Overall the Ruger 10/22 is the finest semi-auto .22 I've ever owned and used.....and I have owned and tried most of the competition over the last 45 years.
Now I will admit I got a bit lucky with the earliest 10/22's I shot as far as accuracy.
The first 10/22 I ever saw was one of the guns my father brought home in 1968 following a house fire that destroyed all of our families guns. He had his priorites straight and used the insurance money to replace the guns.....even before buying clothes for the family to wear.
He walked into a local gun shop and bought 10 long guns from the rack. Other than his Savage 99 in .308, he didn't specifically have anything in mind, but rather just picked the best guns available from the used rack. Luck was on our side as two of these guns were a Ruger 44 Carbine and 10/22.....both in the rare Sporter version (finger groove stocks). He'd never seen a 10/22 until then, but it "felt" like an adult rifle more than many .22's available in those days.....the fact the 44 was a near twin sealed the deal.
That first 10/22 was a tack driver from day one. It would keep 10 shot inside 1/2" at 50 yards. three years later I saved enough money from summer jobs to buy my own 10/22....the Deluxe Checkered version and it proved to be if anything even more accurate that the first rifle.
It was years before I found out that the 10/22 had a reputation for erratic accuracy.....the good ones were fantastic but the "bad" ones not so much so.
I have come to believe over the years that most of the accuracy problems with 10/22's are caused by the barrel band on the Standard models. I have almost never had a problem with any of the Deluxe or Sporter versions (neither of which have a barrel band).....always with the Standard models. These are either great or not as far as accuracy with no seeming reason. Maybe I'm wrong but that has been my experience.
AS far as reliability....it is no contest. The 10/22 beats all comers. You can even neglect and abuse the 10/22 and it just keeps on working. I try to regularly keep my guns clean, but sometimes they all get dirty. Doesn't seem to faze the 10/22 and even if enough gunk and dirt collect to cause a problem....just use a little cleaner to knock out the crud and it goes right back to working.
This can't be said of many other .22 rifles. One of the most consistantly accurate .22 rifles is the Marlin 60....but if you want it to keep shooting you CANNOT neglect the cleaning. The slightest build up or dirt will quickly cause feeding problems for the Marlin while the 10/22 just keeps on shooting.
The 10/22 has so many aftermarket parts available and is so easy to work on that it can be "customized" to fit the owners wishes. Couple that with the looks and style of a big game rifle rather than a "kids" rifle and the Ruger is top notch.
