Here is my personal pick for a semiauto .22 - a Ruger 10/22 in the International configuration. Beautiful, reliable and extremely accurate.
John
John
The Ruger 10/22 vs Remington 552 speedmaster
- Thread starter Narragansett
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Jack Flash
Member
Just curious, did anybody ever clean them?... 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.
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forindooruseonly
Member
I'd go with the classic Remington.
I have a couple of 10/22s, one tricked out and one stock. I prefer my other pump and semiauto .22s, all of which get shot and hunted with far more than the 10/22s. I don't shoot rimfires on the bench for group, so accuracy is what I can hit in the field and off-hand and all of them are accurate enough for that. The only time I shoot my 10/22s is when I want to shoot suppressed.
I'd sell the tricked out version of mine, but I'd never get back what I have in it.
For woods walking, hunting and other practical use other than bench work, I'd take any classic over a 10/22. As far as reliability, my 10/22s need to be cleaned just as much as my other semiauto .22s before they start to jam up.
10/22s are kinda the AR of the rimfire world. If you're the type to accessorize, then they are the obvious choice. I don't own an AR, so Lego building isn't really my thing. The Ruger is blocky, not very ergonomic, and has a poor trigger out of the box. I don't think they handle very well in the field nor look very good. I suppose that is a controversial opinion, but it's an alternative view that one should at least consider.
One autoloader that wasn't been mentioned yet that's worth looking into is the Winchester 63.
I have a couple of 10/22s, one tricked out and one stock. I prefer my other pump and semiauto .22s, all of which get shot and hunted with far more than the 10/22s. I don't shoot rimfires on the bench for group, so accuracy is what I can hit in the field and off-hand and all of them are accurate enough for that. The only time I shoot my 10/22s is when I want to shoot suppressed.
I'd sell the tricked out version of mine, but I'd never get back what I have in it.
For woods walking, hunting and other practical use other than bench work, I'd take any classic over a 10/22. As far as reliability, my 10/22s need to be cleaned just as much as my other semiauto .22s before they start to jam up.
10/22s are kinda the AR of the rimfire world. If you're the type to accessorize, then they are the obvious choice. I don't own an AR, so Lego building isn't really my thing. The Ruger is blocky, not very ergonomic, and has a poor trigger out of the box. I don't think they handle very well in the field nor look very good. I suppose that is a controversial opinion, but it's an alternative view that one should at least consider.
One autoloader that wasn't been mentioned yet that's worth looking into is the Winchester 63.
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Wouldn't go wrong with either, unless money is tight buy both and see which you enjoy more.............. Admittedly, I own 2 Rugers (an International and a standard) and the Remington 552. Love all of them and for me at least they shoot about the same. I like the fact the Remington runs 22 Shorts which makes it a good companion to a Browning SA 22 Short I also have. The detachable mag on the Ruger is a nice feature and when my kids got to be decent shots we would load up the high cap mags and get my little steel swingers bouncing!
DWalt
Member
As a kid, I always used .22 Shorts mainly because they were cheaper than LRs. And they were fully adequate for all my shooting back them. Nearly always Federal, as that was the only brand the local general store sold. I still have a few thousand rounds of .22 Short in my inventory for use in my 550, a Winchester '06, and a Hi-Standard Olympic rapid fire pistol. SV only for the latter.
I'll weigh in on the Ruger 10/22. This is not a comparison since I have had no experience with the Remington.
I have a Volquartsen Ruger 10/22 built before Volquartsen switched over to building them on just their own parts. I had decided on the Volquartsen conversion because at the time some of the hook and bullet press were publishing comparison road tests of the different customized 10/22s. In each test the Volquartsen Ruger shot the tightest groups. They also tested and published which target ammunition brands grouped smallest out of each rifle.
I am not a bench rest shooter except for testing. But I do want my .22 rimfire rifles to shoot <MOA at 50 yards. From the first time out, using one of the ammo brands listed in the articles that did shoot <MOA but not as tightly as even more expensive brands of target ammo, this rifle easily grouped <MOA. This was not a fluke but consistently. I never bothered to spend the money on the tightest grouping ammo to find out just how tightly my rifle would/will group because once I had achieved <MOA I had the results I was looking for.
All this happened around 2000 when the Chevy truck Sportsman's Team Competition matches were extremely popular. The customized Ruger 10/22s grew out of the necessity to have <MOA rifles that would shoot fast for the rifle events. Through a lot of testing the gunsmiths determined that the 10/22 was most suitable candidate to customize for these events. Since it was now possible, perhaps for the first time, to buy a <MOA semi-auto .22 rimfire, these 10/22 conversions became, and still are, extremely popular.
My rifle was not cheap, but in my opinion, well worth it. I still read carping about starting with such an inexpensive rifle to modify to <MOA grouping ability was a waste of money. Except at the time this was the only way to get there. An example of racing improves the breed.
To carry the racing analogy a little further, in the mid-late 60s the Trans Am road racing series was extremely popular. The cars used were the pony cars of the era, Mustangs, Camaros, etc. One of the legendary drivers in that series (and others) was Mark Donahue, who died way too soon in a crash. One day when the media were interviewing him one of the reporters asked how these pony cars, which had such humble origins in the Ford Falcon and Chevy Nova, etc, could make such potent race cars.
Donohue paused, then said "You can't make a race horse out of a pig, but you can make a damn fast pig".
The 10/22, in its customized form, is one damn fast pig.
So much so that I will never let mine go.
I have a Volquartsen Ruger 10/22 built before Volquartsen switched over to building them on just their own parts. I had decided on the Volquartsen conversion because at the time some of the hook and bullet press were publishing comparison road tests of the different customized 10/22s. In each test the Volquartsen Ruger shot the tightest groups. They also tested and published which target ammunition brands grouped smallest out of each rifle.
I am not a bench rest shooter except for testing. But I do want my .22 rimfire rifles to shoot <MOA at 50 yards. From the first time out, using one of the ammo brands listed in the articles that did shoot <MOA but not as tightly as even more expensive brands of target ammo, this rifle easily grouped <MOA. This was not a fluke but consistently. I never bothered to spend the money on the tightest grouping ammo to find out just how tightly my rifle would/will group because once I had achieved <MOA I had the results I was looking for.
All this happened around 2000 when the Chevy truck Sportsman's Team Competition matches were extremely popular. The customized Ruger 10/22s grew out of the necessity to have <MOA rifles that would shoot fast for the rifle events. Through a lot of testing the gunsmiths determined that the 10/22 was most suitable candidate to customize for these events. Since it was now possible, perhaps for the first time, to buy a <MOA semi-auto .22 rimfire, these 10/22 conversions became, and still are, extremely popular.
My rifle was not cheap, but in my opinion, well worth it. I still read carping about starting with such an inexpensive rifle to modify to <MOA grouping ability was a waste of money. Except at the time this was the only way to get there. An example of racing improves the breed.
To carry the racing analogy a little further, in the mid-late 60s the Trans Am road racing series was extremely popular. The cars used were the pony cars of the era, Mustangs, Camaros, etc. One of the legendary drivers in that series (and others) was Mark Donahue, who died way too soon in a crash. One day when the media were interviewing him one of the reporters asked how these pony cars, which had such humble origins in the Ford Falcon and Chevy Nova, etc, could make such potent race cars.
Donohue paused, then said "You can't make a race horse out of a pig, but you can make a damn fast pig".
The 10/22, in its customized form, is one damn fast pig.
So much so that I will never let mine go.
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With over 5 million 10/22s made there's a great selection to buy and maybe more aftermarket / custom parts for it than any gun … ever. Hard to go wrong with one.
However, that Speedmaster is to me a classic beauty. And, I appreciate not having a 10 round magazine to fiddle with either. For me, I'd chose a Speedmaster or Nylon 66 first.
However, that Speedmaster is to me a classic beauty. And, I appreciate not having a 10 round magazine to fiddle with either. For me, I'd chose a Speedmaster or Nylon 66 first.
THE PILGRIM
Member
Had a 552 but passed it down to my SIL.
Still have a 10-22 and Rem Model 34.
Who else has a Model 34?
Still have a 10-22 and Rem Model 34.
Who else has a Model 34?
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