Tech Tip: Ruger 10/22 Basic Maintenance

Hi everyone, Caleb here from Brownells. Today, I’m going to walk you through the basic maintenance steps for your Ruger 10/22, the BRN-22, and pretty much any Ruger 10/22 clone. This is crucial for keeping your rifle in top condition, so let's dive right in.

First and foremost, safety is key. Make sure your firearm is completely unloaded. Remove the magazine, pull back the bolt, and check the chamber to ensure there's no ammunition inside.

Once that's confirmed, let’s start the disassembly. Most Ruger 10/22 models just need one tool for disassembly — typically a screwdriver. You'll find a screw at the bottom of the stock, right in front of the magazine well. Depending on your model, this could be a flathead or an Allen screw. Unscrew this, but there's no need to fully remove it; just enough so that the barreled action can be lifted out of the stock.

Here’s a pro tip: make sure your safety is in the middle position during this step. If it's not, it might catch on the stock, making it difficult to remove the barreled action.

With the action free, let’s focus on cleaning the bolt and the receiver. If you have a factory setup, your buffer and pins might fall out easily, and that's okay. Just set them aside. For those with aftermarket parts, they might be tighter, and you may need a punch to remove them. Once the bolt is accessible, clean it thoroughly using a good solvent like Hoppes No. 9. Apply the solvent to a brush and scrub all parts of the bolt and the receiver, paying extra attention to areas with visible build-up.

To clean the barrel, we apply solvent to the brush and run it through a handful of times. Then, we can follow up with clean patches as well as oiled patches to clean and protect the bore.

For the trigger group, a simple wipe-down is usually sufficient for regular maintenance. It’s important to keep the hammer and the ejector clean since they play crucial roles in the firing process.

Lubrication is next. Apply a high-quality gun oil to all moving parts where metal contacts metal. This includes the bolt, the charging handle, and especially the face of the hammer, which rubs against the bolt when firing.

Once everything is clean and lubricated, it's time to reassemble. Reverse the disassembly steps, making sure everything snaps back into place correctly. Finally, conduct a function check to ensure everything is working properly. This means checking the safety, firing mechanisms, and making sure the bolt retracts and returns smoothly.

And that’s it! You’ve just completed basic maintenance on your Ruger 10/22. Regular maintenance like this will ensure your rifle continues to perform well and lasts for many years.

If you have any questions or additional tips, please leave them in the comments below. Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more tutorials like this. Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you next time!