Author Topic: The Ruger Charger...will this work?  (Read 24947 times)

Dirty Bob

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The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« on: October 12, 2018, 11:38:55 PM »
I'm saving for a Ruger Charger, because I saw a photo online of one in a PMACA chassis, which allows use of an AR pistol grip and buffer tube. Here's what I'm planning:

Ruger Charger with threaded barrel
PMACA Light Weight Chassis (12 ounces)
Magpul K2 grip
KAK buffer tube and Shockwave Blade arm brace
Hera SFU (Stock Folding Unit)
Long rail (maybe Leapers UTG Scout Rail) anchored in front with piece of steel, with tapped hole, dovetailed into top of barrel
Iron sights -- maybe 45 deg. offset sights
Optic and mount -- perhaps a Leupold compact low-magnification variable

Does this sound reasonable? I'm intending it as a very compact substitute for a 10/22...maybe as a travel companion that can ride in a smallish bag. My job sometimes takes me out in the sticks -- and sometimes to other parts of Texas -- by myself for meetings, and a pseudo-carbine and a few magazines would be a comforting addition to a small handgun.

I don't have any experience with the Charger, and I wonder if a .22LR from a 10" barrel will be a good compromise between the performance of a rifle and that of a much smaller handgun? I want to try it at paper targets out to 100 yards or so. Is the Charger up to that?

Thanks in advance,
Dirty Bob
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les snyder

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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2018, 02:44:14 PM »
DB... not an answer, but an alternate suggestion... for $200 you can get a PSA 10.5" 5.56 complete upper with front sight base... add a $30 NCStar carry handle sight, run the rear sight down tight, and adjust elevation with the front sight... a PSA complete pistol lower for $100, and switch out the buffer tube with a KAK tube for the SB-15 brace, but don't use a brace or blade, just stick a rubber end cap on.... you will end up with one for about $360 less transfer

as a design exercise I built a 7.5" PSA upper with a LAW folding stock adapter and used the pistol buffer tube that came with the lower.... very compact, but even with a flash can the blast was considerable... I perceive the solid buffer tube to be better

Dirty Bob

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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2018, 11:07:43 PM »
les, that's an awesome suggestion!

My first build was an Aero Precision lower (bought from a friend a few weeks before the 2016 election: my first stripped lower). I built it with a PSA parts kit, which included a KAK buffer tube and Shockwave Blade. I added a polished/plated trigger group for $30 on sale. I also bought a complete pistol upper with a 10.5" barrel from PSA and mounted a Magpul folding rear to go with the A2 front sight/gas block. It's really a great pistol and is about six feet away from me as a write this. Its only shortcomings: (1) while very compact, it still requires a fairly large bag for carry, (2) 5.56mm ammo prices limit how much I can shoot, and (3) this beast is LOUD!



I want to build a pistol that can reach out to 100 yards or so, can be carried around in a fairly small bag, is cheap enough to feed that I can afford to shoot it frequently, and is quiet enough that I can shoot at  indoor ranges, as well as at my club before or after work without alarming neighbors in a subdivision that was recently built not too far away.

I like the idea of a folder that doesn't have a buffer running back and forth through it. The Hera SFU is solid, but that isn't a problem with a Charger receiver. It could be fired folded or open with no problem.

Another bonus of the .22 LR Charger is that non-enthusiasts like my wife aren't intimidated by .22 firearms. She doesn't like the noise of the AR pistol in 5.56mm, nor the feeling of the buffer running back and forth though the buffer tube against her cheek.

I'm wanting to get in much more practice than I've been getting, and I think I can do it with a .22 LR. I also have a lot of respect for the .22: if I had to defend myself out in the sticks somewhere with it, the Charger would be much better than nothing, and a good backup to my laser-gripped .357 Ruger (aging eyes make optics and lasers very attractive). I'm hoping just its appearance might cause someone to re-think their choices.

I've had a few run-ins with the dregs of humanity during my life and have drawn a gun twice, but never been forced to fire it. I'm hoping to avoid all future trouble, but I believe in the Boy Scout Motto.

Thanks again for a great suggestion. You are right: AR pistols rock!

Dirty Bob (Eagle Scout, 1980)
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les snyder

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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #3 on: October 16, 2018, 10:32:28 PM »
Bob... I toyed with the idea of a Charger (for the car) for the same reasons, though I was leaning to a forward grip and no brace or blade... what we used to call the Taco hold for metallic silhouette when shooting a TC Contender standing... it was awkward to hold the fore grip horizontal and pistol grip vertical, but a slanted "pistol legal" grip might  just work....I've got some experience with the 10/22 platform and a  9" .22lr upper for the AR that would probably have been the test bed....I have a spare etched prism sight that would work ... I envisioned the project to indeed be a low recoil, low noise platform capable of immediate action in close quarters to the car, and with a rest (monopod slanted front grip), capable of fairly precise shots....it was cheaper for me to just use the 5.56 platform I described.... good luck on your project, please keep us informed

Dirty Bob

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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2018, 09:46:12 PM »
Thanks Les!

Lots of good ideas and a different perspective. As funds are short, I'll have to build this like Johnny Cash sang about a different project: "One piece at a time..."

I'll probably start with the Charger, the lightweight chassis, and a simple buffer tube -- Brownells sells a basic one for $19 -- wrapped in paracord with a crutch tip on the end. I like the way "Major Pandemic" mods A2 pistol grips: he shortens and stipples them, cuts slots and does a paracord "backstrap." There's a pic of one in this article: Favorite MajorPandemic.com AR15 Parts. I'll add the optic and mount as soon as I can. No folding mechanism, fancy pistol grips, or muzzle devices until later. This will give me a fairly compact carbine substitute, and I can add other parts later.

My big reason for sticking with the .22 is that I want to practice a lot more, and carrying a weird pistol like this lets me do it more often. Unlike some folks, I won't leave a gun unattended in a car for long periods of time -- especially at night. That's why the obsession with small size: I want a bag that doesn't look like anything special for carrying to and from the car. Unfortunately, a 10/22 in any bag -- even a "covert" bag -- is still a pretty large package.

I do already have a compact AR for car carry and defense. If we start getting more frequent Antifa and other street violence and civil unrest, I'll have it with me on a regular basis. I hope we don't come to that, but I don't want to go the way of Reginald Denny.



I'm including a pic of the table I used to help me decide what route to take. Part of the fun of any build is deciding on parts, shopping and planning.



All my best,
Dirty Bob
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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #5 on: Today at 05:06:42 AM »

Big Frank

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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2018, 01:01:45 AM »
This was the first thing I thought of when I read about shortening the pistol grip. This was too short to work well and it didn't need to be that way.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

robert69

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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2018, 08:33:27 AM »
I have a S&W 15-22 out of their performance shop, and if you priced one of these out, it comes close to what you want.  It comes with a 16" barrel, flat top, and iron sights, adjustable stock.
Just a suggestion. They have a less costly version, around $500. The only difference is the match chamber.
All I positively know is my grandkids really like to shoot it, especially when I supply the ammo. I have 2 10-22's, one a take down, but they always ask for the S&W. Just buy lots of ammo. 

Dirty Bob

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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2018, 07:20:56 PM »
Robert69: It's a good suggestion. I've never even handled an M&P 15-22. It has a polymer upper and lower, right? That would work, and it keeps weight down.

I'm leaning more toward a pistol, however. I wish S&W offered a pistol version of their 15-22: I bet they'd sell a ton of them! If I go for an AR in .22LR, I'll probably build a pistol upper and add a dedicated lower later. One of my few reservations is the mags. I don't have any experience with Black Dog mags, nor do I own any.

Still torn, but I keep looking at the Charger, in part because it uses the great Ruger .22 mags, and I'm very familiar with the 10/22 system in general. They're such a solid little gun that just works really well.

All for now,
Dirty Bob
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les snyder

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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #8 on: October 20, 2018, 10:04:54 PM »
Bob... I think your decision to stay with the 10/22 magazine is a good one... I have a 16" and 9" CMMG uppers for use with a the CMMG Atchison style conversion unit for an AR... I've used Brownell, Black Dog, CMMG, and probably the best is the SW15-22 with the Boonie Packer Better Mag adapter for the 15-22 mags that allows the bolt hold open to work...I think the rotary 10/22 mag is the way to go, but the 15-22 mag is a good second.... shot a friends Charger Friday using just the bi pod attachment area as a fore grip, and with a cheap dot, was able to keep a 15 round mag in the "A" zone of a USPSA target at 25 yd in about as quick as I could pull the trigger with an acceptable sight picture...

I think I'll order a MagPul angled fore grip and stick it on the 9" AR and see how it handles as a Taco hold pistol...keep us in the loop... regards Les L747

Dirty Bob

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Re: The Ruger Charger...will this work?
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2018, 09:03:35 PM »
Gosh, Les, I'm sorry to hear that AR-15 mags in .22LR aren't all that and a bag of chips.

I really love the AR platform and the idea of a .22LR AR is super appealing to me as a practice tool, and for the idea of carrying a .22LR upper, a few mags, and a brick of good ammo as a fantastic AR accessory.

Could you share a little more about the mags? I'd heard mixed things about the Black Dog mags, but I figured they probably worked well enough for small game harvesting and practice. Is that not the case?

Thanks so much. I've gotten some really good ideas from this discussion.

Regards,
Dirty Bob
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Maker, tinkerer, general nerd

"Can't stop the signal, Mal." - Serenity (2005)

 

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