10/22 Upgrades

ExtractorSpring72

Hi all, got a 10/22 (secondhand) and looking to improve its accuracy. Came with a nice mag pull stock. What should be upgraded first? I’m debating over a trigger or barrel but what would have the biggest effect on accuracy?

BSA International

Trigger, then barrel

otmmyboy2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058336065/10-22-upgrades

Depends, if you are looking to improve your shooting of the gun, then trigger.

If you are looking to improve the mechanical accuracy of the gun, then barrel.

A better trigger will have a better trigger pull, cleaner break, crisper reset, possibly lighter trigger pull, etc, all of which is dependent on the shooter pulling the trigger.

IE if you put your gun in a vise and fired it, with no possibility of movement, then the barrel change will provide a noticeable accuracy improvement, regardless of trigger. In the same situation a better trigger will make no difference.

So really barrel vs trigger first boils down to mechanical accuracy vs potentially improving your personal ability to shoot accurately, with that gun.

I say potentially there because without knowing what your shooting capability is as it stands that is as clear an answer possible.

If you were an excellent precision shooter as it is then a new trigger is unlikely to get you that much improvement, as in you already outshoot the gun's capabilities.

The corollary to that, if you were a less precise shooter now and the gun mechanically can shoot better than you(like in that vise) then a trigger will allow you to shoot the gun more accurately, rather than making the gun more accurate.

Hopefully those ramblings make some sense 😉

Wadi14

Trigger first

Feisar

I'd say try every ammo under the sun first and see if you find something it likes enough to meet your accuracy requirements. See below shot with a factory barrel, everything circled was RWS R100, the second sheet was Eley Tenex Pistol apart from the circled ones, the rest was various ammo. All shot at 55 yards off a bench with a bipod and rear bag. The vertical stringing on the first page I put down to myself, it was my first time seriously shooting a semi and I was coming off a TriggerTech Diamond so my trigger control was sloppy/not used to a 5 lb trigger. I've since swapped out to a Kidd barrel and while it has it's preferences it isn't as fussy as the factory one.

I never had a rifle as fussy as this one, first page bottom left was RWS Subsonic HPs, 9 shots a had left in a box, all over the place and then a minute later the ones beside it with R100. Note I was using the same magazine in case it would effect the results.

Also play around with the action torque, mine likes 30 in/lbs. It might need a good soak with a carbon remover also.

A trigger will make the rifle nicer to shoot though.