My first foray into the realm of 10/22s (after a 30+ year hiatus from shooting, but recently buying a few inexpensive 22LR rifles) was to purchase a T/CR22. While it’s a decent rifle, the accuracy just wasn’t what I wanted. One of the local NRL22 “young guns” won a Victor Titan stock, but already had one on his rifle. So I made an offer and bought it. This let me order a Feddersen bull barrel for the T/CR22. And down the rabbit hole I fell….
While researching the barrel, I found out that Feddersen might have stainless barrels that are not on their website. So I called to order a 16.25 inch stainless bull barrel with all the options: threaded, fluted, and polished. While they had the stainless 16.25 barrel, that’s all they had was just the plain bead blasted with no options and it would likely be long time before they changed the production line to do any mods to the barrel. I took what was offered.
Installed the barrel and T/CR22 action into the Victor Titan and shot one of my best groups ever. But I immediately decided that something had to be done about the crappy trigger. The T/CR22 has last round hold-open that is based on having the factory trigger, receiver, and mags. While I was considering having Brimstone work their magic on the T/CR22 trigger in order to keep the last round hold-open, it dawned on me that I’d also have to spend a lot more on the T/CR22 factory mags to keep that feature. For just a bit more than $100, I could get the Kidd 2-stage trigger and 6 Ruger BX-1 mags for the cost of the Brimstone job and 5 T/CR22 factory mags to go with the one that came with the rifle. So $300ish and I had a Kidd 2-stage trigger set to 8oz/8oz on the way and then ordered some BX-1 mags. A few days later and the trigger was installed. I’ve tried a Brimstone trigger before on someone else’s rifle, but it doesn’t compare to the Kidd trigger.
Meanwhile, Sandra at Feddersen’s calls me and said that they were running out of threaded barrels on the regular blued version and that she had them thread a few stainless and high-polish one just for me… if I was still interested. Needless to say, I ordered it over the phone immediately.
Of course now that I have this wonderful rifle, I want it setup with a few little options. I ordered the Victor mini front rail, an Atlas bipod clone that was immediately replaced with a new Magpul bipod once I figured out the clone was trash. And got thinking… If I replace the receiver with a Kidd classic, I can get one of the Victor rear tangs and then put the T/CR22 back together with the spare barrel. So around $400 and I had the Kidd receiver, bolt, springs, charging handle (plus a black/flat spare trigger) on the way along with a Victor rear tang for another $50.
While out shooting this wonderful new rifle at the range, I’m firing at a new spinner being tested. To really get it moving takes several shots of 22. I think, “Wouldn’t this be a lot more fun with 25 round mags?” Two BX-25 mags were ordered that night.
Although I had an Acme Machine 6-24x50mm First Focal Plane MIL scope (pulled from another 22 rifle) mounted, any nice rifle needs new glass. So I ordered an Athlon Midas TAC 6-24×50 APRS3 (Xmas tree reticle) scope and a set of Burris XTR 30mm Signature 1-inch height rings to see if that would allow me to bottom out the scope for long range. Of course it didn’t. Foolish me… I should have followed my gut and ordered the 20 MOA rail from Kidd when ordering the action. An online order fixed that. And I needed a higher cheek weld. Ordered the Victor Titan riser.
At this point the only thing that was lacking is a good sling. I tried out the Short Action Precision positional sling one of the NRL22 locals has and then bought one. That “should” be all I need. Or more precisely put, that’s all that I can think of to buy for this rifle... at this time.
I ought to mention that I’m not that good of shooter. I enjoy the hell out of it, but I’m just not that steady. About the only stages I do decent on are the prone NRL22. I do have fun stretching out to longer ranges. That’s why I wanted to bottom out the scope.
So now I’m evaluating ammo to see what this beastie likes to be fed. I’m contemplating shipping it off to Eley and/or Lapua for lot testing. That might be less expensive in the long run rather than me buying lots of ammo to test (i.e. Eley Tenex, Eley Match, Lapua Center-X, Lapua Midas+, Lapua Polar Biathlon, Federal Gold Match, Federal Ultra Match, RWS R50, SK Biathlon, SK Rifle Match, etc.)
Oh yeah, remember that earlier I mentioned being able to put the T/CR22 back together? I ordered a relatively inexpensive (around $100) Archangel AAP1022 Precision Rifle Stock to allow me to use the second Feddersen barrel with it and am now in the vicious cycle of Brimstone the factory trigger or buy another Kidd trigger. <sigh>
My advice? Stay away from modifying 10/22 rifles unless you want to hear the anguished cries of your credit card/bank balance.
A few obligatory photos:
While researching the barrel, I found out that Feddersen might have stainless barrels that are not on their website. So I called to order a 16.25 inch stainless bull barrel with all the options: threaded, fluted, and polished. While they had the stainless 16.25 barrel, that’s all they had was just the plain bead blasted with no options and it would likely be long time before they changed the production line to do any mods to the barrel. I took what was offered.
Installed the barrel and T/CR22 action into the Victor Titan and shot one of my best groups ever. But I immediately decided that something had to be done about the crappy trigger. The T/CR22 has last round hold-open that is based on having the factory trigger, receiver, and mags. While I was considering having Brimstone work their magic on the T/CR22 trigger in order to keep the last round hold-open, it dawned on me that I’d also have to spend a lot more on the T/CR22 factory mags to keep that feature. For just a bit more than $100, I could get the Kidd 2-stage trigger and 6 Ruger BX-1 mags for the cost of the Brimstone job and 5 T/CR22 factory mags to go with the one that came with the rifle. So $300ish and I had a Kidd 2-stage trigger set to 8oz/8oz on the way and then ordered some BX-1 mags. A few days later and the trigger was installed. I’ve tried a Brimstone trigger before on someone else’s rifle, but it doesn’t compare to the Kidd trigger.
Meanwhile, Sandra at Feddersen’s calls me and said that they were running out of threaded barrels on the regular blued version and that she had them thread a few stainless and high-polish one just for me… if I was still interested. Needless to say, I ordered it over the phone immediately.
Of course now that I have this wonderful rifle, I want it setup with a few little options. I ordered the Victor mini front rail, an Atlas bipod clone that was immediately replaced with a new Magpul bipod once I figured out the clone was trash. And got thinking… If I replace the receiver with a Kidd classic, I can get one of the Victor rear tangs and then put the T/CR22 back together with the spare barrel. So around $400 and I had the Kidd receiver, bolt, springs, charging handle (plus a black/flat spare trigger) on the way along with a Victor rear tang for another $50.
While out shooting this wonderful new rifle at the range, I’m firing at a new spinner being tested. To really get it moving takes several shots of 22. I think, “Wouldn’t this be a lot more fun with 25 round mags?” Two BX-25 mags were ordered that night.
Although I had an Acme Machine 6-24x50mm First Focal Plane MIL scope (pulled from another 22 rifle) mounted, any nice rifle needs new glass. So I ordered an Athlon Midas TAC 6-24×50 APRS3 (Xmas tree reticle) scope and a set of Burris XTR 30mm Signature 1-inch height rings to see if that would allow me to bottom out the scope for long range. Of course it didn’t. Foolish me… I should have followed my gut and ordered the 20 MOA rail from Kidd when ordering the action. An online order fixed that. And I needed a higher cheek weld. Ordered the Victor Titan riser.
At this point the only thing that was lacking is a good sling. I tried out the Short Action Precision positional sling one of the NRL22 locals has and then bought one. That “should” be all I need. Or more precisely put, that’s all that I can think of to buy for this rifle... at this time.
I ought to mention that I’m not that good of shooter. I enjoy the hell out of it, but I’m just not that steady. About the only stages I do decent on are the prone NRL22. I do have fun stretching out to longer ranges. That’s why I wanted to bottom out the scope.
So now I’m evaluating ammo to see what this beastie likes to be fed. I’m contemplating shipping it off to Eley and/or Lapua for lot testing. That might be less expensive in the long run rather than me buying lots of ammo to test (i.e. Eley Tenex, Eley Match, Lapua Center-X, Lapua Midas+, Lapua Polar Biathlon, Federal Gold Match, Federal Ultra Match, RWS R50, SK Biathlon, SK Rifle Match, etc.)
Oh yeah, remember that earlier I mentioned being able to put the T/CR22 back together? I ordered a relatively inexpensive (around $100) Archangel AAP1022 Precision Rifle Stock to allow me to use the second Feddersen barrel with it and am now in the vicious cycle of Brimstone the factory trigger or buy another Kidd trigger. <sigh>
My advice? Stay away from modifying 10/22 rifles unless you want to hear the anguished cries of your credit card/bank balance.
A few obligatory photos:
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