The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Tactical Rifle & Carbine => Topic started by: Big Frank on October 27, 2023, 06:41:23 AM
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With apologies to Uncle Sam's Misguided Children (USMC).
This is my 10/22 rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My 10/22 rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
Without me, my 10/22 rifle is useless. Without my 10/22 rifle, I am useless. I must fire my 10/22 rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will ... never mind.
My 10/22 rifle and I know that what counts in the woods is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit ... squirrels.
My 10/22 rifle is human, even as I [am human], because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my 10/22 rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will ... live happily ever after.
Before God, I swear this creed. My 10/22 rifle and I are the defenders of my yard. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but peace!
In the first pic, I have the 110-round drum magazine made by German Sport Guns (GSG). Why a 110-round drum, you may ask? Why the heck not! You can see the ink pen I used to prop the gun up long enough to take the pictures. :) In the second pic, I have 2 Ruger BX-25 mags with Powers Custom (now Grand Masters, L.L.C.) Powers Magazine Couplers. The muzzle brake is a Smith Enterprise slip-on that's very similar in design to these 2 screw-on models. Nothing was holding it on but a small set screw on the bottom. After putting one downrange at Williams one day, I bought another one. This time I drilled a hole in my front sight and filed a V notch across the top of muzzle brake. Now it's pinned on, but I need to re-drill the new front sight and put a longer roll pin in it. The sights are a Tech SIGHTS Model TSR100 with dual leaf flip apertures (0-2 is short range aperture) just like an AR-15. It's the one on the left in the picture, and it's not colored. It came with a matching elevation adjustable front sight, also just like an AR-15. The folding stock is an old Butler Creek model that's older than the majority of 10/22s. They've long since been discontinued. I previously had a Federal Ordnance Inc. underfolding stock like the one on this Ruger Mini 30.
https://www.german-sport-guns.com/Ruger-10-22-Rotary-Magazin-110-Schuss-.22lr-Firearms/604.01.02
http://powercustom.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=1043
https://www.smithenterprise.com/
https://www.tech-sights.com/ruger-products/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bM9hi9us1k
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I ordered a few more things for my 10/22 from Samson -- a Heat Shield that attaches by screw to a dovetail adapter in the rear sight slot, a Reversible Barrel Band With QD Socket, a pair of Swivel Stud QD Adapters, and a Sight Adjustment Tool that only costs $7.25. For that price I thought I should get a spare. The Swivel Stud QD Adapters were 15 bucks apiece or 2 for 25, so I ordered 2. I already have the sling attached to sling stud, but I want to put one of my slings that uses QD sockets on it. I may use the other one on my shotgun.
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I think it was 2 months ago when I took my muzzle brake off so I could modify it. I never did pin it on when I put the Tech Sights on the gun, and it wasn't even on all the way. I had pushed it back as far as it would go and the back of it hit the pair of button head screws on either side of the sight. That's as far as it would go and I tightened down the set screw and forgot to fix it. That may have been a couple of years ago, I don't know. But I finally did something about it. The set screw stripped out when I turned the hex key to loosen it, but it stuck out far enough to grab hold of with needle nose pliers. So I use pliers to get the old set screw out and threw it away. I took the brake off and tapped out the set screw hole, then put the brake back on. I pushed it back hard against the screws to see how much farther it had to go, but it was stuck and I couldn't get it back off. I think I used a screwdriver between the brake and front sight base to pry it off, but I don't remember for sure. When it broke loose, it went flying somewhere and I heard it hit a wall or door but wasn't sure in which direction.
A few days ago I found the brake behind my desk and two days ago I finally got to work. I cleaned out all the ports by poking 2 sizes of drill bits in them, blunt end first, then the sharp end, twisting with my fingers. The white line in the 4th picture shows where the top of the brake originally was. The little yellow triangle is where I previously filed a 60 degree notch with a three square file. That's where the roll pin I put through my last front sight secured the muzzle brake. The set screw alone wasn't enough on the first brake and it went downrange at William's Gun Sights outdoor range. When I talked to Sarge about it recently, he didn't think it could have gone far, but I walked out to my target and back a couple of times looking for it and never found it. So I got another one just like it and pinned it on after I drilled a hole through my sight. The gray area on the picture is what I ground off and filed flat this time, so it would slide all the way back under the screws.
I dimpled my barrel about 1/16" deep and looked for a screw to fit the hole in the brake. I found one with a little square retainer on it that fit perfectly. It was from an old light switch or outlet I replaced. New ones come with the screws attached to them with the little squares, and I saved the old screw with the square. I chucked the screw in my cordless drill and ground it down on bench the grinder. It took several tries but I finally got the point centered and the angle on the end was approximately the same as the bit I drilled the hole in my barrel with. After I cleaned everything up with denatured alcohol I got out the cold bluing solution. I had enough to get one swab good and wet, and a drop or 2 left I used on a second swab to finish the job. I put green Loctite all over inside the brake before I slipped it onto the barrel, and put more on the screw. I tightened it down good with a screwdriver, then with a pair of pliers until I didn't think it would go any farther without breaking off. I used my heat gun on the brake to help set the Loctite. This green Loctite is made for bearings and sleeves that slide together, instead of being threaded. I cut the end of the screw off with a hacksaw, filed it down, and used the last of the bluing on a cotton swab. I got one deep scratch on it but it turned out okay.
A few things to note about this. 1. If I ever need to take the barrel band off the gun, I'll have to take the barrel off. It won't fit over the sight, and I don't think I can get the sight off with the brake on the barrel. 2. The brake is as close to being pinned and welded as it can get, without actually welding over the end of the screw. I don't think this one will ever end up downrange. Unless I get mad and throw the whole gun downrange. ;) 3. The rearmost hole in the brake leads down to the face of the muzzle. It doesn't do anything at all. 4. After I was done with this I was detail cleaning my fire control group. I had everything out but the safety, and after struggling with it for several minutes I got that out too. I turned the button too far and flipped it upside down. The plunger went into the deep square notch it was never meant to go in. That was a real pain in the butt to deal with. After I got it cleaned and oiled, I was putting the safety back in and the spring and plunger got away from me. It sounded like one part hit somewhere to my left, and the other part landed on my right. Or it bounced off something to the left, then landed on the right. I crawled around with a flashlight and big magnet, but never found either one, so I need to order new ones. I'm also going to buy a Gunsmither Safe-T Tool for Ruger 10/22 that makes it really easy to put it together. It's a lot like an AR pivot pin tool. TandemKross has it for a dollar less than Gunsmither.
https://www.tandemkross.com/Gunsmither%E2%84%A2-Safety-Tool-for-Ruger%C2%AE-1022%C2%AE_p_141.html
https://gunsmithertools.com/shop/ols/products/xn-gunsmither-1022-safe-t-tool-jgb1696x
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQZn8BgEm4g
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I replaced the A1 front sight post with an A2. The detent isn't hollow like a cup with the spring inside. It's only as big around as the spring and has a little stem on the bottom of it. Also, the hole for it is a lot shallower and the spring is shorter. I dropped the spring and heard it bounce a few times but couldn't find it. I cut an original AR-15 front sight detent spring in half with a pair of pliers, and after squeezing the cut ends in, I had 2 springs that both fit. So I put one in and saved the other half for a spare. It works like it is should and it has more tension on it. Now I have A2 front sight posts on my 10/22, VRF14, CCU, and all 3 AR-15 uppers instead of having 2 A1 sight posts. Now I can use the same front sight tool on all of them. The A2 sight was on my AR-15 before I bought the Night Fision Perfect Dot Adjustable Front Night Sight Post. They're $55 and the ring around the tritium is available in 6 colors, including black if you don't want a colored ring for daytime shooting. But I bought yellow because it shows up really well. None of the other colors show up that good with my red-green color blindness.
The time that it takes a radioactive isotope to decay to half the original amount is called the half-life. Tritium has a half-life of 12.32 years.
The more tritium that is initially encapsulated in each vial, the brighter it is to begin with, and the longer its useful life.
Night Fision prides itself on adding 30% more tritium into every single gun sight. This is why we back our Perfect Dot night sights with the longest illumination guarantee in the industry.
If your sights stop glowing before 16 years, we will replace them.
https://www.nightfision.com/product/night-fision-perfect-dot-tritium-night-sights-for-ar-15-and-ar-10-rifles
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I'm such a bigamist. Quad-bigamist at one time actually. Let's see there's the target model with the classy wooden thumbhole stock, the general purpose one, the Steel Challenge iron sight, and the Steel Challenge Optic. OF COURSE, I'd never let them be at the range together. Too much jealousy. And I certainly don't know what sparks might fly if I tried to get them all in one picture.
Here's the Steel Challenge optic one.
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That looks good, Alf. What optic are you running? Some day I'd like to get a brand new 10/22 with a threaded carbon fiber bull barrel and stick it in a DessertTech Trek-22 Stock Kit. People say the trigger doesn't suck like most bullpups, and I think it would be a great suppressor host. I could have gotten a good deal on one when they first came out, but they only came in gray at the time, and I didn't want that one. And I kind of want a Fletcher OpenTop 11/22 Receiver, but don't know if it will fit.
https://deserttech.com/trek-22.html
https://www.fletcherrw.com/product/opentop-11-22/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aVzL3nRcYc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SrYTfITX8g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkMCc_uKezQ
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Stop. Stop. I really had no idea all of the upgrades and accessories that are available for 10/22. My head hurts now.
I've sold all but these two off. The Tac-Sol Barrel and Hogue Tactical stock is real light weight. That's Burris FastFire 3 sight on it.
Here's a picture of the target 10/22 heavy barrel. Able to make the Kessel run in 10 parsecs... NO NO. Uh able to do almost 1 MOA at 50yds with CCI SV. It's topped with a Nikon P-Rimfire 2-7x32mm, which Nikon has since gotten out of the rifle scope business. Too Bad I like their scopes.
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Nikon did make good scopes. I have a Pentax over here to put on something someday. I was amazed at how good the Pentax was but they also washed out...albeit earlier than Nikon.
I also like the Tacsol barrels...really good kit. Also a fav is the AAC integral bbl cut out of a stock Butler Creek bbl...but I need to replace the stock on that one.
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And with the right ammo, that heavy barrel one will do the following:
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It is amazing how much difference ammo makes in a 22. I have an old Remington Matchmaster that loves (maybe still does, I dunno about the new ones) cheap Remington gold ammo. When I put Winchester in it the thing would not group on a 5 gallon bucket at 50 yeards.
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Stop. Stop. I really had no idea all of the upgrades and accessories that are available for 10/22. My head hurts now.
I've sold all but these two off. The Tac-Sol Barrel and Hogue Tactical stock is real light weight. That's Burris FastFire 3 sight on it.
Here's a picture of the target 10/22 heavy barrel. Able to make the Kessel run in 10 parsecs... NO NO. Uh able to do almost 1 MOA at 50yds with CCI SV. It's topped with a Nikon P-Rimfire 2-7x32mm, which Nikon has since gotten out of the rifle scope business. Too Bad I like their scopes.
:) Han Solo Made The Kessel Run in Less than 12 Parsecs. A lot of people think parsecs are a unit of time, like X number of seconds. But a parsec is actually a unit of length (19.2 trillion miles). Han made the run in in less than 230.4 trillion miles, but no one knows how long it took. George Lucas probably thought it was a cool sounding sciencey word, but didn't know what it was. I could make it to work in less than 13 miles, but that doesn't tell you how fast my truck was going. So why would anyone brag about what distance they can travel from point A to point B?
P.S. I see why so many people just love that Cascade Cartridge Inc. standard velocity ammo.
Today's trivia: CCI was founded by Dick Speer, the brother of Vernon Speer, who founded Speer Bullets. The more you know. This has been a Public Service Announcement. ;)
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Wasn't it because of the uncharted Maw Nebulae and Maw blackhole that everyone had to navigate way around that area, hence the accomplishment was how short a distance a ship traveled to make the trip. And at those speeds is the actual time relevant? Thank goodness Han had some Coaxium on board to give him the necessary boost to avoid the blackhole. I wonder if it was made the Cascade Coaxium Inc?
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I don't know about all that. I'm not that much of a Star Wars nerd. But Han Solo carried a Glock Blaster. I can tell that's what it is because it looks like a cheap piece of plastic. ;D
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My 10/22, Mark II, and Mark II 22/45 parts from TandemKross should be here Saturday. One thing I want for my 10/22 that they don't have is a hex head stock screw. They have a Twister Titanium Takedown Knob for Ruger 10/22 by Rim/Edge for 25 bucks, but I don't want that. I'll have to see Ruger has stock screws in stock, to screw into my stock, to take the place of my old slotted screw. If it takes the same hex key as the barrel band, that's a bonus. I already have one stowed in my pistol grip's rubber plug.
I just saw that Ruger is making a Mini-14 with Side-Folding Stock, for a Suggested Retail Price of $1849.00. The walnut stock features a stainless side-folder, made from original Ruger casting tooling, and an injection molded polymer pistol grip. If anyone needs a B-Team 10/22 stock to match it, Samson makes them in black or stainless finish. They make a B-Team Bull Barrel Folding Stock for the Ruger 10/22 in black or stainless, too. And an A-Team Folding Stock for the Ruger Mini-14 and Mini Thirty in black or stainless, for anyone who already has one of those rifles. You could buy a Stainless Mini-14 Tactical fixed stock rifle for a Suggested Retail Price of $1489.00, $360 less, and add a Samson Stainless A-TM Folding Stock for $299.99. That's a total of $1,788.99, $60.01 less than buying the Mini-14 with a folding stock on it already, and you'd have an extra stock to sell or keep for later. The $60 you save could be put toward more ammo. My package from Samson should be here Monday.
https://www.tandemkross.com/twistertakedownknob
https://www.ruger.com/products/mini14TacticalRifle/specSheets/5895.html
https://www.samson-mfg.com/b-tm-folding-stock-for-the-ruger-1022.html
https://www.samson-mfg.com/b-tm-bull-barrel-folding-stock-for-the-ruger1022.html
https://www.samson-mfg.com/a-tm-folding-stock-for-the-ruger-mini-14-copy.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG7_QFaoO9U
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I don't know about all that. I'm not that much of a Star Wars nerd. But Han Solo carried a Glock Blaster. I can tell that's what it is because it looks like a cheap piece of plastic. ;D
Han Solo’s BlasTech DL-44 was made from C96 Mauser, a Broomhandle. The prop was plastic because the bought the base units from a toy company.
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Han Solo’s BlasTech DL-44 was made from C96 Mauser, a Broomhandle. The prop was plastic because the bought the base units from a toy company.
That explains the hole in the bottom of the magazine. :o :o
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Han Solo’s BlasTech DL-44 was made from C96 Mauser, a Broomhandle. The prop was plastic because the bought the base units from a toy company.
I know it was a Broomhandle Mauser. I was trying to be funny, but obviously not being successful at it. :-[
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I got packages today from TandemKross, Samson Mfg., and Midwest Industries. I put the new TandemKross Skeletonized Magazine Release for Ruger 10/22 by Rim/Edge in and got everything put together. It's made from lightweight aluminum, only .02 oz, and I like this one a lot better than the plastic extended mag release I had before. I have some elastic Retaining Bands from Tactical Tailor on some of my slings. I can fold the sling up into the loop to keep it out of the way when I put the gun in the safe. It keeps them all from getting tangles up, and when I want to use the sling I just pull it out. The band stays on the sling. TT quit selling them, but small Ranger Band will work. If you don't want to buy them, buy a bicycle inner tube and cut some 1" bands out of it.
I just noticed TandemKross said about the mag release,"COMPATIBILITY NOTE: Compatibility with aftermarket trigger housings and older production Ruger aluminum housings not guaranteed." Mine is aluminum, and I think it's 47 years old this year. I didn't have any trouble with compatibility.
https://www.tandemkross.com/skeletonized_mag_release
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I just loaded my 110-round GSG drum for the first time. It says right on the back of it not to use waxed ammunition, so I filled it with Stingers. I saw somewhere online that said it would hold 118 rounds, but it won't work if you put that many in it, so you need to count the rounds as you load it. CCI boxes you can dump 5 at a time from makes that easier. I tried seeing if it held more than 110 rounds and it took 118 just like that person said. Then I took the 8 extra rounds out and put them back in the box. One of these
days years I need to see if this thing works. Someone on YouTube said you can leave it loaded indefinitely, so I'm leaving it loaded. It's a pain in the but to load 110 rounds, one at a time, and when it's time to shoot I don't want to waste any more time.
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After I loaded my 10/22 drum mag, I unloaded it and reloaded it with Aguila Supermaximum ammo, which I have a whole brick of. They call it the fastest 22 rimfire on the market. The 30-grain round delivers 1,700 feet per second of muzzle velocity. The Stinger 22 LR 32 Grain bullet has a Muzzle Velocity of 1640 feet per second. I re-sorted my .22 bulk ammo last week. I took the CCI shot capsule loads out and put them in a Ziploc bag with the crimped shot loads. I also took out the CCI Clean-22 and 2 Fiocchi coated rounds and put them in a bag together. I took the CCI Stingers and identical looking Winchester Xpediter (30% faster than high velocity) shells out and put them in a bag together. It's also a 32gr copper-plated hollow-point, at 1640 fps, with an extended-length nickel-plated case. The only way to tell them apart is by looking at the head-stamp, or poking a paperclip into the the hollow-point. Actually it's more of a semi-hollow-point, like some Aussie Ammo .22 LR I had before. There was some other Winchester ammo that looked just like the Xpediter, except it has a round-nose bullet in a standard-length case. I left those mixed in with the other ~1,800 rounds of .22 LR. I was trying to get the coated/plated bullets out so I can use that ammo in the drum, but the Remington Yellow Jacket and Viper ammo, and all the other "golden bullets" were so worn it was hard to tell which ones were copper-plated and which weren't. They were also covered with wax from the other bullets, and thus more likely to gum up my drum, and no one likes a gummy drum.
https://www.aguilaammo.com/products/22-supermaximum-long-rifle-hyper-velocity-copper-plated-solid-point
https://winchesterammunitionsusa.com/winchester-supreme-xpediter-22-long-rifle-32-grain-copper-plated-lead-hollow-point-2/
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My Steel and Rimfire Challenge.
Top one with Hogue Tactical stock. Tac-Sol barrel. Weighs in about 4.4#
On the bottom is a cut down Ruger stock using a Tandem-Kross barrel. 3.3#
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I like both of them. Something like a Magpul MOE X-22 stock would be more my style than the Hogue.
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Did I ever post my "007's Briefcase" .22 Charger MWS?
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If you did I missed it. Post it now!!!!
I can't believe I haven't kept up with this thread....
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In case:
(https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/palmettostatearmory/original/3X/d/d/dd3e1788f573f83d2dfaeb4de85262db223076f3.webp)
Assembled as 10" pistol:
(https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/palmettostatearmory/original/3X/a/e/aed9ea5146ce4e3005b9456adebdce9b76e0ed2a.webp)
Note 6" pistol and 16" rifle barrels, and QD sling-mount on rear rail. Also note "Lawyer Lettering" on stock, red paint is current since white labeling wouldn't stick.
In rifle setup:
(https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/palmettostatearmory/optimized/3X/b/7/b7e097f59aa3cfcb9cf78c1f6804ebc5ffe8f433_2_666x500.jpeg)
Yeah, it's a weird setup on the Viridian Ion scope, but it was the only way to get the eyebox BACK to my eye.
The whole concept was to put a complete range trip into one briefcase, inspired by the AR7 in From Russia With Love. If a real Q Branch asked me to build a briefcase-gun for Double-O Section I'd tell 'em "just give 'em all ASDW's and get a life!" but this one's about spy-movie fantasy not reality.
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It's kind of weird looking, but I kind of like it. 8)
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The secret-sauce is I had Louis at Acculite cherrypick me three matched barrels, a Midwest STAP-SF rail-mount folding buffer-tube adapter for AR stocks and lots of discontinued Leapers 3-slot QD optic risers as QD adapters. (STAP and pistol slingmount each screwed onto one, optic mounted atop another.) Folding grip is the same FAB Defense one used on USAF GAU-5 ASDW's. The thumbrest and angled foregrip are also FAB Defense, I've found that when positioned together as pictured the two pieces give a VERY solid lockup with the support hand--a neighbor thinks my braced Mk 18 pistol thus configured gives every bit as much control without a stock as his Mk 18 SBR with one.
If I were doing this again, I'd dump that SOPMOD for an M4 wafflestock--it's just too big and bulky even though the rear-end weight helps with balance.
That blue tape? I'm trying to find a crapped-out, defect or otherwise scrap Midwest 10/22 handguard that I can have somebody cut back to about there for the 6" barrel. The bare barrel fits but IMO looks kinda Bubba, out of step trying to go for a slick high-tech "Bond Movie Gun" feel.
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How good are you with a hacksaw and file? Aluminum isn't that hard to work with.
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It's less that than the fact that I don't wanna pay full list price for something I'm only keeping 1/3 of. :)
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I drilled out the screw in the Smith Enterprises slip-on muzzle brake and took it off. I replaced it with an NTC Trading Co 10/22 Slip on Adapter, and added an A2 flash hider I replaced with something else on one of my ARs. I put an O-ring on and cranked it down really hard, until it clocked right. I had to file clearance for the screws on the side of the Tech-SIGHTS front sight, as I did with the Smith Enterprises part. I glopped on some spray paint and waited several hours before I put it together. The new adaptor is 1/4 the price of a Smith Enterprises flash hider, and they don't even make the slip-on version anymore. I'll re-tap the old part and save it. Now I an use ant standard 12"x28 threaded muzzle accessory. Here's my 10/22 along with my 26 1/4" long 12 gauge firearm for a size comparison.
https://www.ntctrading.net/shop/p/ruger-1022-slip-on-adapter-with-lock-screw
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I still haven't found my bottle adapter.
https://www.ntctrading.net/shop/p/black-oxide-steel-bottle-adapter-with-wrench-flats
Once I do, I can put a small rubber stopper in the chamber, fill a pop bottle with gun cleaner, screw it on in place of the flash hider, and invert it. When I'm done soaking the bore, I can flip it back over and everything will drain back in the bottle. I can do the same with most of my AR barrels, but would need to replace the crush washer every time, and that's not happening. I like soaking gun parts overnight or longer in my Cylinder & Slide Dunk-Kit, but not everything will fit in the bucket, and I'm not going to buy a tray long enough to put a barreled receiver in and fill it up. (Or am I? Brownells has tanks for bluing, etc. that might work.) My bucket is about 10" tall and I can soak one end of a rifle or shotgun barrel at a time. If it's just a barrel and no receiver, I could soak a whole 20" barrel if the bucket was still full. But there's been some loss through use over the years, and it's 4" from the top. Even with the barrel leaning on an angle, it's only about 8", and no longer gets the job done. It works on a 14" barrel and that about it. I thought about buying another bucket full, then I could pour some of the old stuff through a coffee filter to strain it, and top off the new bucket as needed.
https://cylinder-slide.com/Category/Dunk
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To celebrate Ruger Day, 10/22, I ordered some more parts and installed them. I put a pair of TANDEMKROSS Magazine Release KrossPins in it, one to replace the magazine release pin and one in place of the factory ejector pin. And I got a pair of Upgraded Receiver KrossPins and put them in too. These upgraded steel pins feature a spring-loaded ball detent that holds everything securely in place, but still allow for easy insertion and removal for working on your rifle. The pins have a single ball detent on each one, that fits in the receiver or trigger housing, and puts pressure on the circumference of the hole. They can all be inserted and removed from either side.
I already replaced the bolt stop pin with a Shock Block Bolt Buffer, or another rubber buffer. It's a nice snug fit, so now I can take my stock off and turn the receiver over without having any of the pins fall out of my 48 year old gun and land on the floor. I previously used a center punch on both sides of the receiver to keep all 3 pins in, but the new pins work better, and you don't need to hammer a bunch of dimples into the sides of your gun. You can't see any of those parts in the pics I took, but you can see the TANDEMKROSS Skeletonized Magazine Release. I used to have a cheap plastic extended mag release I think was made by Ram-Line, but I like this skeletonized, lightweight aluminum one a lot better. It only weighs .02 ounces, and will take your 10/22 from good to great with almost no size or weight gain.
I used the last of my camo Duck tape to cover the arm of the Butler Creek folding stock. I didn't know the tape had a little tail hanging off it until after I took the pics, so I trimmed it off. The stock had a piece of clear plastic tubing, like auto gas line with a slit down the middle, stuck on the top strut. That was the only cheek piece on the stock, and sometimes it moved a tiny bit. Now it's completely covered and not going anywhere, plus it feels better with a few layers of tape over it. I think I'll wrap some camo bandage around it too, for more padding. I took it off of the 3 AR mags I had wrapped with it.
You can see the right side of the Samson Manufacturing B-TM Barrel Band that has a QD sling swivel socket on the left side. It's reversible, in case you want the sling on the right side. The Samson Manufacturing Swivel Stud QD Adapter for the rear of the sling is plainly visible at the rear of the stock, attached to the old Uncle Mike's QR sling stud. I replaced the slotted stock retaining screw with a hex screw. The B-TM Barrel Band also uses a hex screw instead of a slotted screw like the factory part. They take 2 different size hex wrenches, and both are stored inside the pistol grip. I used a leather punch to punch holes in the 2 ribs inside the grip plug, and they fit snugly inside. They're always with the gun and secured so they don't rattle.
I have a set of Tech-Sights Model TSR100 sights on it. They have an 8″ Longer Sighting Radius than stock sights, the Rear Sight Base mounts solidly to the rear of the receiver utilizing the existing tapped scope base holes, it comes standard with dual apertures, (.062) and is compatible with M16/AR15 apertures, like the ghost ring night sight I have on my 16" AR. The front sight tower comes standard with an AR15 type post and gives you a wide variety of post design options. Like the Night Fision tritium sight I have on my 16" AR. If I was using my 10/22 for coon hunting, I would swap out the aperture and post to match the AR.
The Samson Manucfaturing B-TM Heat Shield finishes the tacticool look of the rifle. It requires removal of dovetail rear sight for installation, and has a dovetail insert for the screw that secures it with a drop of blue Loctite. Other than the recent additions to the muzzle there's no much to see. The trigger group was upgraded a long time ago, with some parts that were polished smooth with rubies. The bolt lock was replaced with a bolt hold open a long time ago, before anyone made a blued version. A Volquartsen Automatic Bolt Release is only 13 bucks, but if I buy it I'll have yet another part in a box not being used for anything. BTW, the Gunsmither - 10/22 Safe-T Tool makes replacing your safety or spring a LOT easier. It features a built in punch for pushing out the trigger housing pins, for anyone who doesn't have a spare AR-15 firing pin. ;)
https://tandemkross.com/upgradedmagazinereleasekrosspinsforruger1022
https://tandemkross.com/upgraded-receiver-krosspins
https://tandemkross.com/shock-block-bolt-buffer-for-ruger-10-22/
https://www.samson-mfg.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=B-TM-BB
https://www.samson-mfg.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SS-QD-ADPT
https://www.tech-sights.com/ruger-products/
https://www.samson-mfg.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=04-04095-18
https://volquartsen.com/products/158-automatic-bolt-release
https://gunsmithertools.com/shop/ols/products/xn-gunsmither-1022-safe-t-tool-jgb1696x
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQZn8BgEm4g
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I wrapped the buttstock with leftover pieces of GEAR AID Camo Form Reusable Self Cling Wrap until it was so thick, it wouldn't latch when I folded the butt against the side. I had to take some off, then decided to wrap the forend with it. And I took the little pieces off the bayonet I need to return, and used the 2 narrow strips to wrap the lower part of the butt, and used the 1 whole strip on the barrel. I also used the piece that was left on one of my AR pistol grips, and it just barely covered the barrel. So I took the piece off my 20" AR barrel, which I may end up painting anyway, and wrapped it on the barrel, too. That's enough camo. I don't plan on buying camo tape for the rest of the stock, or the receiver, but you never know. The fat layer of bandage sure feels better on the cheek than the steel rod with a clear plastic hose over it. I wish I would have done that YEARS ago.
The farther I get from factory standard the more I like it. The original walnut stock is worth more used than the entire rifle was brand new. I should try to sell it someplace, because it's been taking up room in my closet for decades. I should post a couple pics here and see if anyone is interest in buying it.
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Here's my old Smith Enterprise, Inc. slip on flash suppressor that they used to make especially for the 10/22. It uses a single set screw on the bottom to fasten it to the barrel. Even when using blue Loctite, I had one come off and go downrange at Williams Gun Sight's outdoor range, never to be seen again. And believe me, I looked. I hate losing anything that costs as much as that did. To avoid having it happen again, I cross-drilled my front sight, and filed a V notch in the second muzzle brake with a three square file. I pounded a roll pin into the hole and trimmed the ends flush with the sight base and touched it up.
Later, I swapped out the standard front sight and William's peep sight for a pair of Tech-Sights. You can see where I had to notch out the to rear of the brake to clear the screws on the sides of the Tech-Sight. With no cross pin, and not trusting the set screw, I needed to come up with another way to secure it. So I dimpled my barrel for the set screw, and used Green Loctite Retaining Compound for bonding sleeves and cylindrical fitting parts. I ground the tip of a machine screw to a point to fit the barrel dimple and screwed it in, securing it with more green Loctite to form a permanent bond (or so I thought ::)). Then I cut the screw off, filed it flush and sanded it down, and used instant blue touch up on it.
I had to drill out the screw to remove it, and tapped the flash hider off with a plastic mallet. I re-drilled the barrel dimple, touch up blued it, and filled it up with Amazing Goop automotive adhesive. Later, I installed the threaded adaptor seen in other recent pics, after I filed clearance for the front sights screws and repainted it. I re-tapped the screw hole in the Smith Enterprise flash hider to a larger size, and spent a long time scraping out the old Loctite with a small screwdriver. After a lot of scraping, I put some 120 grit sanding cloth on the shank end of a large twist drill bit, chucked it in my 1/2" drill motor, and polished out the the inside of the hole, including the bottom of it.
After all of that work, I cleaned it up with "unnatural" ;) (denatured) alcohol, let it dry, and sprayed it with a bunch of Rust-Oleum High Heat black spray paint. I tried to get a thick layer inside the hole sine it was always a loose fit. It was Flat BBQ Black, but wiping it with an old rag polished it up, just like my AR-15 barrels I painted. Rust-Oleum High Heat Spray Paint retains color and finish up to 1200º F. You can apply it to grills, wood-burning stoves, engines or other metal items, and it provides rust protection. Most Rust-Oleum paints withstand surface temperatures up to 200° F, 1,000 less than the High Heat paint.
Now I have one more extra part to throw in one of the big cardboard boxes full of stuff I'll probably never use again. Too bad, because the screw-on muzzle brakes that Smith Enterprise still makes are $80.00 each. It's like having a bunch of money in boxes that I can't spend, and will be thrown out when I die. I don't sell anything on eBay or Face***k, or I'd try to get some of my money back on this thing. And my walnut stock, which has an extended butt pad to fit normal sized men.
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Smith Enterprise, Inc. still makes a similar 5.56/6.5mm/6.8mm/.30cal Muzzle Brake for use with M4 and M16-type weapons (1/2” X 28 TPI, .860” OD). It's made from 8620 steel with 60RC surface hardness and salt bath nitrided for a corrosion-resistant finish. It has a groove that it looks like a BFA (Blank-Firing Adaptor) attaches to. That's so it's compatible with their SEI Windtalker DC sound suppressor, just like their Vortex flash suppressors are. They also make a 6.5mm/6.8mm/.30cal Muzzle Brake for use with M4 and M16-type weapons (5/8” X 24 TPI, .905” OD). It's also made from 8620 steel with 60RC surface hardness and salt bath nitrided for corrosion-resistance, but not for use with SEI M4DC Sound Suppressor. They make other things too, like SOCOM 16 Suppressor Kits for M14/M1A rifles like their MK14 SEI version of the Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR). Here's a pic of the 5.56/6.5mm/6.8mm/.30cal and 6.5mm/6.8mm/.30cal Muzzle Brakes. People say there's no muzzle climb with full-auto rifles and machine guns, so you can imagine how good a .22 rifle feels with one.
https://www.smithenterprise.com/product/pn-1002-ss-5-56-6-5mm-6-8mm-30cal-muzzle-brake/
https://www.smithenterprise.com/product/pn-1002-rr-6-5mm-6-8mm-30cal-muzzle-brake/
https://www.smithenterprise.com/products/?swoof=1&product_cat=m14-m1a-suppression
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mk_14_Enhanced_Battle_Rifle
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I'd still like to get a Desert Tech TREK-22 bullpup stock for a second 10/22. One with a fast twist barrel to stabilize the brick of 60-grain SSS ammo I have. I just need a 10/22 receiver with no stock or barrel. They make fast-twist bull barrels that are threaded for a can, from 16.6" - 22" long.
https://www.aguilaammo.com/products/22-sniper-subsonic-long-rifle-subsonic-lead-solid-point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aVzL3nRcYc
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I replaced my old silver color Volquartsen Automatic Bolt Release with a TANDEMKROSS Guardian Bolt Release Plate. The Volquartsen looks a lot like a stock Ruger Bolt Lock with a modification done to it, and the old-style TK bolt release was the same way. I tried the mod myself years and years ago, but wasn't happy with it. The new Volquartsen parts have some "go fast" holes added, to lighten it I guess, but still looks a like like a modified Ruger bolt lock. But the TK part sits right on one pin and the slot moves up and down over another pin. No more moving around in a weird oval motion, just up and down where it needs to go, with no wasted motion "wandering around".
I installed the TK Victory Trigger for Ruger 10/22, too. I adjusted the Nylon-tipped over-travel screw until it would just barely fire, then backed it off about a quarter turn. There's a special kind of Loctite that's supposed to wick its way into screw holes after you adjust the screws, but I've never used it. A lot of people use a drop of clear nail polish, but I only wear red. ;) I think I may have bought nail polish once in my life to paint front sight beads, but I'm not sure. Either way, I don't have any now. What I do have is Gorilla Super Glue Gel, which I applied all the way around with a toothpick. It's not going anywhere. The original trigger return spring and detent are removed and not used. The loop of the new trigger return spring goes around a circular cutout on the right side of the trigger instead. They've included a slave pin to put in the hole through the front of the trigger and sear to hold the unit together. It's pushed out when you put the other pin in and makes assembly a lot easier. You only have to line up the unified assembly with the holes in the trigger housing, instead of 2 out of 4 connected parts that are moving around.
https://tandemkross.com/autoboltreleaseplate
https://volquartsen.com/inventory_configurations/221
https://tandemkross.com/victory_trigger_ruger_1022
https://store-l6c3o8jclp.mybigcommerce.com/product_images/instruction%20pdfs/Victory_Trigger_Shoe_for_Ruger_10-22_Installation_Instructions.pdf
https://gorillatough.com/product/gorilla-super-glue-gel/
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I also drilled a cleaning hole through the rear of the receiver. I didn't know exactly where to drill it, so I put a piece of masking tape inside and ran a cleaning rod down the bore and twirled it around. I marked it with a Sharpie and took the barrel off the receiver so I could drill it from the inside. I have an 18" drill bit that an electrician or cable guy left here years ago and didn't bother coming back for. It was sharp enough to drill wood or drywall, but I tried grinding sharp enough to cut metal. I couldn't figure out a good way to center punch the inside of the receiver, so I didn't even try. An automatic center punch could be pressed straight down with a tool through the front of the receiver, but I never owned one. The drill wandered around and ended up not being centered, so I drilled a couple of small holes on the edge of the hole from outside, then drilled it out larger a few times. It's pretty darned close now, and I have room to run soggy patches through without wringing them out going through a small hole. I sanded some old Loctite off the top, and continued to sand the top until it was bare metal, except for 2 little circles of the original paint/powder coat from the '70s around the plug screws that I left in. I painted it inside and out with flat black BBQ paint, and may paint the barrel to match. I already rubbed a bit of paint off the bottom rear when I flipped it over during painting and handled it, and will touch it up with a paint pen.
This receiver has seen a lot of rounds in the last 48 years, and I don't expect the bolt to bind on the paint. Who knows, maybe it will take some slack out of the action? The barrel fit was snug, and I'll have to work on it to get the barrel installed, but I think it will be okay after that. I just put the barrel partway in and I'm using the extractor groove to "mill out" some excess paint by turning the barrel back and forth. It should only take a minute to get it in. If a paint and oil sludge forms in the receiver, it still might not be problem. It takes a lot to make a 10/22 quit running. IIRC, Tim Legendre (of exploding MAG-1 Carbine fame ;)) said that other than occasionally swabbing the bore, he never cleaned his 10/22. Maybe he said he cleans it, but only if it needs it after thousands of rounds. Either way, his ran good dirty. The barrel has lots of bluing rubbed off, and scratches, so I'm thinking of painting the entire thing, except the front sight post. And the bore, of course. I know the barrel band will scrape some of the paint off, but I can touch it up after assembling the gun.
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Today I figured out that a certain size Nyloc nut I had in a tub of hardware would fit the hole in the back of the receiver perfectly if I just knocked all 6 corners off. So I lopped a screw in half with my 3' bolt cutters an stuck it in a cordless drill with the nut attached. I used the fine wheel on my grinder to take just a hair of each corner, then started slowly spinning it against the running grinding wheel. I trial fit it and it was still too large, so I turned it down just a bit more. Then I cut the screw off with a hacksaw, filed it flush, and sanded it down. I'm halfway done painting this receiver plug with a gloss black paint pen. It fits so well, I almost have to point the muzzle straight up before it falls out. I already replaced the steel bolt pin with a TANDEMKROSS Shock Block Bolt Buffer for Ruger 10/22. I think I previously had a Wilson Combat Shok-Buff Ruger 10/22 Recoil Buffer, which has been discontinued. Shok-Buffs are made to last about 5,000 rounds or more depending on the ammunition used and condition of the firearm. The TK bolt buffer costs 5 bucks, half as much as the WC buffer did, and comes with a lifetime guarantee. Eliminates "Bolt-Battering" of the receiver, and vibration from metal to metal contact. It should help the aluminum receiver last longer by the pin holes not getting egged out by a steel pin.
The steel pin was only supported at the very ends where it went through the sides of the receiver. With this Nyloc nut and bolt filling the hole I drilled through the receiver, the bolt buffer will have much more support, theoretically making it better than it was before I bored a gaping hole through it. Please give me your opinions on this. I told one of my brothers yesterday about drilling a clean-out hole in the receiver, and having to enlarge it because it was off center. He said that he uses an Otis cleaning kit with a cable to clean his gun from breech to muzzle, instead of destroying his gun. What do you think? Is it destroyed, better, or about the same? All I have to do is pop the plug in the hole before I seat the upper completely in the stock, and it sets just a hair under flush, so there's no interference. If I ever get a squib, I can pound it out the muzzle with a cleaning rod. I have one section of aluminum rod that I cut the the female end off and filed flat like a punch. I believe that will work better than trying to pound on a cable through the ejection port, too. Opinions?
https://tandemkross.com/shock-block-bolt-buffer-for-ruger-10-22/
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Here's the Nyloc nut painted black, and flipped over so the bolt buffer is nearly 100% supported, instead of just at the very ends. No matter what anyone else thinks, it's probably an improvement. Convince me I'm wrong. Or that I'm right. Either way.
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Here's a close-up of the trigger group, so you can see the new trigger and bolt catch, and the TK mag release. I put the receiver KROSSPINS in the holes and it helped it lay flat for the pics. Previously I had to stake every pin on the gun because they started falling out as soon as I took the stock off. Now I have 4 KROSSPINS that stay put on their own. Everything else looks like it did in previous pics, except I took all the camo bandage off, with the exception of the padding on the stock.
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I have 10/22 with a integral suppressor from AAC which is a drilled out Butler Creek barrel. The dadgum thing will not catch the empty 22LR hulls and throw them out. I have replaced the extractor and spring...Any ideas?
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Does it extract live rounds and eject them okay? Will live rounds fall out of the chamber when you point the muzzle up? If it's a Ruger extractor I would swap it out for a TANDEMKROSS or other brand that's supposed to work better, if you haven't already. If the extractor, spring, and plunger are all good, I'm wondering if the extractor notch in the barrel is cut right. And of course it has to be clean. I've taken my barrel out to make sure I got everything out of the groove. Some other people have had extraction problems with Butler Creek barrels but I don't know what the fix was. The answer should be on a rimfire forum somewhere out there. It could also be a problem with the bolt face.
As strange as it may sound, my 10/22 still worked most of the time when some old ammo blew the extractor, spring, and plunger right out of the gun. The cases blew straight back into the ejector and out of the gun about 9/10 times. The cases with rims tearing apart didn't do so well, but the ones that stayed intact mostly worked.