Alright.
I’ve bought the 10/22 now three times trying to “get it”. There’s just nothing to get. It’s not a good gun when considering the competition. Each time I buy it I swear to give it a fair shake thinking I must be missing something but I always come up empty.
The rifle feels clunky. It’s bolt release/lockback rocker is pretty strange. Oh, once you know how to use it, it’s usable but it’s not easy for someone picking up the rifle for the first time to learn. It doesn’t have a last shot bolt bolt hold open which leaves the kids counting instead of focusing on the important bits. Similar problem with the mag release as the bolt release.
It feels like a kids toy but not in a good way for the kids. That heavy drop at the stock and crescent buttplate are non-ergonomic at best.
When I or my kids handle, say, the nylon 66 it feels like a well thought out gun. It handles and points right. They can work it without trying to remember little tricks.
I can say the same thing about the marlin 60 with it’s simple bolt release and last shot hold open. It just works. It’s easy to understand and use. When either kid or adult carrier or shoulders it, it feels like a gun should feel. No problems.
The 10/22 feels aweful im the hand and on the shoulder. There’s no other way to say it but it feels OFF.
The last one I bought is a recent production stainless model. The iron sights weren’t aligned with the barrel from the factory and after scoping, an attempt was made to remove the front sight. Turns out, that’s no possible! (Practically). It seems Ruger now uses some kind of epoxy under its front sight. There are lots of reports of people de-indexing their barrel trying to tap it out. Most people, it seems, end up using a Dremmel tool to cut the front sight into peices for removal. Ridiculous!
The trigger is possibly the worst I have ever squeezed on a 22 at a measured 6.5 mushy pounds! I bought and installed a bx-2 trigger which was light at 2.5 but still mushy with tones of overtravel. Creep city.
Hell, even the Remington 597 feels and points like a firearm, has a last shot hold open, easy bolt release, easy magazine release, adjustable sights (with adjustment screws!), removable sights without destroying them, and a trigger that doesn’t have too much creep. Sure, it’s a bit heavy at 4lbs (not not 6.5!) but it breaks fairly clearly and stops crisply.
The accuracy: goodness - my oldest son can shoot some of my 22s at 1/4” groups from a rest at 50m but that 10/22 in the same rest with the same shooter looks like someone was patterning a .410.
The bottom line is this for me: I hate the look and feel of the 10/22. The controls are clunky and poor. It doesn’t feel right to shoulder or carry. It’s not accurate. But the real thing is: my kids hate it! They hate the fidley controls and how it feels in general. When shooting it, they’ll invariably ask to instead shoot the old Remington (nylon 66) or the new Remington (597) or the Marlin, or the henry, or the “really accurate one”. They can’t wait to get the 10/22 out of their hands.
I always check with the kids before sending any 22s or smaller center fire rifles down the road and when I brought up selling the 10/22 no one cared. My oldest made a point to tell me which ones NOT to sell (all of the others) but the 10/22? No problem.
Here’s the thing with the rifle in my view: it’s not a good rifle out of the box. In fact,I’d say it’s one of the worst in stock form. It’s not a rifle so much as a platform. It’s the Barbie doll of the gun world.
I’ve heard the 10/22 is a decent rifle if you just replace the stock, the barrel, extractor, trigger, bolt release, mag release, etc. Yep, if you replace every part in it, it can be a GREAT rifle. Otherwise, no thanks!
