Ruger 10/22 Range Report

[kevin9]

I finally had a chance to get this to the range yesterday:

Prior to heading out I installed most of the Liberty Training Rifle upgrade items I'd purchased. These included TSR100 aperture sights, Volquartsen bolt release and target hammer, and a Bell and Carlson extended Magazine release. I did not install sling studs as I didn't want to drill the stock before trying it out.

The trigger is exquisite with no perceptible slack and a clean, light break; definitely a target-quality trigger. The sight picture was also very conducive to good accuracy. I was getting roughly 2 inch groups for 10 rounds at ~25 yards using Federal ValuePack copper-plated (red-box). I'm sure the accuracy can be improved, and I'll be trying several other makes of ammo to see if there is a difference, but it's quite good enough to start with.

What definitely needs improvement is the reliability. I put 50 to 60 rounds through it using 3 different magazines and was not able to get through a single magazine cleanly. At least once per magazine the bolt would not go forward to load a round. It could have been the bolt hanging up on the magazine, but I suspect it was more likely the replacement bolt release engaging prematurely. There did not seem to be any exact rhyme or reason to the sticky bolt but it generally was sometime after the fourth or fifth round in the mag.

There were also 2 failure-to-fires and twice the bolt did not lock back on an empty mag. These happened early in the session.

All this could have been due to cold, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm certainly open to suggestions for improving the reliability. I intend for this to be my LTR and I don't want to spend Appleseed time futzing with malfs.

 

[Bob P]

I finally had a chance to get this to the range yesterday:

Prior to heading out I installed most of the Liberty Training Rifle upgrade items I'd purchased. These included TSR100 aperture sights, Volquartsen bolt release and target hammer, and a Bell and Carlson extended Magazine release. I did not install sling studs as I didn't want to drill the stock before trying it out.

The trigger is exquisite with no perceptible slack and a clean, light break; definitely a target-quality trigger. The sight picture was also very conducive to good accuracy. I was getting roughly 2 inch groups for 10 rounds at ~25 yards using Federal ValuePack copper-plated (red-box). I'm sure the accuracy can be improved, and I'll be trying several other makes of ammo to see if there is a difference, but it's quite good enough to start with.

What definitely needs improvement is the reliability. I put 50 to 60 rounds through it using 3 different magazines and was not able to get through a single magazine cleanly. At least once per magazine the bolt would not go forward to load a round. It could have been the bolt hanging up on the magazine, but I suspect it was more likely the replacement bolt release engaging prematurely. There did not seem to be any exact rhyme or reason to the sticky bolt but it generally was sometime after the fourth or fifth round in the mag.

There were also 2 failure-to-fires and twice the bolt did not lock back on an empty mag. These happened early in the session.

All this could have been due to cold, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm certainly open to suggestions for improving the reliability. I intend for this to be my LTR and I don't want to spend Appleseed time futzing with malfs.

Did you get the bolt release spring in correctly? The instructions that came with mine weren't the clearest and I had to play with it a bit before I figured it out. The open end of the V should be facing forward with the dogleg in the notch on the bolt release and the other end under the silver pin.

 

[lord1234]

what ammo were you using? I have found that my 10/22 does NOT like remington green box

 

[ToeRag]

I'd bet your trouble feeding ammo is the Value pak Federal -- I've tried that in mine an had similar issues.

If you are looking to shoot something cheap, that cycles pretty well, Try CCI Blazers.

 

[kevin9]

Did you get the bolt release spring in correctly? The instructions that came with mine weren't the clearest and I had to play with it a bit before I figured it out. The open end of the V should be facing forward with the dogleg in the notch on the bolt release and the other end under the silver pin.

Pretty sure I did. I know I got it facing the right way with the dog-leg down and the top leg under the pin. I'll double-check to be sure I got the dog-leg in the release notch when I get home.

 

[ToeRag]

what kind of Scope do you have on it? and how do you like it?

I'm looking for something better for my rig.

 

[Bob P]

If it's an ammo issue, I was using the Federal hollowpoint bulk pack from Wally's (550 rounds for like $14). It's a buck or so more but the lead's guilded so it doesn't foul as badly and the gun was eating them like candy.

 

[kevin9]

what ammo were you using? I have found that my 10/22 does NOT like remington green box

Federal ValuePack. I've got some Remington Thunderbolt and High Velocity I'll try.

I'd bet your trouble feeding ammo is the Value pak Federal -- I've tried that in mine an had similar issues.

If you are looking to shoot something cheap, that cycles pretty well, Try CCI Blazers.

Thanks.

If it's an ammo issue, I was using the Federal hollowpoint bulk pack from Wally's (550 rounds for like $14). It's a buck or so more but the lead's guilded so it doesn't foul as badly and the gun was eating them like candy.

That's almost exactly what I was using. The rounds are gilded but round-nose instead of HP.

 

[kevin9]

what kind of Scope do you have on it? and how do you like it?

I'm looking for something better for my rig.

It came with 3-9x scope (Burris I think). I replaced it with the TSR100 aperture sights.

 

[Bob P]

That's almost exactly what I was using. The rounds are gilded but round-nose instead of HP.

Huh Well, Ross said the 10/22 can be tempermental with ammo, maybe that's what it is.

 

[dwarven1]

They can indeed be temperamental. Try some other brands of ammo. CCI Mini Mag, though a bit pricier, is a good way to prove if it is or isn't the ammo - it usually runs in most everything.

One other thing to try - clean the action and do NOT oil it. Shoot it dry; according to Nickle the oil will make it act up in cold weather.

 

[kevin9]

They can indeed be temperamental. Try some other brands of ammo. CCI Mini Mag, though a bit pricier, is a good way to prove if it is or isn't the ammo - it usually runs in most everything.

Thanks. I will be trying various different ammo to see what works best.

One other thing to try - clean the action and do NOT oil it. Shoot it dry; according to Nickle the oil will make it act up in cold weather.

I cleaned it right after I got the gun. I lightly lubed it with Pro-Shot Zero Friction which claims "It works from -75 degrees F to 400 degrees F." I've never had problems with cold-weather operation in any other firearms using Zero Friction, but then again I've not shot a great deal in cold weather, yet.

Sounds like more testing is in order. I'll start with different ammo andl see what works.

 

[jar]

There were also 2 failure-to-fires and twice the bolt did not lock back on an empty mag. These happened early in the session.

The 10/22 doesn't lock back on an empty mag. Does yours do it sometimes? If so, something funky is going on.

 

[Bob P]

The 10/22 doesn't lock back on an empty mag. Does yours do it sometimes? If so, something funky is going on.

I read that wrong. I was thinking it WAS locking back randomly which is why I made the comment about the spring. The spring keeps the bolt lock down so it DOESN'T engage the bolt. The 10/22 doesn't lock, you keep track by either counting or when it goes CLICK you know it's time to reload

 

[lord1234]

yea my 10/22 doesn't lock back on an empty mag...wish it did.

 

[kevin9]

Thanks all. It's nice to learn that what I thought were failures was normal function and what I thought was normal were failures. I should be used to that by now (obligatory political dig). For some reason I had it in my head that the aftermarket bolt release added the function of locking-back on an empty mag. Sounds like a close examination of the release spring installation is in order.

 

[dwarven1]

I cleaned it right after I got the gun. I lightly lubed it with Pro-Shot Zero Friction which claims "It works from -75 degrees F to 400 degrees F." I've never had problems with cold-weather operation in any other firearms using Zero Friction, but then again I've not shot a great deal in cold weather, yet.

I read that at first as "It works from 75 degrees F to 400 degrees F" and I was thinking that if you're shooting outdoors in January in New England, it's NOT 75 out... must be the codeine. Bear in mind that the .22 doesn't have a whole lot of force to spare to drive that big ol' bolt back... even the slightest thickening of the oil may be enough to make it malf. There's a modification that the guys on RimfireCentral.com swear by - they radius the bolt, removing a bunch of material which lightens the bolt a good bit. I'm thinking of trying this on one of my LTRs just for grins to see how it works and if I see a difference.

Thanks all. It's nice to learn that what I thought were failures was normal function and what I thought was normal were failures. I should be used to that by now (obligatory political dig). For some reason I had it in my head that the aftermarket bolt release added the function of locking-back on an empty mag. Sounds like a close examination of the release spring installation is in order.

The only way to get the bolt to lock back is with an aftermarket kit that also requires you to replace the magazines with specialized ones. I'm not sure how well it works. Since the design of the firing pin negates any possibility of damaging the chamber when you dryfire, I've never seen the need to get that kit. YMMV.

 

[dixidawg]

I just thought I was posting my range report here, but mistakenly put it here.

Kevin9, did your "old" hammer have built in bushings? Right now that is my stumbling point. I found out too late that mine is the newer model with the bushings made as part of the hammer. I need to order separate bushings to go with the new hammer, and Midway is backordered. Other than that, I installed the bolt release, buffer, sling, and Mag release.


Another question I have though is how should I sight this in? Should it be right on at 25 yds? Right on at 50 yds? 100 yds?

 

[jar]

If you're using it for Appleseed, you want to sight it in for 25 meters. 25 yards is close enough if that's what you have at your range. I sight my LTR for a center hold because the appleseed targets are different sizes.

 

[kevin9]

I just thought I was posting my range report here, but mistakenly put it here.

That's some nice shooting.

Kevin9, did your "old" hammer have built in bushings? Right now that is my stumbling point. I found out too late that mine is the newer model with the bushings made as part of the hammer. I need to order separate bushings to go with the new hammer, and Midway is backordered. Other than that, I installed the bolt release, buffer, sling, and Mag release.

I bought mine (lightly) used. It had the separate bushings. I did use the 2 shim washers that came with target hammer. It seemed rather wiggly without them. With them the hammer still moved freely, but with very little slop.

Actually I did not finish sighting in the rifle. It's on left-to-right but still ~1.75 high. The sun was too bright to use my laser boresight and I got too cold before I could finish. Also contributing was the fact that I didn't buy the sight adjustment tool and it's a pain to adjust the front sight using just a small hex wrench or pin. Anyone know a local place that has the front sight tool, or has an extra they're willing to sell? I really don't want to pay shipping for one little item.

 

[dwarven1]

They'll have the sight tools at the Marlborough show this weekend, I'm sure. You want the A1 version.

That said... Folks, as part of the Appleseed Shoot, we'll be walking you through sighting your rifles in. If it's an inch or two off, no worries! That's part of the class!!

 

[MassMark]

They can indeed be temperamental. Try some other brands of ammo. CCI Mini Mag, though a bit pricier, is a good way to prove if it is or isn't the ammo - it usually runs in most everything.

One other thing to try - clean the action and do NOT oil it. Shoot it dry; according to Nickle the oil will make it act up in cold weather.

This just does not make sense to me...What has changed so drastically with how Ruger is building these? My old 10/22 eats everything and is absolutely the least temperamental gun I have ever owned - bar none. I'm fairly certain that it's never had a malfunction outside of bad ammo and I got this gun as a teenager and beat the living shit out of it....

 

[dwarven1]

Mark, .22s have always been fussy about their ammo. Sounds like you just got a real good one!

 

[kevin9]

Finally got a chance to re-examine the bolt release. Turns out there was an assembly error. I'd failed to get the dogleg end of the release spring on top of the bolt release tab. The straight leg was under the top pin but the lower leg must have slipped under the bolt release when I put the hammer in. Hopefully it will be more reliable next time I get to the range.

I also figured out why it was taking so much adjustment to get it sighted in vertically: I probably was using the 100 yard aperture.

p.s. I decided to order the sight adjustment tool.

 

[Bob P]

That's some nice shooting.
I bought mine (lightly) used. It had the separate bushings. I did use the 2 shim washers that came with target hammer. It seemed rather wiggly without them. With them the hammer still moved freely, but with very little slop.

Actually I did not finish sighting in the rifle. It's on left-to-right but still ~1.75 high. The sun was too bright to use my laser boresight and I got too cold before I could finish. Also contributing was the fact that I didn't buy the sight adjustment tool and it's a pain to adjust the front sight using just a small hex wrench or pin. Anyone know a local place that has the front sight tool, or has an extra they're willing to sell? I really don't want to pay shipping for one little item.

Check Zero Hour. I'm not positive, but I think I've seen it there before. Make sure you get the right one - for the A1 with the 5 prongs and not the A2 with 4 prongs.

 

[Bob P]

Finally got a chance to re-examine the bolt release. Turns out there was an assembly error. I'd failed to get the dogleg end of the release spring on top of the bolt release tab. The straight leg was under the top pin but the lower leg must have slipped under the bolt release when I put the hammer in. Hopefully it will be more reliable next time I get to the range.

I also figured out why it was taking so much adjustment to get it sighted in vertically: I probably was using the 100 yard aperture.

p.s. I decided to order the sight adjustment tool.

I found the instructions that came with the VQ bolt release to be fairly confusing about that part. 80% of the time I spent doing the upgrade was futzing with that spring

 

[kevin9]

I found the instructions that came with the VQ bolt release to be fairly confusing about that part. 80% of the time I spent doing the upgrade was futzing with that spring

Instructions? There were instructions?

I knew what to do from looking at the parts as I was taking it apart. I took the hammer assembly out again after I'd installed the bolt release to add the hammer shims. I just screwed up when I put the hammer assembly back in the last time.

 

[dixidawg]

There are some great how to videos on youtube. Search for bolt release or volquartsen (sp?)

 

[Nickle]

The directions to do the hammer and bolt release are on Rinfirecentral.com website.

I've got 6 LTR's, most of them have had 5000+ rounds through them, they all seem to like Federal 550 rd bulk from Wal-Mart. One thing they haven't liked is Federal AUto Match.

Most .22's are sensitive to ammo, having preferences. Not so much accuracy, but function.

And, I don't care what oil you have, I still recommend running it dry in the winter.

 

[jar]

I've got 6 LTR's, most of them have had 5000+ rounds through them, they all seem to like Federal 550 rd bulk from Wal-Mart. One thing they haven't liked is Federal AUto Match.

+1. I shot automatch at the Athol last July and my groups sucked. Part of it was me, but part of it was definitely the ammo. I read on RFC later that there are some bad lots of it out there. I had already tossed the box, so I don't know if mine was from one of those or not. The 550 bulk pack runs great and groups well.