Replacing my 10/22

M

MikeNice81

New member
Okay, I admit to being a rifle neophyte. I have shot the M1 Carbine, .303 Enfield, and VZ 52 a little. I have also shot the Ruger 10/22 a lot. Beyond that I have very little experience. My knowledge of the rifle world as a whole is miniscule.

I have a 10/22 and have put probably 200 rounds through it in the last month. The issue is that I just can't hit crap with it. At 45 yards I completely miss skunk and racoon size targets. I can hit the same target with an M1 Carbine or even a Rough Rider .22WMR 4" revolver. My father even has trouble with it at 50 - 60 yards. The thing just is not accurate. So, I am going to be moving on to something else.

It may not be the guns fault per se. It is about 20 years old and did spend a year stored in a dirt floor garage with no climate control. I'm not going to spend the money on a competition barrel or anything like that. I am not a gunsmith and I don't play one on tv. So, I don't do major swaps like that.

My question is simple. What can any one tell me about the Mossberg 702 and Marlin 795. I'm just looking for a low cost gun for yard varmints like possum, skunk, and raccoons. They both are on sale at Dick's for prices that won't hurt my straining wallet. Is either one clearly better?
 
There are a couple of avenues you can take.

Rebarrel the 10/22. It's easy enough and you can find standard take-off barrels at gun shows or on the forums. I rebarreled and restocked my 1962 10/22 for $60.

I'm not a big fan of the 10/22, even though I own one. It's accurate enough, for sure, but it doesn't fit me very well (I'm 6'2") and I can barely shoot it prone.

I'll be in the market to replace the 10/22 soon (It's going to my daughter as her Appleseed training rifle,) and I'll be looking at the Marlin, Mossberg and the Savage.

Marlin was bought and taken over by Remington, the feedback I'm seeing is their quality control has gone completely out the window, so if I was looking at a Marlin, it would be an older one.
 
The 10/22 is very user friendly when it comes to upgrades. The barrel is held in place with a block that's held in with 2 allen head screws. If you're not happy with the way it shoots, it's the perfect rifle for you to work on yourself. Almost every part in that rifle is available from either MidwayUSA or Brownells and you can do anything from a simple barrel swap to a high end target rifle. Personally I'd swap the barrel and trigger parts out then see how it shoots. If you'd rather not deal with that, list it for sale, I'm sure someone would buy it just for the receiver.

Stu
 
+1 on easy... The 10/22 is an easy barrel change. Anybosy who can read and follow instructions can do it. In fact I would take it apart take the barrel off and put it back on and see if that helps the problem. You might check the bore to see if it was damaged by the way it was being stored.
 
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Sell the 10/22 used and buy a couple used marlin 60's ;).

My 10/22 wasn't very accurate but missing anything bigger than a few inches at 50yds is pretty bad.

I'd put a scope on it to make sure the sights are out of whack.
 
10/22's are better than this !!

There are many folks out there, I for one, that have done some upgrades and are left with OEM stocks and barrels that are practically new. Yes, you can find these for less than $60.00. Another option is to sell your 10/22 and as posted, go for the Marlin-60. If it were my project, I would not give up on the 10/22. ..... ;)

There is definitely a problem with your rifle or setup as these should shoot better than this, out of the box. I'm looking for a OEM trigger group so give us a call, if you decide to sell. .... :)


Be Safe !!!
 
Re-barrel might be the correct answer. I plink with a friend who can shoot target clays with his 10/22 at 80 yards all day long.

If the 10/22 ergs don't work for you, rebarreling won't make you any more accurate, though. Are you a really big guy? Maybe a new stock is part of the solution.
 
I don't think it is the stock. I believe it is either the sights or barrel. Everyone has trouble with the gun. Even a friend that was a Marine can't fire the thing very well.

If the barrel is so easy to swap I might do that down the road. It'll give me something to do when it is too cold for shooting. I figure a decent barrel and better sights should fix most of the problems.
 
I don't think it is the stock.
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Spending a year stored on a dirt floor could warp the wood stock, rust and pit the barrel. I see new take-off barrels and stocks for $50 all the time.

Take the front band off the rifle, they cause problems some times. Do some reading at rimfirecentral.com.
 
that would be my solution too. fix what you got, you'll be proud of yourself and have much more respect for that rifle... why pass on a problem to someone else....

how are you going to sell it? you got to let the buyer know the rifle doesn't shoot well and has a history.....

replacement barrels, especially factory ones, are cheap and you can rework the trigger group for $30 - $40.
 
Spending a year stored on a dirt floor could warp the wood stock, rust and pit the barrel. I see new take-off barrels and stocks for $50 all the time.

Take the front band off the rifle, they cause problems some times. Do some reading at rimfirecentral.com.
Click to expand...


I was wondering about that... the stock may have swelled up or something, too.

I got my 1962 vintage 10/22 when I was in the Army (1987) from a guy who needed beer money. The barrel was pitted and it was pretty beat up, but it shot like a dream. Knowing now what I didn't know then, it didn't have the barrel band, either. When I rebarreled it, I put the barrel band back on and the accuracy suffered... I have since pulled it off.

If no one can shoot very well with it, there is something going on with the rifle.
 
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