Ruger 10/22 Review

I did not grow up with guns. My father had a couple of rifles from his father. He also had a target 22 of some sort. The only time I ever remember seeing the gun out was the one time he took us up in the hills around Hollister, CA with our dog. We were on the hunt. I don't believe we actually ever got anything.

Recently, I have been interested in purchasing a .22 rifle for a variety of reasons. I wanted to become comfortable around guns. My extended family hunts quite a bit. I most likely will never hunt. I have no real leanings one way or another towards hunters. I just feel that if you go out and take down an animal you should use it as completely as possible for your benefit. Maybe I didn't state that very well. I am not against hunting. I just think if you kill somehting you should eat it. Man, throughout history, has been a hunter. There is nothing morally wrong with hunting, from my perspective. But, there is something wrong with people who waste.

I also wanted to improve my ability to hit a target with a gun. Who knows, someday my life may depend on my ability to hit something. Or, maybe not. I also wanted to teach my children about guns. To do that, I had to become more familiar with them myself.

In my research, I quickly came to the realization that I wanted a small rifle. A .22 was the way to go. I also wanted something simple. I am okay at taking care of things but sometimes I am not the best. I wanted something that was durable and sturdy. After several trips to local gun shops including Sportsman's Warehouse and Cabelas, I decided the Ruger 10/22 was the way to go. I debated long and hard with myself over whether to get the Stainless steel barrel, which was nearly $100.00 more, or to go with the basic 10/22 wood stock and blued barrel. I liked the idea of the stainless because of its greater resistance to rusting issues. But, at Cabelas, they had the deal of the century.   I could get the basic version (wood stock and blued barrel) Ruger 10/22 from Cabelas with a scope for under $270.00. Quite the deal. I was sold.

So a couple of Saturday's ago, I purchased my Ruger 10/22. I spent several days looking at the gun. I read all the instructions. I took the gun apart and put it back together. I made sure I really understood what it was all about and how to use it properly and safely.

I live in an area where winter's are cold. And I hate being out in the cold. So I anxiously awaited a warm enough day to get out and shoot my new gun. And it finally showed up last Saturday.

My father in law came over and gave me and the kids a refresher course on safety. Good stuff. You can never be too safe around guns. The first rule of guns is: EVERY GUN IS ASSUMED TO BE LOADED. If you make that assumption, it is pretty hard to go wrong.

 So we got to the range about 11 am.  It was pretty cold but not freezing yet.  Maybe about 35 degrees.  The range we went to is fairly structured.  I like that.  After about 10 minutes waiting, we were able to line up in our predesignated spots and begin shooting.  It took me just a minute or so to load up the standard 10 round magazine that the Ruger comes with.  After inserting it into the gun, I lined up my sights and took a couple of shots. 

The sight was low by about four inches and to the right about 2 inches.  Simple to fix.  I unscrewed the small caps that cover the adjustments for the sight and put a dime in the slot (used the dime like a screwdriver) and adjusted them a little.  I took a couple more shots and was still down and right but only by about 1 inch and 1/2 inch.  It was simple to adjust them again and then I was on.  What a fun gun to shoot.

Very simple all around. We had a blast until the wind picked up and I think the ambient temperature dropped to about 10 degrees.  After, my son and I went and ate at In and Out.  Of course it was delicious.

When we got home, I taught my son how to clean the rifle.  That was very easy to do since it is a simple process and he learns quick.  Cleaned it up.  Stored it safely under lock and key.  Can't wait to go again.  I would highly recommend the Ruger 10/22 to anyone looking for a basic, entry level semi automatic rifle.  I love mine.