Plinking Project Complete - 10/22 Target Tactical

Hi all. I thought i would share my most recent project, maybe it helps others. A bit longwinded but enjoy.

I really enjoy my target shooting / practice (home made targets in a field) when not stalking but a little half hour session was getting expensive with the full bore rounds. Homeloads are not my thing so I decided a .22LR type rig was going to be the new addition to the cabinet. Variation took a couple of weeks (thanks central Scotland) and then time to go shopping.

I looked at a number of different options for calibre, .17hmr etc but figured there is a reason why so many people had .22's and i really liked the availability and cost of ammo. To mix it up i also fancied a semi-auto, but i soon became aware of potential cycling problems / ammo combinations etc. (Explored further below).

Through advice and a bit of time on youtube watching reviews, the Ruger 10/22 seemed to be the one. Again via ye olde interweb i soon learnt about cheap modifications but personally I did not like the light look / feel of a standard 10/22 or the very modern colourful efforts - AR look not quite my thing either. Again, some youtube action pulled me towards a ready made factory version, the Ruger 10/22 target tactical - there is a youtube video of a yank shooting one at 200 yards and he starts the video "hiya this is my ruger 10/22, i personally think everyone should have at least 2 of these"...... Well that was me sold.

i checked out feasibility (effective range etc and learnt i could easily shoot subsonic up to 100 yards) but my preferecne was accurancy for lots of plinking at about 50 yards.

As i started shopping (with a circa £500 budget in mind) i hit guntrader and founds lots of second hand options but in this instance i fancied a brand new rifle, which i have never had before.

Via guntrader i got speaking to the team at Braces of Bristol (wrong end of the country!) they were very helpful, had some in stock and were happy to do a bit of a deal.

So off the shelf i ordered a Ruger 10/22 target tactical. It comes with a short but heavy barrel which is matt black with a small twisted type fluting. Has a picatinny rail incluced and is screw cut for a nice little A-tec moderator. It is set in a hogue stock which has a durable black rubber feel (bounces rather than scratches like a synthetic) which is quite bulky compared to standard 10/22 stock - size and scale works well with heavy barrel. It also came with a little bi-pod and a forend picatinny rail.

While in the mood for a deal i asked what scopes they had that might suite - i am lucky to have Swarovski's on my deer rifles and i did have a swarovski 8x50 that could have gone on. This would have been great for eye relief and quality but i wanted some zoom! It also felt like it was a bit too good for a .22LR. So i quickly entered the lower end scope market. Again with help from braces of bristol i decided on a Hawke Vantage SF 6-24 x 44 which has a mill-dot recticle. Not too big and looked pretty sleek for this sort of set up. Deal on that was just under £200 so i went for it.

Quick efficient RFD to me up north and i got it. Some immediate changes and additions were required.

- additional 10 round genuine ruger mag ordered (ebay)
- 2 x 25 round ruger mags ordered (rimfire magic in Yorkshire)
- i went for a healthy supply or winchester sub-sonics and a few remmington hv rounds to experiment with.
- got some cheap mounts with it but they went in the bin and set of nice mid height leupolds ordered for a picatinny rail.

So all set up for fun. Had some immediate issues with zeroing - it was true but mounting angle too high so the scope was wound up high to get it on target at 30 yards so no flexibility for longer range. Trial and error and internet searches pointed me to rail, original went in the bin and a new one ordered from rimfire magic for about £10. That was fitted in 30 seconds and solved the issue. Having become a scope mounting adjustment expert through this experience i decided to shim up the rear of the scope so it shoots plumb at 30 yards hooched right down, this affords me maximum upwards clicks for long range fun - i am sure there is term for this practice but it is beyond me.

At this stage i would also mention braces were awesome, talked me through some options to try and test and offered to take the rifle back if i wasnt happy.

I am impressed with the hawke scope, feels solid, good zoom, has a nice small side focus - eye relief is ok too.

As for rounds, the hv were fine, shoot a couple of inches higher than the subs but i am not that interessed in the hv stuff. I had been advised that winchesters are good for subs in semi autos such as this. Not too soft and and not too waxy. I reckon it jams 1 in 30 but is better the more you shoot it - re jamming it is also good to have genuine ruger mags rather than immitations.

Cycling isues are also reduced by a good clean - this gun is so easy to take apart and play with - set of alan keys and a screw driver adn you are off. Great for a detailed clean and other mods. I put in a synthetic recoil lug (£3) but takes pressure off the bolt and an auto bolt release system which allows you to lock the bolt open with a small button but then release/load by just pulling back and releasing rather than having to use the buttin again (£12 ebay also).

Other alterations include binning the forend picatinny rail and cheap bi-pod it comes with - it was bulky, ugly and short. I love harris bi-pods and have 2 already, but i felt this toy didnt warrant £100 and a 3rd harris so i went immitation 9-13 sl (no notches) at £18. I have to say, so far i am very impressed and think this is a good option for a rimfire - it wont last a lifetime but what do you expect for £18.

Rail went becuase it wasnt needed (no lasers for me!) and i popped an old black swivel sling on it that was in a cupboard.

Finally, a set of standard butler creeks and then a genuine hawke 110mm sunshade - never used a sunshade before but did it purely for aesthetics! Bought this off ebay from a1tacleshop which i actually bagnel & kirkwood in newcastle - great country shop, visited it regularly when i lived in the toon!

So there you have it - slightly excessive but great fun to create, learn about and shoot!

 

[dlz90]

I hope that was a joke.

Well actually I was at the time, but a friend of mine bought the tactical and its a cracking wee rifle and very accurate, in fact I was more tempted a week after writing that post when my "trusty 1417" let me down would you believe the "legendary Anschutz trigger" broke a piece part no 003592 catch link to be precise waiting on it coming in from Germany at the minute, the aftermarket support from Anschutz is crap I will be charged for this part and then have to fit it myself no easy task or pay a gunsmith to fit, it if they really value their customers this should have been replaced FOC at least, so the rifles 8/10 years old but I have never abused it and only fired maybe 1000 subsonic Winchesters from it in all that time shame on you anschutz maybe that ruger is starting to look more appealing after all.


D

 

[User00033]

Well that’s disappointing to hear @dlz80. I still wouldn’t recommend a new 10/22 though, after your Annie bolt gun I’d put my left nut on you being disappointed with accuracy. Get a CZ if you want to change. I am flabbergasted at how accurate they are, be it in 452, 453 or 455 form. Sure I am new to them but the CZ .22LRs I was using earlier this year, amd the one I’ve recently bought, have totally reinvigorated my interest in rimfire. Sorry to the OP for being a spoil sport, as I said on CarlW’s thread I do like the 10/22s and they certainly have their place, they’re just not in the same class as a good bolt gun unless they are basically modded to a point that they are no longer a Ruger.

 

[dlz90]

Well that’s disappointing to hear @dlz80. I still wouldn’t recommend a new 10/22 though, after your Annie bolt gun I’d put my left nut on you being disappointed with accuracy. Get a CZ if you want to change. I am flabbergasted at how accurate they are

The CZ are one of the very best rifles ever made unreal reputation I have owned them in the past I also prefer bolt action rifle to be honest, now your getting to be a bad influence

D

 

[dlz90]

First off my apologises to the OP for derailing this thread, update on my Anschutz got and fitted the replacement part yesterday boy was it a fiddley operation, anyway got the rifle up and running and I it shoots better than before the trigger has much cleaner break to it I cant help thinking the part replaced was faulty form the off with this rifle, any thoughts of changing this wee annie have now left me I will just keep it and enjoy the small package and excellent handling which are the 1417s best attributes.


D

 

[willyroe]

No apologies required gents - discussion is healthy.

I acknowledge preference or manufacturing rationale, but how is a bolt action more accurate than a semi? Motion or movement form the more aggressive bolt cycling? Mine really his pretty good and accurate. No spraying!

 

[bullet chucker]

Love my 10/22 carbine almost 40 years old and bog standard.

I have its close relation, a deluxe walnut stock, bought 2nd hand in the early 80s.

BC.

 

[GBPOTM]

Nice job, 10/22 is one of my favorite rifles, and top pick when it comes to .22

 

[Neoublie1]

Nice read, really enjoyed.
I must be honest I do like my 10/22.
But thinking of getting a bolt action too.

 

[Fabnosh]

My 10/22 was the first rifle a ever bought and I've had to for probably a little over 30 years now and I shudder to think how many rabbits have been taken with it. It's very much a love hate relationship though. It's a bit like children when they are playing nicely they are fine but...........................

It's convenient to have in the cabinet but, after decades of use, I'd struggle to understand why it would win out over any of the excellent bolt actions on the market these days.

FN

 

[foxdropper]

If anybody has an unhealthy interest in the 10/22 lol,and has a CZ to swap it for pm me .Im sure in capable hands and a few searches it could be tuned but to me it’s an irritation that I can well do without .Rabbit numbers are on the up here but due to lack of confidence in the ruger ,they will have to wait til I get a CZ .