Opinions for .22 Rimfire semi-auto and ammo

J

Jeff Thomas

New member
I would like to add a couple of fine .22 rimfire rifles to the stable for my two boys. Wal-Mart (don't laugh) has the Ruger K10/22RP All-Weather model on sale for about $190. Synthetic stock, stainless barrel, etc. I've had good luck with a 10/22 in the past, and this model looks more durable than my standard, blued model.

I'm thinking of buying two, and I hear Federal's Classic 724 - 22 Long Rifle Ultra HV, 31 Gr, Copper Plated HP is great ammo for these guns.

Use would be teaching the boys to shoot, varmint hunting, plinking and, least likely but always a consideration, survival / self-defense. The 10/22 also seems to be a rifle the boys can readily tune for more serious target / competition pursuits.

I hear tell that Marlin has some excellent .22's as well, but I have no familiarity with them or their models.

Your opinions would be most appreciated, as always. Thank you.

[This message has been edited by Jeff Thomas (edited February 17, 1999).]
 
Buy the Ruger's and dont look back. ;-) You wont regret it. As soon as you buy the guns, go out and buy 50 rounds each of every different kind of .22 ammo you can find and see which one is the most accurate out of each gun. I have found that as a general rule though that the Federal ammo you referred to is going to shoot very well out of the factory Ruger barrel.

[This message has been edited by Fargo (edited February 17, 1999).]
 
Since the price you mentioned for the Ruger didn't seem to make you choke and splutter, then go for it.
Personally, I've always been intrigued by AR-7s, but have no direct experience with them.

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God Bless America!
 
I.F.G.,
I haven't shot an AR-7 in years. When they first came out years ago, a friend of mine bought one. We shot it with several different brands of ammo and none of them shot well. (3-4" at 25 yds.)
That was along time ago. Of course that was only one gun.
It would be interesting to see if they are better now.
Cat
 
Jeff, i believe you can't go wrong w/ the ruger 10/22. i've abused mine everyway a person could and like a timex, it still keeps on ticking. but now, they make a 10/22mag. that might interesting. i may have to see ;)

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fiat justitia

longhaircsa@netscape.net
 
And Gary, as you can imagine, that is the reason I am looking at these 10/22's at this time. I don't want to see my kids fingerprinted and registered someday just so they can go plinking with .22's.
 
Yes, my 10/22 isn't fancy but it works. However, I would just buy old .38 revolvers for stashing. That way, a relatively-untrained friend in 2023 can pick one up and be harder prey. With old ugly 38 wheelguns going for 150, I can envision making kits of one guns, well-sealed cleaning kit and some 500 rounds and putting them away against future eventualities.

Consider also that we might all be declared felons someday...having some teeth stashed would be the only way to get armed well enough to get armed better through JBT hunting.
 
I can't knock the 10/22, its a fine gun. But just for fairness, I have used Marlins with great sucess. Great guns at reasonable prices. As for ammo, I've never had a .22 yet that didn't like Winchester Super X.
 
Jeff,
I bought the same type Ruger 10/22 you are looking at, and I bought it at Walmart also.

It's my second 10/22 style .22 (my first was an AMT 25/22, all stainless including receiver, with folding polymer stock). It was stolen when my parents house was broken into along with many other nifty guns.

The Rugers are THE way to go aas far as .22 rimfire. You can send them off to people like www.gunsmoke.com and trick them out or keep them the way they are and they are still very useful/fun.
Hiker
 
The Rug is incredibly durable and I have heard nothing but good things about Marlin's Micro-Groove. I've never shot a Marlin although I did by my dad one (he had one as a kid growing up in the Philippines). Been meaning to try it out.

Anyway, there are two things about the Rug 10/22 that you might experience if you do get one.

1: How well the 10/22 functions will be dependent on the magazine. Since the 10 round limit, it's not a really big issue now but if you find a pre-ban hi-cap aftermarket mag, try before you buy. I've tried 99% of them out there and the one that works great in my 10/22s don't work well on other's 10/22s. Go figure.

2: The aftermarket for the Rug is HUGE and it's easy to work on yourself. Some of the fixes like quick release bolt holder and lighter trigger are simple to do. Don't like the way it looks or shoots a couple of years from now? Swap and drop (the stock, barrel, sights, etc.). The add-ons for the Marlin are more difficult to find.

- Ron V.

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Take a look at the Ruger 10/22 "Deluxe Sporter"!!!

A traditional looking carbine; with a very a handsome walnut stock and blued finish. I bought one this week for $225. I thought the additional $30 for a wood stock was well worth it.

I'm not normally a "Ruger fan", but this little 10/22 shoots like a dream. The "deluxe" model seems better finished than the other 10/22's I looked at. It's definitely a LOT of gun for the money. BUY TWO!!

Good luck,

Kurt
 
Had to bring you all up to date on 'the rest of the story'.

Decided to get the All-Weather 10/22's for my boys - synthetic stock and stainless barrel, etc.

Took forever to get this done at Wal-Mart. Partly their fault, partly not. Clerk was on the phone so long for the 'instant' check (at least 20 to 25 minutes) that I told him I'd come back the next day to pick up the rifle. Turns out that clerk's shift ended, and his replacement that evening finally finished the paperwork! Came back the next day to pay and pick up the gun. That took another 15 to 20 minutes. Then the clerk said 'we have to get a manager to walk you to the front of the store'! Huh? I asked him if he couldn't just walk me to the front. No go.

Manager finally shows up. I'm on the phone with my wife and I explain I'm waiting to get walked to the front of the store. She asks me if I'm kidding, and I said no. Manager overhears the conversation, and clearly takes offense at our levity. Manager says something about me being 'in a hurry'. I point out that if being 'in a hurry' covers coming back over two days and spending more than an hour to buy a .22 rifle, then I guess I'm in a hurry.

He says 'You know, we're on an Indian reservation here!' Told him I'd only lived here about 30 years, so I knew that, but so what? He couldn't seem to go anywhere with that response, so he then related that at some Wal-Mart, somewhere, and at sometime, some BG bought a gun, loaded it before he got to the front of the store, and proceeded to shoot customers. I was tempted to ask what had become of the 'Indian Reservation' argument, but gave up.

I can buy his last argument simply as a sad commentary on our existing tort / judicial system. Otherwise, it is another case of not needing '100% solutions for 1% problems'.

Thanks again for your ideas and comments. I hope my boys like the rifles.
 
Jeff~

It is for this reason (and many others) that I try very hard to steer clear of Walmart. I realize this may be hard to do, especially if you live in a small town where Walmart has seemingly taken over all commerce. It just doesn't feel right purchasing firearms in the same establishment that curtails free speech through record banning and censorship.

Well, this soapbox is getting too high; afraid my nose may start bleeding so I'll get down now. Hope the rifles shoot as straight as your good intentions.

:)
 
The Ruger 10/22 is a fine little rifle but it has drawbacks for a gun to be used in teaching a beginner, when the word is SAFETY! A bolt action which can be easily loaded single shot allows the instructor to dole out one round at a time until the beginner learns to operate the rifle safely. Handing some folks a semi-auto with a loaded magazine is potential trouble, and the Ruger cannot be easily loaded without the magazine. A friend once tried to teach his girl friend to shoot, using a .22 HS target pistol (1 lb pull). She fired one shot, then turned to him, pistol pointed right at his head, and asked "What do I do to make it shoot again?" Nuff sed.
 
Ruger 10/22 and 3 or 4 Butler Creek 30 round
magazines. The kids will love them. Throw in a Ruger Mark II bull barrel pistol and your kids will want to go shoot every time you turn around.
 
I concur with the overwhelming Ruger 10/22 barrage.
A couple of comments though. I've found that Blazer .22 ammo is absolutely the best thing going for any semi-auto weapon. I don't know what propellant they use but you can shoot brick after brick of the stuff and your gun doesn't even get dirty! Its amazing and its also one of the cheapest ammo's on the market.
I also have to recommend that you pull the sights off your Ruger and replace them with one of the aperture "Ghost Ring" style sights. The one I use is the Zepher from Brownells ($35). The difference in accuracy from the crappy sights that Ruger puts on its rifles is amazing!
The Zepher mounts back on the reciever which gives you a much longer sight radius which you can shoot with real precision. Not only is it more accurate, its faster and easier to acquire the sights.
Less than a month ago I shot five 10 shot groups at 25 yards with my otherwise standard Ruger. Using cheap Blazer ammo, all of the groups were less than an inch and one was just a hair over a half inch. I didn't think this was possible (for me) without a scope. I'd have been happy with 2 or 3 inch groups with the old sights.

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Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan
 
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