Monday, February 13, 2012

Considering the Ruger 10/22


I ran across Willow Haven a while back via the Art of Manliness and a bit about skinning squirrels.  Creek Stewart seems like a genuine and well-informed person.  One of his articles is about the Ruger 10/22 and its versatility.

The Ruger 10/22 is one of the most popular and successful firearms ever built.  It comes in several variations, and there are almost limitless numbers of modifications that can be made to it both in terms of appearance and function.  A simple internet search will turn up thousands and thousands of hits that detail changes and fixes.  Customized parts are readily available.  One book I can recommend is The Ultimate Ruger 10/22 Manual and User’s Guide by Mark White (Paladin Press, 2000).  It is an excellent guide for those who would like to do some different things with the 10/22.

While one of the selling points of the 10/22 is the range of customization, what impresses me is the utter functionality of the factory product.  I have a 10/22 that I picked up in a trade some years back.  It was used in excellent condition aside from a mark or two on the plain wooden stock.  The serial number indicates it was produced in 1980, so at this point it is over 30 years old.  I have used it extensively, running thousands of rounds through it.  I clean it every year or two.  It functions flawlessly.  Except for a Weaver base that I attached, it is exactly as it came from the factory in 1980.  I have had scopes on it, and they work fine.  I tried a red dot sight and may try it again, but the factory stock works well with the simple open sights.  The sights align near perfectly when it is shouldered allowing me to quickly and consistently put rounds on a target to 100 yards. 

One of the games I play with the 10/22 involves shooting a tennis ball I throw into the air.  Hits are not excessively difficult once a person relaxes and gets the feel for it.   The 10/22 points naturally for me in stock configuration with its 18-inch barrel. 

I have often considered getting an after-market barrel and a folding or collapsible stock for compactness, but I have decided that if I modify a 10/22, it won’t be this one.  It is just too good a partner as is.  I do have some spare parts for it, and I thought at one point that it might be time to replace the extractor, but a thorough cleaning solved my extraction problems.  The parts remain in the safe. 

The 10/22 is not the most accurate .22LR I have.  My Savage bolt-action will out shoot it, but not by enough to make much difference on the average squirrel, varmint or pest.  Mine also has some problems chambering truncated cone bullets like Remington Vipers and Yellow Jackets.  While I am a lifelong fan of Remington Nitro Express shotgun shells, I am not as impressed with their .22LR line.  I prefer CCI most of the time or Federal bulk pack.  Speaking of CCI, some people say that Stingers should not be used in the 10/22. 

Stingers have an advertised muzzle velocity of 1640 feet per second.  CCI achieves this remarkable speed by putting a 32-grain hollow point bullet is a slightly longer than standard case.  The Stinger case could cause problems in firearms with tight match chambers.  I have not run into any issues in any of my .22LR rifles, but it is worth considering.  The factory 10/22 chamber on my rifle is not that closely spec-ed.  I don’t use Stingers a lot in it – preferring, as I say often, Velocitors as a premium load – but I’m sure I’ve run a box or two through it with no ill effects.  The Velocitor case is standard length and should not cause problems in any chamber, but, of course, always follow manufacturer recommendations. 

A good case could be made for a rifle like the 10/22 as the ultimate single survival weapon.  It has a relatively low noise signature.  It is economical, easy to control, accurate, and brutally reliable.  It can be fired and reloaded rapidly and conveniently.  It could be used in an extremity to take almost any North American game animal, though it is hardly ideal for larger animals.  The same can be said about it as a defensive weapon.  It will certainly work, but it is not ideal (except, of course, for head shots in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse, in which case, it is probably the perfect weapon).   It will work just fine for humanely slaughtering domestic livestock and for varmint and pest eradication, as well as being the top of line as a small game getter and general field companion.  While I would prefer a shotgun for home defense, and I must add my usual refrain that if you can have only one gun, it should be a centerfire handgun, a person could certainly do worse than to have “just” a Ruger 10/22.    

1 comment:

  1. Careful what you say. There is a good reason to encourage other people to make preparations, build up your community network, and establish the framework for cooperative support of neighbors, friends, and family.

    There are also many good reasons not get on television or Youtube and give out too much information.

    ReplyDelete