I'm looking to step into the 10/22 world for the Holiday season. I've done some reading and research, but wanted to run this by you guys and see if I'm making any mistakes. I'm trying to stay under $350

This will be for my Girlfriend, she's an experienced pistol shooter (Ex-Cop), for her first rifle. Plinking and target shooting are going to be the main uses, and I'd like to look into going to an Appleseed event.

Black Friday sales are showing Cabelas and Gander Mountain with 10/22 Classic for $200, so there's the rifle, boom, done, easy, can't say I messed that part up

After that is where things get confusing, and expensive. I've heard good things about Boyds' stocks, and that is the first part i'll need to really start making it hers. Purple works, Pink is a no go. Girly is ok, but not TOO girly (Women are confusing).

http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/EVO-RUG-10-22-ROY-F-p/600-508.htm

Anyone have experience with this? Good, bad, trust the reviews?

Other than stock I am thinking Kidd bolt buffer, bolt handle and magazine lever. Any aftermarket barrel will probably be out of the price range, for now. Sights I haven't gotten around to looking at, and optics definitely break the bank.

Thank you in advance for your opinions.  

Cop doesn't necessarily mean experienced shooter.  

Needs peep sights from Nodak Spud or Tech Sights much more than different stock although if I was going to buy a standard barrel it would wind up with a M1 copy stock on it someday.

She outshoots me monthly with her Glock 22

I like the look of both sights, and have seen the M1 Stock, and when I get around to buying my own 10/22 I'm going for that.

Maybe It's better if I just get the stock rifle and let her pick the rest out. I just don't think it'll give her much of a wow factor and make her really want to shoot it out of the box.

Tech-Sights always seem to get recommended a lot. I've got them on my Christmas list, so I've got no first hand experience, but they're bound to be better than the stock sights not to mention the longer sight radius. These mount using the existing holes in the receiver though, so if you're looking to put a scope or rail on keep that in mind.

Also, Que's Bolt Work seems like a reasonably priced alternative to other aftermarket bolts. Again, no first hand experience...I just sent my bolt last week.

I'm just getting into this too, but I hope this is helpful.

I think you're on the right track, NIUGoalie.

The 10/22 RB (Classic, standard, whatever you want to call it), paired with that Boyds stock, gives her a great base and makes it "hers" (without breaking the bank).

The Tech Sights TS-100 sights are a great improvement over the OEM sights and are pretty much the standard for Appleseed anyway.

An extended magazine release of some sort is worthwhile.  You don't really need to go aftermarket, though.  The extended mag release that's standard on newer 10/22s is about perfect as-is, in my opinion.

I wouldn't worry about any bolt reworking or anything like that at this point.  I WILL say that a good trigger does wonders for precision shooting.  The new Kidd drop-in kit for the 10/22 polymer trigger housings (standard on new 10/22s) is the bee's knees from everything I've read (I have an older, aluminum trigger housing, so I have no experience with the Kidd kit).  http://www.coolguyguns.com/Ruger-1022-trigger-job-kit_p_95.html  Even if you don't get it right away, get a better trigger eventually.  I thought the trigger on my 10/22 was OK, but a good trigger really made a big difference for me.

I would suggest

1. Tech Sights- very accurate. You WILL be suprised.

2. Medium extended mag release- this makes shooting so much more fun because you just push forward on this and the mag drops out. No more having to flip gun side ways and dig for release.

3. Auto bolt release- watch youtube vid and do this one free yourself.

4. LOTS of ammo!

There is lots more you can do to these guns but this is what I would start with and just have fun shooting it. The Boyds stock is really nice but I would start with the factory stock first and she how she likes to shoot. The Boyd looks to be mostly a bench stock. With the factory you can shoot all posistion with it and if you guys want to later you can shop and customize the gun together. Sounds like fun! Wish I could get my wife into something like that.

Thanks for the feedback guys, I got lucky with this one, thats why I'm also ring shopping.

I will probably go with the tech sights now, and let her pick her own stock. There are too many options and it'll be easier to just have her pick something out. I already have a few thousand rounds laying around. The stuff is cheap, I always tack on a box while ordering other ammo. I'd use it my mark II, but its a pain to clean

If u have a dicks sporting goods in your area they are having it on sale on black Friday for $179.99. Cheapest I have seen it.

Don't forget the Ruger BX25 mags! A cheap red dot sight is alot of fun on a 10-22.

I'll look into that, theres two near me, but I'm not sure if they have a firearms section. Damn Illinois.

Academy has them for $197 every day..

No idea what Academy is... No stores with that name in my area. Its going to be cheaper to buy one around me, even with tax its still less than what it would be with shipping and FFL fees. I don't want to go too far, we have a 24 hour waiting period for long guns here, so whatever trip I make it'll have to be done twice. Heck, Cabelas is 45 minutes away now that I really think about it.

Last year Cabela's ran a black friday special on a 10/22 classic for $170.  When I got there, they were out.  I took the ad in to Walmart and after a little convincing, they matched the price.  I threw some tech signts and a GI sling on it.  The whole package cost me less than $250 and it's one of my favorite guns.  Plus it runs like a champ on Federal bulk pack ammo.

Unfortunately the Wal-Marts in my area don't sell firearms. Neither does Dicks. Once again, yay Illinois. Cabelas is in Cook County (Chicago area), and with travel time and taxes I'm going to be better off buying from the local gun shop for around $240.

Still not too bad, but this part of the country isn't very gun friendly... starting to really think hard about moving. Thats a topic for a different thread

Oh, and Federal bulk pack all the way. That stuff feeds and shoots the best out of any .22LR ammo I've had experience with.

So I picked up a 10/22 and a marlin xt-22r at Dicks for $375 total, with tax. The soon to be fiance was jealous of the Mosin Nagant I just bought and really liked the bolt action. I'll wrap them both together, tell her to pick one and claim the other for myself. I hope she likes the Marlin.