Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires The Dumbing Down of the Ruger 10/22

I don't think the new 10/22's are a good deal anymore. I understand and sympathize with Ruger in trying to keep the price point what it is though.

i just recently bought a nice used 10/22 for $150. I think it was one of the last (SN starts with 350) before swithing to the plastic trigger group, matte blued barrels and crinkle painted receivers (man are the new ones fugly!)

toyed with what to do with it, and ended up finding an old International stock for it.

Anyway, i agree with Redeye that the options for MOST new rimfires is somewhat lacking, especially for quality, mid priced bolt action 22's. Savage & Marlin are about the only real game, but IMO the Zastava rimfire (in comparable models), is a nicer overall rifle. You can spend a bit more, but what you are paying for is refinement and quality at that point, and it wouldn't be considered a "cheap" rifle

DW

Mines still stock but given I bought in 1980 new at Kmart for $89.00 I'm OK with that. Upon reflection I should have bought a whole lot more!

Plastic has no business on a firearm. I don't trust plastic when the temps go subzero.

Ruger's not the only one for certain. I just bought a Henry Golden Boy. I wanted a 22 Mag. Had to go to the Golden Boy because it was the only one that had a blued barrel. The others were enameled.

This makes me glad I still have my 10-22 bought in 1968. Plain jane model with aluminum butt plate and barrel band. Still box stock except for two holes in the receiver to mount a Williams Foolproof. Scratches and dents in the stock, a little light freckling here and there on the steel parts, it's one of those you wouldn't look at twice in a used gun rack but I wouldn't sell it for 10 times it's "blue book value". Oh yeah, got a couple of scratches on the buttplate from where I had to butt smash a charging, wounded ground squirrel in Utah a few decades ago. Try that with plastic.

Not the most accurate rifle anymore - I cleaned it a lot before ever knowing what a crown was or that it should be protected. But once went 5 years without cleaning of any sort just to see what would happen. That was when I'd burn up a brick of .22's about every month or two year round so figure somewhere between 15,000 and 30,000 rounds without any cleaning. Basically, nothing happened. It continued to feed, fire, extract and eject without a hitch. IIRC there were two misfires from bad ammo but that was it.

Got a Kimber of O 82 that is the main .22 shooter for the last 28 years or so, but the 10-22 still gets out now and then for some real fun.

I just never trade off the old stuff... and I guess I can see why...I have 3 different 10/22s.. Guess I better just hold onto what I have.

Price goes up, quality goes down..

Bean Counters, may they all be cursed and spend eternity in accounting hell...

Hey,
I'm a bean counter...And I hate the new 10/22 stuff...you must remember however that the accountants just provide the facts, the execs make the decisions....And when I talked to Mike Fifer (CEO of RUger)and asked him specifically about the new polymer parts, he assured me that the decision was made bacuase it was cheaper to make the polymer parts. And while I disagree with him on that...oh sure it may cost more initially, but you gotta figure over time it would be cheaper...I really believe that Ruger thinks its a higher quality product....at least as far as the polymer parts are concerned....

By comparison (everything is more expensive today) the new ones imo aren't a terrible deal, but I agree that the polymer is not trustworthy. I have seen it break, but if you buy a new ruger and switch it over to metal, you have a new action and barrel! Not that you couldn't buy a barrel for an old 10 22. Which is why I thought it was worth it. If your going to do this though be sure that you are in patient mode, the safety is no picnic to take out and switch.. The plunger and spring really does not cooperate worth anything!

Here was the final product:





Built it for a local farm boy who has been faithfully slaying ground squirrels with it all last summer. He's at it again now that the squirrels are out. Does everything he wants it to do. That plastic trigger housing sure sucks though!

MtnHtr

I bought my one and only in ~1977. 16yrs old. Had to have my mom go to the local pawn shop to get it for me........

Shot 1000's of rounds thru it and about 6 years ago I put a heavy barrel and corelite stock. Immediately I figured out the solid CM barrel screwed up the balance. I rarely shoot it but finally saw the aluminum sleeved barrels. Bought a Whistle Pig.
WOW what an improvement. With a 16oz scope the complete rifle with a 22" barrel is 6lbs even. SWEET.

I have missed a few $100-$120 10-22 and lately makes even more disgusted.......

Somewhere in boxes of factory take-off stuff that's in the shop I have a box with about 5 or 6 metal trigger housings that I switched out for people for "lighter and better" polymer ones. Guys wanting me to build rifles that look like something from Star Wars that weigh about as much as a box of matches. I'll see if I can dig some of them up & share the love a little.

Let me know if you come up with something (thanks)

Me too please.

I gave my son a 10/22 last Christmas. Despite the plastic, it's been killing the hell out of gophers.


Travis

I hope I'm not too late to the party. If you have any left after Cal74 and Deflave get theirs, please put me down as #3 on the list.

Thanks.

Out of town on business for a few days but I'll see how many I've got when I get back. At some point I need to go through all of that stuff & clear out some space. I've got stuff from about anything you can think up in there. I dug around awhile back & found enough stuff to build one complete AR-15 & all but a front handguard & front sight/gas block to build a second one. Got too much stuff....... I'll see how many I've got & post it.