10/22 gunsmithing

I did a little gunsmithing on my Ruger 10/22 tonight.

Sometime last year I installed a Power Custom hammer and sear to reduce the godawful factory trigger pull to something manageable. It resulted in a very nice pull, but I needed to do some tweaking so that the safety could be engaged. So tonight I pulled the rifle out of the closet, took down the trigger mechanism, and stoned/filed the end of the sear that bears on the safety catch. It took a couple of tries, but I was taking it slow. It's a lot easier to take metal off than to put it back.

For guidance on how to take apart the trigger mechanism on a 10/22, see here and here.

One the action was finished I mounted a Nikon Pro Staff 4x32mm rimfire scope. The rifle had been sans glass, and when the latest Natchez Shooters Supply flyer came, I saw that they were selling factory-refurbished Nikons for about $30 off. That brought this scope down to $69 + S&H, which I couldn't resist.

I used to have a Weaver 4x28mm rimfire scope on the Ruger, but have since migrated it over to my Savage Mark IIGL. Compared with the Weaver, the Nikon has a longer eye relief and larger exit pupil, which are good. I think it's a bit brighter, too, but I'll need to take both outside at the same time and compare them side by side to be sure. Both scopes normally go for about $100 or a little more.

Now all I need is a free afternoon some weekend to get to the range!