10/22 Trigger

J

JonShaKel

New member
Is there anything that can be done, without a gunsmith, to improve the trigger pull on new Ruger 10/22 rifles? My boys got new rifles for Christmas and the trigger pull is awful, feels like 8-10 lbs. My old Ruger, approx. 20 yrs old, feels like less than half the pull of the new ones.

Thanks
 
Take it out and shoot it a lot :) More you shoot it the better, smoother, lighter the trigger will get. My 10/22 had that heavy and gritty trigger in the beginnning (20 years ago) but now it is smooth and lighter just from shooting it. My second 10/22 has crisp 3 pound trigger but that cost $50 from a local gunsmith.
 
Definately spend the $50 for an aftermarket trigger, and do not make your kids have to wait 20 years before they learn the finer points of trigger pull and it's effects on accuracy! :D
 
It's not that difficult to work over a 10/.22 trigger.

Get the stock off the rifle, then remove the trigger group from the action. Begin learning to disassemble and reassemble the trigger group. Remove just one part, then reassemble it. Then remove the first part and the next part. Practice this until you are confident. Then remove one more part, and reassemble it. Keep doing this, and keep going until you can disassemble and reassemble the entire trigger group. It is not that hard.

During the course of all this disassembly and reassembly, you will no doubt begin to understand how the mechanism works. Play with the trigger pull, but don't let the hammer go as hard as it can. Stop it with your fingers. You will see what is making it so undesirable as it comes from the factory. When you see where the notch in the hammer is way too beefy, you'll have zeroed in on the problem. Use a stone to remove small amounts of metal from the hammer, meanwhile reassembling the trigger for trials. This is how I have worked over 10/.22 triggers to eliminate creep.

Trigger pull can be reduced by clipping a spring in the trigger mechanism. It's been years since I have done this, and cannot conjure up the configuration in my mind, but you should be able to identify the spring as you learn how the mechanism works. Just don't clip more than 1-1/2 or 2 coils off this spring, and things should be okay.

Upon reassembly, be double-damn-sure that the safety still operates, and watch for the hammer falling as the safety is disengaged. Also make sure you can rough-handle the rifle cocked with the safety disengaged and that it remains cocked.

It will also help to make sure that the sear notch is well-lubricated with some really good grease. I use Tetra grease, but I know there are lots of good lubes out there thgat will do the job well.
 
There are drop-in hammer and sear kits available that supposedly reduce the trigger pull to the three lb. range. I don't have any personal experience with these kits (available at Brownells), and am currently trying to improve the trigger on my own newly acquired 10/22. They are pretty easy to work on.

Lots of good info at http://www.rimfirecentral.com
 
Volquartsen makes a drop-in hammer/hammer spring/trigger return spring kit for around $30, that reduces the pull to under three lbs.
 
I sent both of my 10/22 trigger groups to Claude Gatewood, http://www.claudegatewood.com. For $45, he did a trigger job, and installed an extended mag release, as well as a bolt hold-open. I'm not sure he still does these, but there are other places to get similar jobs done.
 
I bought a drop-in Volquartsen hammer from MidwayUSA. Brought the pull down to under 3 pounds. Just a bit of creep, but at the price, it was well worth it. Took about 10 minutes to install. (And I am most assuredly NOT a gunsmith!)
 
Installed a $10 spring kit plucked out of the Natchez Shooters Supply catalog, and have liked the results.

(Of course, getting the trigger assembly back together is a lot simpler with a second set of hands, um, handy.)
 
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