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Stock Ruger 10/22 for competition...

boisepaw

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 20, 2020
211
38
Queenstown, MD
Can you even show up with a stock Ruger 10/22 if you want to shoot any of the newer 22lr competitions? Or do you immediately need a custom rifle or a high end stock rifle?
 
You can show up. Try it out. Show 'em they don't need a custom rifle or high end stock.

I shot a 10/22 at one match when my firing pin on my bolt action broke the night before. I'm seeing less and less of them showing up though.

Accuracy is king and 10/22s, while not shit, don't have the inherent accuracy needed. More due to being semi auto than anything else. We have targets as small as a golf ball at 210 yards and a 1" wide piano key at 234 yards.

There is an advantage with speed. Many times people run out of time before targets in most stages.
 
Can you even show up with a stock Ruger 10/22 if you want to shoot any of the newer 22lr competitions? Or do you immediately need a custom rifle or a high end stock rifle?
Run what you have, and see what it takes. You may want to do upgrades on your 10-22 or get a bolt gun.
Mark
 
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Seen a few guys do well with their modified 10/22’s.

They might not hang accuracy wise with a vudoo or similar guns but being able to get through a timed stage faster can be a benefit.
As a matter of fact if this C19 crap gets under control I want to compete each month with a different gun (Tikka, CZ, Win 52, Ruger/KIDD, etc...) and see how I do. I have a ton more time and practice behind a 10/22 than any other gun I own (grew up with a 10/22 as my first gun).

Also I’m pretty sure there are guys here that would beat me if I had a vudoo and they had a stock ruger 10/22 ;).... sometimes it’s the Indian not the arrow.... not that top of the line gear doesn’t help but practice and buying quality ammo can help
 
Can you even show up with a stock Ruger 10/22 if you want to shoot any of the newer 22lr competitions? Or do you immediately need a custom rifle or a high end stock rifle?
What is the definition of “stock”. If it’s 100%ruger parts, can the chamber be altered ? If so, it’s easy to get all the accuracy needed
 
In my opinion, the better question would be if you can compete with a 10/22 that has X moa accuracy. You fill in X with what your gun and ammo combo will do. Some shoot patterns and not groups, others are not so bad at all. And what do you mean by compete? Running mid pack or winning? The answer to the accuracy question helps define the placing question. A gun/ammo combination that can consistently shoot around 1.5-2 moa or so will be fine at local matches if your skill is up to it. As others mentioned, the speed of shooting a semi-auto is a real advantage - not breaking position and the time for the bolt cycling (however small that is). Reading wind and building a stable position are probably as important as accuracy until your skill level exceeds the rifle's accuracy.

I'm no 10/22 expert, but I seem to remember people seeing a very substantial improvement in accuracy by adding a $200 Kidd barrel. No, its not stock anymore, but its a far cry from a Vudoo or Rimx in terms of investment.
 
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If you're talking standard NRL22 matches, show up and run what ya brung. I started in this game with a bone stock Savage FVSR and Nikon rimfire scope and was limited by the scope more than the rifle. I couldn't see where my rounds were going at 100 yards, so I pretty much just aimed in a different spot after every shot until I got a hit and ran with it. Since I started, I've picked up a RPR with a Vortex Diamondback Tactical and a Vudoo with a PST Gen 2. The RPR/Vortex combo bought me an extra 100 points because I could actually SEE the target, moving up to the Vudoo bought me....2 hits, on average. Basic monthly matches are fairly generous on target sizes and your scope or ammo choice will make a bigger difference than most of your other equipment. The rest of it comes up to skill and practice.
 
I guess it depends on the type of match you're talking about and what the classes are. In ABRA (auto benchrest association) there's a factory class that requires that the action, bolt, stock, barrel (0.849" muzzle dia. or less) and trigger all have to be factory. Trigger work is allowed, but must retain the factory trigger frame/housing (Ruger BX trigger is allowed in factory class). No barrel tuners permitted in factory class.

A number of guys buy the Ruger 10/22 Sporter which is a Talo Exclusive (SKU# 1237) to shoot factory class and the better shooters are shooting scores very close to those guys shooting full-on custom 10/22's in dedicated benchrest stocks with barrel tuners.
 
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Good points in the last two posts. I wrongly assumed we are talking about NRL22. Others may require a lot more from the gun in accuracy.
 
I had Joe Chacon build me one of his clone 10/22 barreled actions which I put in an Accurate Rifle Systems chassis stock for competition.
No, it doesn’t quite equal a Vudoo or RimX action for absolute accuracy but comes very close.

the main thing I love about it is the speed of shooting for timed events which gives it a big advantage over the bolt actions.
That’s the main reason I ordered it for shooting KYL and benchrest matches.
...which were mostly canceled this year. :(

I also shoot a Ruger Custom Shop rifle that's really accurate but it doesn't compare to Joe's rifle.
Biased but no other 10/22 stock or custom will outshoot Joe's rifle, jmo.
 

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I guess it depends on the type of match you're talking about and what the classes are. In ABRA (auto benchrest association) there's a factory class that requires that the action, bolt, stock, barrel (0.849" muzzle dia. or less) and trigger all have to be factory. Trigger work is allowed, but must retain the factory trigger frame/housing (Ruger BX trigger is allowed in factory class). No barrel tuners permitted in factory class.

A number of guys buy the Ruger 10/22 Sporter which is a Talo Exclusive (SKU# 1237) to shoot factory class and the better shooters are shooting scores very close to those guys shooting full-on custom 10/22's in dedicated benchrest stocks with barrel tuners.


I have the basic Sporter 10/22. I was very happy with it out of the box in accuracy. It might not be able to compete with custom 10/22s or specialty bolt guns. But over the years it has seen it share of upgrades. From the stock to trigger parts.
TFY9ba5.jpg
 
I guess it depends on the type of match you're talking about and what the classes are. In ABRA (auto benchrest association) there's a factory class that requires that the action, bolt, stock, barrel (0.849" muzzle dia. or less) and trigger all have to be factory. Trigger work is allowed, but must retain the factory trigger frame/housing (Ruger BX trigger is allowed in factory class). No barrel tuners permitted in factory class.

A number of guys buy the Ruger 10/22 Sporter which is a Talo Exclusive (SKU# 1237) to shoot factory class and the better shooters are shooting scores very close to those guys shooting full-on custom 10/22's in dedicated benchrest stocks with barrel tuners.
I had Joe Chacon build me one of his clone 10/22 barreled actions which I put in an Accurate Rifle Systems chassis stock for competition.
No, it doesn’t quite equal a Vudoo or RimX action for absolute accuracy but comes very close.

the main thing I love about it is the speed of shooting for timed events which gives it a big advantage over the bolt actions.
That’s the main reason I ordered it for shooting KYL and benchrest matches.
...which were mostly canceled this year. :(

I also shoot a Ruger Custom Shop rifle that's really accurate but it doesn't compare to Joe's rifle.
Biased but no other 10/22 stock or custom will outshoot Joe's rifle, jmo.
joe’s 10-22’s are close on majic.
 
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Yes you can absolutely show up with a stock 10/22 and a SWFA scope and do great. Get ammo that shoots good out of your gun and really good DOPE. You should have a great time and become a better shooter. If someone with a Vudoo in an AI stock beats you it’s not because his rifle is more accurate, it’s because he practiced more. Try Eley Contact or Eley Force for a stock 10/22. CCI SV also works really good.
for Eley Contact try a BC of .136 to start. You might have to tweak that a bit.
 
a good shooter with a good gun will beat a poor shooter with a great gun. If you are talking NRL22, one key component is practice. If you have run all the stages a few times before the day of the match you will be far ahead of most of the field.
 
If your gun will hold 1moa, it is plenty for nrl22. At that point, you’re fighting the clock and the prop. These are steel matches and any hit in the scoring zone counts (except for paper stages, I guess). A 1moa gun can reliably hit a 1/4” target at 50 yards...