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Bedding a 10/22 barreled action
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 | Guns | Permalink | 4 Comments |
Bookmarking this for reference. Last summer I used sandpaper and free time on the porch to freefloat my Ruger 10/22 barrel (picture above). A dollar bill wrapped around the barrel slides freely from the muzzle all the way back to the action. There are no contact points as the barrel heats up to shift the point of aim. Now I need to glass bed the action.
Hat tip to Suburban’s Domain list of 10/22 mods via Steve’s Firearms Blog.
Word of the Day: Gresham’s Law
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 | Economics, Word of the Day | Permalink | No Comments |
Gresham’s law is commonly stated: “Bad money drives out good.” This law applies specifically when there are two forms of commodity money in circulation which are required by legal-tender laws to be accepted as having similar face values for economic transactions. The terms “good” and “bad” money are used in a technical, non-literal sense, and with regard to exchange values imposed by legal-tender legislation, as follows:
Good money
“Good” money is money that shows little difference between its nominal value (the face value of the coin) and its commodity value (the value of the metal of which it is made, often precious metals, nickel, or copper.)
In the absence of legal-tender laws, metal coin money will freely exchange at somewhat above bullion market value. This is not a purely theoretical result, but rather may be observed today in bullion coins such as the South African Krugerrand, the American Gold Eagle or even the silver Maria Theresa thaler (Austria). Coins of this type are of a known purity and are in a convenient form to handle. People prefer trading in coins than in anonymous hunks of precious metal, so they attribute more value to the coins. As there is also demand from coin collectors, coining is frequently profitable.
Bad money
“Bad” money is money that has a commodity value considerably less than its face value, is in circulation along with money with a relatively higher commodity value, and with both forms required to be accepted at equal value as legal tender.
In Gresham’s day, bad money included any coin that had been debased. Debasement was often done by the issuing body, where less than the officially specified amount of precious metal was contained in an issue of coinage, usually by alloying it with a base metal. The public could also debase coins, usually by clipping or scraping off small portions of the precious metal. Other examples of “bad” money include counterfeit coins made from base metal.
In the case of clipped, scraped or counterfeit coins, the commodity value was reduced by fraud, as the face value remains at the previous higher level. On the other hand, with a coinage debased by a government issuer the commodity value of the coinage was often reduced quite openly, but the face value of the debased coins was held at the higher level by legal tender laws.
All modern money is “bad money” in this sense, since fiat money has entirely replaced the commodity money to which Gresham’s law applies. [Emphasis mine - LLJ] This money is not redeemable for any kind of valuable commodity, relying entirely on the government’s decree for its legitimacy, and valued purely in terms of the quantity of money in circulation relative to available goods. The ubiquity of fiat money could indeed be taken as evidence for the truth of Gresham’s law.
Hat tip to Kenneth Anderson.
Previous WOTD - Nail House
More 10/22 goodies
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 | Guns | Permalink | 6 Comments |
Check it out. Ruger 10/22 bullpup conversion with walnut Steyr AUG stock.
Practical? Beats me. Pretty nifty, though.
FWIW, someone on The High Road had good things to say about the item just below that at the link, their combination extended mag release and bolt hold open. “A true extended mag release drops mags fast and clear. Pull the lever back while holding the bolt open, effortlessly activates bolt hold open.”
I really dig the looks of the Tactical Solutions magazine release, which has that falling block lever look. TacSol makes all kinds of 10/22 accessories, from receivers to lightweight aluminum barrels with steel cores and threaded ends. They even make suppressors to fit on that threaded end.
For .22 pistols TacSol has lightweight aluminum barrels with steel liners and optional threaded ends and scope rails: the PacLite for Rugers and Trail-Lites for Browning Buckmarks. I’ve shot Dave D.’s Buckmark with a threaded Trail-Lite and liked it a bunch. Every TacSol barrel I’ve handled has had unusually good machining and finishing.
Volquartsen, Tactical Innovations, MOA, and Tactical Solutions make 10/22 receivers. Someone else has one with a Picatinny rail and hooded AR-15 rear sight. Darned if I could find it in a Google search, though. If you know the link post it in comments. LATER: jcmiller in comments found it: NoDak Spud NDS-22 receivers. They’re affordable, too, at $160.
Impractical but cool guns
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 | Blogging, Guns, Misc | Permalink | 20 Comments |
Tam started a meme: guns that are impractical, but cool.
My pick is the AR-7. It’s cool but not very practical.
Why it’s cool
- It was designed by Eugene Stoner, who designed the AR-15/M-16.
- Thanks to aluminum and plastic parts it weights just 2.5 pounds and is largely impervious to rust.
- The barrel unscrews from the action, instantly cutting the stored size in half.
- The barrel, action, and magazine can be stowed in the buttstock, making for an unbelievably compact design.
- When thus stowed the whole thing floats. It was originally designed to be a survival rifle for downed Air Force pilots.
- Jame Bond used one. So did Maxwell Smart.
- You can insert the AR-7 into all sorts of wild-eyed fantasies of surviving alone in the wilderness.
Why it’s impractical
- Magazine capacity tops out at 15 rounds and those are hard to find.
- The gun has never had a reputation for accuracy or reliability.
- Sight adjustments are crude.
- The ergonomics are hella uncomfortable. You have to hunch your body around the gun.
- Armalite couldn’t make money on the design so they sold it to Century Charter Arms, who couldn’t make any money so they sold it to Henry Repeating Arms. That’s not a good sign.
- Here’s the killer: there are much better guns available that do pretty much the same thing.
Example. The Marlin Papoose/70P has a barrel that unscrews. The gun floats when cocooned inside the factory storage case. The Papoose is as accurate and reliable as other Marlins such as the venerable Model 60, weighs just 3.25 pounds, and unlike the AR-7 has studs for sling swivels. Newer Papoose models are made from stainless steel and plastic for worry-free carry in Argentina’s rainy season.
For that matter, if you own the ever-popular Ruger 10/22 you can remove the barrel and action from the stock in 10 seconds flat by removing a single screw using a screwdriver or a coin from you pocket. Unlike the AR-7 you can fire the 10/22 while it’s thus disassembled.
Not only can you find plenty of high capacity magazines for the 10/22, you can start with a factory 10/22 and gradually replace every single part until there’s nothing left that was made by Ruger. A Ruger 10/22 has more accessories than a teenaged transgendered schizophrenic.
Tuff Products Revolver Quick Strips
Thursday, March 26th, 2009 | Guns | Permalink | 2 Comments |
I’ve sometimes used Bianchi Speed Strips for holding revolver ammo. For me they’re not as fast as speedloaders, but they’re flat so in some cases they’re easier to carry. Jay G has videos demonstrating both.
Thing is, Speed Strips are only available in .357/.38. For years people have begged Bianchi to offer them in other calibers. They didn’t, so someone else finally did.
Stephen Camp has a review of the Tuff Products Revolver Quick Strips for .44/.45/.460 and .410 shotgun. Tuff also has strips for the .475 Linebaugh,.480 Ruger and SW .500 Caliber, for .357/38 (in six or eight round sizes), in .327 (eight rounds), and in .22 rimfire (10 rounds).
Tuff Products offers nylon pouches for carrying the strips, though at $20 they’re kinda pricey. Stephen reviews those, too.
I don’t have a revolver in .45 anymore, but I might buy some of these for my little .410 shotgun, Katrina.
Appleseed schedule for 2009
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 | Guns | Permalink | No Comments |
Appleseed 2009 schedule right here. In Tennessee there are multiple weekends in the cities of Manchester, Puryear, and Kingsport. I went to the Manchester shoot last year. Kingsport is much closer and I have relatives on my wife’s side there, so I may do Kingsport this year.
What is the Appleseed Project? It’s a grassroots volunteer program to instill the virtues of civilian marksmanship. At an Appleseed event you can learn basic rifle marksmanship skills in a single weekend. For $70 or so it’s a bargain.
Previously
Tech Sights has aperture sights for the Marlin 60 and 795
Saturday, March 14th, 2009 | Guns | Permalink | No Comments |
I like aperture sights and I like Tech Sights replacement aperture sights. I have a set on my Ruger 10/22 and one day I’ll get some for my Yugo 59/66 SKS. Here are my installation instructions for Ruger 10/22 Tech-Sights.
Peeling paint on stainless Ruger 10/22 receiver
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 | Guns | Permalink | 40 Comments |
When I bought my stainless Ruger 10/22 I expected to have to refinish the receiver at some point. The barrel is stainless, but the finish on the aluminum receiver is just silver paint of some sort.
The reason I expected finish problems is because Paul Simer had posted about his finish wear on his rifle, and Ruger’s lame re-painting job.
After cleaning my stainless Ruger 10/22 with Breakfree Powder Blast (which is more or less brake cleaner) I noticed that some of the paint started peeling.
I’ll eventually wind up stripping off the paint and refinishing it. Any suggestions for a new finish?
Natural point of aim - aiming with your feet instead of your hands
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 | Best Of, Guns | Permalink | 1 Comment |
Someone emailed me a question: “You mentioned in one of your Appleseed Shoot writeups about ‘aiming with your feet.’ Could you please elaborate on that?”
Sure. This is all part of the natural point of aim, which is the body posture that allows the gun to remain on target with minimal muscle input. Once you’re in your natural point of aim you can hold the rifle for a long time without getting tired because you’re holding the rifle in place with your skeleton and not your muscles.
If you can hold the slung rifle in position with a loose grip, hardly using your fingers at all, you’re in a natural point of aim. If you have to “white knuckle” the gun (as an instructor told me I was doing at one point) you’re not in a natural point of aim - something’s wrong with your body position and you’re having to use your upper body to strong-arm the gun to aim it.
I had no trouble getting my NPOA standing. The rifle rested comfortably in my left hand with my fingers relaxed. Prone was another story. More on that in a minute.
Aiming with your feet - standing
In a standing shooting position you’ll obviously have your weak-side foot forward. (If you’re right handed the left is your weak side.) Your strong-side foot will be back and pointing a little to the side, feet shoulder width apart.
The ball of your weak-side foot is the pivot point and stays in place. If you move the strong-side foot forward it tilts the rifle barrel down. If you move the strong-side foot back it tilts the rifle barrel up. To move the barrel left or right move your weak-side foot right or left, pivoting around the strong-side foot.
Aiming with your feet - prone
If you’re shooting prone (lying on the ground belly down) you’ll have the toe of your weak-side foot in the ground. In that position your weak-side elbow under the rifle is your pivot point and stays in place.
You can move the barrel up and down by controlling how much your foot is sticking up. If you let your foot go slack your toe stays planted and your heel moves back, which lets your body move back. Because your body is pivoting on the weak-side elbow which is planted in the ground that raises the barrel. Pushing on the weak-side foot pushes the heel forward, driving your body forward and lowering the barrel. You can reposition your legs to adjust your whole body from side to side to move the barrel from side to side, always pivoting around the weak-side elbow.
You can also do this with a sitting position, but it’s harder to describe and I’m admittedly not very good at the sitting position so I’ll skip that.
Incidentally, all this pivoting stuff dug dime-sized raw spots on both of my elbows the first day, even though I was shooting on a foam rubber mat. Wear a long sleeve shirt or use elbow pads for prone. I plan on taking a set of Lycra athletic elbow pads from the drugstore to my next Appleseed shoot. Another option is a shooting jacket with padded elbows.
More on natural point of aim
I never got my natural point of aim exactly right in prone. I think that’s why I wore myself out the second day. When your muscles fight your skeleton your muscles always lose. Maybe not right away, but eventually.
The second day an instructor was demonstrating prone again and I spotted something about his position that was different than mine. I’m now pretty sure a big part of the problem was that I had my weak-side elbow out too far to the side, so that it was at an angle to the ground. I should have had it closer to the center and almost straight up and down.
Instead of putting most of the weight on that elbow I was spreading my weight between both elbows. That threw off my posture, which pushed the rifle to the right. (How far to the right? At one point I wound up shooting the targets of the guy to the right of me! That was where the gun naturally pointed, so when I went down to prone the gun went there and under time pressure I didn’t notice I was picking off someone else’s target.)
With my skeleton pushing the gun to the right I had to use my upper body muscles to pull it back left. That adversely affected my accuracy and exhausted me. Putting extra weight on my strong elbow also caused me to struggle to maintain balance every time I had to do anything with my strong hand, like loading a magazine or working the bolt. I want to practice getting my natural point of aim in prone before my next Appleseed. If I can get that right everything else is basic marksmanship.
Previously:
- Pictures and Ruger 10/22 notes from the Manchester, TN Appleseed shoot
- Home from Appleseed
- Ruger 10/22 buying advice
- Ruger 10/22 parts - anything else I need?
Pictures and Ruger 10/22 notes from the Manchester, TN Appleseed shoot
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 | Best Of, Guns | Permalink | 4 Comments |
Notes and pictures from last weekend’s trip to the Appleseed rifle training class at Arnold Air Force Base in Manchester, TN.
Ruger 10/22s
Gun-wise, way more than half of the shooters were using the Ruger 10/22. It’s accurate, affordable, shoots cheap .22 LR ammo, you can buy one at your local Wal-Mart, and there’s a smorgasbord of aftermarket accessories. All of the 10/22s had Tech-Sight aperture sights except for a few scope users. There were also a couple of AR-15s, some SKSes, an M1 Carbine, and a few bolt-action .22s. Someone had an M1A, but it seemed like it was just being shot every now and then for fun.
The 10/22s in Manchester went from mostly off the shelf except for the ubiquitous Tech-Sights to models customized with bull barrels and benchrest-style thumbhole stocks. A heavy benchrest barrel is probably an impediment at Appleseed. It won’t shrink your groups much, but it will tire you out over the course of hundreds of rounds fired each day.
The only person to shoot rifleman the first day was Sean, who was shooting next to me. He was using a mostly-stock 10/22 with a carbine-length, tapered barrel that he bought used at a gun show. The only mods he was aware of were the Tech-Sights and Hogue overmolded stock (which is also a factory option). He’s active military and is a scout for his squad. He didn’t use the more-stable loop sling because he felt that he wouldn’t have time to get into it, but he managed to easily shoot Rifleman using the hasty sling.
On the second day Yvette, a mother of six, shot rifleman. (She’s the lady in Oleg’s pictures.) She was also shooting a 10/22 with a few minor modifications (I dig that extended bolt handle), but with a factory stock and tapered barrel.
Lance was the third person to shoot rifleman. As I recall he was shooting a blued, wood stock 10/22 with a tapered carbine barrel. I think he may have been using a scope. Lance and Yvette both shot with a loop sling.
Magazines
Going into the first day I had all seven of my magazines stoked, thinking I’d have a hard time keeping up with reloading. It turns out there was always plenty of time to reload magazines between courses without rushing.
I had the impression that I’d need high capacity magazines for Appleseed, so I brought three Butler Creek Steel Lips 25 rounders to go with four factory 10 rounders. When I was sighting in the week before I had some jams with the Butler Creek mags, so I was disinclined to use them.
It turns out you never need more than 10 rounds during an Appleseed course of fire, so the 10 rounders were fine. You do need at least two magazines for courses that require magazine changes (loaded either 2 and 3 rounds or 2 and 8 rounds). A third or fourth magazine is a good idea in case one magazine develops problems.
Speaking of which, my Ruger factory 10 rounders worked fine the week before and on the first day, but I had failures to feed on two magazines the second day at Appleseed. I’m new to the 10/22 so it’s possible I didn’t clean or lube the gun properly, so I need to work on that. An instructor told me he has had problems with factory 10/22 mags so he always keeps a spare on the mat in case of magazine issues. That’s good advice.
My factory magazines did not go into the gun very smoothly. I had to wrestle with them a little to get them in. I need to see what I can do to improve that. One nice thing about the 25 round Butler Creek magazines is that they stick out of the gun far enough that you can can get a good handhold on them to stick them into the rifle.
10/22 Tech-Sights
The only thing that’s absolutely critical to replace on the 10/22 is the sights. The standard folding leaf sights are too hard to see and they can’t be adjusted precisely. Every 10/22 shooter at Manchester who wasn’t using a scope was using Tech-Sights.
Tech-Sights use an aperture rear sight. Normal leaf or open sights use a flat rear blade with a notch cut out. To align the sights you place the front sight in the notch. That requires your eye to do the impossible: focus on the nearby rear sight and the faraway front sight simultaneously. You can’d do it, so one of the sights is always fuzzy.
An aperture rear sight is a circle that you let go blurry. Just position the front sight at the center of the circle. Your eye does this naturally, so you don’t even have to think about it. The Tech-Sight is mounted farther back than the factory rear sight, and adds about eight inches to the sight radius to increase accuracy.
Tech-Sight installation and adjustment
To install the new front sight tap out the old one. The instructions say to use a brass punch and hammer. I don’t own a brass punch, so I used a steel punch I had handy and covered it with two small pieces of duct tape to keep from scratching up the old sight. A half dozen mild taps were enough to push out the factory front sight.
The new front sight didn’t want to go in. After repeated taps failed to nudge it in I used a file to lightly file down the leading edge of the new sight using about as much pressure as you’d use to file your nails. One stroke didn’t do it - it still wouldn’t quite go in. After the second stroke of the file I was able to get the front sight into the dovetail. I only took a tiny, tiny amount of material off to make it fit. After the front sight was in I used the supplied set screw and hex head wrench to screw it into place so it wouldn’t come loose, with a dab of blue Loctite threadlocking compound on the screw to glue it in place.
The rear sight gets screwed into the holes in the receiver for the rear scope mount. Just remove the filler screws and screw in the rear sight, again using a little blue Loctite to keep the screws from backing out. You can fold down the factory rear sight and leave it in place, or drift it out with a punch just like you did with the front sight. I left mine in for now, and it never got in my way.
If you buy Tech-Sights you’ll want the sight adjustment tool, which is the same as an AR-15 sight adjustment tool. To adjust the rear sight for windage rotate the adjustment wheel clockwise to move the bullets to the right, and counterclockwise to move the bullets to the left. To adjust the front sight for elevation turn the sight clockwise to move the bullets up and counterclockwise to move the bullets down.
I liked the Tech-Sights on the 10/22 so much I want to get a set for my SKS.
Slings
Appleseed teaches use of the sling in all shooting positions. They recommend a military web sling, which I bought in preparation for the class.
Then I got jammed up. Two nights before I hit the road I discovered the sling was slightly too wide to fit into the factory sling mounts on my rifle. The next night after work I scrambled to find some that were wide enough, but couldn’t, so I bought a Gander Mountain hunting sling that came with mounts.
The hunting sling was wide at the top to spread the weight over the shoulder. That extra width made the hunting sling a bit unwieldy to get my left hand around it in a hasty sling setup. The second day an instructor offered me some sling mounts to work with my GI web sling (thanks, Steve). The narrower military sling wraps easily around my hand and doesn’t get in the way. By unclipping it from the back of the gun you can wrap it around your bicep for a loop sling setup.
P.S. In this long post about guns there isn’t a single gun picture. During the class there was too much to do and think about when we were shooting or getting ready for the next course. During the day my camera never left the car. Other people took pictures, though, and you can see them at the Appleseed forums.
P.P.S. Many thanks to the all-volunteer staff of Appleseed for running a great class, and thanks to Dave D. for helping me get the 10/22 ready for the class.
Previously:
- Home from Appleseed
- Ruger 10/22 buying advice
- Ruger 10/22 parts - anything else I need?
Home from Appleseed
Sunday, September 21st, 2008 | Best Of, Guns | Permalink | 10 Comments |
The Appleseed shoot was lots of fun and I learned more than I expected. I met Oleg Volk the first day and picked his brain about cameras. He already has pics up.
I qualified marksman the first day. I had hoped to improve the second day but I was too worn out to raise my score and actually shot a little worse.
One thing I learned at Appleseed was the importance of aiming with your feet instead of your arms. That was a revelation. I couldn’t believe how well it worked in standing or prone. I also got enough control that I could watch the sight dip below the bullseye when I inhaled and dip back up to the bullseye when I exhaled.
Things I’m glad I took: a long sleeve shirt for sun and elbow protection, a staple gun for targets, shades, lots of water and Gatorade.
The only thing I want to add to the Ruger 10/22: an extended magazine release. Any suggestions (EDIT: and especially one that isn’t likely to get hit accidentally)?
Heck, as long as I’m editing this, one more thing I’d consider is an automatic bolt release. That wasn’t a huge issue, but it was occasionally annoying.
Ruger 10/22 buying advice
Thursday, September 4th, 2008 | Guns | Permalink | 6 Comments |
Some advice on buying a Ruger 10/22 sent in by a “humble reader” who prefers to go nameless.
Either go with a 18″ barrel or (if you can find them) a 20″ or 22″ barrel. The latter is for increased sight radius as past 16 inches of barrel a .22LR will usually start to slow down a bit (but not too much). I would suggest putting out the extra cash for stainless. It’s strictly anecdotal but I’ve always found them easier to clean than carbon steel barrels. A standard barrel or bull barrel is a question for you to decide. My advice is go with the standard for now. They’re cheaper & lighter & will do fine while you learn to really shoot the thing. After you have some experience you can figure out if you need to upgrade your barrel or not.
Some models have a longer than standard stock so if that may be an issue for you double check it against a standard length stock (as found on their plain model 10/22) before you buy. A note though - After market stocks are readily available. So if you otherwise love the rifle you’re looking at, but might want a different stock - just figure if it’s worth the $100-$150 or so for the after market stock as opposed to continuing your search. If price ain’t no thang, then grab it & start looking at your options.
Laminates are great. Mainly because they resist the effects of humidity. They don’t swell or shrink like walnut does, so they offer a more stable platform for the rifle. But they are a bit pricier than the walnut versions. Synthetic stocks are even better than laminate at stability, but I never liked the look or feel of them. You might find a used (maybe even new) 10/22 with a synth stock for a great deal. Boyds makes 2 decent stocks for the 10/22 (the Blaster & SS Evolution). Boyds’ website is new & mighty messed up, so just look at the pics & call them before making an order. But $100 to $150 or so will get you those two stocks, & a host of companies make stocks for the 10/22 in the same price range or a hair more, so your options are only limited by your desire & budget. (Here’s MidwayUSA’s 10/22 Stocks page, for example) & remember - .920 barrel channels in stocks are for bull barrels, not standard taper barrels.
The stock triggers on 10/22’s aren’t great, but depending on how nice you want it you can change that. Replacement parts abound & for around $100 or so (or more, depending upon your desires) you can change out the trigger completely if you wish. SayUncle will give good advice on this, as I never bothered with trigger work on mine. Or you could just buy a ready-to-drop-in part - I’ve had my eye on this one for a while, for example.
Sights - you’ll either have a blade & leaf rear sight with a front bead (V-notch), or no iron sights at all. All 10/22’s come drilled & tapped for a scope (or more accurately have a scope mount included that you install yourself). This I am a bit of a bore about - invest in an aperture sight. Once you learn how to use them properly you’ll be almost as accurate as with a scope. By all means, get & use a scope, but learn to use an aperture. Why? Well, because they’re very accurate (especially compared to other iron sighting systems), dependable (they rarely break), commonplace on military & competition rifles, & they’re a great back up for those rare but not unheard of times when your scope cannot or will not work.
MidwayUSA has a Williams receiver sight for the 10/22 running at $59. (I prefer Lynman myself but they stopped making their 10/22 model). It’ll run another $40 or so to have a gunsmith install it (assuming $20 per hole to drill & tap the two holes needed) but it will be worth it if &/or when you need a really accurate iron sight.
Sling - make sure you get a model with sling swivels, or look into having them installed (if you don’t wish to do it yourself - but it’s not that tricky). A sling isn’t for carrying the rifle - though it can be used for that. A sling is the greatest aid to accuracy you’ll ever use after the sights & the trigger.
Good stuff. Thanks anonymous dude!
I got this advice after I bought my 10/22, but it matches that advice to a T. It’s the “Wal-mart special” with 22 inch standard profile stainless steel barrel and sling swivels. I’ve got a Tech-Sight aperture sight on the way.
Ruger 10/22 parts - anything else I need?
Sunday, August 31st, 2008 | Best Of, Guns | Permalink | 13 Comments |
I’m getting ready for the Manchester, TN Appleseed shoot September 20-21. I bought a 10/22 a few weeks ago. On Friday I went shooting at Dave D’s. He let me try a couple of his 10/22 builds to see what I liked.
I definitely dug the Tech-Sight. I liked the aperture rear sight which is what I expected and also really liked the tall, skinny AR-15 front sight included with the Tech-Sight kit. I’m definitely buying a TSR100 and a sight adjustment tool.
I shot one of Dave’s 10/22s with a Volquartsen hammer that lowered the trigger pull to around 2.5 pounds. That’s definitely on the list. I liked it much better than the factory trigger pull, which wasn’t terrible to begin with.
I didn’t have any extraction problems Friday but I’m taking his advice and picking up a Volquartsen Clean Edge extractor. Even if I don’t install it right away I figure it’s good to have a spare extractor around. They’re one of the most-broken parts on an autoloader. Along that same line of thought I’m ordering a spare Ruger factory steel firing pin. At $2.99 it’s cheap insurance.
From everything I’v read slings are a big part of Appleseed training. I’ve found a couple of slings at Cheaper Than Dirt and Midway USA. I can’t tell from the pictures or description if they’ll work in the hasty sling configuration. I’d really appreciate it if anyone can point me to slings on either of those sites that would work well for Appleseed.
Dave showed me auto bolt releases and extended magazine releases. They were kind of cool, but I may wait on those for now. I’m starting to get the hang of the 10/22’s funky bolt release, which requires you to press it and release it while holding the bolt to the rear. It’s odd from a UI point of view, but it works.
Magazine-wise I’m buying a couple Butler Creek Steel Lips 25 rounders and some Ruger clear factory 10 rounders.
Anything else I should get while I’m shopping?
Bought a gun at Wal-Mart for the first time
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 | Best Of, Guns | Permalink | 9 Comments |
Next month I’m attending an Appleseed shoot in Manchester, TN. None of my guns is quite right for an Appleseed shoot, and the 10/22 is their recommended gun barring anything else appropriate.
Friday I strolled into the sporting goods section at Wal-Mart to look at .22 rifles. I was glad to see L. manning the counter. (Doesn’t everyone know their Wal-Mart gun counter clerk by name?)
I asked to see the Ruger 10/22 in the rack. L. said he loved his. I mentioned why I wanted it and he had heard of the shoot I was going to, and we swapped stories about travelling that part of Tennessee on Interstate 24 between Nashville and Chattanooga. Another customer came by and endorsed the 10/22. He had replaced the barrel and stock on his with custom parts. (The 10/22 rifle along with the AR-15 rifle and Colt 1911 pistol is one of the most accessorized and customized guns in America. You can replace every single part on those gun with a different part made by someone other than the original manufacturer.)
To buy a gun in the United States you have to provide a photo ID and fill out an ATF form 4473. I’ve done it more than a few times, but Wal-Mart was by far the most exacting about it. As L. told me, “You’ve probably filled out one of these before, but it’s a little different at Wal-Mart.” He cautioned me that Wal-Mart doesn’t accept abbreviations. I’d have to spell out Tennessee and Street, Avenue, etc., and that I’d have to give the year of my birth in four digits.
When I finished the the 4473 I was asked to put N/A in spaces I had left blank, such as my Social Security number, which is optional. The form went to NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) for approval. A little while later NICS came back an approval number. An assistant manager and co-manager came to the gun counter to verify the paperwork and to make sure the serial number on the paperwork matched the serial number on the gun.
After I paid one of the managers escorted me to the exit. He carried the gun, not me. On the way to the exit he told me I’d need my receipt. At the exit he asked the greeter to check my receipt, even though he had watched me pay. Lots of folks are unhappy about Wally World’s rules for buying guns, but I guess they feel the need to protect themselves from potential liability. I knew what to expect and it didn’t bother me.
Ruger makes several dozen variations on the popular 10/22. The one I bought isn’t listed on Ruger’s Web site because it’s a Wal-Mart exclusive. It has a 22″ stainless steel barrel, a little nicer stock than the standard Ruger 10/22 Carbine with checkering and no barrel band, a longer length-of-pull better suited to an adult than a youth, and standard sling swivels. Price was $238 before tax.
The Appleseed folks recommend folding down the 10/22’s standard folding sight and instead using a TechSight brand aperture sight. That works for me - I much prefer aperture sights to open sights. The Tech-Sight extends the sight radius another eight inches and is easier to adjust for windage and elevation than the 10/22’s standard sight. For sixty bucks or so the TechSight is a square deal.
Craig’s List, MySpace, Wikipedia
Friday, November 2nd, 2007 | Tech | Permalink | 1 Comment |
MySpace co-founder has been lying about his age from the beginning. He apparently wanted to people think he was a hip and happening 28 year old instead of an ancient, over the hill, about to keel over and die any minute 32 year old.
Peanut Butter: I Think Jelly Has Been Editing My Wikipedia…
Peanut Butter (also known as Nut Smear) is an unattractive, greasy paste made primarily from peanuts and mouse droppings. It is popular primarily in the United States, where fat people eat it by the spoonful.
In 1890, suspected communist George A Bayle Jr. created peanut butter as a kind of cement to bind dentures to the gums.[citation needed] Soon after an unknown child did the unthinkable and combined the paste with delicious jelly on a piece of bread. By 1904 people everywhere were tainting perfectly delicious Jelly sandwiches by smearing on greasy peanut butter. In 1929 the Great depression struck America. Sometime later, an unknown person coined the term “PB&J” which is like saying Garfunkle and Simon.
And from The High Road. Want to post an ad for your gun on Craig’s List and not have it pulled? Say it’s a BBQ.
VAQUERO 44″ BARBECUE W/5″ BUN RACK - $450
——————————————————————————–
Reply to: see below
Date: 2007-10-25, 8:41PM PDTBeautiful condition, price is firm and cash only. Possible trades. I have only used this barbecue a few times it is in Excellent condition. Great for barbecuing deer, elk, bear or any wild game you got this year hunting during rifle or modern firearm season, makes them taste great!! 360-631-8714 Thanks!!
For non-gun folks, that’s a sly ad for a Ruger .44 Magnum Vaquero revolver with a 5″ barrel.
Ruger SR9 Reviews Coming In
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 | Guns | Permalink | 48 Comments |
Early reports from The High Road, Michael Bane and Ramblings from Oz.
Opinions on the trigger seem to differ wildly. The people who seem to like the trigger seem to be folks (like Bane) who were at special showings, and may have gotten ringers. Guns pulled out of the dealers case seem to not have such good triggers.
One person compared the SR9’s trigger to a Mosin-Nagant revolver, which is not a compliment. The best thing you can say about a lot of Ruger’s triggers is that the guns are popular enough and the triggers bad enough to inspire good aftermarket replacements.
Ruger SR9 Official Announcement
Thursday, October 18th, 2007 | Guns | Permalink | 14 Comments |
Following weeks or rumors Ruger has announced the SR9 pistol. The rumors that it would be Glock-like were true. It’s a striker-fired design with a glass-filled nylon frame and stainless steel slide. Capacity is 17 rounds of 9 mm. Weight is 26.5 ounces with an empty magazine. One unique feature is the manual safety, which I expect most folks will either love or hate. I’m indifferent, but it looks like it’s a location that’s hard to reach with your thumb.
LATER: I’m surprised Ruger went with a molded-in grip design. That’s very 1995. The trend is towards removable grip panels to fit different hand sizes, as in the Walther and S&W’s M&P.
New Ruger Auto Pistol Rumor
Friday, October 5th, 2007 | Guns | Permalink | 6 Comments |
From Ruger Forum via The High Road, there’s a new Ruger auto pistol coming out in the next few days. Rumor has it it’s a polymer frame, and will initially be available in limited quantities of four guns per dealer.
UPDATE: There’s one for sale on GunsAmerica. No picture, but the name is given as the SR-9. No guarantees that that’s the final name. New rumored ship date is October 11.
M1A Magazines in a .308 Ruger Frontier Rifle
Monday, June 11th, 2007 | Guns | Permalink | 3 Comments |
The Frontier’s standard internal magazine only holds four rounds. The picture shows a Frontier modified to accept a 10 round M1A mag, but 20 rounders will presumably work, too. Neat mod.
“Only One Gun”
Sunday, October 29th, 2006 | Guns | Permalink | 2 Comments |
Anarchangel has an interesting variation on the “only one gun” theme: which gun would you choose for each of these categories?
1. Rimfire Handgun - I don’t have much passion on this one. My Browning Buckmark would be fine, but so would a Ruger Mark II/III with a good trigger job or replacement trigger. (Countertop has a Mark II with an amazing trigger.) I’m tempted by a K-frame S&W .22 revolver.
2. Rimfire rifle - My Winchester 170. It’s not necessarily the best, and I wouldn’t expect anyone else to choose it, but it was my first gun and I don’t ever plan on selling it.
3. Centerfire hunting rifle - No strong feelings here, either. I’d probably sneak in the Lee-Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine.
4. Centerfire carbine (either hunting or defensive) - Probably an AR-15, if I could think of a reason I’d use one. I tend to think the cheaper Kel-Tec SU-16 has more practical uses, and it uses the same ammo and magazines.
5. Shotgun - My Mossberg 500 pump in 12 gauge suits me fine, and I’ve got both a slug barrel and trap/field barrel for it. The only reason I’d want anything else is if I took up skeet and wanted to be competitive with the guys running $10,000 over/unders.
6. Battle rifle - M1 Garand. As with the AR-15, I don’t have much practical use for a gun like this, but the Garand has historical value, and many clubs sponsor Garand matches that are beginner-friendly. This is on my near-term buy list.
7. Milsurp rifle or handgun - Probably a 1911 (I’m sort of cheating it in here), but my SKS is an awfully handy and inexpensive trunk gun. A trunk gun would a good 10th category.
8. Pocket gun/Concealed carry handgun - My S&W 642, a small, snub-nosed, 15 oz .38 revolver.
9. Open carry handgun/service pistol/general duty sidearm - Probably my S&W 686 .357 revolver, though I’m tempted to go with something shorter than its 6″ barrel.
UPDATE: I forgot that I was supposed to pick one gun if I could only have one. I’d go with a .357 Magnum revolver with a 3″ barrel. Powerful, versatile, and it’ll fit in a pants pocket if it has to. My 3″ 64 .38 Special is almost there, but I’d probably swap it for a 3″ 66 in .357 Magnum with adjustable sights.
Old vs. New Ruger Vaqueros
Monday, July 10th, 2006 | Guns | Permalink | No Comments |
Jim March explains the difference between the two and what it means. I didn’t quite get it before.
He also has a good explanation of the difference between transfer bar and hammer block safeties, if you’re not clear on that, or if you’ve ever wondered why old West sixguns were carried with only five rounds. That was portrayed with wonderful realism in David Webb People’s script for Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven.
Crossing America II Survey
Wednesday, May 10th, 2006 | Guns | Permalink | 2 Comments |
Kim du Toit has posted results from the second edition of “Crossing America.” He asked his readers what longgun, handgun, and knives they’d use to cross North America circa 1605. Modern implements were allowed. The rules were that you got 800 rounds of longgun ammo for an unscoped gun, 1,000 rounds of handgun ammo, and two knives in addition to a Swiss army knife. The trip would be expected to last two years.
Here are the results for knives, handguns, and longguns.
I’d probably go with a .357 or .44 revolver. As much as I like S&W I might go with a Ruger for the edge in ruggedness (especially in .44) and ease of disassembly. For the longgun I’d thinking I’d go with a 12 gauge shotgun with rifle sights and a mix of birdshot, buckshot, slugs, and sabots. The shotgun’s range is more limited than a rifle, but this would mostly be a game-getting gun, and it’s easier to hunt small game with a shotgun. Likewise, the shotgun ammo is heavy, but that’s what the pack mule is for. Failing that, I like Kim’s idea of a levergun chambered in the same round as the revolver. If one breaks, you can use its ammo in the other gun.
For Backwoods Survival in the Lower 48 Concentrate on the 10 Essentials Instead of Guns
Friday, January 13th, 2006 | Guns | Permalink | 8 Comments |
So every so often someone pops up on The High Road asking about survival guns. Here’s a recent thread:
OK guys, on a remote backpacking trip in the mountains what is your sidearm of choice? I personally have no sidearm for backpacking and I want one. My Walther P22 or maybe my Sig 229 (in .40 or .357) are the only packable pistols I have. I have considered taking a custom lightweight Ruger 10/22, but I would still have bear issues. Anyhow I’ll stick to pistols.
And here’s a comment that is typical of the mistaken mindset of people considering the question:
For hypothetical purpose lets say its a 4 day hike in 60 miles from your car. Two week trip total. And you went solo.
Here’s a fact worth remembering: in the lower 48 states the most remote spot is only about 20 miles from the nearest road. That’s west of the Mississippi. East of the Mississippi the most remote spot is in Florida’s mangrove swamps 17 miles from a road. Most places are much closer to a road than that. Granted, those are as-the-crow-flies-distances, but being 60 miles from a road is pretty darned unrealistic.
It doesn’t take more than a day or two to walk out of most wooded areas in the lower 48 if you have a map and compass, so you don’t need a two week supply of ammo. Excepting bears and mountain lions, your main use for a gun would be defense against human predators, not hunting. Time spent stalking, killing, gutting, and cooking an animal is time that’s better spent beating feet out of the lonesome pines. However, one good use of a gun, particularly if you’re injured, is as a noisemaker to attract rescuers (using three spaced shots as a distress call), so some extra ammunition is a good idea if you’re carrying anyway.
In the last twenty years I’ve backpacked a fair bit - including in the snow and solo - and worked as a field biologist in the Sonoran desert and the Smoky Mountains, and read a fair bit and followed news of lost hikers. Bears and snakes are what people worry about, but in reality the big killers in the backcountry are hypothermia (rapid, uncontrolled loss of body heat), drowning, falling from a height (especially in the dark), getting hit by lightning, and getting stung by swarms of bees or wasps. If you’re sleeping out in the woods some things that are more important than a gun are a map and compass to get you to the nearest road, rain gear and warm clothing to stave off hypothermia, a flashlight and batteries to get you through the night, water and water treatment to keep you from getting dehydrated and stupid*, and a first aid kit and a cool head to get you through the rest.
So instead of spending five hundred bucks on a new survival gun, use whatever you normally use and buy some much less expensive equipment that will make a much bigger difference. Flashlight or headlamp and spare batteries. Waterproof/breathable raingear (Gore-Tex and similar, now that W.L. Gore’s patent has expired). Synthetic warmwear including a hat and gloves. Twenty dollar first aid kit. Ten dollar compass. Five dollar space blanket. Five dollar bottle of PotableAqua iodine water treatment tablets. And hey, treat yourself to the four dollar bottle of PotableAqua Vitamin C tablets to remove the iodine color and taste. They really work.* Add in a space blanket, a Storm brand whistle, and one of those AOL CDs to use as a signal mirror. In cool weather avoid cotton clothing, which absorbs moisture from rain and perspiration and robs you of body heat. Cotton kills.
Then add in the water bottles, food, pocket knife, map, sunglasses, and lighter you probably already have to round out the mountaineer’s 10 essentials and you’re all set. Packing a dozen pieces of survival gear is less exciting than strapping on a Smith &Wesson, but it’s also more likely to save your life.
* If you don’t have water treatment don’t worry about it - go ahead and drink untreated water as long as it’s not obviously contaminated. If by chance you get Giardia or some other bug the symptoms won’t show up for a couple of days, and by then you’ll be out of the woods. Better that than to be impaired and dangerously stupid from dehydration and never make it to safety. Been there, done that during a day of mountain biking in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. If you’re disoriented, nauseous, and incredibly tired you’re probably dehydrated. Find water and force yourself to drink even though you may feel like it will make you vomit.
10 Gun Questions for Sean Penn
Tuesday, September 13th, 2005 | Guns | Permalink | 5 Comments |
It turns out that brown water navy stud Sean Penn is a gun guy. Maybe a hard-core he-butch man like Penn can get large and in charge and settle some long-standing debates for us clueless gunnies.
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Pump or auto shotgun? Oh, right. Pump.
9mm or .45? Oh, right. 9mm.
Glock or 1911? Oh, right. Glock.
Revolver or automatic? Oh, right. Both.
Ruger or Smith &Wesson revolvers? Oh, right. Smith &Wesson.
Imagine a paparazzi tries to take your picture. Shoot to wound or shoot to kill? Oh, right. Punch and/or bludgeon with rocks.
And while we’re at it:
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AR or AK assault rifle?
Shoot for center of mass or the golden triangle?
IDPA or USPSA competition?
Weaver or isosceles stance?
UPDATE: Submitted to the Beltway Traffic Jam. Also, SayUncle has more questions for Penn:
2 - So, you
Sunday Afternoon Shooting
Monday, July 11th, 2005 | Guns | Permalink | 5 Comments |
Yesterday Uncle and I took some folks shooting at Coal Creek Armory (motto: “Automatics for the People”). The people in this case were from the Knoxville News-Sentinel - reporter/blogger Michael Silence, Lara Edge, and Lara’s husband, Bob Benz. As we were going in to the range, we ran into Glenn Reynolds as he was going out.
A good time was had by all. We went through five guns - a silenced Ruger 10/22 (.22) we rented from Coal Creek, a Smith &Wesson 642 (.38) with laser grips, Smith &Wesson 686 (.357), SIG P229 (9 mm), and a Glock 30 (.45), along with just under five hundred rounds of ammo. Everyone did great, even with the biggest guns. Michael and I think Bob had been shooting before, but this was a first for Lara, who wants to go back to shoot again.
Bob Benz (who blogs) has his notes and pictures up. The picture above is one I borrowed from him. Coal Creek has a “no cameras” policy, but I talked to the owner beforehand and got it OK’ed. Trevor said that the policy is in place to protect the privacy of other shooters, who may not want their pictures taken while shooting guns. Obviously that wasn’t a problem for Lara, who was having lots of fun.
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