Re: Question About Ruger 10/22 Tactical Autoloading
For a "starter"...they are just "okay" but nothing terribly special. The Hogue stocks (in my experience and opinion) are not great (especially when shooting from a bipod...the forends tend to flex and can cause barrel contact and accuracy problems). The triggers need work to make them smoother/lighter (I have seen some with half-decent out-of-the-box triggers while others felt like like dragging a cinderblock down a gravel road). Finally, the Ruger factory barrel accuracy, while acceptable, isn't as good as you can achieve with any number of different aftermarket barrels.
Will it allow you hours and hours of enjoyment and practice for pennies compared to your 308...YES (HELL YES). Is it an ideal training rifle or at least out-of-the-box ready to compete...NO.
I guess it all depends on what you want to end up with (your expectations for accuracy, etc.) and what your total budget for the rifle, any mags/accessories, and optics/rings might be.
When it comes to 10/22 rifles, I have always started with the most basic, budget-minded, standard model from Wally World or the local pawn shop and built up from there. That enables you to get a decent enough receiver on the cheap to which you can: 1) add the barrel (material, length, contour, etc.) of your chosing; 2) do a trigger job (or buy a complete trigger unit like from Kidd, Clark, Jard, etc.) to get you to a reasonable trigger pull (2.5lbs or so) with little to no creep, etc.; 3) pick a stock that best suits your shooting style/needs, etc.
