Thread: Ruger 10/22 - Tricks, tips and modifications

You can certainly do fair amount of tinkering with any rifle and improve its accuracy, a lot of people do that with JW15. The lower end and the rougher the factory job, the more improvement potential for home jobs.

However, to say that "it is not neccesary [sic] to spend a large amount of money on aftermarket parts for the 10/22 when [sic] the same result" is simply not true. There is no amount of work you can do to the factory barrel to bring it to the same level as a Kidd/Lilja/Whistlepig/Magnum Research barrel. If it did these companies would not have existed. Or olympic shooters would be shooting 50 USD ruger barrels, instead of 450 USD Lilja barrels. here is a test at 100 yards/91 metres. KIDD does 0.261 MOA with real match ammo, and 0.481 MOA with CCI standard velocity. Try that with a factory ruger.

As far as hunting goes, there are two different aspects of it. If you always shoot with a rest/bipod/stand, then you do not really need a very accurate rifle. a 1.5 inch/50 meters rifle will be good enough - so called "minute of rabbit". However if you shoot free hand all the time, and if your own hand introduces about 1.5 inches of spread at 50 meters, putting another 1.5 inches on top of that is too much. That is why some people like to have target shooting level accuracy in their hunting rifles. I am a hobbyist who shoot possums free hand 100% the time. 1/3 standing, 1/3 kneeling, 1/3 sitting. Factory ruger's accuracy does not cut it no matter how much work is put in.

To be sure, I do not advocate for tinkering 10/22 at all. My view has been explained in previous posts but I elaborate it again:

1. if you want to have an accurate rifle for the least amount of money and trouble, do not buy 10/22. buy marlin, cz452 or em332.
2. if you really want to play with a 10/22, buy the cheapest secondhand on trademe and stick with it as is. Personally I have never found the appeal of a normal factory 10/22. the new ones are fairly pricy for what you guy, not particularly handsome, and feels cheap with all the plastic parts.
3. if you want a competition class semi-auto, buy a full 3rd party 10/22 such as Kidd or Magnum Research.
4. it is ONLY if you already have a 10/22 and REALLY want to give it competition class accuracy, you should buy after-market parts. Many after market parts are not necessary for accuracy purposes, only buffer, barrel and trigger are strictly speaking necessary.