Best Ruger 10/22 Upgrades & Accessories (Complete List)
My mission with this Ruger 10/22 was to put together the best Ruger 10/22 upgrades and accessories available on the market.
I wanted to build the ultimate .22 rifle that could be used for just about anything. Target shooting, survival gun, small game hunting, or just something to have fun with at the range.
The Ruger 10/22 is the best .22 caliber semi-auto rifle there is in my opinion. It is simple and reliable and very easy to maintain. There are a ton of different upgrades and accessories made for this platform and it can easily be customized to your own personal preference.
If you are like me and like taking something that is already good and making it better then you are in the right place. This post will go over and include all of the parts that I like and recommend.
This post will go over the best Ruger 10/22 upgrades that will bring your rifle to the next level!
The Ruger 10/22 is a common .22 rifle that is owned and loved by millions of people. It operates with a simple design and the semi-auto action is very reliable. For a lot of people, this might have been their first gun growing up as a kid.
These rifles are also very affordable and ammo is cheap and easy to come by. (normally)
Click Here to check the current prices of the Ruger 10/22
Ruger also offers this rifle in a wide variety of different small calibers and different styles. I have the takedown variation of this rifle and it is chambered in .22 LR. The Ruger 10/22 upgrades and accessories I go over in this post will work for almost all of the different variants.
Click Here to check the current prices of ammo
RUGER’S CURRENT MODELS OF 10/22 IN PRODUCTION
- Click Here to view them on Ruger’s website
- Click Here to download the owner’s manual
As you may have already known, there are a lot of options when it comes to upgrading your stock on the Ruger 10/22. Unfortunately, I have not been able to try them all but have tried quite a few.
Personally, I believe the Magpul X-22 stock is the best.
It is lightweight and very durable and is also very ergonomic and comfortable to use. It really gives the Ruger 10/22 a completely different feel and makes it more enjoyable to shoot.
Another great thing about this stock is Magpul makes three different versions. One for any standard Ruger 10/22 and the backpacker version and another for their takedown model. (which I have)
The Magpul X22 is very useable and affordable too. It comes in all of Magpul’s different colors and really makes your rifle look good.
- Click here to check the current prices of the Magpul X-22
- Click here to check the current prices of the Backpacker model
- Click here to check the current prices of the Takedown model
The standard barrel that comes on the Ruger 10/22 is ok and you honestly don’t need to upgrade it. However, if you are looking for the best Ruger 10/22 build with the best upgrades and accessories there is one that I definitely recommend.
The Volquartsen Lightweight Barrel is the best and lightest barrel that is available on the market for the Ruger 10/22. They make these for the standard and takedown models.
It is a 16.5″ barrel that is made of carbon fiber and is also threaded. This allows you to attach any muzzle device you want. It comes with a thread protector screwed on the end of the muzzle and it has a very clean look.
The breech is heat-treated which improves the durability and the takedown version comes with a Picatinny rail pre-installed on the top of the barrel so you can add whichever optic or sights you want.
This barrel is light and accurate. It weighs only 1.31lbs and is a tack driver. The Volquartsen Lightweight Barrel is one of the best upgrades you can do to your Ruger 10/22 especially if you plan on carrying it around with you.
You will truly love this barrel.
- Click here to check the current prices of the standard version
- Click here to check the current prices of the takedown version
You can’t talk about upgrades without talking about triggers. This is arguably one of the best parts to upgrade on your Ruger 10/22. There are a ton of aftermarket triggers for this rifle and there are two that I recommend.
The most popular trigger for the Ruger 10/22 has to be the Timney 10/22 Trigger and that is for good reason. This thing is awesome!
It is a fully drop-in complete trigger assembly with easy installation and it comes with an extended magazine release as well.
This trigger has a set pull weight of 2.75 pounds and has absolutely no creep. It is a very smooth and consistent trigger.
This is by far the most popular upgrade that most people do first to their Ruger 10/22.
Click here to check the current prices of the Timney 10/22 Trigger
The Volquartsen TG2000 Trigger is the absolute best trigger you can put in your Ruger 10/22. It has a very crisp break and has consistent a pull weight of 2.2lb.
The pre-travel and over-travel are adjustable and it comes with an extended bolt release which is a nice feature. It is a curved trigger and feels great while shooting.
It is made from anodized aluminum and they make it in a lot of different colors. The entire trigger group weighs only 7 ounces and it is a drop-in trigger so installation is a breeze.
This is the one single upgrade that will completely change the feel while shooting your Ruger 10/22 and will improve your accuracy as a shooter.
Click here to check the current prices of the Volquartsen TG2000 Trigger
RELATED ARTICLES
- Best AR-15 Upgrades & Accessories
- Remington 870 Tactical – Upgrades
- Best Sig MCX Upgrades & Accessories (Complete List)
Moving on to the fun stuff, there are a lot of different options when it comes to sights. Depending on your intended use you may want a scope, red dot, or stick with using iron sights and may decide to go with a combination of both.
Personally, I like having a scope on this rifle because it is mainly used for target shooting but I want the option to hunt small game as well. Also, I upgraded the iron sights that came with the Ruger 10/22.
The Williams Gun Sight Ace In The Hole iron sights for the Ruger 10/22 and a nice upgrade to your rifle. It is a fiber optic front sight with an adjustable rear sight that has a Picatinny rail integrated giving you the ability to mount an optic on it too.
I like running these in conjunction with a low-powered scope and still having the ability to use my backup iron sights.
The front fiber optic is orange and very easy for your eye to pick up giving you fast target acquisition. These sights are CNC machined and made from high-grade aluminum.
If you choose to upgrade your backup/iron sights, these are the ones I recommend and you always have the option of adding an optic later.
Click here to check the current prices of the Williams Gun Sight Ace In The Hole
The scope that makes this best setup for any Ruger 10/22 is the Vortex Crossfire II scope. This scope is perfect to close to medium range and is of very good quality. It is fog-proof and shockproof.
I have used a lot of vortex scopes in the past and have always found that they are very good at a reasonable price. This is a nice little all-around scope and it works perfectly for my Ruger 10/22 setup.
I specifically went with the illuminated reticle version of this scope, and it provides a very bright image without using the illumination in low light as well.
I like how you can light up the reticle and you are still able to see your crosshairs in low light or even very bright environments without it getting washed out.
Vortex makes really good scopes and has the best warranty out of any company.
Click here to check the current prices of the Vortex Crossfire II
For the mount, I went with the Barska See-Through Scope Rings. I liking the ability to still use my fixed iron sights if I needed.
They are used to fit any 1″ diameter scope and work for the Vortex Crossfire II perfectly.
I liked how these scope mounts are quick disconnect as well. They are nothing fancy but they get the job done and work for me.
Click here to check the current prices of the Barska See-Through Scope Rings
If you decide you want to go with a red dot sight and not a scope there are some good options that are also affordable. You can put a very expensive optic on this rifle but being that it’s just a .22 you really don’t need to.
I recommend the Sig Sauer Romeo MSR for a red dot optic.
Sig makes excellent optics and they are also fairly priced. This red dot is perfect for the Ruger 10/22 and won’t break the bank.
It has a 2 MOA dot and is viewed through a 20mm tube. There are also 12 brightness settings (2 are night vision settings) and are parallax-free. It runs on a single CR1632 battery and will last 20,000 hrs on a medium brightness setting.
For the price you cant beat this optic!
Click here to check the current prices of the Sig Sauer Romeo MSR
Last but not least is extra magazines. The Ruger 10/22 comes standard with a 10 round rotary box magazine. It works great but I like having higher capacity and I have 4 of the Ruger BX-25 Magazines.
They have still feeding lips and I never had an issue with any of them. You can also take them apart for cleaning but I don’t think you will ever have to honestly.
I know a lot of people buy the butler creek 25 round mags but I would recommend spending a little more money and going with the BX-25 magazines. Also, if you get the 2-pack of them you actually save some money.
Click here to check the current prices of the Ruger BX-25 Magazines
This setup is overall a great build to get the most out of your Ruger 10/22. Of course, these are not the only upgrades you can do to your rifle but this is what I found works best for me.
One of the best things about this platform is that there are so many different parts and accessories available that you can customize your Ruger 10/22 how every you feel the need to. These parts I went over are what I personally recommend.
What is the first upgrade you are going to do to your Ruger 10/22 and what one do you like the most? Let me know in the comments.
(Click the links for the most up to date prices)
- Ruger 10/22
- Ammo
- Magpul X-22 Stock (Standard)
- Magpul X-22 Stock (Backpacker)
- Magpul X-22 Stock (Takedown)
- Volquartsen Barrel (Standard)
- Volquartsen Barrel (Takedown)
- Timney 10/22 Trigger
- Volquartsen TG2000 Trigger
- Williams Gun Sight Ace In The Hole
- Vortex Crossfire II
- Barska See-Through Scope Rings
- Sig Sauer Romeo MSR Red Dot Optic
- Ruger BX-25 Magazines
Images provided by
Here is an old video of what I started with my Ruger 10/22