Does the bolt hold-open catch really serve any purpose on a 10/22? It's obviously not operated by the magazine and it's kinda functionally retarded considering it doesn't disengage when you pull the bolt back. Would anyone shed a tear if this "feature" were to completely disappear?
10/22 bolt hold-open
- Thread starter Wally
- Start date
It is an easy modification to get the bolt release to work better....just remove some material with a file as shown in the video .
Then the bolt will release when you pull back on the cocking handle.
[youtube]yY3BFyknLzo[/youtube]
Then the bolt will release when you pull back on the cocking handle.
[youtube]yY3BFyknLzo[/youtube]
I did that mod to my 10/22.
I really didn't like the bolt release the way it was.
I'm guessing Ruger thought it was a safety feature, they might be off the hook when you modify it. Quite frankly, I think it's a hazard. Using too many hands to screw with it distracts from where the muzzle is pointing.
My manual cautions against modifications complete with a picture of a file! Thanks to the picture, even a caveman will know what tools to buy!
I suspect no tears will be shed when you join the legions who have filed off that nip.
Still holds open, the difference is that it's a smooth and easy one finger operation to close the action.
If you are designing a new trigger group, then you are entirely justified in omitting the feature. However, as posted earlier, there definitely times when haveing a bolt hold-open is handy, if not required. My take would be that I would rather have it there to use it if I need it, and if I don't need it, just don't engage it. It's not like it "gets in the way", so why not include it?
I dont understand people's difficulty with operating the 10/22 BHO. I can do it 1 handed with either hand fluently both locking back and unlocking. Takes half a second. With my right hand I pull the bolt back with my thumb and reach under and use a finger to rotate it up while I release the bolt. To unlock I do the same but pull back on the bolt then rotate it down and let go. With the rifle shouldered I can do the same but using my left index finger on the charging handle and thumb on the BHO. Having it unlock when putting pressure on the bolt is more of a safety concern to me. It also lets me clean the bore without dissasembly, but when the cleaning rod taps the bolt it will unlock other semi's and slam the bolt home. I dont like that.
- Location
- Barrie, ON
Not that I couldn't operate the factory catch well, but I filed it off anyways. If you need the bolt held open to show a clear gun it works fine, and its much nicer to work with now. Also easier teaching people how to shoot, its bad enough for some people just handling a gun let alone dicking with that button. I wouldn't call it any less safe, more like safer... And when I clean it the bolt is out and I use a bore snake to go breech to muzzle. .22 is so dirty I don't see much point in doing the bore and not the receiver/bolt at the same time.
- Location
- In lalaland, that is Ottawa.
I've a plain Jane birch stocked carbine made about 25 years ago. It had no mods but I did the Dremel job so that the bolt stays back. Easy to do IMO, worth while.
VQ extractor, hammer & new bushings; Tuffer Buffer; VQ extended mag release. I needed help from a young CGNer here in Ottawa to guide me down into the trigger group. We used the Dremel with a stone in it and the spring loaded pin pushing the trigger fwd in a cordless drill, we together rounded of the end pushing against the trigger. This helped greatly and my friend did some very careful stoning on the sear.***** This greatly improved the trigger. I added A Tech Peep and a Tech replacement front sight a la US military style.
As for mags, of which I have the original and a new one, they work flawlessly with all LR ammo I have tried.I can even us CB caps by manually cycling it. 25 round banana mags are a different story. If I chamber the first round from the Ruger 10 mag, replace that mag with a partially full metal lipped banana, it will cycle with boxed Stingers and bulk pack Blazers, but chokes and I know not why.
*****When reading this as posted, I remember now that Chris did not stone the sear itself but we put a tiny bit of Quick JB Weld on it and that was to to lessen the engagement to take out most of the trigger creap.
For what it's worth ....
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You both are much smarter than I am, I find the BHO infuriating to use and extremely reluctant to release the bolt. It certainly isn't simple or fast on my 10/22.
OP, I would keep the BHO, but make it like the modified 10/22 version that releases the bolt when tension is removed. I shoot at a range most of the time and not having a BHO is a nuisance when proving safe for a cease fire.
Mark
I dont think its hard to operate the BHO lever, once you have gotten used to it. I always to the mod, to make it disengage by pulling back, and letting go, on every 10/22 I ever buy...or friends buy, for that matter, but it does'nt really bother me. I would much prefer a empty magazine leaving it open, instead, like most other guns though. The reason why I always do the BHO lever mod, is that I get annoyed with other people fumbling around with it, at the range, when I let someone else try it. I don't know how many times, I have had to stop what Im doing to come over and show a inexperienced 10/22 user fumble with the lever, and it really annoys me. I would rather spend 20 minutes at my workbench once, and do the mod, to kind of make it less complicated, for those that find it difficult to operate. Now I only get annoyed by people fumbling to keep it open, which is only half as annoying to watch people fumbling with trying to load a bullet also, when its locked open also.
Apparently, I'm not as stupid as I thought and apologies to supernova, Jahred.F and blueflash.
I pulled my trigger group apart today to do the auto bolt release mod and it turns out that the spring was not hooked up properly to the bolt release. This was why mine was so hard to release, it only had gravity helping it out and no spring. With the spring installed properly it works much better and is not a source of frustration. I bought the rifle used and had never used the BHO on any other 10/22, so had no idea how it was supposed to work. It appears that the PO had been into the trigger group and had issues with proper reassembly. Go figure.
All that said, I did the auto release modification anyway because I like the BHO to release with a slingshot motion, the same as semi-auto pistols.
Mark
I pulled my trigger group apart today to do the auto bolt release mod and it turns out that the spring was not hooked up properly to the bolt release. This was why mine was so hard to release, it only had gravity helping it out and no spring. With the spring installed properly it works much better and is not a source of frustration. I bought the rifle used and had never used the BHO on any other 10/22, so had no idea how it was supposed to work. It appears that the PO had been into the trigger group and had issues with proper reassembly. Go figure.
All that said, I did the auto release modification anyway because I like the BHO to release with a slingshot motion, the same as semi-auto pistols.
Mark
- Location
- In lalaland, that is Ottawa.
Apparently, I'm not as stupid as I thought and apologies to supernova, Jahred.F and blueflash.
I pulled my trigger group apart today to do the auto bolt release mod and it turns out that the spring was not hooked up properly to the bolt release. This was why mine was so hard to release, it only had gravity helping it out and no spring. With the spring installed properly it works much better and is not a source of frustration. I bought the rifle used and had never used the BHO on any other 10/22, so had no idea how it was supposed to work. It appears that the PO had been into the trigger group and had issues with proper reassembly. Go figure.
All that said, I did the auto release modification anyway because I like the BHO to release with a slingshot motion, the same as semi-auto pistols.
Mark
Mark, if you read my post above and I gave a lot of detail of what I have done, this Ruger 10/22 basic action is NOT easy to work on. Why? Because even with all kinds of videos and instructions. When the pins come out (In my case , fall out) it is very easy to miss exactly where the spings, parts etc. go back together!
In my own case, I installed all of my VQ parts myself, finally but needed the help of another man when I got down to the trigger group. It does not surprise me that the previous owner of your rifle did not get it back together properly, as you found out. That spring which interacts with the bolt release is very tough to get back in properly.
By "trigger group" do you mean the assembly holding the the hammer, bolt etc. and the trigger grad and trigger? Because the sear and trigger are a sub assembly of the main group. This is where I really needed help. I am thinking that you did not take the pins out and have the trigger return plunger and its spring out. If you did and got Italy back in place correctly, you are a better man then I am, as was said about Gunga Din!
By "trigger group" do you mean the assembly holding the the hammer, bolt etc. and the trigger grad and trigger? Because the sear and trigger are a sub assembly of the main group. This is where I really needed help. I am thinking that you did not take the pins out and have the trigger return plunger and its spring out. If you did and got Italy back in place correctly, you are a better man then I am, as was said about Gunga Din!
The "trigger group" I was referring to is the entire subassembly that comes out of the receiver. I pulled the ejector pin and half pulled the bolt stop pin to remove the stop and do the modification, then reinstalled those. I never pulled the pins that hold the hammer, sear or trigger in place. I will keep in mind that it is an ignorant thing to get back together properly, assuming i have to pull it all apart for anything.
Mark
