Faxon ruger 10/22 bolt in a rifle with a scope

 

There are many parts that make up a 10/22 rifle, and each one of them plays an important role. However, the most critical component of the Ruger is the bolt. The trigger may be what initiates every shot, but it’s the bolt that’s responsible for shot-to-shot operation.

A high-quality bolt affects more than just reliability. The bolt face, its consistency, and how the firing pin strikes the bullet significantly contribute to the rifle’s accuracy.

Faxon Stainless Steel Bolt Assembly for 10/22

Faxon bolt sitting on it's butt against a white background

Whether you’re building up a new gun or keeping an old favorite running, the Faxon 10/22 Bolt Assembly is compatible with the OEM receiver, trigger group, charging handle, and bolt stop pin. The Faxon 10/22 bolt is fully assembled and ready to drop into your Ruger 10/22.

Specs

  • Material: 17-4 PH Stainless steel, H900
  • Hardness: HRC 40 – 47
  • Round Firing Pin
  • Sharp Extractor

Why Upgrade a 10/22 Bolt?

Upgrading the bolt improves reliability and accuracy on any 10/22 rifle. A high-quality bolt aftermarket bold like Faxon’s is properly radiused and polished to enhance the reliability of the cyclic action.

Additionally, Faxon’s 10/22 bolt has the proper head spacing in order to improve the reliability of the bullets feeding from the magazine into the chamber. Lastly, proper firing pin protrusion ensures optimal striking of the rimfire case.

All these small improvements add up to better overall reliability, consistent performance, and improved accuracy.

faxon bolt sitting against a white background

Does The Ruger 10/22 Have a Bolt Hold Open?

Out of the box in the stock configuration, the Ruger 10/22 doesn’t have a last-round bolt hold open feature. To add the bolt hold open feature, you need a third-party upgrade such as the CST Auto Bolt Stop.

What is a 10/22 Bolt Buffer?

A bolt buffer replaces/upgrades the bolt stop pin in your 10/22 receiver. The OEM bolt stop pin is made from steel, whereas the bolt buffer is made from a polymer material.

Over time the steel bolt stop pin can cause micro-cracks in the receiver due to repeated impacts of the bolt during shooting. The bolt buffer mitigates that and several other issues by being manufactured out of a polymer material.

top view of a ruger 10/22 bolt from faxon firearms

There are three main benefits of replacing the bolt stop pin with a bolt buffer.

  1. It reduces the sound when the bolt slams rearward during the cycling action during shooting. This is also a benefit when shooting suppressed as it greatly reduces the noise signature even more.
  2. The 10/22 blowback action is less shaky because of the dampening of the recoil and bolt cycling vibrations.
  3. It can prevent cracks in the 10/22 receiver resulting from prolonged usage, high round count shooting, or the added stress of high-velocity ammo.

top view of a faxon firearms bolt against a white backgound

The Ruger 10/22 bolt by Faxon includes a bolt buffer to replace the OEM bolt stop pin. If you’re interested in learning more, check out more on the Ruger 10/22 Bolt here.

 

This article originally appeared at Firearms Press and is reprinted here with permission. 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

32 COMMENTS

  1. I purchased a Ruger 10/22 Takedown with the Target Fluted Bull Barrel a month ago. Since then, I have upgraded the bolt, buffer pin, and charging handle. I agree the bolt is critical for increased accuracy. I did not know about the Faxon bolt so went with Tandemkross for the same price. Also looked at the KIDD bolt. While many claim the takedown 10/22 is inherently less accurate than with standard stock, I am getting sub-MOA accuracy from this rifle and have yet to replace the stock trigger. With ammo prices on the rise these days, 22LR shooting is that much more fun.

    • Palmetto State Armory: Norma Tac-22, $4 per 50 rnds. ($0.08 per round). Pretty good accuracy in my Ruger Precision .22lr and CZ 457 with match chamber. Not a match round, but, plenty accurate for NRL22 or PRS22 practice.

    • I bought a Marlin 60 at Walmart for $97 back in the 1990s. Other than adding a 4x scope, I’ve never upgraded anything on it. It works great. ☺️

      Heck, I also bought a Rossi RS22 just a couple years ago at Bi-Mart for $99. No upgrades at all

      It also works fine.

      • Good deal and you are wiser than I am. These 22LRs are fun and infinitely upgradeable, or not. I shoot mine regularly at my gun club, and I feel good that my session costs me about $6 for 100 rounds. I was shooting a lot of 9mm or .223 and the ammo has become crazy expensive. So I am saving it for when the zombies attack. I wanted to accurize my 10/22 as a way of owning a “cheap” precision 22LR instead of plowing thousands into one of the custom bolt guns. Enjoy.

        • No, I’m just cheap and basic. 😏
          Speaking of 22s this year, I got one of the CMMG 22 conversion kits for the AR15. It works well, and seems to line up with the red dot on my AR pistol and scope on the carbine (at least at 25-35 yards). It’s fun and gives me a chance to practice a little more with the AR.

          It also helped when I introduced my niece to the AR platform. I started her with the 22 to get familiar with the platform and then moved her up to 5.56.

    • “TTAG still hiring morans”

      Now, that’s just too funny, a dumb-ass who can’t spell ‘moron’, criticizing TTAG for making an error.

      Thanks! I needed a good laugh today, and an actual moron provided it! 🤣 🤣 🤣

  4. I’ve owned a couple over the years. I’ve never seen one unreliable. they just work. Like the Energizer bunny. upgrading might be great and fun but it’s already the best out there for the common market place. and it’s a 22lr. it ain’t going make you an operator upgrading it or not.
    if it’s going to be a competition gun then ok. but then trigger, stock, receiver and barrel will be required. just like the rest of the sport they can rapidly become a money hog for what? But for plinking. too much money. save it for more ammunition and have more fun.

    • “I’ve never seen one unreliable. they just work.”

      The BX-25 mags can cause issues. The standard 10-round rotary mags are reliable, in my experience…

    • Had one that misfed like crazy.

      Replaced the return spring and guide rod, the extractor, the bolt buffer, made sure it was completely clean including the edge of the chamber that tends to get leaded on 22s. Still misfed like crazy.

      Sent it back to Ruger. It came back with a new bolt and no further issues.

  5. Before I plunk down 135 bucks, I need to see a comparison test. Shoot some groups with a stock 10/22, swap out the bolts, shoot some more and show me the improvement. “Trust us, it’s better” doesn’t cut it.

    • “Before I plunk down 135 bucks, I need to see a comparison test. Shoot some groups with a stock 10/22, swap out the bolts, shoot some more and show me the improvement.”

      An excellent idea.

      TTAG management, if you can score a review unit, I volunteer to run that test. I have 2 10/22s, a Charger and the 10/22 Tactical. You have my contact info… 🙂

      • EDIT –

        I’ll also volunteer to review the bolt-hold-open device, as well… 🙂

    • Since they keep harping on reliability I’d also like to see that compared. If they can improve on the 10/22 there I’d be more impressed than at the accuracy.

  7. I’ve thought seriously about building a 10/22. The only problem I’ve ever had with these guns is the lack of last round hold open. This would have more value to me than a replacement bolt from Faxon.

  12. “Over time the steel bolt stop pin can cause micro-cracks in the receiver due to repeated impacts of the bolt during shooting. The bolt buffer mitigates that and several other issues by being manufactured out of a polymer material.”

    It’s a friggin .22 LR rifle! Has anyone ever seen a Ruger 10/22 that’s been fired to the extent that it has developed receiver cracks?

  13. Some moons ago I got into 10/22s and purchased a NIB ported fat barrel beauty with a Fajen stock off Gun Broker. It was an oddball build from Ruger. A friend who had a 10/22 from Clark’s Custom Guns did some minor grinding so the bolt could be released. I had a ball with that rifle until one day our friend’s 14yo son scored better than myself and his daddy too, what happens when daddy is the best shot in the PD. That rifle now belongs to my huntin’ brother and like all firearms he has acquired from me it has not been shot and probably never will be.

    As for Faxon I use Faxon Big Gunner 20″ medium profile barrels for my AR .308 builds. Because of barrel weight I had no .308 choice other than Faxon as Criterion was out of stock. Most .308 Faxon barrels I ordered from various vendors have arrived with bores ranging from salt bath dirty to filthy, fortunately all cleaned up nice and headspaced with Toolcraft BCGs. If the headspace is a half hair too tight and dummy rounds will chamber including with the forward assist (Aero Precision) and eject easily and your location is clear of livestock, humans and the muzzle is headed in a safe direction with a designated impact zone proceed to tie a long string to the trigger, put the rifle in a tire loaded with one round in the mag, release the bolt, flip safety, hide behind a tree and pull the string, repeat 5 more times and check headspace, should be on the money. Actually the rule here is any build hotter than 5.56 gets the tire.

  14. I have an ABS 3D printed receiver with 1K rounds through it that seems fine. Not too sure I believe the need for a buffer on one of these.

  15. I dont see anything on linked website that says the bolt comes with a bolt buffer. Just FYI…I bought a 2nd hand 10/22 at a gun show that didnt even have a bolt stop pin and the gun ran fine. I dont recommend it and I bought a replacement pin. I have seen delrin and nylon aftermarket pins advertised.

  16. Bolt buffer? I went to a hardware store a few years back and bought a big baggie of 1/4″ nylon bolts that had a long unthreaded portion. I cut off the heads and trim the other end to fit and got perfectly serviceable bolt buffers for my 10/22s, for under twenty cents each.

Comments are closed.