My first-ever build!

chemist · Feb 9, 2011

I thought y'all might like to see my first go at building a rifle.

This might sound crazy, but it's purpose-built for a single kind of ammunition: Aguila 60gr. SSS .22LR subsonic. Of course I can fire any .22LR through it just fine, but this is the only weapon I have that is guaranteed to stabilize the long, skinny SSS round. I don't want to risk a baffle strike in my one and only suppressor!

First off, thanks go out to James at Willamette Valley Arms; I've dealt with him and Joe at WVA, and I'm sure to become a regular customer. Good guys. :s0155:

I got the cheapie 10/22 from Bi-Mart when they had them going for the loss-leader price of $169.97. I can't even find a complete action for that little, and now I've got a spare barrel too. I just wish I had some use for the furniture, because it's a beautiful piece of birch.

I landed a great deal on the E.R.Shaw 1:9" twist all-steel bull barrel and the Hogue overmolded stock at Shooters Discount.

The Tasco 2.5-10X42 scope came from OpticSale.com, a site that competes head-to-head with OpticsPlanet. It was a steal.

But how about those Kwik-Site rings? Did you notice that there's no rail? That's the great thing about the 10/22: it's so universal a platform that you can find all kinds of cool accessories, including these rings that attach directly to the rail-mounting holes. I love the super-smooth look.

The only bit of fiddling that I did was to add a shim (lead foil) under the scope at the rear ring, to cant it downward slightly for long-range shooting. I want to see what it can do out past 200 yds.

I already had a 10/22, so I didn't need to buy new mags. The total investment came to exactly $500 not including ammo, and it would've been even less if I hadn't screwed up an order and had to pay to return an item. From what I read, lots of you guys spend twice that much on your pet 10/22 projects!

In the photo you can see the rifle with its SWR Warlock suppressor attached, standing next to a Mossberg 500 with a 20" barrel. That all-steel bull barrel may weigh a ton, but it's just the thing for sniping, and it matches up nicely with the can.

The unique thing about the 60gr. .22LR (and what drove this whole project) is the extreme sectional density of the round: 4826 gr./sq.in., compared to 4503 for a 230 gr. .45ACP. The wallop is impressive, to say the least. I've just started sighting it in, and it's ridiculously quiet if I hold the bolt closed.

And that's the punchline here: I finally found an advantage to being left handed! My right thumb is in the perfect position to keep the bolt from opening, greatly reducing the sound signature. Unlike the bolt lock (JG Bolt Lock), my thumb allows a little bounce that should prevent the chamber pressure from rising much above its normal semi-auto level. After all, the .22LR exerts a heckuvalot of pressure, and I don't need to punish the chamber any more.

Okay, now it's your turn: what did I do wrong? What do I need to do? A bipod would make sense, but they all seem so - - gawky.

chemist · Feb 10, 2011

Here's a closer look at the rail-less ring mount.

Brown Trout · Feb 10, 2011

very nice!

chemist · Feb 10, 2011

Thank you - really - but I was hoping to get some constructive criticism from some of the many experienced builders and shooters who post on this forum. I'm into this rifle quite a bit, considering that it's intended for one and only one type of ammo. But since you can't make a .22 faster and remain quiet, that leaves more mass as the only option if you want to maximize the range and penetration.

Here's a comparison of three different kinds of .22 ammo made by Aguila:

L to R, the Colibri (primer only, no powder) at 20 gr.,
the subsonic RN 40 gr., and
the 60 gr. SSS that needs the 1:9" twist barrel to stabilize.

You can see how the SSS slug is mated to a .22 short case to keep its overall length the same as the conventional .22LR. It's a strange round and pretty dirty to fire, but it has incredible penetration. More than one poster has mentioned cutting their own meplat into the nose to keep it from squirting straight through small game. It seems to me that it ought to have a better ballistic coefficient than any other .22 out there.

Kimber Custom · Feb 11, 2011

Not sure anyone can tell you something you did wrong. Looks like a nice set up. Does it shoot well?

What kind of work did you do to the internals?

I have dreams of building a sub sonic .22.

Here's a mod I did on my build Chamfering the 10/22 Bolt - RimfireCentral.com Forums side by side with my stock 10/22 and you can feel the difference.

magnum · Feb 11, 2011

Very nicely done. I dig those low mount rings. As to adding a bipod, they really help with precision shooting, much more stable than any rest or sandbag. Try one of the low silhouette bipods for a cleaner look.
I just picked up some wolf match 22lr. As it's match, I'd guess it's not as slow as subsonic but close. It's super accurate out of my whistling pig barrel. I'd be interested in hearing how that stuff works in your suppressed setup if you ever try some.
Thanks to kimber custom for the bolt mod link. I thought there wasn't anything left that I could do to my 10-22 build. Guess not.

chemist · Feb 11, 2011

Kimber Custom said:
Not sure anyone can tell you something you did wrong. Looks like a nice set up. Does it shoot well?

What kind of work did you do to the internals?

I have dreams of building a sub sonic .22.

Here's a mod I did on my build Chamfering the 10/22 Bolt - RimfireCentral.com Forums side by side with my stock 10/22 and you can feel the difference.

Yeah, I read a bunch of stuff over there at rimfirecentral and was completely overwhelmed. Bolt jobs, trigger jobs, pillar bedding, polished internals, it goes on forever. Like somebody said to me, "I have a love/hate relationship with the 10/22, because before you know it you're into it for a thousand dollars." And a thousand hours too, in all likelihood.

I'm still going for low-hanging fruit, so today I weighed 100 rnds. of that Aguila SSS, and it wasn't pretty: I got a bimodal distribution ranging from 4.463g to 4.512g., for a total mass range of over 1%. I haven't pulled the bullets yet to see how that variability divides up between slug and powder, but to my thinking this kind of ammo variation must totally swamp any gun effects.

All I've done so far is to get the scope on paper with a few rounds. When I get a dry day off I'll bring the shooting bench out to Salmonberry Road and work on getting a big grin going.