Thread: New Rifle Familiarisation

Three days ago i picked up a new (to me) rifle of a fellow forum member. Its a ruger 10/22. Now ive owned a marlin semi auto for 25 years until our leader wanted it back and im pretty familiar with the rossi semi autos. So i thought these Rugers will be a piece of piss. So i get home on Tuesday night and put three rounds down it. Subsonics to check the noise levels. Its very quiet , and its really beautiful rifle and in good nick.
So i take the mag out, lock the bolt back and put it away.
So tonight just before the Warriors kick off i go out on the deck and shine the spotlight about and heres my nemesis, cunty boar hog and his mate wrecking shit out of the lawn 40 feet away. I could have thrown a potato at him.
So i rush out to get the rifle, quickly load a 10 round box mag, that took ages but i knew cunty boar hog will stick around. i grab my young fella to spot for me . We go out on the deck and i give the spotlight a quick flick to show my boy where the hogs are. They are still there rooting up the place . I stick the mag in and we sneak down to the fence , my boy knows to wait until im ready before he turns the light on. So here i am trying to work this bolt release catch on this new rifle and for the life of me i couldnt do it. Im swearing in my head as its raining and we are standing out here in bare feet getting wet. After what seems like a few minutes
i had to go inside and youtube how to release the bolt catch on a 10/22!. Im yelling at the video - hurry up you bastard , get on with it... Its a bit of an asshole technique compared to marlins and rossi. Five minutes later ,warriors had let a try in as we sneak out to crack some swine.......and they have gone .......and in all the excitement the cat had pulled my chicken off my plate onto floor too .

So i guess my point is, it helps to know your rifle inside and out, be able to work and clear it in the dark and just basic familiarisation.

Yea a weird setup but you get used to it , you can get auto bolt releases from reloaders or like me put up with it as they don,t have auto bolt hold backs . Just a 10/22 thing after 40yrs using I still cant describe it I just do it braindead

Originally Posted by m101a1

Yea a weird setup but you get used to it , you can get auto bolt releases from reloaders or like me put up with it as they don,t have auto bolt hold backs . Just a 10/22 thing after 40yrs using I still cant describe it I just do it braindead

yeah ill get use to it. I'll practise with it tommorow so its muscle memory.

Take it out and modify it so you only have to pull the bolt back.
I never had an issue with it but made it a little easier

Here you go, worked for me.

10/22 rule one: only lock the bolt back if cleaning! We all know the old open bolt or action 'rule' but rugers just don't work that way without the aftermarket bolt release. It's quite simple to quitly open the action and slowly close it, rugers feed very reliably.

Originally Posted by mimms2

I disagree with everything you just said.

Why? I agree with Walker, I've owned the same 10/22 for over 35 years and used the bolt hold open maybe a dozen times.

Update. The hogs came back about 11.30 pm. I spotted and shot one myself, Rested the gun and torch on that fence top in the pic and squezzed off. I wanted to double tripple tap but it was a bit awkward holding the torch and aiming at the same time. I heard a solid thump around its neck /ear area. It ran off squealing one way and the mob ran off the other direction. Hopefully its toes up and dead somewhere . it was a bit awkward, might need to invest in a rail mounted led light system.
heres last nights present they left me . Taken from the deck.

Yeah i will file down that bolt catch thing. Saw a vid on how to do it. It looks pretty easy to do.

Yeah I found that fiddly when I got my first 10/22. Once you’ve got it figured it quickly just becomes second nature. Although I never had to figure it out while a pig was in the process of tearing up my garden. Was certainly tempted to use it on the neighbours rooster though.

Originally Posted by KW1

Update. The hogs came back about 11.30 pm. I spotted and shot one myself, Rested the gun and torch on that fence top in the pic and squezzed off. I wanted to double tripple tap but it was a bit awkward holding the torch and aiming at the same time. I heard a solid thump around its neck /ear area. It ran off squealing one way and the mob ran off the other direction. Hopefully its toes up and dead somewhere . it was a bit awkward, might need to invest in a rail mounted led light system.
heres last nights present they left me . Taken from the deck.
Attachment 142999

I'd sack your gardener mate. If that's the handrail at the bottom of the photo a floodlight would cover that area easily. Flip the light on and with a shotty and buckshot heep shooting till the magazine is empty. At that range and right to the back bit of rooting you should be fine.

When I first got my Bergara single shot I was having a play, and at one point couldn't get it to break open - then I realised I was working the hammer instead of the trigger guard lever

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

I was going to bite my tongue and let your first post slide KW1.
But your later post changed my mind.
You were hell bent on shooting a pig with a rifle you didn't know how to operate. So I'm presuming you hadn't even put a shot through it to see where it was shooting.
Shooting a pig with a 22 is very marginal at the best of times, let alone when you don't have a clue where you are going to hit it.
Then you state it ran off squealing and you hope it is toes up dead somewhere.
Doesn't paint a very good picture of hunters attitudes toward animals.

Think a bit of discussion on the .22 capabilities shooting pigs came up when he was WTB a rifle for the pig problem he had. Don't think he gives a shit about the pigs, as long as they "root" elsewhere.

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

I was going to bite my tongue and let your first post slide KW1.
But your later post changed my mind.
You were hell bent on shooting a pig with a rifle you didn't know how to operate. So I'm presuming you hadn't even put a shot through it to see where it was shooting.
Shooting a pig with a 22 is very marginal at the best of times, let alone when you don't have a clue where you are going to hit it.
Then you state it ran off squealing and you hope it is toes up dead somewhere.
Doesn't paint a very good picture of hunters attitudes toward animals.

Dude, I was once a fair chase deer stalker like you and then a pighunter in a hunting club so i know where you are coming from with your noble gentleman attitude . i get it. ,
But I dont have a hunters attitude toward these pigs. I have a farmers attitude, or a land owners attitude . If i could use a my 357 mag or 303 i would. But the situation and location means i cant. if i could lay poison around i would but the situation and location means i cant.. Buying that 22 a few days ago was my realistic option or a crossbow or bow and arrow, and using it last night when an oppurtunity arrived...fucken oath!
What do you expect ? Please mr piggy ,can you and your mates come back next week and fuck shit up, This rifle is new and i havnt had time to practice . Dont fuck shit up now im not ready.
Theres no queensbury rules in a street fight mate.

I Was gonna let this thread sleep but heres the update. Calm down petal we got him. Some of hims in the freezer and most of hims been dished out to the kaumatua around here. Mahi kai.
He would have died minutes after being shot. Found him in an unusal location too. He was heading towards human activity . With out giving too much away, 10 more meters and may be a B train might of taken him out.
Some of you will know what im talking about. But shsss.
Anyways, next day a few pig hunters took their dogs for a walk but come up empty. I havnt seen any new activity for 6 days. Thats good but not unusual . They often go weeks or even months before coming back and bombing the place. It might be different now one was taken out. I did the bolt catch mod with the dremel. Thats a good mod that. Operates just like a marlin.
I sighted it in for my eyes. The original setting wasnt too far off. Put some uncle mikes and an old sling on it. Thats about it. Weight , i would put him at maybe 100pound. They look bigger in the dark.