Keep It Clean
Starting here because it’s a no-brainer but you have to keep it as clean as you can. This is even more important with newer models than the older ones that were a little more forgiving. Some modern advancements have made the gun overall safer to use but added complex parts that gather grit.
Additionally, most .22 rounds tend to be extra dirty to shoot and leave a lot of powder fouling. This is a sure fire way to make your reliable Ruger semi-auto into an inconvenient single shot rifle.
Clean every moving part well and use a quality lube. I will often take mine outside and use a large can of Rem Oil and flush everything out of it then blow it out with an air compressor before final lube. Make sure you don’t have to much lube or oil remaining when you do final assembly, it just makes the gun gum up worse.
Use Good Ammo
There are a ton of reasons to use good ammo. It’s more reliable, it can be more accurate, and sometimes it’s more powerful or potent. All of those are great reasons to use a quality round made by a good manufacturer.
The best reason to use good ammo is that they are often coated with a thin layer of brass or copper and that thin plating can save you a ton of issues with cleaning later. With the size of the bore, a .22 rifle barrel can be very hard to clean.
Get Quality Mags
For too many reasons to list here, having extra mags is a really good idea. The 10 round mag that comes with the Ruger is perfect and used to be very expensive if you wanted a second one. Now you can get a three pack made by Ruger for around $50.00. It’s a worthwhile investment.
You are also going to want some bigger mags, trust me on this. There was a time that Butler Creek made the only decent quality 30 round mag on the market but now that Ruger offers its own BX-25 mags, those are probably preferred. For one, some Butler Creek mags won’t fit some 10/22s. I had a lot of trouble with my 10/22 takedown and finding an extended mag.
Whatever you get, stick with the best quality mags. Factory is preferred but there are a few other companies like Butler Creek that make good stuff.
Don’t be Afraid to Mod
The true beauty of the 10/22 is that with around 5 million of them made, the market for mods is huge. You can do as little as adding a new scope or trigger all the way up to building a 10/22 that has no parts made by Ruger at all. Additionally, you can get a stock or a gun that shoots less than a half MOA at 50 yards.
You can make a rifle to emulate an AR-15 and many other popular firearms or just fine tune it to do any job you would ever need. Add a suppressor for a lot of fun and a great way of taking care of those night time varmints without waking the neighbors.
Some popular mods are a new stock, new trigger, and new barrel. They are easy to change out and can really improve the function, comfort, and accuracy of your rifle.
Add an Optic
Whether you go with the ever-popular red-dot sights or sup your gun up with a proper scope, this can add so much functionality to an already great rifle. There are so many tasks that the 10/22 excels at that can be improved with an affordable optic.
I have several different optics on my Rugers ranging from no magnification up to a 20x scope on a heavily modified 10/22 I use for varminting. There is truly no more fun toy and it makes a superb training gun for youths and first-time shooters.
Of course, you don’t want to just grab any scope where there are quite a few 10/22 scope choices that are perfectly suited for your purposes.
No matter what you do with your 10/22, a little time, care, and experimentation can turn it from a somewhat run of the mill gun to something truly outstanding. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a run of the mill gun if that’s your style but no matter what you do, the tips above will keep your little Ruger running for a lifetime or more!
