Disassembling the Ruger 10/22

© 2009, 2010 Albert A Rasch™ and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
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Part I: Disassembling the Ruger 10/22

Last week we covered the disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly of the Ruger 10/22 magazine. The response was so favorable that we are now going to cover the disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly of the Ruger 10/22 Rifle. Again it will be picture rich, so you should have no problems with the process.

Together, we are going to field strip the 10/22.

As everyone knows, the first thing we are going to do is make sure the Ruger is unloaded, before we do anything. It is important that you instill these habits in yourself and anyone else that handles firearms in your proximity.

Hilti multi-bit tool kit

It's convenient to have one of these multi-bit screwdriver kits. Brownells has an excellent kit with many of the most common bits. With the proliferation of allen head and torx screws now used in firearms these kits are both convenient and compact. This kit is a well made set from Hilti.

Let's begin the field strip with the barrel band, and remove the screw that clamps the band in place. Use a properly fitted turnscrew (screwdriver for garage mechanics) and carefully loosen the screw.

Loosen barrel band screw

Remove the barrel band

You may have to pry the ends slightly to remove the band.


You will notice that just forward of the magazine well is the takedown screw. Again, with a proper screwdriver, loosen and remove the screw. Make sure your screwdriver fits, and don't booger up the screw!

Loosen and remove takedown screw

Now place the safety in the middle between Safe and Fire. The barreled 10/22 action should slide right out of the stock.

Safety halfway between fire and safe

Initial disassembly of the Ruger 10/22

Now you have the the action and barrel out of the stock, so let's remove the trigger assembly.

There are two cross pins that hold the trigger group in place.

Pins that hold the trigger group in place. The Ruger 10/22 trigger group is easily replaced with an aftermarket version.

Push them out from the left side of the action to the right side. See the picture if you are not clear. Use the tip of a small caliber cartridge, or a proper brass drift or punch. The pins are a slip fit. At no time do you need a hammer or any other striking object. Once the action is in the stock, the pins are held in place.

Push pins from action left to rightPins come out easily

The trigger group will drop right out, or lift off depending on how your holding the Ruger. Replacing the trigger group is probably the first and quickest way of increasing the accuracy of your Ruger 10/22.

Remove trigger group. This is a late 90s Volquartsen aftermarket unit.

Now to remove the bolt, we need to remove the bolt stop pin in the same manner as the cross pins.

Bolt stop pin, push action left to right

Bolt stop pin removed

With the bolt stop pin removed, the bolt assembly can be removed. This is pretty much a two handed affair. Pull the bolt handle all the way back.

Bolt and bolt handle held to the rear

Lift bolt out

Remove bolt

When you have the bolt out, let the handle go back slowly forward with your hand. Be careful, if you let the bolt handle fly forward it may crack at impact.

Use both hands to let the bolt handle down

Now you can remove the bolt handle spring and guide rod.

Bolt handle comes right out

The rifle is now completely field stripped.

Removing the Barrel

If you are going to really give it the all over and scrub it clean, then remove the barrel.

Removing a Ruger10/22 barrel is very simple and adding an aftermarket one is just as easy.

You will need a 5/32 allen wrench. There are two machine screws that hold the barrel to the receiver.


Loosen and remove the two screws that tighten the V-block onto the barrel at the front of the receiver.

Remove the V block

Carefully remove the barrel from the receiver. It may take a little twisting and pulling.

The Ruger barrel comes right out

That's it! The Ruger 10/22 is completely field stripped and ready for a thorough cleaning.

We will continue with cleaning on our next Ruger 10/22 installment, and then follow up with the assembly process.

Don't forget we also have done a Ruger 10/22 Rotary Magazine tutorial! Please check it out at:

Disassembling, Cleaning, and Reassembling the Ruger 10/22 Rotary Magazine.

Follow the rest of the maintenance series on the Ruger 10/22:

Disassemble the Ruger 10/22
Clean the Ruger 10/22
Assemble the Ruger 10/22




Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch™
Member: Kandahar Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...


See my friend Michael Lee's custom traditional bows at Michael Lee's Stickbow Archery

Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.

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