I know the 10/22 as a platform is optimized for customization. I have no experience with either. I handled a RAR in .22at a local shop. Price was in the low to mid $200's if I recall. Had a fiber optic front sight post. I kind of want to own a little .22 rifle, and this one seemed okay. Trigger felt a little on the heavy side for what I was expecting, but in terms of accuracy and reliability is there any significant difference between the two?

The accuracy tests I've seen show the two to be the same. So it would be action choice from there. Slow fire or the ability to pickup the pace.

I have a 10/22.

Quality wise the Ruger American wins.  It has a steel receiver where the 10/22 has an aluminum one and the Ruger American has a dark bluing on it where the 10/22 has a painted on finish (yuck).  Other that that, either will work just fine.  I prefer bolt actions myself but the 10/22 is a fun little rifle to do modifications to.

The triggers are adjustable on the American and the barrel is free floated. I have not been around a large sample size of them but the 2 I own and my Brothers shoot great, better than any stock sporter 10-22 I have seen. I also really like the fit and feel of the stock on the American so much that I bought that style stock for a few 10-22's.

The 10-22 is a great rifle and the standard that all others are judged by. I feel like if you do not have a .22 then a 10-22 is the one to get it is a great rifle stock but with a few mods or aftermarket parts it is an excellent rifle. If you are a DIY type with basic tools than it can be done cheap or almost free they do not have to be money pits.

Of course in todays .22 ammo market some like the bolt action so they do not burn through the ammo to fast  and also because it does not depend on the ammo to cycle the action so anything you find should function in it. As far as durability and reliability the 10-22 is great but it is an auto loader so after 1500-2000rds the action will get enough build up to slow it down and cause malfunctions where the bolt action you can just push/pull harder and force rounds in. If you clean and lube it every 1000rds the 10-22 does not have many problems with quality ammo and you should be cleaning any rifle bolt or semi.

They are both good guns but the American has a steel receiver so the barrel attachment and optic mounting will be a little more rigid and with a factory sporter barrel should have more accuracy potential by a slight margin. The 10-22 has been around for 50+ years and has tons of aftermarket support and is easy to upgrade. You can not go wrong with either one but I imagine you will find yourself wanting both sooner or later.

I would definitely go with the RAR. As others have said, the trigger is adjustable and the barrel is free floated.

I also like the model I bought had a threaded barrel and came with the rail! Also comes with an adjustable cheek rest. This is by far the nicest 22 I have ever held in my hands.

I went the 10/22 route for customization.  I've also got a Savage FV-SR,  so getting another bolt gun seemed redundant.  Would of been cheaper though.

I have both and shoot the RAR 10x as much as the 10/22. I have a threaded barrel on the RAR and not the 10/22, but I find the RAR more fun to shoot either way.

The best answer is, of course, to get both.

Pretty much nailed my thoughts.





Here's a Gunbroker auction on a 50th Anniversary Model 10/22 (stainless barrel/receiver, composite stock) that I wouldn't mind having in my safe.





http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=550321911





 

As the old saying goes, why not have both? They use the same magazines and as mentioned are very close in accuracy. The RAR has an adjustable trigger that's easy to make even lighter if you look up the spring mod on you tube but having quick follow up shots with the 10/22 is undeniable when tracking a running rabbit.
It all depends on what you are using it for. I would personally go find the 50th Anniversary edition as previously mentioned and drop in a BX trigger. Be careful though, once you start modifying it's near impossible to stop!

I have the RAR with the wood stock, model 8329.  It has been a great rifle and a real tack driver with the fiber optic front sight.

If I were to buy another RAR it would be THIS model. Wood stocks absorb vibration instead of transferring it like composite which explains why it is such a good shooter.
And, it just looks like a classier rifle IMHO.

I've been shooting various 10/22's for nearly 40 years now.

The rar destroys it imo at least any factory configuration i've shot.

Suppressed it's literally insane too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKP88kJVYcY

I bought one of those because I liked the stock and thought the markings may make it worth something some day.  Then I bought a RAR to shoot.  So I have a pair that match.  If only the RAR was stainless.

That's exactly the one they have. It looks really good. I think I'm going to have to buy one eventually.

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

Honestly, you kind of have to get both.  They both serve different roles.  IMO, get a 10/22 with a red dot for fun blasting and such, and then a RAR with magnified scope for precision training and varmint control.  The RAR trigger is adjustable, and mine, only 200 rounds in, has gotten a lot better just with a little bit of use and wearing down the contact surfaces.

That's a great looking set-up. The one I saw just had a basic wood stock. The bluing on the receiver and barrel did look really nice, though. I'm going to try and pick it up in the next couple months. I don't think the barrel was threaded, but that's not important to me at this time.

That RAR looks great! Here's another sponge camo job but on a 10/22. It blends right in among the weeds at the farm.

I have several 10/22s.   Do the RARs really out shoot them?    I was thinking of getting a green predator RAR 22 to match my RA 308 predator.  
I have the following 10/22s : Factory Target model, a stainless model set up for Appleseed, a blue and walnut  carbine, a stainless Takedown carbine, and a stainless 16.5" threaded Takedown.  

In my opinion a bolt action rifle will always out shoot a semi auto OF THE SAME QUALITY BUILD.

Well in this case, the RAR is a superior build and a bolt action, so I don't think there is any doubt that it will be more accurate with the same ammo.

The semi auto action leads to a larger SD in ammo velocity because of the inconsistent pressure drop from the action. Maybe it's just a placebo effect, but my RAR significantly out shoots my 10/22. A disclaimer, though, is that my 10/22 is about 15 years old and is certainly not to the same build specs. But based on these bias results and logic I would say yes, the RAR is more accurate.

Get Both

Here is a video of a suppressed RAR hitting various targets.  

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi-5R7xvKI0[/youtube]

Id take a 10/22 over a bolt action if I didn't have a 22 rifle.  You can put a new barrel on the 10/22 that will shoot tiny groups for about $80 depending on what your style.

I would try to get the Threaded barrel.  Bolt guns are fun to shoot with a suppressor.  If you don't have one now you may want one in the future.  I have a couple of bolt 22 mag that are not threaded and they sit in back of the safe.

MAHA

I have a bunch of .22 rifles, a pair of 10/22's among them.  If you want a handy little .22 carbine, then get a 10/22.  If you want a very accurate .22 rifle, I would get a RAR.  

Honestly, at some point I will have both, I just can't justify adding another .22 to the armory until the .22 shortage works itself out.

10/22 if you want to suppress I can't recall the manufacture but there are ported integrally suppressed barrels out there that turn any standard .22LR into subsonic, so it's quiet but works the action reliably.

That said, I'm not all that into the 10/22 and the above configuration is the only way I would want one, so I'd probably go with the American if I was trying to keep things low cost.

I just picked up a 10/22 tactical last week.

Dialed the cheap scope in at 35 yards and started punching 10-shot groups that could easily be covered by a quarter. I was using CCI Subsonics through a TAC65 suppressor.

I don't need anything more accurate than that... and a semi-auto is way more fun than stroking a bolt for every shot.

I also screwed a rail to the side of the stock and hung a flashlight on it for night time critter control.

I have a couple 10/22s and a RAR , like slow shooting my RAR much more then just mag dumps of the 10/22. The ergonomics are better for me on the RAR as well. I have the RAR compact with TB and im pinging 2" steel at 100yrds w/ CCI SV ammo.

I am about to pickup a RAR and if it is substantially more quiet while suppressed I may sell the 10/22.

If you use ammo that will cycle (standard velocity, some subsonics), itll be louder cause youll hear the bolt moving and banging the back of receiver.

Get both?

10/22 is a must have, great for squirrels, plinking, training, etc. all around one of the best firearms you can own.

With that being said, a bolt action .22lr is also a must have. there is something about working the bolt while staying on target and letting the rounds fly. great practice for larger counterparts.

personally I have a thing for savage. I have a 220 and a 111 in 30-06. the MKII was the logical choice for me.