Ruger 10/22 BX-Trigger - had it, returned it.. not impressed

[yuppiejr]

For those who are not aware, Ruger has released a drop-in upgrade for the stock 10/22 trigger group - the Ruger BX Trigger. The packaging indicates the drop-in Ruger BX-Trigger will provide a 2.5 - 3 pound pull and is a complete, drop-in solution (remove action from stock, pop the two trigger pins out, remove old assembly, insert new, insert both pins, reinstall stock - done). MSRP is $89 with a street price around $20 cheaper. I recently purchased one of the Ruger Anniversary Contest Winner 10/22's and noticed that Arnzen also had the new Ruger BX triggger in stock. I don't like DIY trigger jobs, so for $75 (with tax) I figured it was a $25 upgrade if I sold the original trigger group for $50 so why not.

After getting the rifle and BX trigger home and safety checked I measured the pull weight of my stock trigger which broke between 6.2 and 6.7 pounds in 10 tests with my crappy Wheeler spring gauge. I installed and tested the Ruger BX trigger on the same rifle which broke at 3.2 to 3.6 pounds on 10 tests. The pre-travel on the BX is LONG and light and breaks with a "snapping carrot" feel. It basically has all the characteristics of a standard Ruger 10/22 poly trigger group with a lighter break... which is about what the advertising presents in a more marketing friendly way. It looks just like the recent polymer trigger groups including the extended magazine release, but DOES NOT include the auto-bolt release modification.

So, for $25 more than the value of my stock trigger I got a lighter stock trigger. Not a bad investment... but when I compared it to my drop-in Hornet Spitfire-S trigger group which is a $60 upgrade I noted the following differences: Auto-bolt release is included, which is a $10 value. The Spitfire trigger group upgrades the stock pins and does not allow it to "wobble" side to side like both Ruger triggers. It has a shorter, cleaner pull thanks to an upgraded trigger, sear and disconnector plus a much cleaner travel & break at 2.75 pounds which only varied .2 pounds when measured 10 times on the same scale as the Ruger triggers.

So... the Ruger BX was returned, a second Hornet Spitfire was ordered and replaced the stock group in my new 10/22, life is good. It was a $60 net upgrade, the extra $35 over the BX trigger upgrade got me the auto bolt release and a significantly cleaner, lighter and more consistent trigger while retaining the (honed) stock hammer for consistent ignition. I looked at doing one of the drop-in Volquartsen or Kidd jobs, but the cost simply wasn't comparable for the end result or effort required (a minimum of $50 for the VQ hammer + bolt release, $109 for the Kidd drop-in kit assuming you upgrade rather than sell your stock trigger group).

Just figured I'd share my experience for anyone else who's looked at one of these, it's not a bad product but for a few dollars more you can do a lot better, in my opinion.

[Hmac]

Also hard to beat the Kidd 10-22 trigger upgrade kit for $105.

http://www.coolguyguns.com/KIDD-Trigger ... _p_95.html

[Thunder71]

I'm a big fan of the Hornet triggers as well, nice write up on the BX however.

[yuppiejr]

I agree the KIDD is a superb trigger once assembled, however it's MUCH more expensive than the other options. The $115 price (if you include the auto bolt release upgrade) for their "drop-in" upgrade gets you parts to drop into an existing trigger group ($50 value) which means $165 total to figure the value/cost of a complete Kidd trigger group.

The Ruger BX and Hornet Spitfire are complete trigger assemblies for $75 and $110 respectively. Assuming you sell the stock trigger group being replaced for the market average of $50 you end up with a net cost of $25 for the BX and $60 for the Spitfire upgrades compared to $165 for the KIDD fully assembled.

If you're doing bang for the buck upgrades that $100 could do a fair bit of damage (extra magazines, a new stock or barrel, Que bolt rework, sling + studs, Tech Sights or other optics, ammo, etc..).

[shooter115]

Nice write up. Ruger makes some fine firearms, but when it comes to triggers they are horrible. I've used a buttload of different trigger kits for the 10/22 over the years, but when you decide you really want a nice trigger, the Jard unit is the answer. It's spendy, but in a whole different class than all the other drop in units.
http://www.jardinc.com/ruger-1022/

[Hmac]

I agree the KIDD is a superb trigger once assembled, however it's MUCH more expensive than the other options. The $115 price (if you include the auto bolt release upgrade) for their "drop-in" upgrade gets you parts to drop into an existing trigger group ($50 value) which means $165 total to figure the value/cost of a complete Kidd trigger group.

The Ruger BX and Hornet Spitfire are complete trigger assemblies for $75 and $110 respectively. Assuming you sell the stock trigger group being replaced for the market average of $50 you end up with a net cost of $25 for the BX and $60 for the Spitfire upgrades compared to $165 for the KIDD fully assembled.

If you're doing bang for the buck upgrades that $100 could do a fair bit of damage (extra magazines, a new stock or barrel, Que bolt rework, sling + studs, Tech Sights or other optics, ammo, etc..).

Everybody has different priorities for executing their hobbies. My firearms hobby budget is more robust than that. I want a really, really good trigger, not the most cost-effective effective trigger that I can cobble together. But yes, YMMV.

[yuppiejr]

The point I was making with my review and comparison to some other lower cost products is that for a few dollars more than the BX-Trigger it is possible to address all of the fundamental shortcomings of the factory trigger with the same swap-in convenience of the BX (which really only addresses reducing release weight).

Once you've gotten to a smooth (less grit/take-up/side to side wobble) 2.5-3 pound trigger with the auto bolt release upgrade you have made a significant leap in function and accuracy of the standard rifle without compromising reliability for a relatively small investment. Further upgrades to the trigger group tend to increase in cost exponentially while providing smaller incremental improvements in function. Additionally, new problems can arise with putting lightweight hammers into 10/22 rifles with stock bolts that have a lot of firing pin slop and frequently lead to accuracy degradation due to inconsistent primer ignition. Suddenly a $160 trigger upgrade also requires a bolt rework ($35), a new barrel requires a new stock, etc, etc...

To each their own, I just built an M1 Carbine tribute 10/22 which involved numerous investments that did nothing to improve accuracy but sure make the rifle look cool as far as I'm concerned.

[shooter115]

IMO auto bolt release doesn't add much for monetary value since it literally takes like 30 seconds with a dremel to mod the factory bolt stop to auto-release. It's so stupid, I'll have no idea why Ruger hasn't fixed them yet.

[grimbeaver]

I had the auto bolt release in one gun but took it out when I had to send in the gun. It has not gone back in either, I've just gotten used to the stock one. I did buy a BX-trigger for my Charger. The reduced pull is really nice in that gun for getting stead shots. But I don't think it's good enough that I would buy them for all my 10/22's.