So, as I started prepping for my next Appleseed clinic in a couple of months, I got to thinking about mounting a scope to my Sporter. But I really love that classic wood-stock-and-iron-sights look, and I couldn’t bring myself to mess with it. Instead, I cashed in all my saved store points at the big-box store and walked out with a second Ruger 10/22 in a synthetic stock for about $25 out of pocket. Basically a free rifle!
Naturally, I immediately started building the “ideal” version in my head:
- Scope: Nothing too crazy, a 3-9x should be plenty.
- Extended rail: To get the eye relief positioned far enough forward.
- Stock: Something adjustable for the length of pull with a solid cheek riser.
- BX Trigger: A must-have for a cleaner break.
- Modified Bolt Release: For much smoother operation.
- Sling: Mandatory for the Appleseed way of life.
- Larger Charging Handle: For easier manipulation under time pressure.
- Extended Mag Release: Because fumbling with mags costs points.
- Soft Bolt Buffer: To quiet things down and save some wear.
After doing some research and counting my pennies, I decided to go “budget-friendly” on most of the parts, only splurging about $120 each on the two big-ticket items: the stock and the glass. My final build list looked like this:
- Ruger 10/22 Carbine: ($350) 100% covered by store points.
- Ruger BX Trigger: ($87) with the automatic bolt release mod.
- UTG Extended Rail and Heat Guard: $45.
- Extended Mag Release: $20 (Amazon cheapy).
- Tacbro Extended Charging Handle: $20.
- Vortex Crossfire II Scope (2-7x): $130.
- Archangel Precision Stock: $94 (found it on sale).
- Buffer: $10.
The total build came out to $421. Without those warehouse store points, I would have been looking at closer to $746!
The assembly was pretty straightforward, with one notable exception: the Archangel stock. While the receiver dropped right in with the factory trigger, the BX trigger was a different story. I had to do some heavy sanding, filing, and eventually some Dremel work to get the slightly different profile of the BX to seat correctly—a quirk I’d seen mentioned online, so I was somewhat prepared for it.
While I had the BX trigger apart to swap the bolt release, I took a good look at the auto-release catch. After a little more Dremel magic, I managed to convert the stock release to an auto-release, too, which was a satisfying little win.
I’ve already taken it to the range and put about 300 rounds through it—this thing is a straight shooter! I honestly can’t wait for the next Appleseed event to see what this setup can do.
-EnglishBob
