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Are 10/22 bolt hold open necessary?

John A.

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My 10/22 bolt hold open has never worked correctly.

Most of the time, it doesn't hold the bolt hold open when it's empty like it's supposed to.

And when it does work, is a pain to get the bolt closed and often when there are still bullets in the mag.

Yes, I have seen the various mods and I may go that route, and I have seen the modded aftermarket parts that you can buy.

I'm asking if anyone has tried to remove the part altogether and just simply deactivate it without messing up anything with the gun.
 
The original 10/22 hold open is a real pain... its a type of rocker lever that you push up on one end with the bolt held back to lock it open, then pull the bolt back and press the other end of the lever to let the bolt forward.

The modification to this is the first thing I advise people to do.... a few minutes with a file will fix it.
Once modded, pull the bolt back and push lever up to lock the bolt, then pull the bolt back slightly and let go to close it.
I've never heard of anyone actually removing it as most people need some way of holding open, but I wouldn't imagine it would affect anything else.
 
I may go that route daryll.

It just seems stupid the way they have it set up.

Like they intentionally wanted to screw up an otherwise fine design.

Which is why I was asking about removing it altogether. I don't need or use it anyway.
 
I haven't done anything about it but I agree that it's a pain in the rear to get it to close again.
 
It's not a pain if you watch this guys instructions. Watch until the end, because he shows exactly how the lock works and what happens when you do it his way.

 
Yeah, that's how I understood the BHO too.

It's still counterintuitive, convoluted and unnecessary.

I filed the tit off of the BHO lever so I can simply pull back on the bolt to release it, which is much more straightforward and simple. Honestly, if it weren't for risking damage to the firing pin from dry firing it when empty, I would've taken it out and threw it in the ditch down at the corner of my yard.

 
I've done the mod to all three of my 10/22's. The stock form is annoying and cumbersome. Is complete removal possible without affecting function? If so, I would do it in a heartbeat

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I think it would be possible to remove it altogether, but would require making a long shim to take up the space where the ejector is up against it keeping things aligned properly.

I think a long roll pin or drilled out piece of delrin rod that would allow the pin to slide through it would work.

But what little filing was necessary to the lever itself, was easier than measuring and cutting to make the shim(s).
 
I think it would be possible to remove it altogether, but would require making a long shim to take up the space where the ejector is up against it keeping things aligned properly.

I think a long roll pin or drilled out piece of delrin rod that would allow the pin to slide through it would work.

But what little filing was necessary to the lever itself, was easier than measuring and cutting to make the shim(s).
Good point. Filing takes a couple of minutes.

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The 10/22 doesn't have a last shot hold open function. The bolt hold open is there to make cleaning easier and to knock a stuck casing out of the chamber if necessary. You hit a dry fire on every magazine unless you somehow keep an accurate count and stop firing. Who really does that? You can strip the action out of the stock and pop the trigger group and bolt out to clean it.....or you can remove the barrel from the action every time (I know a guy who does that), but the hold open is the easiest way to brush out the barrel with no real hassle. If you get rid of it entirely, you start fully stripping etc to clean.
 
It makes sense for that reason.
 
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