Another new Rimfire in the works, but a Handgun this time.

[Larry in SD]

Every year for the past 3 years I have built a custom .22. They have consisted of a Custom Ruger 77/22 and 2 Custom Ruger / Nordic Components 10/22's.

Since I am a Handgun Shooter / Handgun Hunter at heart and do have a Super 14 .22 LR Match Contender Handgun that shoots great the next obvious project was to build a Custom Ruger Charger.

I started this project out by buying a used beat up Ruger 10/22 Carbine. I mainly bought this 10/22 to get the receiver parts (ie Bolt, Recoil Spring / Guide Rod Assembly and Aluminum Trigger Group). To make this a legal Handgun I recently ordered a stripped Ruger Charger Receiver (to put all the 10/22 internals into).

The Bolt will get all of the modifications done to it, Headspacing, Pinned Firing Pin and Chamfered / Radiused Rear Face of the Bolt. The Trigger Group will get sent off to TT Shooter for one of his Precision Trigger Jobs just like I did on my recent 10/22 build.

For the stock (since I do not like the Factory Ruger Charger Stock style) I am starting with the basic Carbine Stock. I have shortened the forend a bit, and removed the buttstock and pistol grip. This carbine stock is at my local gunsmiths right now being transformed into a Ruger Charger Handgun Stock.

He is fitting a T/C Contender Walnut Herrett Finger Groove, Thumbrest Pistol Grip to the 10/22 Carbine Stock to transform it into a Charger Stock.

I stopped over at my gunsmiths yesterday morning with the new Contender Pistol Grip that is going to eventually be used with this Charger Stock.

The above two photos shows the modifications to the 10/22 stock that Roger has done so far to accept the Contender Pistol Grip.

Roger is not done yet as he has a lot more modifications to do. There will have to be a wedge shaped piece of wood made and glassed to the bottom of the stock to fully support the pistol grip, as well as a 5/8" Rod with a 1/4x20 TPI hole drilled and tapped into the end of the rod (to slide into the Contender Pistol Grip so it can be held to the stock with the Contender Grip Bolt) and glassed into the stock at the proper angle.

This photo shows the Grip slid onto the modified area of the 10/22 Stock to give an idea of how it is going to look when installed on the stock.

It will be a couple weeks yet before my Charger Stripped Receiver arrives and I have not ordered a barrel as yet. Probably won't order a barrel until we decide on how long the forend is going to end up, but I am thinking I am going to end up with a 13" to 14" Barrel.

Thanks

Larry

 

[JD338]

Larry,

That is a very cool project! Looking forward to seeing it completed.

JD338

 

[DrMike]

A truly neat project. I'm sure that we'll all watch your progress with interest.

 

[Larry in SD]

Thanks guys.

I still do not know what pushed me to start this project. I have been shooting our Winter Indoor Bench Rest League with my Super 14 .22 LR Match Contender and it shoots so good I am quite sure I am the limiting factor.

I guess maybe building my newest 10/22, and seeing how amazingly accurate it shoots was the main driving force behind this project. Besides I didn't have a current project and needed something to do.

Larry

 

[Larry in SD]

Roger stopped over this morning again with the Charger Stock. He finished bedding the extra piece of wood on the bottom of the 10/22 stock and made the adaptor to screw the Contender Grip to the 10/22 Stock.

Above is a photo of the 10/22 stock modified to accept the Contender Pistol Grip. The stud sticking down was made from a piece of 5/8" bolt glassed into the stock. There is a hole drilled up through the center of the bolt from the bottom to accept the 1/2 X 20 TPI Contender Grip Bolt. The added piece of wood behind the Trigger guard is for more support for the inside of the Contender Grip.

This is a photo of the 10/22 Stock with the Contender Grip attached. Roger still has to make a filler piece to follow the radius of the top of the Contener grip to fill the gap between the top of the Contender Grip and the Stock. Once that is done it is time to glass bed the stock, and then decide on a finish.

Larry

 

[DrMike]

That is just one cool project, Larry. It certainly looks attractive, even at this stage.

 

[Larry in SD]

Thanks DrMike. I am getting excited as I think it is going to turn out as planned. The rest of my parts should be here this coming week. This is taking some time as Roger is working on this between other projects.

Larry

 

[cloverleaf]

Very cool Larry! Glad to see you survived the winter. We will be watching this one! CL

 

[FOTIS]

Cool. 8) 8) 8) 8)

 

[Larry in SD]

Thanks guys.

Yep cloverleaf I survived the winter. I am also mighty glad Rosholt is located on a hill as with all this snow melting things are really WET. I keep wondering how Rod is doing up north.

Larry

 

[cloverleaf]

Me too, keep thinking we are gonna see a post about "moving the guns upstairs"....again. Sure hope not. That fire at our place last year gave ma a little taste of what water in the house is like and it aint fun. Hope all the gophers arent drowned out and you get that thing in action before the grass gets too tall. That thing would malke a wicked "Gopher dash gun". Course I havent used one that way since my wild and reckless youth.....but it would still be fun. CL

 

[Larry in SD]

The last I heard the expected crest was supposed to be today, and lower than expected.

I was at the White Rock Dam east of town here this morning and this evening and noticed that this evening they have the dam open and are letting water go north. The Reservation Dam 6 miles south of the White Rock Dam is wide open and filling up the Mud Lake Bottom.

I am only guessing but since they have the White Rock Dam open and are letting water go north I am assuming (and hoping) the worst may be over for Fargo otherwise they wouldn't be letting water go north (at least I hope they wouldn't).

I did listen to the Roberts County Emergency Management Director today on my Police Radio and he advised that they opened up the Reservation Dam more than it had been due to homes flooding along Lake Traverse that sits on the South Dakota / Minnesota border some 70 miles south of Fargo North Dakota. .

Larry

 

[Larry in SD]

I picked up my Stripped Ruger Charger Receiver from my FFL Dealer yesterday.

I was quite pleased that it has the new finish on it. It appears to be a soft satin powder coat rather than than the wrinkle finish paint of recent versions.

My Barrel and other parts should arrive on Thursday according to the tracking information I received yesterday.

Larry

 

[DrMike]

This is moving along quite nicely. I really appreciate the updates.

 

[Larry in SD]

Thanks DrMike. Yep things are coming along. Once the barrel arrives I need to get it shortened and recrowned. I will then be able to put the barreled receiver all together. I already have the bolt work done (headspace set, firing pin pinned and the rear of the bolt chamfered). The trigger group I am using has already been sent to TT Shooter for one of his Precision Trigger Jobs and it turned out great.

Once all that is put together then it will be waiting for the stock to get finished (bedded, stained and finished).

Larry

 

[Larry in SD]

My Barrel and the rest of my parts arrived last week. Last night I went over to my machinist buddies and we shortened and crowned my barrel.

This barrel started life out as a 17 1/2" Heavy Fluted Barrel that was .920" in diameter for the first 13 3/4" and then it got larger to 1.060" for the last 4" out to the muzzle. We cut it off at 13 3/4" and crowned the barrel.

There was some overspray and running powder coat inside of the barrel shank hole in the receiver so I had to clean that up a bit. The barrel still wouldn't go into the receiver so I had to polish the barrel shank slightly. I was able to slide it in about 3/4 of the way and tapped on the rear of the receiver to fully seat the barrel to the receiver.

Above is a photo of the assembled Barrel Action with the 3x12x Burris LER Handgun Scope mounted to the receiver with the supplied Weaver Scope Base and Weaver 1" High Quad Lock Scope Rings.

I took the Barreled Action over to Roger's this morning so now it is all up to Roger as far as getting the stock finished and bedded.

Larry

 

[DrMike]

That looks pretty good. I do believe you will shortly have a shooter on your hands.

 

[FOTIS]

neat project thank you for your updates.

 

[Larry in SD]

Thanks guys. I sure hope it is a shooter. I have been shooting my Super 14 .22 LR Match Contender Handgun for a few years and decided I needed something a bit different.

I haven't talked to Roger to see if he has a time line for getting the stock finished as I know Roger has lots of other projects he is working on also. I am hoping now that I have the barreled action all together things will progress as planned.

Larry