I think I've finally gotten it the way I want it! I ran with a Primary Arms 3x prism sight for a while and liked it, but the red dot is smaller and lighter. The PA prism sight is working fine on a rifle. I found the UTG fixed "AR" front sight, and a Ruger folding rear (seems a little smaller than the MBUS).
If the red dot poops the bed, I'm thinking I can use the tube as a rough rear sight in a hurry, or deploy the Ruger rear if I have a few seconds. One reason I like the polymer rear sight over the
Magpul "Pro" steel one is not just price, but more importantly, it's a LOT faster into action. I need to open up the rear aperature a bit, though.
I also bought some glow-in-the-dark tape off Amazon. I plan to put a narrow strip up ramp of the front sight, sort of like Matt Bracken described in his Red Cliffs of Zerhounnovel. I have to get out to the range at dusk soon and find out how well it works. The tape glows for a long time. I've used it on the pulls of our ceiling fans, and you can see the faint green glow all night.
This little .22 is so compact with the Hera folder unit, that I think I'll be able to carry it in a book bag easily. It's fairly light as well. The Hera folder does not lock in the folded position: there's a detent, but a quick grab and movement can have it open pretty fast.
The Tandemkross mag bodies are great. It's just the clear shell: you use the guts of two 10-round Ruger mags, giving you a doubled magazine that's fairly compact. It's effectively the same as the factory mag, and they've been very reliable.
One final bit of work remains. I plan to "bed" the action into the chassis with a little JB Weld. I'll remove the trigger group, grease it up and put a little epoxy at the back part of the chassis and (probably) under the front of the receiver at the barrel v-block. This should quell a slight bit of movement I feel when the screw isn't completely tight.
It may not be an AK or an M-14, but it's quick and accurate, and it's small and light enough to possibly be with me -- inside the vehicle, not in the trunk! -- when I need it! Michael's been mentioning recommending Chargers in his podcast, and I think he's on to something. This little .22 and my Glock are becoming my constant companions in these troubled times.
Stay safe,
Dirty Bob