I have a SBR 10/22 with a 4.5" Beyer barrel that I last shot about 18 months ago and it worked 100% at the time

Yesterday I changed out the stock trigger for a Kidd Trigger Job single stage trigger then went out to test fire. I walked about 1/2 a mile in < 15F weather before shooting and it wouldn't cycle properly. Most of the time the trigger didn't reset, sometimes it wouldn't eject the fired case, sometimes it would and load the next round but the trigger wouldn't reset. Needless to say after about 20 rounds I gave up and went back home.

I had a second (16") 10/22 that I also needed to swap the trigger in (to another Kidd Trigger Job trigger) so I changed that trigger and put the second trigger pack in the SBR.

I made a bullet trap out of some wood, sand and a bucket and tested the SBR again... same issues so I put the 16" trigger pack in the 16" 10/22 and it was 100% for a BX-25 (it was about 10F at this point)

Ammo: I first tried some older Winchester Xpert 22 bulk I got years ago, then some Federal AE HV, then MiniMags, all with the same results so I don't think it's an ammo issue.

Could all my issues be due to temps and the short barrel not having enough back pressure to cycle the bolt? I originally thought I messed up changing the trigger, but swapping the second trigger pack around proved that's not the cause.

Thoughts?

Problem trigger work in the other gun? Maybe I missed that. I’d say the temperature and possibly the lube in the problem trigger. 22 is dirty to start with, add sub freezing temperatures and the wrong lube/ dirty action, you’ll have issues. Had a friend that used WD40 and a Marlin 60. He didn’t do much shooting.

I don’t think it’s a problem trigger. One trigger pack worked in the 16” 10/22 after it had malfunctioned identically to the first trigger pack in the SBR. The gun was spotless so it’s not a fouling issue, and it had been lightly lubed with CLP last time I shot it 18 months ago. (I lube my .22’s sparingly so they don’t collect unburnt powder and other crap to foul faster)

I’m guessing it’s either something in the bolt/recoil spring or related to the cold and enough energy to cycle

Could very well be the cold. I've noticed that 22 ammo seems to be fairly temp sensitive, even in bolt actions.

I am going to vote for the cold.
Personal experience recently
Got a new .22 (s&w victory) went to the indoor range (warm and cozy) ran perfect there on multiple visits
Go to a steel challenge match outdoors ( not super cold but chilly by Arizona standards mid 30’s) and jam city.
I also noted lots of people running 22’s of all kinds both rifle and pistol having more issues than usual

Lube and cold affect my rimfires a lot.

At different times I have put handwarmers in a little insulated bag to keep the ammo warm.
But that does not work for the ammo in the gun.
I hunt with a 10/22 and marlin 60 in temps in the negatives. The cold affects the lube and ammo quite a bit in those temperatures.

Shot it again today when it was 32F and it behaved marginally better. It ejected spent cases and loaded the next round more often, but never had enough oomph to reset the trigger as well

If I wanted to make it reliable when it’s cold (honestly not a concern but a curiosity) I wonder if a charger recoil spring would allow it to function any better (are they sprung weaker since they come with 10” shorter barrels?)

What lube are you using?
Kidd makes a kit with three springs.

Very light coating of CLP

Two things come to mind. If you're running a stock bolt it would benefit from a radius job on it. I recommend CPC for his bolt package for about 50 bucks. I would also back off the trigger stop screw a quarter or half a turn to see if that improves the reset.

Maybe try something lighter like sewing machine oil or 3 in 1. If a lighter oil doesn't solve the problem then a lighter spring.

To add to the radius job and Kidd springs, you can polish the inside the receiver where top of bolt contacts it. I stoned (used my knife cermanic knife sharper plate) the top of the bolt rails to a mirror finish. I used 600 grit inside the receiver to remove the rough cast aluminum texture and paint. The action glides so much easier with less effort and not gritty like originally from the factory. It quiets the action too.

Had a chance to take both 10/22's to the range today in 55 degree weather and found the following:

SBR still had issues even with Minimags
16" was 100%

I swapped all the internals (trigger pack, bolt, charging handle assembly) between the two guns:
SBR was better, it was 95% reliable with Minimags, I actually had doubles towards the end of a couple of mags and a couple other issues
16" was still 100%

The one thing I forgot to bring with me was a completely stock trigger pack. If the stock trigger pack is more reliable it makes me think I need to play with springs, maybe use the stock Ruger springs instead of the Kidd Trigger Job springs?