Hello all-
I recently took my 11yo son to his (and mine) first Appleseed shoot at Sanner's Lake. First, let me say what a fantastic experience it was!! We both had a great time as did my son's fellow Boy Scouts who attended.
My question relates to my son's inability to be able to support my scoped, wood stock 10/22 adequately during the standing and sitting/kneeling portions of the event. He's a pretty skinny kid and we had to make some concessions and let him shoot prone/supported with sandbags. Aside from getting him to lift some weights ;-)....I'm trying to set him up with a synthetic stock 10/22.
I have looked at both the Archangel AAP1022 and the Magpul Hunter X22 stocks. The Archangel looks good in terms of its adjustability, but I'm nt familiar with the quality of this product nor its appropriateness for Appleseed. Does anyone have any experience with aftermarket synthetic 10/22 stocks they would be willing to share?
Thanks!
Many good variations of making a Liberty Training Rifle you can find here in the Appleseed web site and in the Appleseed newsletter. Here is a link to my basic LTR rifle that I use as a loaner for our Appleseed events.
https://floridaprojectappleseed.blogspot.com/2015/06/liberty-teaching-rifle.html
This design has worked out well and I'm cloning it for an additional loaner. Give me a yell if you have any questions.
My daughter started Appleseeding with me when she was 11. She, too, was sleight of build and had problems supporting the regular rifles.
I built her a completely custom 10/22. The two biggest weight-saving components were the Boyds SS evolution stock, and the Whistlepig barrel (looks like a bull barrel, but it's a steel sleeve in aluminum). Nice side benefit of the stock is that it's ambidextrous - she's a lefty and I'm a righty.
Even with the scope, it only weighs 6 lbs.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s146/variseal/DSC01733.jpg)
I have a lightweight 10/22 with a synthetic stock and stainless barrel. I believe that it was referred to as a "compact" or "youth" when I got it a couple of years ago. I put a lightweight and inexpensive Simmons .22 scope on it, and it appears to be quite light. I drilled a hole in the buttstock to attach a stud and put a barrel-band type attachment on the front end. You might go to a couple of gun stores and see what they have in stock and how the weight feels to your son.
Overall, I had to put a pad on the stock to make it long enough for me to shoot. I got it for my wife, but she doesn't have a lot of interest, so I made it my Appleseed rifle. With the shorter length of pull (distance from the end of the stock to the trigger), I believe that it might be just about right for a younger shooter. I also had to put some foam on the stock to raise my eye far enough to get a good scope view.
Hope some of this helps.
The Archangel AAP1022 is one of my all-time favorite stocks; however it does not shave weight. It is a weighty, sturdily built stock. Great for adults.
For children, Ruger makes a 10/22 compact (http://www.ruger.com/products/1022Compact/models.html). I would recommend that. It has a smaller stock and a shorter barrel. What's nice is as he grows you can get another stock (used Ruger 10/22 stocks can be had for ~$20) and leave the action and barrel as is.
I like it the Blackhawk Axiom if you are going to restock your 10/22 for him.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/2157287396/blackhawk-knoxx-axiom-r-f-adjustable-length-of-pull-rifle-stock-ruger-10-22-synthetic.
If you have a band saw and a resp it isn't that hard to custom fab a youth stock.
I use the Blackhawk Axiom stock for a loaner because it fits any shooter.
The Axxiom is a good solution. So is the Ruger Compact stock. As said above, both the Magpul and the Archangel are way too heavy, and long. Reducing the length of pull so that he is properly balanced with the rifle, with proper hand placement on the stock, will help even more than reducing the weight.
Quote from: Charles McKinley on October 10, 2016, 07:53:58 PM
I like it the Blackhawk Axiom if you are going to restock your 10/22 for him.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/2157287396/blackhawk-knoxx-axiom-r-f-adjustable-length-of-pull-rifle-stock-ruger-10-22-synthetic.
If you have a band saw and a resp it isn't that hard to custom fab a youth stock.
2nd this stock. I think its the lightest 10/22 stock easily available. It free floats the barrel, has adjustable LOP, and isnt over the top expensive. Add in an ar15 cheek riser and its close to perfect. Main issue is that it does flex a bit and with a factory barrel makes the rifle front heavy.
A friend of mine has multiple wrist / strength issues. A stock 10/22 feels heavy and unbalanced, so I dug around to see what I could put together.
With that stock, a Beyer 16" factory profile barrel http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/barrel-parts/rifle-barrels/ruger-10-22-ultralight-target-barrel-prod31761.aspx?avs%7cManufacturer_1=BEYER+BARRELS , cheap Simmons 4x scope (~9oz + rings), sling/swivels/etc. it comes in 4lb, 5oz. Downside is that the barrel cost as much as a 10/22
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to offer your thoughts and experiences, I truly appreciate it! I decided to go with the Axiom stock and am going to set it up with the same glass my son is used to shooting--a Nikon BDC Rimfire 3-9x40mm
I already picked up a used 10/22 that came with a not so good Archangel 556 stock and the original wood stock. I'll take the guts out and build my son's new rifle from this.
I can't wait for the new parts to come in!
Thanks again folks!!