Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 10/22 why so popular

10/22's work relatively well and are reasonably priced, their accuracy is enough to satisfy most average plinkers. But the real reason behind their success is that for the older generation guys they are like the Tinker Toy set they had as a kid, and for the younger generation guys they are like a Lego set.

There are about the only thing on the market, besides the AR-15/AR-16,that you can buy, change out some over the counter aftermarket parts and then brag about how you built your custom rifle. You can start out with a $200 rifle and turn it into a $1500, or more, rifle without leaving the comfort of your basement - and it MAY work as well as it did before spending the extra money on it.

drover

I always had a Ruger 10-22, until I bought a Savage A17. No reason to keep the 10-22 around anymore, unless its for burning up expensive 22lr ammo... With that being said, many/most people use their souped up 10-22's at my club for some of our events. They are great rifles for speed shooting and quick magazine changes. Their accuracy is only so so though. Yeah, you'll find one that is exceptional with ammo it likes, but for the most part a bone stock 10-22 isn't going to shoot great. Im talking consistent hits on golf balls at 50 yards, just as an example.. I know guys are rolling their eyes, calling BS. The custom barreled 10-22's, on the other hand, do alright with the right ammo

The last 10-22. I bought was too cheap to walk away from.

Took one to the gunshow today.................

I left it there, and came home with a 2005ish, unfired model 94 and $50............ not a single ding and I don't think a round has even push through the loading gate................

10-22 was a Canadian Centennial ...................

LOL

Do you shoot Steel Challenge?

It's the Lego of .22 rifles. Lot's of aftermarket stuff. Same with the Mark I-IV series of .22 pistols.

The base model is a good plinker as it comes from the dealer. With an upgraded trigger and a decent scope they can shoot pretty well and work for small game and general target shooting. With a red dot, an upgraded trigger and perhaps an aftermarket stock they work great for speed shooting games like steel challenge. Finally, with a custom barrel (not that expensive and easy to install) they can be tackdrivers for precision shooting. So that base gun can be adapted to perform many functions. That's one of the reasons they are popular.

The 10/22 was a departure from the way semi-auto rimfire rifles had previously been designed and it changed the landscape.
Modular, M1 carbine type firing mechanism and removable barrel are advantages.
Like Glock pistols, the 10/22 magazines contributed to the strength of the design and were eventually adopted by other makers.

Unlike the extinct Stevens, Mossberg, Winchester, etc, the Marlin 22 semi - autos survived because they will shoot and cycle at least as well as a (stock) 10/22.

Price, quality, and it was early to the dance.

My ol lady has a 50th yr blued/grey lam w RDS and it does pretty decent.
I got rid of my 10/22s and have zero desire to replace em.

Have a CZ455 and it does OK w SK rifle match. Could proly dump it and just get a decent .22rf pistol and be done.
Switched to the CZ bolt rig for subsonic, polite pest control.

Got a M60, handed down to us by the father in law. Well used, tube fed, makes you feel like you could hit anything, still or running. But if you ever have to clean it deeper than a lick and a promise isn't the Ruger easier to field strip?

You just touched on the real virtues and flaws of both rifles. In large part it is the "feel" of the m60s vs the ruggedness and function of the 10/22.

The Marlin m60s are a much more slender rifle making them feel better in the hand. They also historically had longer barrels and that combined with the full length magazine tube made them "hang" better for offhand work in the field. The old long tubed m60s held 19 22lr rounds in the tube and during plinking sessions never seem to run out of ammo..:) , The Marlin -Glenfields were also cheaper by about 20%.

The downsides to the Marlin were the slow tube reloading and the toy-like innards in the action. If shot a great deal the Marlins WILL require an action rebuild sooner than any 10/22. The feed ramps tend to wear and the recoil buffer in the back decomposes with use and age.

The 10/22 is by comparison, virtually a mil-spec design- simple and rugged. Easy to strip down , repair and maintain during hard use.

If bedded properly and fed good ammo, a 10/22 will run with any factory Marlin in terms of grouping. I own and like both designs, but if I had to pick only one it would be the 10/22 because of it's durability and simplicity .

My 10/22 is mostly stock, original parts with some tweaking. My home "gunsmithing", and a slight setback of the barrel by a local smith. No major aftermarket components, basically all stock. Past weekend I shot several groups in the 1/2 inch range at 50 yards, moved to 100 for the heck of it and put five rounds into just under an inch. 3-9X scope, Norma TAC22 ammo.

I just love to beat the high dollar customized 10/22s with my "working class" gun. Plus, those guys often struggle with malfunctions of one kind or another.

Paul

I agree, the 10/22 is awesome I have had one since about 1970 but if you are looking for accuracy a bolt action is the way to go

Just a general comment but it looks like "accuracy" is a pretty broad area. Lots of talk about "enough accuracy" with an off hand derisive tone like it was some unfortunate skin condition, but how much more does anyone need than "enough"?

1968 model 10/22 I mentioned earlier has always had enough accuracy to hit sparrows, squirrels and other small game out to 75-80 yards consistently and after a little artillery style ranging can hit standing ground squirrels at 125 yards, and those are no more than a couple of inches wide.

In 2010 I used a brand new, box stock 10/22 Tactical to win our club's annual .22 silhouette championship and that was competing against Anschutz and CZ bolt rifles. Won the 100 yard match and came in 2nd for the 200 but aggregate was enough to win the overall match. That rifle certainly had "enough accuracy".


I don't have a problem with folks that judge rifles solely by how tiny the groups are at X number of yards, while adding in that the further out you go with a .22 the shooter's skill at judging wind becomes almost as much of a factor as the rifle's mechanical accuracy. Those teeny tiny group shooters are certainly a pride to own, but why would "enough" be somehow inadequate?

Obviously, a 10/22 can easily and inexpensively be made "target accurate" by anyone who cares to do so.
Versus Marlin, out of the box the accuracy of an individual 10/22 is more variable.

I've shot several of the 10/22s, but never bought one. I prefer the Marlin tube fed models, because that's what I grew up with. If I found a Ruger at a good price I'd probably buy it. I believe most of these rifles are more accurate than I can achieve with my ability.

Except for the rear sight, the 10/22 is close to unbreakable.

good price,accurate,reliable , excellent magazine clip system ,my grandson gets one for xmas this year just because its a fun gun