Doing anything to get your LTR ready?

[harrihiker]

So is anyone else working on their LTR in preparation for the big Appleseed weekend?

My son and I are both signed up for the Pelham NH shoot.
For my son, I purchased a Mossberg 702 Plinkster youth model. I added sling swivels, M1 sling in the mail from RWVA store. Still need to get him a couple more magazines.
This is his first rifle (he is 11) and his first time really doing any kind of marksmanship practice so I didn't want to get too crazy with his equipment.

I will be using my 10/22.
I have a homemade pistol grip, quasi-tacticool stock that I will be using for the shoot.
I just received a midway and Techsights orders last night and installed an Auto bolt release, bolt buffer, Techsight TSR-100, and to keep with the tacticool I got a muzzlebrake and recoil pad. Again the M1 sling is in the mail from RWVA.

Not sure how I feel about the "recoil pad" I think the main goal of the thing is to add to the LOP, but my arms aren't that long so I may ditch that.
The muzzlebrake I had to buy just because I think the tall front sight that techsights use looks really goofy!
Techsights seem pretty good. I completely destroyed my original front sight getting it out of the dovetail, what a PITA. I've never used an aperture sight before so I am hoping the instructors will be able to give me some good pointers on this. My eyesight is pretty bad and I wear glasses so this may be a challenge for me...

I hope to stick with my 25 round butler creek mags, even though I keep hearing they get in the way when shooting prone. I have tried getting in the prone position a few times with my mags and I haven't had a problem. Maybe I am not doing it right, but I cannot afford new magazines on top of all the other parts I just bought...

I am hoping to post pics later...
Comments? Suggestions? Experiences?

 

[ChevyGuy91]

Glad to see you are taking the time to make sure your GTG before stepping up to the firing line. Have you put a few rounds through the rifles in their current configurations and worked in and out of the sling in the different shooting positions? Might be a good idea.

I had a recoil pad on my 10/22 LTR for adding LOP because I have gorilla arms, and I took it off because it was sliding against my sweatshirt. I just manned up and worked with the mini rifle.

As far as shooting aperture sites, I would recommend leaving your thin stylish glasses at home if you have a pair with larger lens's. This is a problem I have with my regular glasses, if I can't use my prescription sunglasses, I wind up looking over my glasses and not seeing anything past the front sight post.

For the magazines, I am not the brightest bulb on the tree, and I don't like to concentrate on anything other then the 6 steps to firing a shot. I like to use 4 10 round magazines so once I run dry I know it is time to transition to my next position. Plus you don't have to worry about transitioning with a loaded rifle. The less I need to think about the better.

Good luck next weekend, I hope you bring 2 new patches and maybe an orange hat home with you.

Ed

 

[Mike-Mike]

SWM looking for a LTR.

 

[dwarven1]

Suggestion: don't get too hung up on the equipment.

The MOST important thing to bring is an open mind, and the most important thing to leave home is your ego. Seriously.

Yes, there are things that make it easier to shoot. However... we will work with you to find what works for YOUR setup. Decent sights, a sling, a modded bolt release - all good things to have. You'll like them. But all the tacticool stuff in the world won't make you a better shooter. Learning how to get Natural Point of Aim, following the Six Steps to Firing a Shot, learning how to read your target - these will. Equipment? Hell, you could show up there with a Carcano and you'll still leave a better shooter.

Just remember when you come in... check your ego at the gate. You won't need it. Just listen, learn, practice what the instructors are telling you - this is what will make you a Rifleman. Not the tacticool goodies.

(I know - this sounds weird coming from the guy who posted the thread about the LTR. But it's true. Modifying the rifle makes it easier to learn, but YOUR SKILL is what will make that rifle put all the rounds into a 1" square at 25 meters... not the name on your magazine.)

 

[ChevyGuy91]

SWM looking for a LTR.

HAHA, I had to read that once or twice.

 

[harrihiker]

No worries dwarven, no ego here.
I was mocking myself with the tacticool stuff, I know it serves no purpose in terms of functionality. But it's fun

Thanks Ed, only own one par of glasses though. I will have to make due...
I am looking forward to the weekend, I think we will learn a lot.

 

[bfm]

Just in time. Have two 10/22s, just made most of the suggested mods last night after finally getting all the parts in. Took them out for a function test and both ran smooth. Will have to number my mags though, I have two that are not dropping free, will have to set them aside as spares until I figure out why.

 

[dwarven1]

Will have to number my mags though, I have two that are not dropping free, will have to set them aside as spares until I figure out why.

Or you can use them as the last mags in a string...

 

[pdogg77]

As someone who just shot his first appleseed with a 10/22... Make sure your rifle is 110% reliable and reliable with the mags and ammo you will be shooting. I struggled with malfunctions all weekend and they didn't help me focus on the shots, the 6 steps, or my NPOA. When you have to change EVERYTHING about your position to rack the bolt, drop the mag, stick your finger in the chamber area and flick out screwed up cases then get back on target all aspects of your position and point of aim have moved around. Your mags and rifle will get wet and dirty and you will cycle through a lot of rounds. Anything you can do to make that rifle reliable will save you headaches on the range.

 

[bfm]

As someone who just shot his first appleseed with a 10/22... Make sure your rifle is 110% reliable and reliable with the mags and ammo you will be shooting. I struggled with malfunctions all weekend and they didn't help me focus on the shots, the 6 steps, or my NPOA. When you have to change EVERYTHING about your position to rack the bolt, drop the mag, stick your finger in the chamber area and flick out screwed up cases then get back on target all aspects of your position and point of aim have moved around. Your mags and rifle will get wet and dirty and you will cycle through a lot of rounds. Anything you can do to make that rifle reliable will save you headaches on the range.

A;though it may not help you shoot a rifleman score, there is something to be said for getting a lot of practice with malfunctions. Modern firearms are often so reliable that people never learn how to deal with malfunctions. Much like a lot of new drivers whos cars are so reliable they do not even know where the battery is, much less how to jump start it.

 

[harrihiker]

Equipment issues can be distracting and frustrating. By the second day we had a couple people at their wits end with their rifles.

My son had issues with the Mossberg I bought him, so many that it is actually going to get shipped back to the factory this week. Luckily there was a loaner 10/22 available, which had fewer issues. However, he had one AQT that he did excellent on the bottom 2 rows, transitioned to sitting and had 3 or 4 jams and did not finish.
That really frustrated him and he thinks that it blew his chance to get rifleman. It was also the second to last target on the second day so he was probably just mentally burned out anyway. Overall he did awesome, and Ninsho gave him an RWVA young patriots patch which he really appreciated.

My 10/22 is very reliable even with 25 round magazines I have very few issues, the only problem I had all weekend was 3 or 4 light strikes in all 1200+ rounds fired. Somehow I got very lucky with my 10/22. Of course, it is also my only rifle so I baby the thing; completely tear it down and clean it and then lube it up with either good quality gun oil or Rem-DriLube every time I use it. It should run like a top with all the attention it gets.

One thing I noticed though is that there is a lot of paint flaking off the inside of my receiver. I cannot understand why they would paint the inside of the receiver…
I am probably going to have to completely strip it off both outside and inside and duracoat the thing eventually.

 

[pdogg77]

A;though it may not help you shoot a rifleman score, there is something to be said for getting a lot of practice with malfunctions. Modern firearms are often so reliable that people never learn how to deal with malfunctions. Much like a lot of new drivers whos cars are so reliable they do not even know where the battery is, much less how to jump start it.

I'm well trained in the 10/22 malfunction drill after this weekend Next time I'm carrying my MKIII for .22LR handgun transition practice

One thing I noticed though is that there is a lot of paint flaking off the inside of my receiver. I cannot understand why they would paint the inside of the receiver…

+1... the paint or whatever it is on there has been working off on mine for a while and was caked on around the chamber. I'll buff the inside out and see if that helps.

 

[bfm]

+1... the paint or whatever it is on there has been working off on mine for a while and was caked on around the chamber. I'll buff the inside out and see if that helps.

The rimfire forum mentioned in the LTR thread has a lot of advice about removing that paint from the reciever.

 

[dwarven1]

As someone who just shot his first appleseed with a 10/22... Make sure your rifle is 110% reliable and reliable with the mags and ammo you will be shooting. I struggled with malfunctions all weekend and they didn't help me focus on the shots, the 6 steps, or my NPOA. When you have to change EVERYTHING about your position to rack the bolt, drop the mag, stick your finger in the chamber area and flick out screwed up cases then get back on target all aspects of your position and point of aim have moved around. Your mags and rifle will get wet and dirty and you will cycle through a lot of rounds. Anything you can do to make that rifle reliable will save you headaches on the range.

My 10/22 is very reliable even with 25 round magazines I have very few issues, the only problem I had all weekend was 3 or 4 light strikes in all 1200+ rounds fired. Somehow I got very lucky with my 10/22. Of course, it is also my only rifle so I baby the thing; completely tear it down and clean it and then lube it up with either good quality gun oil or Rem-DriLube every time I use it. It should run like a top with all the attention it gets.

Guys, thank you for posting your experiences. The voice of experience is one to listen to, and I'm grateful that you're sharing this.

Pdogg77, it sounds like you were having extraction problems. One thing that doesn't help is that your chamber flag can carry dirt into the chamber every time you insert it. Make sure it's clean before you put it back in, and try not to drop it in the dirt. Same goes for the magazines. That's tough advice to follow in a shoot in the rain on a dirt range, I know, but it's necessary. One thing you can do is replace the factory extractor. The VQ extractor for the 10/22 is really a wonderful piece of gear.

Harrihiker, if you start seeing more light strikes, check your firing pin. See if the back end is peened over a little. My old one (which had probably about 20,000 rounds on it) was giving me a LOT of light strikes. When I got the new one, I miked them both, and the old one was .003" shorter than the replacement. So it doesn't take much. Ruger only charges you about $4 for the replacement hammer, IIRC.