Hi all. I thought i would share my most recent project, maybe it helps others. A bit longwinded but enjoy.
I really enjoy my target shooting / practice (home made targets in a field) when not stalking but a little half hour session was getting expensive with the full bore rounds. Homeloads are not my thing so I decided a .22LR type rig was going to be the new addition to the cabinet. Variation took a couple of weeks (thanks central Scotland) and then time to go shopping.
I looked at a number of different options for calibre, .17hmr etc but figured there is a reason why so many people had .22's and i really liked the availability and cost of ammo. To mix it up i also fancied a semi-auto, but i soon became aware of potential cycling problems / ammo combinations etc. (Explored further below).
Through advice and a bit of time on youtube watching reviews, the Ruger 10/22 seemed to be the one. Again via ye olde interweb i soon learnt about cheap modifications but personally I did not like the light look / feel of a standard 10/22 or the very modern colourful efforts - AR look not quite my thing either. Again, some youtube action pulled me towards a ready made factory version, the Ruger 10/22 target tactical - there is a youtube video of a yank shooting one at 200 yards and he starts the video "hiya this is my ruger 10/22, i personally think everyone should have at least 2 of these"...... Well that was me sold.
i checked out feasibility (effective range etc and learnt i could easily shoot subsonic up to 100 yards) but my preferecne was accurancy for lots of plinking at about 50 yards.
As i started shopping (with a circa £500 budget in mind) i hit guntrader and founds lots of second hand options but in this instance i fancied a brand new rifle, which i have never had before.
Via guntrader i got speaking to the team at Braces of Bristol (wrong end of the country!) they were very helpful, had some in stock and were happy to do a bit of a deal.
So off the shelf i ordered a Ruger 10/22 target tactical. It comes with a short but heavy barrel which is matt black with a small twisted type fluting. Has a picatinny rail incluced and is screw cut for a nice little A-tec moderator. It is set in a hogue stock which has a durable black rubber feel (bounces rather than scratches like a synthetic) which is quite bulky compared to standard 10/22 stock - size and scale works well with heavy barrel. It also came with a little bi-pod and a forend picatinny rail.
While in the mood for a deal i asked what scopes they had that might suite - i am lucky to have Swarovski's on my deer rifles and i did have a swarovski 8x50 that could have gone on. This would have been great for eye relief and quality but i wanted some zoom! It also felt like it was a bit too good for a .22LR. So i quickly entered the lower end scope market. Again with help from braces of bristol i decided on a Hawke Vantage SF 6-24 x 44 which has a mill-dot recticle. Not too big and looked pretty sleek for this sort of set up. Deal on that was just under £200 so i went for it.
Quick efficient RFD to me up north and i got it. Some immediate changes and additions were required.
- additional 10 round genuine ruger mag ordered (ebay)
- 2 x 25 round ruger mags ordered (rimfire magic in Yorkshire)
- i went for a healthy supply or winchester sub-sonics and a few remmington hv rounds to experiment with.
- got some cheap mounts with it but they went in the bin and set of nice mid height leupolds ordered for a picatinny rail.
So all set up for fun. Had some immediate issues with zeroing - it was true but mounting angle too high so the scope was wound up high to get it on target at 30 yards so no flexibility for longer range. Trial and error and internet searches pointed me to rail, original went in the bin and a new one ordered from rimfire magic for about £10. That was fitted in 30 seconds and solved the issue. Having become a scope mounting adjustment expert through this experience i decided to shim up the rear of the scope so it shoots plumb at 30 yards hooched right down, this affords me maximum upwards clicks for long range fun - i am sure there is term for this practice but it is beyond me.
At this stage i would also mention braces were awesome, talked me through some options to try and test and offered to take the rifle back if i wasnt happy.
I am impressed with the hawke scope, feels solid, good zoom, has a nice small side focus - eye relief is ok too.
As for rounds, the hv were fine, shoot a couple of inches higher than the subs but i am not that interessed in the hv stuff. I had been advised that winchesters are good for subs in semi autos such as this. Not too soft and and not too waxy. I reckon it jams 1 in 30 but is better the more you shoot it - re jamming it is also good to have genuine ruger mags rather than immitations.
Cycling isues are also reduced by a good clean - this gun is so easy to take apart and play with - set of alan keys and a screw driver adn you are off. Great for a detailed clean and other mods. I put in a synthetic recoil lug (£3) but takes pressure off the bolt and an auto bolt release system which allows you to lock the bolt open with a small button but then release/load by just pulling back and releasing rather than having to use the buttin again (£12 ebay also).
Other alterations include binning the forend picatinny rail and cheap bi-pod it comes with - it was bulky, ugly and short. I love harris bi-pods and have 2 already, but i felt this toy didnt warrant £100 and a 3rd harris so i went immitation 9-13 sl (no notches) at £18. I have to say, so far i am very impressed and think this is a good option for a rimfire - it wont last a lifetime but what do you expect for £18.
Rail went becuase it wasnt needed (no lasers for me!) and i popped an old black swivel sling on it that was in a cupboard.
Finally, a set of standard butler creeks and then a genuine hawke 110mm sunshade - never used a sunshade before but did it purely for aesthetics! Bought this off ebay from a1tacleshop which i actually bagnel & kirkwood in newcastle - great country shop, visited it regularly when i lived in the toon!
So there you have it - slightly excessive but great fun to create, learn about and shoot!