New From Sturm Ruger: BX-Trigger for 10/22 and 22 Charger

1. Awesome, I was dreading dropping 200 on a new go switch, 90 seems reasonable. When can we expect a review?

   • Keep in mind that’s MSRP. Street price will probably bring it down to the $70 range.

2. I wonder if it is better than the Hornet custom trigger housing groups I picked up for $85 a bit back (looks like their price has gone up to $119 as of today, but I believe they give a $30 credit for the housing).

   How about just installing it act the factory with a slight pricing bump? The housing is ‘already paid for’ as it were. Both of my 10/22 stock triggers were simply loathsome. It wasn’t the weight so much as the 1/4 mile of gravelly creep before they break.

   • I agree that this should immediately become the new standard trigger unit in new 10/22s.

     Hey Ruger: don’t sell me a new rifle with a crappy trigger, then tell me you have the perfect solution, and you’ll be happy to sell it to me for extra money. That may work for all the older guns out there, but it ain’t gonna fly for new guns. Just make it right the first time, hmmm?

     As for the older 10/22s, my solution has usually been a Volquartsen target hammer kit for around $45 (delivered). It gives you a HUGE improvement over the stock trigger pull (in both weight and “feel”), and is quite easy to install if you don’t mess with the stock springs (unnecessary in my experience).

     http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/triggers-parts/hammer-parts/hammers/10-22-drop-in-hammer-prod13872.aspx

     • Yup. The volquartzen is tough to beat. I love mine.

       • Had the Volquartsen hammer for the past few years. First upgrade I made. Drops the pull weight down substantially but the feel didn’t improve much. Going for a Kidd drop in kit having tried my buddy’s. Now THAT’S a nice 10/22 trigger.

       • Is that the “KIDD ‘Trigger Job’ Kit with Hammer, Sear, Disconnect, and Trigger blade”? Or the complete trigger guard housing with all the parts already installed?

         I’ve never tried a 10/22 with the first item, above, installed in it. The complete housing drop-in kits are very nice, but like the VQ, quite a bit of money.

3. Is it too much to hope for a metal trigger and guard? The housing looks plastic.

   • Given that is what Ruger is building their OE housings out of, I’d expect that it stays plastic.

     • The price is tempting, but it would be hard (mentally) to remove my lovely metal parts and replace them with plastic. Especially since the gun came with an actual wood stock and stainless barrel.

   • Check out the video titled ’10/22 Polymer Trigger Guard’. http://www.ruger.com/products/1022Carbine/extras.html

     I’m not sure the results would be the same at -40F, but if Dick Metcalf says it’s so it must be.

     • Yeah, I’ve always thought that this demo was a “set up”, specifically designed to highlight a supposed weakness in the metal trigger guards that the polymer trigger units “corrected” or solved.

       In real life, the type of focused impact that they show with the test jig is almost impossible to reproduce. The barrel extending forward and the pistol grip extending rearward form a protective surrounding structure that prevents the trigger guard itself from taking any impacts due to dropping the rifle on a hard and relatively flat surface. Even if you hang out in area with a lot of head-sized rocks, the chance of dropping your rifle so it lands with the trigger guard on a rock, and without any other part of the rifle striking first, is about as likely as winning the lottery.

       It was really just a weak attempt by Ruger to deflect criticism about cheapening their flagship 10/22 by replacing a major metal component with plastic. Fail.

       • Typically polymer parts are only cheaper when you make a large quantity of them, which Ruger does. But even if it saves them money (which they pass on to either the customer or the shareholders – after the government takes it’s share, of course), it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an inferior product. My guess is that at 0 degrees they both fail, but at 70 the polymer is more durable.

       • More durable is fine, but only if the durability is being testing and found wanting in normal use. As I said above, it’s almost impossible to duplicate the circumstances they set up in their test, in the real world. If Ruger has replaced more than 50 trigger guards for breakage in the last 50 years of production, I’d be shocked. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they have NEVER replaced one for breakage.

         In the real world, it Just. Doesn’t. Happen.

       • Please replace “is being testing” with “has been tested”, above.

         I never got an edit option on that post. Strange…

       • Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought 10/22s used to be made with steel trigger guards, not aluminum. This test was on an aluminum trigger guard.

       • I don’t believe they were ever made of steel.

         I’ve owned 10/22s from the second and third years of production, both had aluminum trigger guard assemblies. Normally, I’d be able to check Workman’s historical book on the 10/22 to be sure, but I lent it out a while ago, and it hasn’t been returned to the bookcase by the borrower.

       • DJ9, there is always good enough and better yet. Just because a product is perfectly fine as it is doesn’t mean it can’t be improved upon. If Ruger can sell a rifle that’s just as good or maybe even slightly better for $2 less and weighs 1/4 ounce less than it’s worth changing the status quo. Of course that all breaks down if they sell a diminished rifle for $2 less.

         Personally I’ve never been a big polymer pistol fan but the small pieces being made of polymer don’t bother me. The magazine always was plastic, so I don’t see a problem with another piece or two. Of course we’re also talking about a $200 .22LR semi-auto rifle. If we were talking about a $3000 1911 or custom bolt action rifle the plastic pieces would be unacceptable.

       • In my experience with R/C cars/trucks, certain parts, like a-arms, bulkheads and various other bits and pieces, plastic composites are stronger and more durable. and not necessarily cheaper either.

         My 2 cents, the plastic one is slightly tougher, and slightly cheaper. My 10/22, purchases on my 18th birthday, has the aluminum trigger housing. I would not be loath to replace it with a plastic one. Only reason I am not buying one of these units is that I put a replacement hammer in my current trigger group and it works fine for me. that and my cheap centerpoint scope, we have sent many varmints to the happy hunting grounds. As it stands, me and the squirrels have a uneasy truce, if they don’t chew on the DSL line, i wont shoot anymore of them.

   • How many people are going to be using their 10/22s so hard that a metal trigger guard is a must-have? It’s a plinking gun, not a tactical carbine.

     • And a synthetic stock is always more durable than a wood stock. But sometimes you want that wood and sometimes you want that metal.

4. Neat.

   Is it gauche to buy my own stocking stuffers?

   • Nope, not at all. (Or I might just be saying that to make myself feel good for buying myself stocking stuffers and a few ballistic presents!)

   • Nope. Cuts out the middleman and you get exactly what you asked for. And, you know, you’ll be genuinely thankful for such a thoughtful and desirable gift.

     “Gee, just what I wanted! How did you know?”

5. This is dandy! I want one.

6. Am looking forward to the review, perhaps a comparison with the excellent but expensive ($260) Volquartsen TG2000.

   • I shot a friend’s 10/22 with the Volquartsen trigger. You’d think that a trigger that costs as much as the entire rifle would improve accuracy, but no. We tested three rifles side by side: the Volquartsen-equipped 10/22, my box-stock 10/22 all-weather and another friend’s 10/22 takedown. The Volquartsen model shot no better than the two standard rifles.

     • Ralph, to give it a fair and proper test, I’d think you’d want to compare groups in the same gun, with and without the match trigger assembly, not compare totally different guns.

       I’d bet a test using a selection of a certain 10/22’s “favorite” ammo, fired off a rest, both with and without the Volquartsen trigger pack, would show significant improvement. I won’t try to tell anyone that it’s worth what they charge for it (that’s a personal decision), but unless your stock trigger is VERY good (a possibility, although that’s not the way to bet), then I’ll say that MOST 10/22s would shoot better with the Volquartsen trigger group.

7. I’ve wanted to put a Timney in mine but they cost more than I paid for the rifle.

   • I bought a barely used 10/22 with a Timney in it. I had the option of leaving it out, but for the extra 100 dollars it was worth every penny. Haven’t done a thing to that gun and it shoots great. It must have been luck, none of my other 10/22’s have shot as good without new or reworked barrels, bolts, etc…

     • The Timney I put in my Remington 700 was worth every penny, but then it was only $130 and it saved me from having to send my rifle back to Remington to sit in storage for 13 weeks before they took it out and fixed my trigger.

8. Tough to say which trigger is worse – the mil spec AR or the 10/22. Hope this is a good fix.

9. I’ve got a Tactical/Target model with the Hogue stock, and I always thought it had a really good trigger — short, light, and crisp. It sure doesn’t feel like 6#. I wonder if this is just a drop-in version of what came in my rifle?

10. If you’re building from scratch, this is a no-brainer considering a standard trigger group is $50. Don’t think I’ll be rushing out to replace mine, but there’s definitely some un-tapped middle ground in the 10/22 market. I’d no sooner spend the money on Volquartsen parts than diamond pinkie rings. I’m sure they’re fine parts, but it’s still just a toy gun that you can’t even get ammo for. Gotta maintain *some* perspective in this hobby.

11. The amount of money required to make a 10/22 accurate could be better spent a good rifle.

    • I can place every round in a 1″ orange dot sticker pretty much every time at 50 yards with mine and that’s with the crappy trigger. I’d call that Minute of Squirrel Head. If you’re looking for squirrel head shots out past 100 yards you might have a point though.

      • I think any 10/22 can do that, either right out of the box or with a couple hours of free modifications. Considering the limitations of the 10/22 design and the limitations of the ammo itself, going any further seems virtually futile. The 60’s carbine I had would shoot like that after free floating the barrel. But I still felt the need to build my own tacticool one (Razor 80% receiver) that does not even as good but looks cooler.

        • I guess if you’re trying to make youtube videos of yourself lighting matchsticks with your .22 you might need something more accurate, but you still won’t be as hot as Kirsten Joy Weiss.

12. An affordable trigger for the 10/22? Sign me up.

13. Since I bought my 10/22 in 1974 for $69.00,I dont think I would buy a trigger that costs more than the rifle.
    after about 200,000 rounds through it my trigger softened up just fine.

    • Yep, the older models had a decent trigger right out of the box, and they usually got better with age and use.

      If you haven’t tried the trigger on a newer model, you should, just so you know how lucky you are. Notalima, above, used the word “loathsome” to describe it, and that is the best one-word description I’ve heard to date. Simply nasty, and very hard to use with any level of accuracy.

      • When did the 10/22 triggers change from acceptable to loathsome?

        • I don’t think there is a cut-off date, before which they were okay, and after which, they sucked.

          By the late 90s, they were getting heavier and heavier, although they didn’t seem as creepy as current models. After the change to the plastic trigger guard/housings, I haven’t felt a decent trigger pull on a 10/22, but there was also a change from the flat tool-steel hammer with separate bushing to a one-piece (MIM, I believe) hammer at some point in the last 10 years or so, so it’s not all (or even mostly) attributable to the trigger guard/housing change.

          Just a gradual cheapening, creeping cost-cutting, etc. Barrel bands are now plastic, used to be aluminum; same for the magazine release lever. Many (most?) models now have synthetic stocks, vs. wood. They experimented with a rough matte-black crackle-type finish on the exterior of the receiver for some models; a few folks tried to remove the finish to apply something else, only to find the receivers underneath the finish were roughly machined, with many tool marks in evidence (effectively hidden by the rough crackle finish).

          Other companies are doing it too, but it seems more obvious on the old classics like the 10/22.

    • According to my inflation calculator, $69 in 1974 has the same buying power as $332 today. So you’re not paying more for the trigger than the gun in real terms. You could actually buy the trigger more than three times over for the adjusted price of your rifle.

14. It’s time they made standard, an auto bolt release, like the Volquartsen.
    https://www.volquartsen.com/products/158-automatic-bolt-release

    If you do nothing else to a 10/22, you must add that, sling swivels and a sling.

    • I got one of those in a few minutes with a file.

      • That, or a Dremmel might be better but the chance of bricking the part or the trial and error of getting it right just isn’t worth it, IMO. Not for a lousy 12 bucks. But good for you.

        • Did mine with a file as well thinking, “Psh, if I up-f*ck it, a replacement is only $10.00.”

15. If you want the best 10/22 parts you want Kidd. Get their drop in trigger kit for your plastic housing. Few bucks more than this and it is excellent. They even have a two stage complete metal housing trigger. I’ve shot mine with the Volquartsen hammer upgrade vs my buddy’s with the Kidd drop in, and I have the Kidd on the way for Christmas. Also have Kidd barrel, charging handle assembly, bolt buffer. Excellent products.

    And BTW I bought my 10/22 as my first firearm specifically because I could modify it myself without a gunsmith. That’s half the appeal. And yeah I have way more than double the original cost in it.

    • Yep, that is a big part of the appeal. I saw a good deal on a Nordic stock from a New Yorker who can’t use it anymore, that’s my Christmas present to myself, I have just the gun to put in it, and it has a Timney trigger already.

16. Cool. If I didn’t already have a Kidd trigger kit (which is amazing), I’d buy one of these.

17. Next up: Ruger announces target version of 10/22 with the BX-Trigger installed as a stock item.

    • I think you may have hit the bullseye with that prediction…

18. Everyone is worried that the drop in trigger is plastic, hmmm, I guess all the sr Rugers, Glocks and etc. (plastic guns) are crap too, hmmm. Keep sharp out there, don’t trust some and watch the others!
    P.s. before anyone tells me glass filled, I do know the difference, “plastic” is just what it is, they are alloying it, that’s all!

19. Metal vs. plastic: I had Mossberg 590A1 with a metal trigger guard that fell about 30 inches on to a concrete floor and broke in two places. I don’t think cast aluminum is much of an improvement over plastic.

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