10/22 - old vs. new?

[The Baron]

I tried searching for this but had no luck, so hopefully it has not been discussed to death already.

I'm in the market for a Ruger 10/22 - I bought one about 15 years ago and then sold it a few years back (yes, that was stupid ). Anyway... is there any difference in current manufacture 10/22's and older ones as far as overall quality are concerned?

Also, does anyone out there have the "compact" version with 16" barrel? In the pics it looks like the sights on the compact are different that in the standard model? If I buy a new one, I'm tempted to go for the compact.

 

[Jahred.F]

The 10/22 "Compact" does usually come with Williams fibre optic sights. They work quite well for me. I have seen a new-in-box 10/22 compact that did not have the FO sights. Just be sure of what you are paying for.

As far as quality goes, the oldest ones seem to be best. The ones from just a couple of years ago aren't so great, and the most recent ones seem to be getting better again. All of the newer ones have a polymer trigger group. Be wary of the "crinkle paint" of a couple years ago.

As a general rule: price has gone up, while quality has gone down, but such is everything.