Wrangler John
Bearcat
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2008
- Messages
- 38
Regarding my Ruger 10/22 Takedown Rifle here are a few comments:
Barrel was cleaned, and Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-5x 20mm scope installed. Rifle was set up as noted in Instruction Manual Insert.
Ammunition fired: Winchester 40 grain LRN High Speed. Rifle misfired an average of three rounds per magazine. Firing pin strike impacted extreme top of rim, raising sharp burr. Bolt occasionally failed to extract fired round, feeding another round which jammed action.
Rifle had been bore sighted using Site Lite SL-100 laser boresighter. Bullet impact at 50 yards was approximately 2' high. Impact point varied considerably being inconsistent with scope adjustments. Group fired after final adjustment was approximately 4". Point of aim shift seemed to be related to looseness between barrel and receiver lockup.
Rifle was disassembled, bolt removed, cleaned of excessive lubrication (the bolt was soaked in oil during factory assembly) and a Volquartsen firing pin installed. Test firing showed normal strike pattern and consistent ignition. Reassembled rifle was again boresighted, with noticeable shifting of laser spot across field of view as aim was adjusted on rifle rest. Holding the buttstock still and pushing the forend in any direction caused the laser spot to move a considerable distance.
Barrel clamp (part no. 9) was found shifting due to Barrel Retainer Screws (part no. 10) being loose, less than hand tight as received from the factory. When screws were tightened the barrel flat would not slip over the clamp allowing assembly. Screws were again loosened which allowed the barrel to be assembled. When the screws were just bottomed against the clamp, the barrel would not assemble. Barrel clamp appears to be MIM molded part that has significant dimensional variation in top surface.
It should be noted that disassembling the rifle resulted in three pins readily falling from the trigger guard assembly: 1. Magazine Latch Pivot and Ejector Pin (B-35); 2. Both Receiver Cross Pins (B-5). Ruger places a warning in the manual that the Receiver Cross Pins can fall out upon removing the stock. This is not acceptable in a rifle that is likely to be used in field conditions, where parts can be lost rendering the rifle unusable. I do not recall this being a problem with the vintage aluminum trigger guards. The trigger pull was heavy and had considerable creep. I ordered an aftermarket trigger with adjustable over travel, and interchangeable trigger springs.
The top flats of the barrel clamp were dressed down using a carborundum stone until the barrel would pass over and rotate freely after the clamp was tightened. This required about 5 minutes of hand honing, a few seconds of contact with a fine abrasive belt would have accomplished the same thing in skilled hands. Clearance was set at .0015" measured with a thickness gauge. Barrel Retainer Screws were coated with anti-galling compound and set to 40 in-lb torque. All looseness and motion between the assemblies was corrected, the rifle is now stable and rock solid, while takedown and reassembly function normally. Properly fitted and tightened, there is a remarkable transformation of the little carbine. Possibly the looseness between the assemblies exacerbated the firing pin malfunction and failures to extract. I would recommend that Ruger, if possible, fit the barrel clamp by surfacing the top surface of the clamp flat rather than leaving it completely loose as an expedient to factory assembly. There is no way that those barrel clamp screws could have been tightened at the factory and have the barrel attach to the receiver.
As with any new product, bugs have to be worked out. Yet it's better to do the corrections at the time of manufacture than have the customer faced with the task. At first glance I thought the 10/22 Takedown was a great concept, and it still is, all that is needed is a bit more careful assembly and testing before shipping.
Barrel was cleaned, and Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-5x 20mm scope installed. Rifle was set up as noted in Instruction Manual Insert.
Ammunition fired: Winchester 40 grain LRN High Speed. Rifle misfired an average of three rounds per magazine. Firing pin strike impacted extreme top of rim, raising sharp burr. Bolt occasionally failed to extract fired round, feeding another round which jammed action.
Rifle had been bore sighted using Site Lite SL-100 laser boresighter. Bullet impact at 50 yards was approximately 2' high. Impact point varied considerably being inconsistent with scope adjustments. Group fired after final adjustment was approximately 4". Point of aim shift seemed to be related to looseness between barrel and receiver lockup.
Rifle was disassembled, bolt removed, cleaned of excessive lubrication (the bolt was soaked in oil during factory assembly) and a Volquartsen firing pin installed. Test firing showed normal strike pattern and consistent ignition. Reassembled rifle was again boresighted, with noticeable shifting of laser spot across field of view as aim was adjusted on rifle rest. Holding the buttstock still and pushing the forend in any direction caused the laser spot to move a considerable distance.
Barrel clamp (part no. 9) was found shifting due to Barrel Retainer Screws (part no. 10) being loose, less than hand tight as received from the factory. When screws were tightened the barrel flat would not slip over the clamp allowing assembly. Screws were again loosened which allowed the barrel to be assembled. When the screws were just bottomed against the clamp, the barrel would not assemble. Barrel clamp appears to be MIM molded part that has significant dimensional variation in top surface.
It should be noted that disassembling the rifle resulted in three pins readily falling from the trigger guard assembly: 1. Magazine Latch Pivot and Ejector Pin (B-35); 2. Both Receiver Cross Pins (B-5). Ruger places a warning in the manual that the Receiver Cross Pins can fall out upon removing the stock. This is not acceptable in a rifle that is likely to be used in field conditions, where parts can be lost rendering the rifle unusable. I do not recall this being a problem with the vintage aluminum trigger guards. The trigger pull was heavy and had considerable creep. I ordered an aftermarket trigger with adjustable over travel, and interchangeable trigger springs.
The top flats of the barrel clamp were dressed down using a carborundum stone until the barrel would pass over and rotate freely after the clamp was tightened. This required about 5 minutes of hand honing, a few seconds of contact with a fine abrasive belt would have accomplished the same thing in skilled hands. Clearance was set at .0015" measured with a thickness gauge. Barrel Retainer Screws were coated with anti-galling compound and set to 40 in-lb torque. All looseness and motion between the assemblies was corrected, the rifle is now stable and rock solid, while takedown and reassembly function normally. Properly fitted and tightened, there is a remarkable transformation of the little carbine. Possibly the looseness between the assemblies exacerbated the firing pin malfunction and failures to extract. I would recommend that Ruger, if possible, fit the barrel clamp by surfacing the top surface of the clamp flat rather than leaving it completely loose as an expedient to factory assembly. There is no way that those barrel clamp screws could have been tightened at the factory and have the barrel attach to the receiver.
As with any new product, bugs have to be worked out. Yet it's better to do the corrections at the time of manufacture than have the customer faced with the task. At first glance I thought the 10/22 Takedown was a great concept, and it still is, all that is needed is a bit more careful assembly and testing before shipping.