frustrated with 10/22

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billccm

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
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Hello:

I have a basic model 10/22 that is about three years old. It is not been the wonderful rifle everyone has told me it would be as it has always jammed, or stove piped on the third, or forth shot. I've tried multiple magazines, various brands of ammo, and this rifle is a 3/22, or 4/22 only. In fact, I just put four bullets in each magazine and have used the gun reliably without stove pipe issues.

ANYHOW, today was a frustrating day in that the magazines always fell out after the second shot. I have four RUGER brand magazines, 10 shots each with four bullets, and they all fell out after two shots.

So, I borrowed a magazine from someone at the range, and his too fell out.

Any simple fixes here before I trade this in for a single shot 22 bolt action?

Thanks, and Happy New Year, Bill
 
How about a call to Ruger to discuss your issues? If it's a problem with the gun or the mags, they may very well want it back to fix properly. Be polite & be able to give them a lot of details.
 
Well it sounds like it isn't the magazines, that's for sure. Was it a new rifle when you bought it? I only ask because it might be excessively dirty? Although that would be something you would notice. Causing the magazines to fall out.....hmmm. you didn't say if you tried a different brand of ammo, which might also be the problem. However, call to Ruger might be in order. Good luck and report back if you get the opportunity. I'm sure more than myself would like to hear the outcome.
 
Thanks for the replies.

The gun was new when I purchased it about two years ago.

I'll call Ruger, but I assume they will just say 'send it back'.

I'll update you after I call.

Happy New Year, Bill
 
Since it doesn't work right for you, what is wrong with sending it back to be fixed. It sure sounds to me like the problem is in the magazine latching parts on the rifle and probably was the problem from the get go.

Here's the ethical problem.... what are you going to do with the rifle if you switch to a bolt action? Seems to me like even if you want to go over to bolts the best thing to do is fix the 10/22... then either keep it or let it go. Only other choice is to pack it away and grumble about it every so often. I guess you could sell it to one of us for $50 bucks and then we fix it.
 
Have you ever removed the stock? If not, you might do that and have a look inside. It sounds like there is a problem, or more than one problem, with your trigger group. If you had a way to swap trigger groups with someone, you could test that. For example, if the magazine catch is a little cockeyed, it will not stick out properly, thus failing to hold the magazines. Stovepipes are often caused by something obstructing or hindering the bolt's movement, thus throwing off the action's timing. Or, in your case, the failure of the magazine to seat properly could cause the extracted case to miss the primary ejector built into the mag's feed lips, also throwing off the timing. How smoothly does the magazine catch move when you operate the mag release? Does the entire beveled part of the catch stick out into the mag well? Does the bolt move smoothly when you rack it manually?

10/22s are simple rifles and unless something is machined wrong in the receiver (happens sometimes) they are easy to diagnose and fix. It does require a methodical approach.
 
Thanks for the replies and advice.

These 10/22s have such a great reputation that it is not possible to get much internet information on repairs, or problems. I do see a few posts out there with issues similar to mine, but never see a reply for a solution.

I have filled out the Ruger On Line customer service form, and should get a reply in three business days.

I guess there is one bad apple in every bunch, but even the gun dealer I purchased this rifle from says he has never heard of a problem with a 10/22. He always blamed my ammo for my problems (I bought expensive CCI ammo and it never fixed the stove pipe after 4 shots issue).

Not to change the subject, but any comments on the 'exact extractor' sold on Amazon.com?

Happy New Year to all, Bill
 
billccm said:
I'll call Ruger, but I assume they will just say 'send it back'.
Click to expand...

Why would you want them to do anything else other than ask you to send it back? This is exactly what you want to do if you want your rifle repaired.

Don't wait on the online submission. Call them tomorrow morning and they will email you a shipping label and you can have it in the mail tomorrow. My guess is that you will be shooting your 10/22 within 14 days at the most (usually less but this is a holiday week).
 
Just what do you mean by stove pipes? That term seems to mean different things to different people. I cant say that I have ever seen what I would consider a stove pipe jam on a 10 22. Are we talking failure to feed, extract, eject?
It might help some of us here come up with an answer even if you do wend it back to Ruger which is probably the best advise given so far.
 
My description of 'stovepipe' is a smoking cartridge hanging halfway out of the slot jammed by the bolt.
So in other words, failure to eject properly.
 
You have a defective firearm. That is a dangerous and you are potentially liable if you continue to use it with knowledge that it is defective. Soooo... Get it fixed (or replaced) by the factory. That's all there really is to it.
May be a simple fix or a bigger problem you're not able to detect - not every gun owner needs to be a gunsmith!
 
The good and bad on a malfunctioning rifle like th 10/22 is that there are a number of items that can lead to stove piping as described ..... unfortunately what I've found as the best way to figure out what is wrong is to compare the problem rifle with one that works great... side by side. So, one solution to this problem is to buy or at least borrow another 10/22 and then just look at the two rifle's innards side by side.

In reference to this discussion... I think since it did not work right from the get go and is unsatisfactory now.... send it back to Ruger and let them fix it.

One last comment.... to the OP; it is not that unusual for a 10/22 to have a problem of one sort or another... does not happen often but does happen. Part of what this forum is for.
 
The magazines falling out and the other malfunctions are probably related. Could be something off with the magazine catch or plunger and you could just not be inserting them correctly.
 
Bill, have you checked out any of the diagnostic suggestions, or are you just sending it back? Please let us know how it turns out. We all learn when we find out how these issues are diagnosed and resolved.
 
Well, as you guys thought, I got a reply email saying to call the customer service for an RMA.

Called about ten times today; get a recording that they have a large call volume and I should try to call again some other time followed by a hang up.

Not an easy thing.

Thanks for the advice. Happy New Year.
 
In fairness to Ruger, I would expect that a huge number of folks who opened their brand-new boxes on Christmas morning have questions, good, bad or dumb, and all they know is to contact the manufacturer.
 
I had a similar problem with my 10/22 Sporter. It has the faux Stainless finish and inside the magazine well on the forward end the finish was a bit rough. It took a bit of work smoothing and polishing the finish and doing the same to the other three walls of the well but well worth it, now either full or empty magazines will fall out nicely into my hand when I push the release and there's no difficulty inserting them securely, they just pop right in.

I just traded my old 10/22 carbine for the Sporter which is a model I've wanted for years. I love the checkered stock and 22" barrel. This is a great shooting rifle, I won $20 hitting a quarter at 100yds last week in front of five witnesses at our county range. I will admit putting a Varquartson trigger assembly and a bipod on the rifle before doing that along with a Simmons 4-9X scope. This rifle will group well less than 1 inch at 100yds. Not bad for a .22LR.
 
I don't want to turn this third into a gripe session, but my wife pointed out to me tonight that every Ruger product I have purchased NEW has been returned to the factory before it is a year, or two old. My LCR, Single Six, and now this 10/22 all purchased new have been returned for repairs. The Single Six was returned after firing the first 12 rounds!

I've bought 12 Ruger products in the last 8 years, and the 9 used firearms are flawless. One thing about the used arms I have purchased come from a dealer that has a gunsmith check over, and a 90 day return for store credit policy. The new arms are 'return to Ruger' if you have a problem.

Lesson learned; I'm buying used from here on out.

Happy New Year!
 
Your welcome to turn it into a gripe session but that doesn't really change anything. Buying used certainly can eliminate some chance of having to do quality control for the manufacturer, but it could also lead to buying someone else's troubles.

I think the key is to find a manufacturer that stands behind its products and sticking with them. One of my hobbies is digital photography with dslr camera and lenses, studio light, backgrounds, etc. Every now and then I will have an issue that requires sending something back. We are talking items that cost 5-10 times as much as a 10/22! I stay with the companies that support their customers.

Sorry you decided to address your issues with your 10/22 during the holiday season. Usually the entire process takes just around a week when you are working with them. Don't worry though I am sure they will take care of you.

Keep calling!
 
Well, "gripes" are just a person's reality and experience. Owners who suffer in silence do not help anyone.

billccm said:
Well, as you guys thought, I got a reply email saying to call the customer service for an RMA.
Called about ten times today; get a recording that they have a large call volume and I should try to call again some other time followed by a hang up.
Not an easy thing...
Click to expand...

Yeah, welcome to Mayodan customer service, or as we call them locally; the "huh?" line. Ruger filled the CS department there with non-gun people. Sadly, you have to ask for an expert most calls. I had to explain that a Blackhawk was not a Single-Six to one friendly woman, who insisted I had a Single Six.

Keep at it. For a $200 gun, one might expect less than perfect operation. Bill would not approve. But there are no Rugers at Ruger anymore. :oops:
 
That $200 gun comment hurts, especially since it cost me $27 to ship it today.
I almost didn't ship it. I thought that perhaps I could get $100 in trade and maybe come out ahead on a used model?

Glad to hear the majority has good experiences with new Rugers, but for my money, it is used from here on out.
 
Consider the $27 a lesson not to wait 3 years the next time you encounter issues. Mailed today.. You might be shooting it by next Friday. Good luck and hope you have a great New Year.
 
Hello All:

I received the rifle back from Ruger yesterday FEDEX ground. The receipt says 'replaced trigger guard assembly' and says 'range tested magazine'.

Hopefully it is repaired.

I'll let you guys know next month when I go to the range.

Thanks again for the advice and opinions.

Take care, Bill
 
mohavesam said:
Keep at it. For a $200 gun, one might expect less than perfect operation. Bill would not approve.
Click to expand...

Hi,

One man's opinion: Wrong!

Ruger's been building the 10/22 long enough to have learned how to do it right, it's simple enough it should have about zero problems, ever, and they've certainly spent some time figuring ways to "cheap it out" over the years. So if they can't do it right for the price, they need to charge what's appropriate to actually get it right. In addition to sending any Ruger back, an e-mail should be sent to Mike Fifer explaining how the owner expects better of the brand, may well not buy any more new Rugers, and will happily tell anyone who asks why that is.

For a while he may just blow folks off, as he did me (no surprise, as I intentionally chapped his hide and didn't really deserve anything except the same in return), but if customer after customer puts his feet to the fire, maybe, just maybe, he'll turn things in a different direction. Some will disagree, but here's my personal feeling about customer service departments: they should be used so infrequently that most of the customers don't even realize they exist, as opposed to the litany of glowing reports we get about Ruger's. I suppose that adulation comes under the heading of the old adage: "There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over."

BTW, my own 10/22 was built during William B's reign, and was easily as problematic when new as the OP's. So not only did I never really fall in love with it, today it seldom gets shot, as some of those problems still pop up 30 years later and age has done nothing positive for my tolerance level of shoddy workmanship.

To Ruger, one or two 10/22s that have problems is nothing. But in my "universe of one" where that 10/22 was my first purchase of the brand, it's something that's colored my thoughts forever... and that's what the bean counters and such need to understand. They're not in business TO build guns. They're in business TO MAKE MONEY, which they do BY building and selling those guns. And, ultimately, it's the guy on the street with that fistful of benjies who decides how well they do that!

Rick C
 
To give the other side.... yes, Ruger has been making the 10/22 for 'a while' and with that they continue to make 10's of thousands a year.... with that kind of production there are going to be mistakes. I challenge anyone here to make just 10,000 rifles in a year and have everyone of them perfect. Yes, Ruger should have a quality control system that eliminates any possibility of a problem gun but the reality is that mass production vs quality with a profit at the end is a challenge. What Ruger does better than any other gun manufacturer is if it's broke they are willing to fix it.
 
Rick Courtright said:
mohavesam said:
...but here's my personal feeling about customer service departments: they should be used so infrequently that most of the customers don't even realize they exist, as opposed to the litany of glowing reports we get about Ruger's...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

This, in spades and "plus" about a billion. I'm glad somebody finally said it. It seems like half the posts on this board end with "send it back to Ruger, I'm sure they'll make it right". What a load of absolute crap. Sending you a shipping label and scheduling a pickup for a defective product is not "wonderful customer service." Wonderful customer service is doing the QC work up front to make sure they aren't shipping so many defective products!

The feed ramp on my LC9s looked like an old fashioned washboard and HP bullets were jamming, and the magazine would release in the holster all the time. Fortunately I've the savvy and equipment to fix something like the feed ramp and I was able to find some Italian magazines that work fine...but shipping defensive pistols that won't reliably feed hollow points and release the magazine in the holster (or under recoil, as some have reported) is simply shameful. The pistol is a fine gun, now, AFTER I did all those things that Ruger should have done before it ever left the factory. How many people are going to discover the hard way that the pistol they are carrying to protect themselves might not be much better than a paperweight in a fight?

I guess Ruger is now being operated on the principle similar to the one that says "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission". In this case, I guess it's more like, "It's cheaper to hire customer support people with good phone skills to mollify irate customers than it is to hire engineers, machinists, fitters, and inspectors that actually know what they are doing."

It's a darned shame when people are turning to Taurus as being more reliable than good old 'murican Ruger!

John
 
Stove pipe issues are usually the fit of the extractor. If the extractor fails to hold the spent case tight to the breech face until the bolt travels back far enough to have the ejector kick it out of the action you will get stove pipes. I see the problem all the time and a simple 10 minute fix stops the problem.

As to the mags falling out, clean out the hole in the front of the mag well of paint over spray and crud.
 
Well I promised to report back after a visit to the range, so here is my report:

NO PROBLEMS!

No stovepipe issues after 200 rounds of Federal 500 Brick 22lr. Reliable, and never had a magazine fail. My daughter was happy that I sent the gun back.

I like Ruger products, but this experience has convinced me that a used purchase is still better than a new Ruger purchase. All three new Ruger purchases have been returned to the factory before two years of very lite range use. my last three used Riger purchases have been without any issues.

While at the range a few of us discussed out 10/22 experiences. I was the only one that had issues that required a return to factory, but the guys there had told me that they had heard of newer Rugers having quality control issues.

I really appreciate all of the comments. Take care, Bill
 
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