The Ruger 10/22 vs Remington 552 speedmaster

[Narragansett]

For at least 40 years, i went without a 22 cal rifle. I was reloading, and big ammo was cheap. I was also off into my waist in trapshooting. Now I want to do some 22 rifle shooting. A few years ago, I got a near perfect 1942 Remington 512 from Threedflyer, but I also want a semi auto.

I have my eye on a 40 yo Remington 552 speedmaster that is NIB, but I am also thinking about hunting down a heavy barrel Ruger 10/22. I know there are a million things that you can buy to trick one of them out. Which might be fun.

Any thoughts or comments, especially on the Ruger.

Thanks

 

[OutAtTheEdge]

One great thing about the Remington 552 Speedmaster is that it will also run with .22 Short and Long.

 

[DWalt]

Look for a used Remington 550-1. Probably the finest .22 semiauto ever made. Will also handle S, L, and LR. They are difficult to locate but they do turn up occasionally. I had a 552 once, kept it in my car trunk for years but shot it little, it was fairly beat up. It had a broken buttstock, I glued it back together with epoxy. It was OK.

 

[arjay]

Both! I’d like to build up a full stock 10-22

 

[VaTom]

I like the tubular magazines on the Remingtons. Have a 1970s vintage 572 Remington Fieldmaster Pump that is very accurate. Marlin Model 60 has a tubular magazine and is a reliable .22 semi. In production for 60 years.

 

[Glenn R. McMannly]

It’ll feed everything. Greatest semi auto 22 of all time.

 

[6string]

Great to see so many people who appreciate the Remington 552. They are so nicely made!
My Dad worked for DuPont his whole career, mostly in management of the General Products division, which included Remington.
This afforded me some truly priceless childhood memories!
I got my start shooting in the junior smallbore program at the DuPont Country Club. Of course, we all used Remington single shot .22s fed with literally tons of Remington ammo.
Later, I got into trap and skeet, shooting 870s, 1100s, and even a 3200. When the straight "English" stock came out as an option, we got to try out the earliest pre-production samples.

But, so as not to digress too far, we had a locker full of employee "loaner" guns at one of the warehouses. It was literally a library of Remington arms. The Nylon 66s, pump action .22s, and the 552 semi-auto were all very popular. They probably had a million rounds put through them collectively, and I don't recall a single one of them needing any repairs.

I could tell you about my adventures with the "loaner" 700 Safari in .458 Winchester Magnum, but that's another story....

Not to disparage the 10/22, but honestly, you can always walk into Walmart any old time if you ever decide you want one.

 

[armadillo]

I have both. I got the Remington new in 1966 and used it extensively. I shot a lot of Shorts back in the day since they were 10-15 cents a box cheaper (when a Coke was 6 cents).

The 10/22 is a great rifle especially since I put in the improved trigger group.

Last I checked, the Remington is still made and a new one is priced about double the price of a basic 10/22.

 

[Eric300]

I had a Speedmaster back in the mid 80's. I never should have gotten rid of it. It was a solid, well built, good looking/handling and acceptably accurate .22. I don't think you could go wrong if you decided to get one. I've also had several 10-22's over the years and still have one that I pretty maxed out with aftermarket upgrades that made it an absolute tack driver with various type/brands of ammo. The only thing RUGER left on it is the upper receiver. So, if you want to have fun tricking out a .22 and don't mind pouring a few extra dollars into it, a 10-22 would be the way to go.

 

[Birdhunter6]

I had Fieldmaster pump 40 years ago and wish I still had it. A close friend had a Speedmaster back then and we shot them side by side often. I wouldn't hesitate.

I shoot my 10-22 more than any of my other rimfires. It's modular, I have it set up the way I want it.

This choice reminds me of my father in law: When asked if he wanted cake or pie, he responded YES.

 

[Baxter6551]

I have both also.
The speed master is a great shooter. Very accurate with iron sights. As stated by others you can use a variety of short / long / long rifle.
The 10/22 is a tactical target. Love the Hogue over molded stock. Leupold 2x7. I put a voltsquaren trigger in it.
Can’t go wrong with either. Grab both if you can. I’d go with the Remington first. You can always get a 10/22.

 

[Heinz]

I really like our Ruger 10/22. Performed well right out of the box. Few people shoot well enough that the ruger trigger would impede their shooting, It is a lot of fun and very reliable. I go to the range with 2 ten round mags and 2 35 round mags and one of those magazine loader tools. It is a hoot to shoot. I have never had a Remington auto loader 22. so I cannot comment on it.

 

[DWalt]

I earlier mentioned my admiration for the Remington 550-1. One reason is that it functions well even with .22 Short SV ammunition. Makes little more noise than a pellet rifle. I don't remember trying .22 Short SV in my 552 so I do not know if it will function.

 

[mauser9]

Shot the 552 years back that belonged to a friend. I had a 66 made 10/22. thought the trigger on the 552 was better though. My 10/22 was handier

 

[Jaco1234]

My first rifle was a 552 with a weaver 4 power scope. I put a million rounds through that rifle. Short, long , long rifle didn't matter. Very accurate. Great gun. I still don't know why I sold it.

 

[hardluk1]

If you can find a real beater of a 10/22 for a very fair price BUY it . What they are good for is upgrading over time as cash can be spent .
I was lucky years ago and picked up a couple 10/22's . I will say neather shot worth a darn to me but I did not buy them to remain stock . My wifes has an early clark midweight barrel . Today EBCO has the better deals on barrels and trigger kits in a blued 18" treaded barrel for $169.

Older 10/ss can use the basic $55 dollar trigger kit thru EBCO and look at stock like hogue over modeled for $89 bucks cut for a heavy barrel . Even a beater 250 dollar 10/22 would leave you money ahead of the factory ruger heavy barrel model . 22lr are very ammo dependent for accuracy and all should shot better with standard velocity / lower cost match ammo . My wifes will a sub moa shooter with several upprt mid level ammo but federal 711b will shoot a touch under 1" most times , sk rifle match is a bit tighter but it also has a 6-24 30mm tube tmd scope on it . Mines a full on heavy custom that cost to much 12 years ago !! Today that cost would be even higher .

I hardly ever shoot a semi-auto 22lr today . - I a couple 22lr rifles , one is a rem 511P thats an ok shooter like your remmy . I also have a savage mkii bv with a stock adjusted trigger that breaks with 13oz of pressure and shoots all the same standard velocity /match ammo even better than my ruger custom and today the savage mkii bv retail new cost is $409 .
Street price is around $329 to $355 . If you want to stay with a stock semi auto . Buy nice used a marlin model 60

 

[CH4]

I was a Winchester 77 kid. lol

Never heard of the Remington as a kid, but my best buddy had a tricked out 10-22 in high school that saw way more action that it was designed for. Always looking for a blued 10-22T with the licorice barrel. Cool design but prefer my Magnum Research and Volquartsen versions.

 

[SF VET]

Fall, 1965, bought my 1022, first model, walnut stock, and shot it a lot, with various "optics" on it over the years, now has a low mount adjustable "dot", and we have just started shooting together, and he shoots it very well. I have a box of mags for it, and the original one still works great. My son, several years ago, bought a stainless steel barrel Manlicher 1022 for his sons, but he hasn't had a chance to take them shooting withh it. The only thing done to my rifle was a little trigger work about 15 years ago. We only shoot standard velocity 40 grain lead in it, to avoid beating it up. 1022's just work, and work, and ....... NV

 

[444 Magnum]

I have three 572's and love them. As stated above, I prefer the tube magazine and the ammo versatility. My 572 will shoot as fast as I can pull the trigger and it's accurate. Remington barrels have always been accurate.

I had a NIB 10-22 made around 2016. I know they're popular but I couldn't hit anything with the one I bought. I couldn't hit a sheet of paper at 20 yards. I don't know what was wrong with it and didn't try to figure it out. I got rid of it. I'm sure the sights were just off but I expect better from the factory for a brand new rifle.

 

[canoeguy]

My vote would be for the Ruger 10/22, probably the most reliable .22 auto rifle you can buy. Tons of accessories, parts will never be a problem, accuracy is good out of the box, can be made "Great" if you want to spend the money.

We have four of them in our family, two adults and two teenagers, and they get shot a lot. Only occasionally cleaned, we put hundreds of rounds at a time through them when we get together.