Ruger 10/22 ?

[Wheelspinner]

While cleaning my 10/22 I came across some info on the internet advising that Ruger warns against using Stinger ammo. Stinger ammo is reported to cause possible malfunction or damage. The site I was reading also said CCI mini-max is recommended...........Is this true ?????

Read if you want.........last sentence in the fifth paragraph


http://www.ruger1022.com/do_dont.htm

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[gasmitty]

Not completely true.

The heavy-barreled "Target" model 10/22 has a "match" chamber which could be damaged by shooting Stingers, or any other (hyper velocity) round which have a longer case than regular Long Rifles. Same goes for most aftermarket barrels - the additional accuracy comes in large part from more precise chamber dimensions and machining.

You can go to the Ruger web site and download the user manuals yourself to see the caution against using Stingers on p.14 of the 10/22 manual.

http://www.ruger.com/products/_manuals/1022.pdf

I looked at the web site you cited, and as a serious 10/22 owner/shooter (I own 4 of 'em) I find I'm not in complete agreement with all the author professes. For example, he says to avoid use of the Ruger-supplied scope mount (agreed), but then says "don't go overboard on a scope" because the effective range of the gun is 125 yards. There are a host of 10/22 afficianados on rimfirecentral.com who would disagree with that statement, because when you invest in a good scope you're paying for better glass overall, not just magnification. The Bushnell Elite I have on my 'built' 10/22 Sporter has about the same magnification as the Simmons ".22 mag" scope on my first 10/22, but it's substantially better and won't give you a vision headache if you use it a lot, like at an Appleseed event - ask me how I know!

The author also recommends CCI Mini-Max. That's his opinion, and not a recommendation from Ruger. It's a good round for sure, but not as accurate in one of my guns as the standard velocity Winchester T-22. As with nearly all .22 rimfires, you really need to explore many different rounds to see what your gun shoots the best.

[Wheelspinner]

OK.............How about Stingers in the 22/45MK 111 Target Model ? Gassmitty...........I got a ton of Stingers and like the round. Don't tell me I gotta melt them down for off shore fishing weights.

[gasmitty]

Well, that was a good question and I didn't have the answer at hand. I pulled the 22/45 (Mk II) out of the safe and stripped it down. I dropped a Stinger into the chamber, and it took substantial finger force to get the last 1/8 inch or so to seat. I pulled the stinger out and tried regular CCI LR round in the chamber, and it barely needed a tap to seat completely.

I looked at both rounds under 5x magnification afterward. There were some light chamber marks on the last tenth of an inch of the Stinger case, and nothing like that on the regular round.

Then I looked at the manual for the gun, and found nothing in there at all about not using Stingers. Based on this look-see, I suspect that the chamber in my gun (maybe a couple thousand rounds through it, max) just has some deposits in it past the end of the standard LR case depth. No reason not to use Stingers in your pistol based on functional reasons.

That said, the Stinger overall is not known for its stellar accuracy. In a pistol-length barrel, it achieves Long Rifle velocities, but at the price of decreased accuracy due to going transsonic in the first 25 yards or so. I'd save 'em for your 10/22, if that gun has the standard barrel.

[Wheelspinner]

You have been a big help. I appreciate and respect your input. I did not intend to cause you any work. It is because of people like you that these sites are useful and informative.
From my Florida country home to yours I say "thanks". (now to see if my 10/22 has a "standard barrel")

[gasmitty]

I wouldn't be here sharing info and asking my own questions if I didn't enjoy it. I'm a technical guy so it took me all of 10 minutes tops to do that little experiment and to pull up the Ruger manuals on their web site.

There's about a 99.9% likelihood that your 10/22 has a standard barrel, just based on statistics and production numbers... the target-barrel model isn't rare, but compared to the standard models they were not made in huge numbers. The Target barrel has no sights and is about 0.92" diameter from receiver to muzzle, and is 20" long. The standard model has an 18.5" barrel length and open sights, front and rear.

Here's the target model: http://www.ruger.com/products/1022Target/models.html