Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversary Design Winner

My Christmas Present has finally arrived. A Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversary Design Winner.



Love the stock, love the looks, hate the trigger. However, the trigger was already going to be replaced or upgraded with either Vorquartswateveh parts or an entire Ruger precision trigger group. Other plans include a GI sling, a Luepy 1x4 scope or equiv, auto bolt release, and an extended mag release. It's my recipe for shooting an Appleseed with failing eyes.  

The rifle has been to the range where it functioned flawlessly. Accuracy looks to be more than acceptable, but true testing will wait until I get the scope on it. This range trip was to introduce a newbie to the Fellowship of the Rifle.    

BTW: the card was inscribed: Love, Charlie Foxtrot.  

Lol, nice!  Hopefully you have plenty of ammo saved up that you can use to spend lots of time at the range.

Cornmastah wrote:Lol, nice!  Hopefully you have plenty of ammo saved up that you can use to spend lots of time at the range.

Fortunately, during the 'Boma Administration, my OCD kicked in every time Wally*Mart had .22LR. I've got a bunch of bricks. Unfortunately, friends and neighbors know I'm "hording". Fortunately, I'm getting a lot of calls that go, "Hey, wanna go shooting? Be sure to bring your 22 ammo."

That was a very thoughtful gift CF. You should really appreciate all you do for you.

Very nice rifle!

It's done - as much as any rifle I have is ever "done".



The "Ultimate" Liberty Training Rifle for Appleseed. Ultimate, because if I screw up, it's ultimately my fault, as the rifle is nigh on perfect.  

Bill of Material:
Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversary Design Winner
Ruger BX Trigger Group
Vorquartsen Auto Bolt Release
PWS T3 Lever Mag Release
Polymer Bolt Stop
Weaver 1x3 Classic Scope
Burris Zee Rings Low
GI Type Canvas Sling
Sling Swivels
Limbsaver Wussie Pad (For the Recoil, Not the Extra Length of Pull)

That looks like one heck of a .22 rifle. Now go have some fun!

(De)Range(d) Report (A dupe of the post in the Range Reports thread.)

Took the "Ultimate" Liberty Training Rifle Ruger to the range Friday. Very pleased.

In short: It's a Ruger 10/22. A very nice, refined 10/22. Well suited for my particular requirements.

The Anniversary stock is well designed, comfortable and useful. The BX trigger group remains a WOW, especially for the price. Although I wasn't able to properly bench rest the rifle, it seems to be a 2-2+ MOA shooter. It's a 10/22 after all.

Like all of my 10/22s, it has a strong preference for 40gn bullets, with Federal AutoMatch and Wolf Target being it's particular favorites. It's unique in it's disdain for CCI Stingers. CCI MiniMags, Federal Bulk, and Win 333 were all OK.

Did experience 4 decidedly odd failures. I'd find a stovepipe with an unfired round in the chamber. All failures occurred within the first 75 rounds of Friday's test - with none in the remaining 300 rounds. A burr on the extractor hook? The extractor and ejector are going to get special attention when I break down the rifle for cleaning.

The Weaver 1x3 scope proved well suited for the 25 meter Appleseed parameters. It was bright even in the dim indoor range. It zeroed quickly and precisely. I could detect no zero drift after 400 or so rounds.

I've got an idea to replace the Ruger birdcage flash hider with a much heavier compensator to possibly damp out vibrations. Free floating the barrel is also a possibility. However... the rifle is certainly able to shoot the Appleseed Challenge, and it's time to put down the checkbook and the tools and start dry firing, practicing and pushing lead down range. ie: Work on the nut behind the trigger.

Ah, ?you dry fire a .22. I am a big fan of dry firing, but have always held that .22's shouldn't be dry fired because they are rim-fire weapons, so the pin hits the edge of the chamber. Just like you shouldn't dry-fire a Colt SAA or clone.

On a different note, I have never figured out how to take apart a 10/22 COMPLETELY. Like take out the innards. Seems the spring sort of comes out but the rest won't. ?Where do I go look for how to do that.

Many modern rimfires are engineered so when dry-fired, the firing pin does not touch the chamber rim. I've dry-fired the new Ruger approaching 100 times, and I can find no mark on the rim.

I've had the 10/22s completely apart many times. You Tube has a lot of good videos. It's actually hard to keep the 10/22 from disassembling itself when all those pins fall out.

I also was wondering about dry firing your .22 rifle. I've always avoided dry firing mine, but that would be nice if your rifle is "dry fire safe."

Cornmastah wrote:I also was wondering about dry firing your .22 rifle.  I've always avoided dry firing mine, but that would be nice if your rifle is "dry fire safe."

Planning to tear down and clean the 10/22 tonight. I'll give it the bright lights and magnifying glass treatment. I'll let you guys know.

The webz thinks the 10/22 can be dry-fired without problem. According to the Ruger manual; "The rifle can be “dry fired” for practice as long as it is empty and pointed in a safe direction." However, in the older rifles at least, the firing pin stop pin can be peened over time.  A new one can be ordered from Midway for $2.  http://www.midwayusa.com/product/419922/ruger-firing-pin-stop-pin-ruger-10-22-10-22-magnum

After tearing down the 10/22 I dragged out the electron microscope - or hand magnifier - can't remember which, and took a look at the back of the chamber. There is a faint mark - but it's indistinct, without indentation. To me, it looks like the mark 450 brass 22 rims would leave when struck by a firing pin.

So, I'm gonna practice the snot out of the new 10/22.

I recall AJ's review of the 50th Anniversary 10/22~~I don't own a .22 rifle and I should make it this one...

Every red-blooded 'Murican needs:

1) AR-15 in 5.56
2) A rimfire rifle (10/22, S&W 15-22, Marlin 935(?), Mossberg (?), Savage, CZ, etc.)

And a metric butlload of ammo and mags for each.  

Charlie Foxtrot wrote:    
Every red-blooded 'Murican needs:

1) AR-15 in 5.56
2) A rimfire rifle (10/22, S&W 15-22, Marlin 935(?), Mossberg (?), Savage, CZ, etc.)

And a metric butlload of ammo and mags for each.  

I've owned 2 ARs (Colt CAR-15 & Bushmaster)~~just not feeling it other than buying one cheap now and stashing in closet to sell later (Now that new Savage Scout 11...that has my attention).

My Contender .22 10" & Ruger MkII have the .22 duties but feeling the need to add a genuine rifle to the club though not sure it'll outshoot the Contender

I have not been a big fan of AR's, mostly because of old experiences. I have since built 3. I have found that they are clearly different from the stuff we had in the jungle - LOTS better, still easy to work on. They have an inherent accuracy if you put proper parts in them. It is butt-simple to assemble a tack-driver, with no special skills, whereas doing the same with any OTHER rifle takes real skills. Personally I have no interest in learning how to glass-bed a rifle, nor to free-float a barrel. Then there is the whole issue of the trigger group, etc. I have messed with a Remington trigger, and it came out OK, but it isn't an everyday skill.

That said, the single biggest reason to have one is that they are ubiquitous. 5.56 ammo will be around for a long time. Heck we can still get .30-'06 Garand ammo, but it's getting harder to find. 7.65x51 is also less generally available.

So if you want to shoot a lot, if you reload, if you want cheap brass AND bullets, 5.56 is going to be the game. Plus it's the Service Rifle rifle of choice. Lots of reasons to consider having at least one.

Very well said, Dev and MrJim.

The AR-15 has become every man - and woman's - rifle. Too much ammo, knowledge, experience, parts and accessories exist for it to be ignored.

The 10/22 doesn't have nearly the almost universal acceptance of the AR, there are just too many excellent rimfire rifles out there. The imprtant thing is too have one! for practice, plinking, hunting, pest eradication... and especially for introducing new shooters to firearms.

Too cool to have a real CAR-15. Dev, what did you end up doing with your old-school cool HBAR?

I gave it to my godson, CF. He had no rifles, so I thought this would be something he might remember me by, and be a good rifle at the same time. Didn't want to give him anything junky and wasn't really sure what of the pistols that I had would be good. Plus he has several pistols of various kinds (including a 1911 I ran interference for him for). This was something that didn't take much thought, and it was unlikely I would ever shoot it.

A wonderful gift, Dev.