SBF
04-08-2005, 12:24 AM
As if my 10/22 wasn't already my personal "blackhole", money wise that is :D
I got to thinking the other day how ironic that a gun you purchase to try to save money by shooting cheap .22 ammo can turn into such a money pit :crazy:
Well the two most recent modifications were fairly cheap as gun stuff goes. The first mod was free except for a little time on my part. I decided to try my hand at champhering (?) the bolt on my 10/22. Unfortunately I didn't take a before pic so you have to use your imagination. Here's what I did:
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/boltchamp1.jpghttp://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/boltchamp2.jpg
The lower left corner of a factory bolt is pretty much squared off. By grinding the "corner" off and making a nice smooth radius it helps to reset the hammer a little better with lower powered ammo. Some gun have a tendency to not be 100% reliable with the lower powered target/subsonic loads. By radiusing the back of the bolt your actually creating more leverage when the rear of the bolt contacts the hammer after firing. Your hitting the hammer a little higher on it's face thus, more leverage. Just like it easier to move something heavy by pushing on the center of it rather than pushing on the bottom. The contact area is now smaller and higher. There is now about an 1/8" of flat contact area. You don't want to completely round it off, you need to leave a small flat on the back to be reliable.
The second modification I did was to replace the loose factory pins that hold the thrigger unit in the reciever of the gun. When I would take the action out of the stock the pins would literally fall out when tip on its side. The looseness of the pins is even apparent when the gun is assembled. You could actually feel the trigger assembly "wiggling" in the reciever. Since getting good groups relies on trying to keep everything consistent from shot to shot, this can't be good.
I purchased a set of Kidd Receiver Pins from Dan at Hawktech for $29.95 (free shipping)http://www.hawktecharms.com
These pins are hollow with small screws at each end that are slightly shorter than the stock factory pins. When you install them the screws on either side are used to tighten the pins into place. Here's a few pics to show you what I did:
Here the action fresh out of the stock (not a scratch but some glass bedding that I got on the reciever. I'm afraid to try to get it off because I don't want to scratch the paint. Besides you can barely see it when it's in the stock)
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/kidd1.jpg
Stripped receiver. Removed the bolt, charging handle and the synthetic bolt buffer (easier on the bolt and no "clack-clack" metal to metal contact when you shoot)
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/kidd3.jpg
The two pins on the left are the factory pins. The new Kidd pins, two torq allen wrenches and a countersink all come in the "kit". You can save a few dollars and order w/o the countersink if you have one already).
You need to "flare" the factory pin holes in the receiver so that the screw heads are flush with the sides of the receiver. The instructions warn you not to go too deep or the pins will not snug up properly. I went slow and made sure I didn't screw it up (unlike many other projects I try :roll:)
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/kidd2.jpg
Here's how it looks now! The trigger group is nice and snug and there is no movement or wobble.
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/kidd4.jpg
I don't have delusions that either one of these mods are going to miraculously shrink my groups. What I'm going for is increased reliablity and repeatability when I'm trying to shoot my best. Taking the "looseness" of the trigger assembly out of the equation can only help, not hurt IMO. Now it's up too the "nut" behind the trigger :D
I got to thinking the other day how ironic that a gun you purchase to try to save money by shooting cheap .22 ammo can turn into such a money pit :crazy:
Well the two most recent modifications were fairly cheap as gun stuff goes. The first mod was free except for a little time on my part. I decided to try my hand at champhering (?) the bolt on my 10/22. Unfortunately I didn't take a before pic so you have to use your imagination. Here's what I did:
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/boltchamp1.jpghttp://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/boltchamp2.jpg
The lower left corner of a factory bolt is pretty much squared off. By grinding the "corner" off and making a nice smooth radius it helps to reset the hammer a little better with lower powered ammo. Some gun have a tendency to not be 100% reliable with the lower powered target/subsonic loads. By radiusing the back of the bolt your actually creating more leverage when the rear of the bolt contacts the hammer after firing. Your hitting the hammer a little higher on it's face thus, more leverage. Just like it easier to move something heavy by pushing on the center of it rather than pushing on the bottom. The contact area is now smaller and higher. There is now about an 1/8" of flat contact area. You don't want to completely round it off, you need to leave a small flat on the back to be reliable.
The second modification I did was to replace the loose factory pins that hold the thrigger unit in the reciever of the gun. When I would take the action out of the stock the pins would literally fall out when tip on its side. The looseness of the pins is even apparent when the gun is assembled. You could actually feel the trigger assembly "wiggling" in the reciever. Since getting good groups relies on trying to keep everything consistent from shot to shot, this can't be good.
I purchased a set of Kidd Receiver Pins from Dan at Hawktech for $29.95 (free shipping)http://www.hawktecharms.com
These pins are hollow with small screws at each end that are slightly shorter than the stock factory pins. When you install them the screws on either side are used to tighten the pins into place. Here's a few pics to show you what I did:
Here the action fresh out of the stock (not a scratch but some glass bedding that I got on the reciever. I'm afraid to try to get it off because I don't want to scratch the paint. Besides you can barely see it when it's in the stock)
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/kidd1.jpg
Stripped receiver. Removed the bolt, charging handle and the synthetic bolt buffer (easier on the bolt and no "clack-clack" metal to metal contact when you shoot)
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/kidd3.jpg
The two pins on the left are the factory pins. The new Kidd pins, two torq allen wrenches and a countersink all come in the "kit". You can save a few dollars and order w/o the countersink if you have one already).
You need to "flare" the factory pin holes in the receiver so that the screw heads are flush with the sides of the receiver. The instructions warn you not to go too deep or the pins will not snug up properly. I went slow and made sure I didn't screw it up (unlike many other projects I try :roll:)
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/kidd2.jpg
Here's how it looks now! The trigger group is nice and snug and there is no movement or wobble.
http://www.members.cox.net/ww2guy/images/kidd4.jpg
I don't have delusions that either one of these mods are going to miraculously shrink my groups. What I'm going for is increased reliablity and repeatability when I'm trying to shoot my best. Taking the "looseness" of the trigger assembly out of the equation can only help, not hurt IMO. Now it's up too the "nut" behind the trigger :D