Building an M1 Carbine(ish) rifle from a Ruger 10/22

I've got a silencer on order for a .22 - awaiting the NFA stamp, which I won't get till around August.

So, I need a .22 rifle with a threaded muzzle and looking around I decided to build up my own based on the M1 Carbine. I bought a ruined old 10/22 for a $100 from a co-worker. It functions just fine, but the barrel is rusty. I really only wanted the action anyway.

I ordered a new Ruger barrel ($39) and sent it off to get the muzzle threaded and the front sight set back a half inch (to accommodate the threaded portion). It will take about a month to get that back - $135. So far, I've $274 into the project.

In the meantime, I'm ordering the stock here: http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/stock-forend-parts/rifle-stocks/ruger-10-22-m1-carbine-style-stock-prod40789.aspx?avs|Make~~Model_1=Ruger__10/22

I'm ordering the blond stock so I can refinish it myself. It's beechwood so I'm going to try and bring out some figure using aqua fortis - an old trick to enhance grain on maple stocks which I hope will work on beech. Then I'll finish it with walnut stain. I can't find a walnut stock, so I have to cheat.

This is what I have so far:


A filthy beat up 10/22 action... I'll have to re-blacken it and change out all the springs, etc and then add a match trigger, sear and hammer.

Eventually, I hope to have something that looks like this, only with match sights and trigger and the ability to put a can on the end of the barrel. And (hopefully) some furniture with grain that resembles walnut with a proper tung oil finish instead of the ugly lacquer finish you see below.




If this generates some interest I'll keep adding to this until the project is done. I just think it's a fun thing to do. If you want a .22 plinker or a target rifle, why not build one that looks like an M1 Carbine? From the rough figures I'm looking at, it will end up costing much less than some custom target rifle. There are some tricks to accurizing a 10/22 and I'll go over each one when I reach that step.

 

Looks like a good project. Have you seen those .22LR M1 Carbine knockoffs made by Chiappa? I handled one at the store a few weeks ago. Most of the 'attachments' (stock, sights, mag, etc) are plastic, and I have no idea how it shoots, but its made pretty well.

The M1 is a nice plinker -- very accurate, with light recoil. One in .22LR should be a lot of fun. Do you plan on machining the barrel down to the proper diameter? If so, you can finish it off with a NOS front sight and bayonet lug.

 

I looked at the Chiappa and didn't like what I saw - too much plastic. The repro sights and what-not are designed to fit over the Ruger sights, so no I won't be machining the barrel other than for the silencer.

Here's a site with all the M1 Carbine bells and whistles for the Ruger. http://www.eabco.com/m1_carbine_ruger_1022_tribute.htm

 

I can probably find you a source where you could get a chunk of walnut to make a stock out of. If you are up to that. There are a couple I've dealt with in the past that are pretty good. Of course that's a lot of wood working. Depending on your inclination that could be good, bad, or a deal killer.

While the wood wouldn't be cheap the shipping to Alaska could be impressive.
I might even have a chunk in the garage that would work but would have to cut it down to size and see how bad the checking was.

 

I'll add myself to the 'interested' list, KB.
I know cock all about building guns - but confess to finding this stuff fascinating in an abstract sort of way.

Crack on.
~A

 

Thanks lwd, but I'm definitely not up to turning out my own stock! Beech, like any wood, has grain but its just too mono-color to be very visible. However, I've seen this aqua fortis make some very poor maple come out beautifully on traditional long rifles. It's an acid that reacts with the wood when you apply heat.

Still, if it doesn't work on the beech, I'll just give it a dark walnut stain and live with it.

 

Von Poop, the 10/22 is a great project gun because there are so many aftermarket parts and modifications available. They are designed like a military rifle, so can be broken down and reassembled very easily. The goal for this one is two-fold; to superficially resemble a Carbine, but I'm going to make it as accurate as possible and perhaps use it in Appleseed matches.

 

Does the 10/22 not have a rotary clip?

KTK

 

Fantastic weapon...your idea should look sweet...but why the silencer?

 

The silencer is because I'm sick and tired of pulling earmuffs on and off while shooting. I'll still have to wear them when I shoot centerfire rounds, but really, 90% of my shooting is with .22's so I can swap this thing between various .22 pistols and rifles.

And yeah, the 10/22 has a 10 shot rotary magazine. The long magazine you see in the photo above is a faux thing that you clip on the bottom of the standard Ruger mag.

 

Seen these?

KTK

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=731025

My Bavarian

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/kennethroy/media/BavarianM1Carbine003.jpg.html?sort=3&o=102

 

Why shoot .22LR with a silencer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ecioBQZfio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtenI4zMwWM

 

Nice Carbine, Ken!

I've got some big banana mags laying around someplace. They're always slightly unreliable. For my kind of shooting the ten rounders are just fine.

 

Since this turned into 'show and tell', here's mine:

Its an October 1943 IBM (yes, the computer company made firearms), in the first 100k of the batch of serial numbers assigned to them. Its a typical Korean War refurb, but shoots great and everything is in good condition. I don't think this ever saw service -- the barrel was like new when I got it. I need to take a picture of it in better lighting (the entire stock is dark like the butt, and the 'dings' in the stock aren't nearly as visible), but you get the idea.

Adding to my 'someday I'll post pictures' backlog, I'll post a detailed message about this in the next month or so in the 'Militaria' forum. I got some new floodlights for my camera and need an excuse to test them out!

 

Well keep the pictures and info coming, it will be great to see how this project turns out.

KTK

 

The new barrel is getting threaded right now, and I'm waiting for parts orders from Midway and Brownells.

There are several sights options.

The traditional one looks like this:


And then there is this:



The second one is less authentic looking, but has precise adjustments for match shooting, or you can swap out the front post to something thicker for rabbit hunting or what-have-you. I've order this second set, since the primary use will be target shooting. Both sets use the existing screw holes in the receiver and fit over the existing 10/22 front sight foundation.

 

Damn it! The Brownells order (the stock) has shipped and now I learn that their "priority mail" is priority parcel post. Parcel post in my area means it goes to Seattle or some damned place and sits for a month or so awaiting a barge. It could take 60 days to get all the parts in.

The parts for the trigger and action (Midway) should be here fairly quickly. I've ordered Volquartsen trigger parts and a set of shims from another guy that should turn the normal spongy seven pound trigger into a 2.5 pound crisp trigger. I guess I'll just have to get the accuracy work finished and test the reliability in the old stock. Then when the stock (and the target sights) come from Brownells I'll really be able to wring it out.

 

OK, I rec'd the trigger parts and shims and installed them today. I won't go into the technical stuff - I'll add a video link at the bottom which can explain it better than I ever could. Really, you just knock out pins and replace them with the Volquartsen parts to reduce your trigger pull from 7 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds. The trigger is also much crisper when finished. The shims are a step 2. If you add the shims to the pins holding the parts in, you remove all side to side play and "rub" which enhance the trigger performance. The parts kit and shims totaled $45, while a factory Volquartsen trigger group costs about $275. Quite a savings to do it yourself.

I also installed a Force Trigger which is supposed to improve trigger feel. It's just slightly wider and has tighter tolerances. I'm not sure it does much, but it was only $20 so I put it in as well. I think the shims would have made the factory trigger just as tight...



It was interesting tearing down the receiver. FILTHY! There was powder residue and dirt caked throughout the action and not a drop of oil anywhere. A piece of pea gravel actually fell out of the action when I pulled it off. Really, it's a testament to what a great little rifle the 10/22 is; that it can function with that much grit in the works. No wonder it's Americas favorite .22!

I used brake cleaner and a toothbrush to remove all of that once I had it disassembled, then reassembled with the new parts. The trigger? Beautiful! I don't have a trigger scale, but they advertise 2 1/2 pounds and I have no reason to doubt it. It's much crisper also. I wouldn't call it "breaking glass" crisp, but it's far, far crisper than the factory trigger.

Next step will be doing the furniture.

Below is a good vid for those who want to do this step on their own 10/22.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLrqrQ1-ta0

 

We're almost at the end here.

I applied a little Alumablack to the worst scars on the receiver and attached the very nice "Carbine(ish)" rear sight made by a company called Tech-Sights. It's a very tough little all-metal aperture sight with very fine adjustments.

That's a faux carbine magazine epoxied to the bottom of a standard ten round Ruger mag.



This picture below shows an item called the V-Block. It's what locks your barrel into the receiver, and for some reason the Ruger V-Block (the black one) is undersized which allows your barrel a slight amount of play. That's unimportant with the standard iron sights because both front and rear are on the barrel. But, when you attach a scope or a rear sight on the receiver you now have a situation where alignment is off from shot to shot. The slightly over-sized stainless replacement V-Block costs about twelve bucks and solidly locks the barrel in so there is no play at all.



The stock is done, though still waiting for the last coat of Tung oil to dry. If weather permits a mail plane tomorrow, I'll have the barrel back and can actually finish assembling this darned thing.

I can barely wait to shoot it and test the accuracy. The receiver mounted rear sight nearly doubles the sight radius, so that alone should contribute a noticeable increase in real world accuracy. The trigger job is... well, it's two pounds vs seven pounds, so, you can't help but shoot better. This is the first time I've replaced the V-Block on a 10/22 with the over-sized version, but the general gun-nerd consensus is that this little change makes a huge difference.

 

Looking great there Kodiak.

KTK