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Which custom 10/22 trigger(or not)?

14K views 30 replies 22 participants last post by  BlackdogGS 
#1 ·
Went out to shoot my new 10/22 for the first time today.
The trigger is just plain unacceptable (to me).
I am use to air rifles with a trigger pull of 4 to 6 ounces.

Should I throw good money after bad and invest in a aftermarket trigger
or just cut my losses and get a different gun(bolt action single shot)?
These custom triggers cost as much as I paid for the gutn!

I want to shoot small groups at 100 yards.

If I decide to get a custom trigger, which one?
Jard, Timney, Volquartsen or one I haven't found yet.
 
#2 ·
Went out to shoot my new 10/22 for the first time today.
The trigger is just plain unacceptable (to me).
I am use to air rifles with a trigger pull of 4 to 6 ounces.


If I decide to get a custom trigger, which one?
Jard, Timney, Volquartsen or one I haven't found yet.
If you want under one pound, the only real choice is a Kidd two stage, which is an awesome trigger unlike any other 10/22 trigger out there. You can get down to 6oz with this (mine is at 9oz. 4oz first stage, 5oz second stage).

Using a Ruger design trigger, 1.2lbs is as low as you can really go, and even that is generally with a Kidd drop in kit or whole group.

There are other options between 1.5 and two pounds, but few can match the feel of the Kidd products.

I don't mean to sound like an infomercial for Kidd, but this has been my experience with trying many modified stock groups (Hornet, and Brimstone) and complete groups from Jard, Timney and Volquartsen.

Welcome to Kidd Innovative Design - Why Be Average? (830) 557-KIDD (5433)
 
#3 ·
rcmark, Unless you got a remarkable 10/22, the trigger is the least of your worries. Most factory 10/22s won't hold decent groups much past 50 yards, even with the best trigger system and scope available. I own 4 of these critters and have fired dozens more. The only 10/22s I've seen that will hold groups at 100 yards are those with good aftermarket barrels ... and that has to be a day with no wind.

Here's my custom 10/22 that I set up for optimum accuracy. On a calm day I can get 1" groups @ 100 yards with match grade ammo.



If you really want a 22 LR with good 100 yard groups, try something like this ... a Savage Mark II BTVS



Or like this .... a CZ 452-2E

 
#4 ·
rcmark, Unless you got a remarkable 10/22, the trigger is the least of your worries. Most factory 10/22s won't hold decent groups much past 50 yards, even with the best trigger system and scope available.

Well, then there's that too :D

The biggest accuracy issue with a stock 10/22 is the barrel. They have a "sporter" chamber which is cut deep and wide to accept any old ammunition you can throw at it, including the longer case Stinger ammo.

The fact is, the tube on the stock barrel is pretty top quality. The solution, if you want to have a pretty accurate rifle without dropping a couple (few) hundred dollars on an aftermarket barrel (or if you want a 'sleeper') is to send your barrel out and have the chamber re cut. They will shorten the barrel a bit, and re cut a top quality chamber. Then the shoulder is re cut so the barrel fits into the receiver properly. Typically the muzzle is re-crowned also to guarantee top accuracy.
This can be done for under $75 by Que https://sites.google.com/site/quesplace/

Or Randy at Connecticut Precision Chambering

Randy can provide an excellent trigger job, re chamber and re crown the barrel, and he will also thread the barrel into the receiver for the ultimate in accuracy, eliminating the V block and any chance of the barrel drooping, all for pretty reasonable money.

Officials at NASA claim that 50% of the cost of their projects is spent dealing with the final 1% of the problems that arise. When you set out to build a truly accurate rifle, or a truly fast, good handling car, or delve into the high end of anything, similar things happen to the budget.
 
#5 ·
Yetiman, No disagreement with your posts ... just some comments. 10/22s were designed to be "plinkers", not match grade target rifles. Yes, you can do all sorts of things to improve accuracy but you also trade one problem for another and it always involves $$$. As you stated, 10/22 chambers are designed sloppy on purpose and that is to enhance feeding with just about any ammo. Once you tighten the chamber to Bentz specs, accuracy will indeed improve but the rifle then becomes a "fussy feeder". Most people buy a 10/22 as a "fun gun", stoke it with the cheapest ammo they can find, and are plum tickled if they can hit a bean can at 25 yards with minimal malfunctions. Your last paragraph sums it up quite well.
 
#6 ·
I'll agree, you'll have more into a 10/22 to make it shoot "scary good" at 100yrds than you would have spent on a 452/455 or Marlin or Savage. The 452 and 455 being the more accurate of those 3 choices, in my experience. Put a new FCG and a new barrel into a 10/22 and it'll usually only shoot AS WELL as a 452 or 455, and now you have over $750 into it, which would have bought you a CZ 452 or 455 AND a Savage Mark II. I do have 2 bone-stock 10/22T's that shoot as well out of the box as either of my Savage Mark II's, but that was DUMB LUCK on the 10/22's as that has not been my general experience with them (and absolutely not with their sporter barrels). Back when the wave of rimfire steel challenges and the like started rolling around the country, I was building 10/22 "Race guns" left and right. Back then, the Volq trigger groups were barely over half what they cost now.

I was REAL hard pressed to justify a volq trigger for my wife's new 10/22... Price is through the roof, and guys keep paying it... Like Iowegan mentioned, they have really nice feeling triggers in rifles that can't capitalize on them, and they're driving the price up on the rest of us. A good shooter can milk fantastic accuracy out of an accurate rifle with a bad trigger. But a great trigger won't make a bad barrel any better.
 
#7 ·
+1 on plinking. I just enjoy ringing the steel with my SR22 rifle. I have a set of steel Appleseed targets I shoot off hand at 25 yds and a couple of 8 inch gongs for 50 and 100 yds. It is just fun to rip through 25 rounds and see if you get 25 dings.
 
#9 ·
Randy did a receiver and barrel job on my carbine and I put a Volq trigger kit in. The CPC chamber isn't a Bentz chamber, but it improved. Last time I was at the range I shot over one hundred rounds of Thunderduds without a single FTF. With good quality ammo (which is sometime difficult to get here in the Hampon Roads area of VA) shooting consistent 1" groups at 50 yards normal. I highly recommend Randy's work.
 
#11 ·
Unless you upgrade the rest of the components and use GOOD ammo, you'll never see the full potential of the assemblies. Even without changing to a GOOD barrel you're limited greatly on performance. Was pointed out above, the 10/22 is more plinker than anything as they ship.
Rather than look at full assemblies, consider simply changing out the hammer or hammer & sear yourself.
 
#12 ·
I was about to purchase a Kidd trigger, and I balked at paying more fore the trigger then I paid for the gun. It sounds like a super sweet unit, but all I do with this thing is plink, not bench rest kinda stuff. I think I will probably just do a sear and springs--not necessarily as good, but probably good enough.
 
#13 · (Edited)
ddahlgren,
love the look of the CZ what do you have on it for a scope?
It is a Nikon P-22 3~7x (rimfire). This is a super accurate rifle and is the least "ammo fussy" of any 22 rifle I've ever seen. It groups best with Wolf Target Match ammo but even with Federal or Remington bulk pack ammo, it shoots almost as well and can still get 1" groups at 100 yards. I have this rifle set up more for small game hunting but it is certainly no slouch as a bench rest rifle. I bought another Nikon 3~9 EFR rimfire scope with AO that I put on a different rifle and have considered swapping them.

In case you didn't notice, I had to remove the really nice ladder rear sight to get enough room for the scope. I installed a blank in the slot, which is reversible in a couple minutes should I ever decide to use iron sights.

JWoodard, No offence but 1" 50 yard groups aren't overly impressive. When you can shoot a 1" group at 100 yards, you have an accurate rifle.
 
#21 ·
ddahlgren,

It is a Nikon P-22 3~7x (rimfire). This is a super accurate rifle and is the least "ammo fussy" of any 22 rifle I've ever seen. It groups best with Wolf Target Match ammo but even with Federal or Remington bulk pack ammo, it shoots almost as well and can still get 1" groups at 100 yards. I have this rifle set up more for small game hunting but it is certainly no slouch as a bench rest rifle. I bought another Nikon 3~9 EFR rimfire scope with AO that I put on a different rifle and have considered swapping them.

In case you didn't notice, I had to remove the really nice ladder rear sight to get enough room for the scope. I installed a blank in the slot, which is reversible in a couple minutes should I ever decide to use iron sights.

JWoodard, No offence but 1" 50 yard groups aren't overly impressive. When you can shoot a 1" group at 100 yards, you have an accurate rifle.
Where did you get the blank from for the sight slot?
 
#16 ·
I've never used the Kidd, but sounds as if the two stage would be real nice, I love the USGI 2 stage in my Garands and m14.

I have used 3 of the Volquartsen , and one kit.
The kit worked well enough, trigger felt much better.
But I still think the drop in TG from Volquartsen was better than the kit.
Each of my 10/22's gets one...
I usually get them on sale for ~ 180 bux.

They have a sale on the one that was made for the slide fire.. doesn't have the over travel adjust, but a huge savings.
https://www.volquartsen.com/products/1168-slidefire-tg2000-for-ruger-10-22

I agree, at events I've shot many many new 10/22's , and the triggers are all over the place, to me the plastic TG went way down hill.

The TG , or at lest the kit, makes a huge difference.

Just look at the 10/22 as a platform, ton's of options.. no other 22 really has the ability and support.
 
#18 ·
I was not happy with the 10/22 trigger pull either. Local gunsmith suggested
I try a Volquartsen drop in hammer to fix the trigger pull issue. I ordered the part and he installed it. The trigger pull went from 7-8 lbs to maybe 2 or 3. Now I know it's not the air rifle 4-6 oz, but it is a drastic difference. You might consider this option, it is a lot cheaper than a full trigger job. Good luck.
 
#19 ·
Went out to shoot my new 10/22 for the first time today.
The trigger is just plain unacceptable (to me).
I am use to air rifles with a trigger pull of 4 to 6 ounces.

Should I throw good money after bad and invest in a aftermarket trigger
or just cut my losses and get a different gun(bolt action single shot)?
These custom triggers cost as much as I paid for the gutn!
Indeed some do, which for tight budgets is quite irrational. My factory trigger was pretty bad (all the time) so I opted for Clark Custom's Ruger OEM Metal Trigger Assembly with Clark's Trigger job for 155 bucks. That baby is slick and for me was worthwhile especially since I would be done 'building' the little plinker - or so I thought. Everything works in this Bill Ruger marvel of economy, but wait…the bolt does/did not hold open on an empty mag and the charging handle is/was crunchy, and she needed eyes, etc., and I don't want to keep dwelling on how far she can be taken. So I'd say start cleaning up your trigger and take it as far as you can afford, keeping your expectations within the limits of your budget.
 
#22 ·
corvettezo6,
Where did you get the blank from for the sight slot?
I made it from a piece of 3/8" steel stock. After I got it to fit perfect, I drilled a hole in the blank to line up with the same hole used to secure the ladder sight. All I have to do is push the cross pin out, lift the sight blank out, set the rear sight in place, and push the cross pin back in place. A little polishing, some cold blue, and it looks like it came from the factory with the sight blank.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Iowegen- no offense taken. 50 yds just happens to be the longest range I have access to at the moment. Also, didn't mention, I have Williams peep sights, no scope crutch.
 
#24 ·
I must just not understand the long range shooting world but at 50 yds with an ER shaw barrel, stock trigger and junk scope my 10/22 shot consistent .500-.600" groups. With blazer bulk. Never shot it for groups at 100 yds but I still could pretty much put shots wherever I wanted them. I mustve gotten a factory freak or something. Im not a bench shooter though.
 
#30 ·
I second critterdoc's vote for considering Jim Clark (Custom Guns) swap-in trigger group. For about same parts money as Tony Kidd's SS kit, you also get a no-longer-available OEM aluminum trigger housing "feel" (if that blows up your skirt) but you forego the learning experience/understanding of DIY kit swap...
Having long installed and learned the mechanical how-to trigger dynamics via Volquartsen MKII trigger parts + Clark pin bushing into numerous buddies' MkIII pistols (but I still prefer not to "stone my own" parts :eek:), I do like Clark's pull + housing improvements option. You'll get ~ 1-1/2# but you won't waste your money on <1# pulls and groups which aren't sustained by un-realized OEM chamber-dimensional constraints.
 
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