Hopefully RF has my trophy for “Most Articles About a Trigger” boxed up and ready to mail. New readers, or those who missed the first three can catch up by reading my preview, subsequent oh shit moment, and first full review of the Ruger 10/22 trigger from Timney manufacturing. When we left off in early October, Timney had my old trigger and was fixing it up right to correct a known issue with the disconnector spring. I got a trigger group back about two weeks after I sent it off. Notice that I said I got “a trigger group” back. My defective unit had a blue trigger shoe. My new one is red. Do I care? Not one bit.
Does it work correctly? You bet your ass it does. Works like a dream in fact. While I was testing the Umarex/Colt M4 for any feeding issues, I ran my 10/22 through the same tests with great results. As it always has, my 10/22 fed like a champ. No more racking the bolt after every shot and no more brass explosions.
Specifications: Timney Ruger 10/22 Trigger & Action Replacement
Pull Weight: 2.5 lbs as tested
MSRP: $179.95
Ratings (out of five stars)
Ease of Use * * * * *
Probably the easiest accessory I’ve ever installed. Literally defines plug n play.
Feel & Function * * * *
The stock trigger on the 10/22 is bad. This one is quite a bit better. I feel like Version 1 had less slack and was a bit “crisper” than Version 2. It’s a fine trigger and I guarantee that it will help you shoot better if you install it in your 10/22. Not to mention that you get that really cool lever action mag release and a MUCH superior bolt release mechanism.
Overall Rating * * * ½
3.5 stars because the first one tried to blind me out of the box. If it worked like the second one did from the beginning, we’d be looking at a 4.5. I’d only knock half a star off for that slack issue. I prefer to have a trigger with very little slack. I’d almost consider this a two-stage trigger if the first one didn’t act like a single stage. Timney’s customer service was absolutely first rate in turning things around for me. As Chris Dumm pointed out, no mechanical device can have a 0% failure rate. Bad things happen sometimes, and great customer service makes all the difference.
You should also try the Volquartsen. When I had a 10/22 I bought one and loved it. Ended up selling the 10/22 because it tempted me to spend major $$$ on upgrades and in the end a Savage Mk. II will outshoot it for less money than I ended up spending.
I actually am fairly happy with the Ruger 10-22 for what it is. I can tolerate the trigger. I know there are better guns out there, but for a budget priced plinker, the 10-22 does fine.
The Timney trigger costs about the same as the entire rifle. Timney makes great triggers, but I don’t think that it’s an upgrade that makes sense for an inexpensive little .22. Besides, I’m happy with my stock 10/22. If I wanted a 1/2 MOA target rifle, I would have bought one.
Exactly. I just bought a stainless 10/22 for $210. I know these are the ultimate project guns, but does it really make sense to drop in a trigger that costs 90% of the cost of the rifle?
These are plinkers, for God’s sake. If you want a match rifle, buy an Anschutz.
The cheapest Anschutz is $1,000, bolt-action, not very customizable, and does not even resemble the famed Anschutz olympic rifles. Worse, these things often enough get beat in tournaments by 10/20’s that end up costing 2/3’rds as much (trigger group, Walther or other barrel) as the cheap Anschutz. You can buy a semi-auto .22LR accurate rifle from CZ, the 512, for about $420, but it is no special target slayer, only holds five in the magazine, is heavy and ugly, and I’d prefer a customized TD 10/22, thank you. I can leave it in my pack without a thought. I wear the ugly G20.
People buy 10/22’s to buy and then build an accurate fast-fire rifle. The relative price of parts to the entire new gun isn’t a meaningful statistic: You can put together a rapid fire, very reliable Ruger with a reliable 2.5 lb break, good barrel, great reliability, and endless customizability….for about $700.
The market in which the Ruger 10/22 competes is extremely price-competitive. That implies that upping the two main components (barrel and trigger group) to competition or fast accuracy is going to cost. Ruger knows it has two market segments, and they are both thriving; one are the Ralphs, those who just want a rough plinker (for what?) versus those who want a good shooter that is sufficient for local tournaments and fast in the field hunting rabbits or ptarmigan.
I can gladly confess to owning a 10/22 takedown with a Timney trigger group and few other parts. Functionally it’s like a whole new gun. Very accurate, fast, durable, and with a trigger feel nearly identical to my favorite AR (which is the point). It’s a great little rabbit and teach-the-kids gun.
I’m with Tyler: It makes sense to tune up the guns you use the most often. A bigger waste? [I’m deleting here the long inventory of defensive shotgun, rifle, pistols, scopes, EOTechs, etc., in deference to manners.] But you begrudge me $200 for a nice trigger group (plus better mag and bolt release) on my 10/22? $200 isn’t even a good dinner downtown for two. All the defensive items cost many thousands (I exempt from valuation skeets)! and yet my chance of getting value out of them is MUCH less than Tyler will get out his 10/22 through actual small-game hunting on the ranch…. or so I would guess. Sure, it’s nice to have a good CCW pistol, a good Benelli behind the door…but that’s all over-complicated prep for a shoot-the-perp that will never likely happen. I point the thing (three times in adult life) and they run away. The deer, moose, and rabbits often don’t run away.
Well done, Tyler, well done.
The base price is nothing. The time to measure value is after all the work has been done and you’ve put it to use for ten years and measured your cumulative joy. Rant. Laugh.
The Anschutz is not a box magazine semi auto.
You replaced a $200 gun part with a $180 trigger? STOOOPID!!
It’s not in the least STOOPID. You start with a crappy feeling $200 gun, and the next thing you know you have a great feeling $380 gun that shoots tighter groups (or minutes of rabbit) at 100 yards. The trigger makes a huge difference. In reloading the improved auto bolt release and better mag release are also non-trivial, and are part of the new trigger pack.
Can you buy a better-shooting, faster, more durable, high-capacity takedown .22LR for less? No.
First of all,replacing a worthless trigger with a good trigger is not stupid to those who care about such things and judging from most of the comments above,it does’t seem like many here have tried anything but the stock Ruger trigger which is absolute junk. On top of that,not everyone has the cash to drop on an Anschutz or even want to for that matter. The Volquartsen trigger group is a step up but it is still based on the Ruger design and therefore,it can only be improved so much. I first tried a re-built Ruger trigger group and then a Volquartsen and both were sloppy with a lot of creep,etc… and while I have not tried the Timney,I shoot with a Kidd and it has improved my accuracy tremendously. I grew up shooting a stock 10/22 and still own it but the difference is literally incomparable. With that said,this trigger and the review are directed at people who aren’t satisfied with the stock Ruger trigger and for those of you who are,more power to you,but to call it STOOOPID only shows your ignorance. There are numerous manufacturers of high quality aftermarket 10/22 parts from stocks,barrels,receivers,etc… and most people who buy a trigger like this buy other parts as well.
Comments are closed.