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Ruger 10/22 reliability

cwinn
I am looking to do a few things to my near-stock 10/22 and in doing so I want to make it as reliable as possible. So far it has been OK but I get occasional jams/misfires/stovepipes. I realize some of this could be ammo related (mainly cheap Rem. thunderbolts) and that it is a rimfire, but I was wondering what all the 3-gun competitors do to make their rifles competition reliable?
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10 comments

Date Votes
  • amblerrl
    rimfirecentral.com can help with all your problems or questions.
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  • Laredo Lefty
    Some folks chamfer the chamber mouth slightly to aid in feeding, but this should be done by a gunsmith who knows how to do it properly.

    Ammo and magazines are a big part of the formula for reliability. I use Ruger factory 10 rd or Butler Creek 25 round mags with either Remington or Federal .22 ammo that is plated. I stay away from plain "lead" bullets.

    I have 9 10-22's and thay all shoot fine with my mags and ammo.
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  • beantownshootah
    Briefly, to help ensure reliability:

    a. Use the right ammo. This is probably the single most important thing.

    Bullet shape and velocity can both affect reliability and individual guns may "like" different kinds of ammo. Some guns will choke on hollowpoint ammo, others won't reliably cycle certain kinds of match ammo (ie too low velocity).

    Obviously, some kinds of low-end ammo are going to have high "dud" rates, or be variably loaded, adding to the malfunction rates.

    Match chambers help accuracy, but usually make the gun more ammo-sensitive due to feeding issues.

    b. Make sure gun is clean, particularly the chamber and breechface, but action too.

    c. A small amount of lubrication won't hurt, and can help.

    d. Bad magazines virtually ensure malfunctions. The factory rotary mag is actually the best one, and unless you NEED more than 10 rounds, is probably the best overall choice.

    e. In terms of aftermarket improvements, some people like to put in a match-grade hardened steel extractor. That's a pretty easy installation, they last virtually forever, and they don't cost too much. This can't hurt, and its probably one of the higher yield things to do if you've got extraction issues.

    New or match quality springs can't hurt either to help get good primer strikes.

    If you want to go nuts, some people put in custom firing pins to get faster lock times and/or more reliable primer strikes. Unless there were something wrong with your stock firing pin, or you were shooting "crazy" ammo, I doubt you would see any real-world benefit here to reliability, but it probably can't hurt, and I figured I might as well mention it.
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  • rsnyder55
    Cleaning the rifle and mags once in a while doesn't hurt either.
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  • swampthing36
    quote:Originally posted by cwinn
    I am looking to do a few things to my near-stock 10/22 and in doing so I want to make it as reliable as possible. So far it has been OK but I get occasional jams/misfires/stovepipes. I realize some of this could be ammo related (mainly cheap Rem. thunderbolts) and that it is a rimfire, but I was wondering what all the 3-gun competitors do to make their rifles competition reliable?
    I have just completed doing some tweaks to my 4 digit serial numbered 10/22. Re-did the walnut stock and had it checkered. Looks nice. I replaced the trigger group with a PowerCustom unit. Am waiting for a bedding kit and urethane bushing from gunaccessories.com. I wanted the gun to look 'factory' on the outside but have the benefits of modern stuff on inside. Oh, I added the XS Ghost Rings sight set to. Worked good. Fired the gun for the first time yesterday after upgrades. Functioned flawlessly.
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  • quickmajik
    Of all the problems with all the 10/22 rifles I have owned 95% of them can be blamed on worn out mags or bad ammo. They are very reliable little rifles in my experiance..
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  • cwinn
    Thank you all for some very good info. Im going to begin this little project soon and will let everyone know how it turns out.
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  • groovinmonkey
    I was suprised how well the eagle 30 rounders work but don't get the shooters ridge 50 rounders they suck!!!
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  • dfogleky
    I have thousands of rounds through my 4 eagle mags. without a jam, stovepipe, etc. . .
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  • heavyiron
    Hi,

    In my humble opinion, the best buy for the buck is to install a competition hammer spring, trigger group,and new shims. This is an easy change out of parts and can make make the rifle more accurate due to a smooth and light trigger push. Clark Custom offers such a drop-in kit for a reasonable price.

    I have done this to my 10/22 LR, 10/22 Magnum, Super Blackhawk, and GP-100. All worked great.

    Heavyiron
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