Advice on modifying a older 10/22 carbine

MilitaryCollectorMark

MilitaryCollectorMark

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Dad has a older 10/22 carbine, thinking of changing out some of the parts to make a gopher light target rifle.

Any ideas on what should be replaced?
Possibly thinking of putting on either a 16 1/2 heavy barrel or a 18 1/2 regular barrel.

Would like to keep the budget around 6-700 without the scope.
 
I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but my first priority is the trigger. Maybe you're happy with yours, but if not look into improving that. I have a Kidd ultra light barrel, I'm very happy with it. I also have a Green mountain, factory taper, 20 inch, it's been very good.
 
Trigger is the first thing to fix. The stock trigger is usually horrid. Then do the bolt release mod, and an aftermarket extractor. If you're really ambitious, radius the bolt.
Try out the barrel out for accuracy before swapping.

Greem mountain sporter barrel is what i would recommend if you still want to change it.. Bits of pieces is a good source for these, but you have to call, website is basic.

A Boyds thumbhole stock is a nice upgrade.
 
Put a decent optic on it and shoot it.
Then decide what needs to be done to make any worthwhile improvements.
 
tiriac is right - What can it do now ? Consider saving 'as is for posterity' and getting a Dlask or a CZ-semi. About the same bucks.
 
I continue to waffle on building a precision 10/22. I did pick up a Kidd 2 stage and it is worth the $$. I would like to add a an IBI carbon barrel to stay light for offhand shooting. An MDT butt stock to go with my Spector Ballistics chassis would finish it off I think.
 
I bought one of those factory grey stocked carbines (without the barrel band for $250 from Tenda) a couple of years ago. Stuck a nice 6-24x50 scope on it and tested about a dozen of the "cheap" brands of ammo on it. With Aguila Super Extra I could manage 1/2" at 50 yards some of the time and typical groups would be less than 3/4". In my opinion there are way too many people that underestimate what their stock 10/22 can do without testing them.
 
I got a 10/22 Target Lite, with BX trigger, and it didnt group any better than a stock 10/22 profile barrel. But the BX trigger is nice though
 
For my current gopher 10/22 with a goal of 125yds effective range, I tuned up the trigger, free floated the factory carbine barrel, bedded the action properly. Only using a 4X scope. The magic sauce was some better quality Fed HV ammo I was lucky to pick up a few years back. This really got the combo to shoot well. Trying a variety of other HV ammos didn't show good results so you may have to test a bunch to see if the rifle you have will work to your goals.

For my LR PRS 10/22, barrel is the first upgrade.... then the typical things like trigger, target stock and of course, bedding. Running match ammo (SK RM and Lapua Cx), this rig has gone out to 400+ and shot very well.

I am on the fence for a match barrel for short distance PD shooting. Not sure how well the tighter chambers work with typical HV HP ammo????

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
For my current gopher 10/22 with a goal of 125yds effective range, I tuned up the trigger, free floated the factory carbine barrel, bedded the action properly. Only using a 4X scope. The magic sauce was some better quality Fed HV ammo I was lucky to pick up a few years back. This really got the combo to shoot well. Trying a variety of other HV ammos didn't show good results so you may have to test a bunch to see if the rifle you have will work to your goals.

For my LR PRS 10/22, barrel is the first upgrade.... then the typical things like trigger, target stock and of course, bedding. Running match ammo (SK RM and Lapua Cx), this rig has gone out to 400+ and shot very well.

I am on the fence for a match barrel for short distance PD shooting. Not sure how well the tighter chambers work with typical HV HP ammo????

Jerry
Click to expand...

Do tell?
 
Tuning a 10/22 trigger for let off involves changing/stoning the surfaces so there is less roughness, creep and improve engagement. Lots of vids that show the process.

Or you can buy parts that are already machined to suit.

Overtravel is a big issue in these triggers so solving that goes a long ways to a nice trigger feel.

Jerry
 
tiriaq said:
Put a decent optic on it and shoot it.
Then decide what needs to be done to make any worthwhile improvements.
Click to expand...

Yep. Bought mine in 1984, with every intention of Barbie Dolling it out, and to date the two things it has got, is I chucked the bolt hold open away (screw the auto release mod!), and I bought a beater grade stock at a Sally Ann store that someone's dog had chewed, that I originally intended to hog out the barrel channel on, but still have not. It has taken hundreds of gophers, lots of grouse, some rabbits, some raccoons, a couple coyotes, and a couple or three larger critters that were either in my chicken coops or chasing my livestock around.

Did a big splurge on it a couple years back and put a Leupold Freedom Rimfire on it, and no regrets.

If it shoots well, as is, use the living hells out of it, if it has issues, solve those.
 
So, there are far more experience folks here. This is just my 2 cents thrown in as a point of reference (good or bad).

The first thing I did to me Ruger 10/22 was the MCarbo trigger upgrade kit. It cost be about $25 (?) & replaced the seer spring as well as trigger return spring. I don't know what a great trigger feels like as this is my first firearm, but it is a heck of a lot better than what it was stock.

The second thing I did was install a swivel stud to attached a cheap bipod, but that's probably not relevant.

Up third was the bolt lock release which lots of folks have mentioned. There are plenty out there, I honestly grabbed a cheap Amazon one because I didn't see the point in a high end version.

The above altogether has cost me around $100 including the cheap bipod. All three have been an improvement to my experience so worth the money.

Next upgrades I am looking at are barrel & stock as well as the GRX lug that is supposed to help with recoil, but I am too intimidated to install that honestly.

In your case, the big question for me would be whether or not you're looking to preserve the look of the rifle as you mentioned it was older. If it has a beautiful wooden stock then I would be more tempted to keep that in tact & look at a new barrel. I am struggling to find good affordable ($200 - $300) barrels myself, but Dlask may have something for you there. In terms of stocks, the Magpul X22 seems to have really good reviews, but just looking at it (I haven't owned one) it doesn't feel to float the barrel whereas the Archangel stocks (not the conversions) apparently do float the barrel.

So, all that said, if it were me given that I like old wood stocks, I'd probably try to get an affordable bull barrel & look into the best option for bedding. Keeping that generic as I don't know whether it would be better to bed the received, stock, etc. That's way beyond my newbie undertsanding.
 
Not my idea - was from an Australia guy looking for "cheap to do" ways to make it shoot better - so, is just one action screw - what he did was apply layers of aluminum foil tape to each side of rear of receiver, so that it was a snug "press fit" to insert it in there - idea was to reduce the amount of wiggle that is possible at rear end of the action - I think my mid-1980's one took 7 layers on one side and six layers on other side to fit "snug". It had the barrel band - so file / sand away at the underside of that so there is no contact with the barrel. A couple wraps of electricians black vinyl tape around the barrel to centre it in the factory wood stock - at the very fore-end tip ahead of the barrel band - that also puts a bit of "up" pressure on the factory barrel at that point, and helps that clamp on bottom of barrel to support it in the receiver hole. Is the mods that I did - still has factory everything else - I installed a Williams aperture rear sight, and I think it shoots better than I can. But looks pretty much stock factory, except that you can see that tape wrap around the barrel - which might be problematic for some.

I suspect that barrel tenon into the receiver might be problematic - if you can slide it in and out, is NOT a perfect fit - has to be some slop in order to be able to move it. Likely not as much an issue with sights on the barrel, but with a sight or scope on the receiver, probably do not want that barrel slopping around. Is not a high precision target thing - likely meant to grab and go and run a couple boxes of shells through in a gopher patch.
 
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