how can i squeeze the most accuracy out of my ruger 10/22 carbine without spending tons of money?

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

Practical accuracy improvements can be done on the cheap ... and very effectively! There are several things you can do to improve accuracy!

First, either have a trigger job done or have the trigger assembly done to lighten the trigger pull and make the release "smoother". The worst cause of bad accuracy is a rough trigger. Shooting Eley Ten-X out of a bull barrelled rifle that has a bad trigger is going to result in one thing ... bad accuracy!

Second, lay in a large supply of .22 Long Rifle standard velocity ammo. The best accuracy comes from standard velocity .22s with lead bullets. The best thing to do is to buy a few boxes of each brand .22LR standard velocity you can find and shoot it for group size at, say, 50 yards. Once you identify the brand of .22 ammo your rifle and barrel like, lay in as much of that same brand and lot that you can afford. Twenty-two match shooters do this often, purchasing tens of thousands of rounds at a time to feed their target rifles! Keep in mind, if you swap out the barrel for a bull barrel, you will have to repeat the ammo experiment, since not every rifle/barrel shoots the same ammunition the same!

Third, invest in a high quality bull barrel. The heavier/thicker the barrel, the less likely the harmonic vibrations caused by the bullet passing through the barrel will affect the ability of the barrel to place the bullets in the same spot.

Fourth, invest in high quality sights or a scope that has very good optics (clarity and light) and has reliable repeatability (the ability to precisely return to the same point of impact with the same sight adjustments.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I'm not trying to sound flippant, but alot of ammo and practice will get you just about as far as the firearm will let you. If you are already well ahead in that game then a quality scope will help alot.

I think there are probably some products that do help with the trigger or possibly a barrel but having the basics of good trigger control, sight picture etc is still probably the best way. I know you can spend a very large amount just tricking out a Ruger 10/22 nowadays. I wish you well on the project.

Answer 3

A decent scope will be enough to get a LOT of accuracy out of the 10/22, which is really a fine rifle. You can spend tons and tons of money on 10/22 accessories, but put a good scope on it and then see if you actually need more accuracy than that -- you probably won't!

Answer 4

I had my first 10/22 for over 25 years before it was stolen. I promptly replaced it with another. As my father keeps it at his farm, I have been contemplating getting another 10/22. I have looked at other .22s, both less and more expensive, but I always come back to the Ruger. You can get the basic model at Walmart for under $200 or you can get one of the fancier models (walnut stocks, stainless steel, etc.). If you aren't happy with the Ruger, I doubt you would be happier with any of the others. Plus, there are about 1000 different aftermarket products out there for the 10/22. You can trick it out to your hearts content.

Answer 5

Bound provided you with the best answer thus far.

Your factory gun with a good scope and ammunition might surprise you as to its accuracy.
The factory barrels have a sporter chamber that is a little "looser" than aftermarket Bentz match chambered barrels. The match chambers allow for less headspace and freebore. The sporter chamber is for maximum reliability. So the second logical step after a good scope is barrel replacement.

Check the link below and research to your hearts content, some of the guys on the forum below get incredible accuracy from their 10/22's.

Answer 6

Not knowing your budget, here are some cheap ideas....

Ammo - Faster ammo, I believe regular 22lr has about a 40 grain bullet, buy some in the 30-35 grain range. Faster is more accurate at long range. You may want to try several brands, not all ammo works good in all guns.

Scope - Buy a good but cheap scope, but not one of those junky 22 scopes. Get a 3x9x32 or 3x9x40, like a tasco or bushnell for about $40 to $50.

And of course lots of practice with this weapon.

Answer 7

Good $50 Tasco scope and spend the extra money on a bull barrell.

Answer 8

A high quality heavy barrel & scope, these are things you can do yourself or, take it to a gunsmith and tell him how much you have to spend and take it from there.

Good luck and good target shooting.

Answer 9

PRACTICE AND A GOOD SCOPE