% of the battle unless the gun is seriously hosed.
 
#29 ·
I have one bone stock 10/22. My dad bought it for me back in the late 60’s to hunt squirrels. The action of that early model is so nice. Since then I have bought and fixed up, then sold many of them. I used mostly Kidd parts with Fedderson barrels and Bell & Carlson stocks. They all were real shooters. I have to tell you I think that I had just as much fun building them as shooting them though. Never really shot them for groups, so I’m not sure of that, I just like talking 10/22’s.
 
#30 ·
Stock is about as has been reported.
Add a bx trigger to improve a little. It get's you to about 2+ pounds.
Do a trigger job on a stock trigger and get under 2 lbs.
Get a Green Mountain Barrel for $200.
Add a good scope and good ammo and you can shoot 1moa from a rest.
 
#31 ·
I have a 10/22 International full stock (Mannlicher) with SS barrel - I'm happy with it for my amateur target bench shooting. I concur with the experts on this thread. Buy a stock model and sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. Practice. practice, practice and try lots of ammo brands. Don't be afraid to trade for another 10/22 model.

But if you're going to add custom triggers, custom barrels, aftermarket stocks, etc., save your time and money and buy a CZ, Volquartsen, or ANSCHÜTZ and be done with it. My CZ 452 is everything (for the money) I could ask for in a .22LR for the price of a modified 10/22. But we're also talking bolt vs semi-auto...could make a difference to you.
 
#32 ·
But if you're going to add custom triggers, custom barrels, aftermarket stocks, etc., save your time and money and buy a CZ, Volquartsen, or ANSCHÜTZ and be done with it.
I can make a very accurate 10/22 for far less than what a Volqaurtzen rifle cost. Less than an Anschutz and about the price of a CZ but as you said those are bolt guns. I have many 10/22's that I have around $500 into (including buying the rifle) that will shoot right with an accurate bolt gun. This may not be a route that everyone wants to go, but it is certainly doable without spending $1,000.
 
#33 ·
10-22 info

I was experiencing erratic results out of my bone stock 40 year old 10-22. Then I attended an Appleseed. I found out my length of pull was too short, my scope was mounted too far back, I needed some cheek elevation and my trigger was abysmal. I worked at The Fin, Feather, Fur Outfitters at the time and a custom stock was purchased as well as a longer scope mount and a Ruger trigger.
Biggest advantage was the Appleseed instructors. Attend one, you won't believe what you are missing.
With the custom stock, trigger and scope mount, even with the pencil barrel and a suppressor added, the gun now prints out clover leaf patterns at Appleseed events (about 30 yds). Yeah 5 rounds all touching. I have to point out most of the improvement was due to the Appleseed instructors. What I was doing wrong has been corrected and now, due to a much stress relieved shooting position and much more comfortable firearm is resulting in performance I could never get out of the bone stock Ruger.
 
#34 ·
I was experiencing erratic results out of my bone stock 40 year old 10-22. Then I attended an Appleseed. I found out my length of pull was too short, my scope was mounted too far back, I needed some cheek elevation and my trigger was abysmal. I worked at The Fin, Feather, Fur Outfitters at the time and a custom stock was purchased as well as a longer scope mount and a Ruger trigger.
Biggest advantage was the Appleseed instructors. Attend one, you won't believe what you are missing.
With the custom stock, trigger and scope mount, even with the pencil barrel and a suppressor added, the gun now prints out clover leaf patterns at Appleseed events (about 30 yds). Yeah 5 rounds all touching. I have to point out most of the improvement was due to the Appleseed instructors. What I was doing wrong has been corrected and now, due to a much stress relieved shooting position and much more comfortable firearm is resulting in performance I could never get out of the bone stock Ruger.
I agree that correct ergonomics is often neglected when striving for accuracy. Proper cheek weld, LOP, eye relief, balance, and trigger control are extremely important aspects of consistent shooting. Tossing $$$ into match barrels, expensive trigger components, etc. isn't necessarily the solution to accurate shooting.

My recently purchased Classic VIII has a longish LOP (for a 10/22) at 14" and a Monte Carlo style stock that greatly improves cheek weld position. The ergonomics when shouldering the rifle yield a natural, comfortable, and perfect shooting position (for me). It's also very light and well balanced. I mostly shoot offhand with open sights so ergonomics are quite important. The 10/22 is not what I consider a "bench rest" rifle.

Personally, I don't want an uber-light trigger for my intended use. With enough practice, even the heavy stock trigger will perform adequately.
 
#35 ·
my experience with a stock rifle started about 2002? I bought a 10/22 stainless Deluxe sporter from Walmart.
Over the years it has received a BX trigger, and a big Tasco mil dot scope.
@ 50 yards, I'll setup 12ga hulls on top of the target stand, 10 rounds == 10 hulls. every time. Groups: size of a quarter at 50 yards, some less.
I talked to Randy at CPC, and asked him what I should do with it? Could he work his magic on it, and his reply was "leave it alone". So I did.

"Once in a while, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn".

My two cents,

Stu
 
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