My latest work in progress

[muskrat man]

I thought you all might like to see my latest work in progress. I picked up this vintage ruger 10/22 fingergroove sporter up at a coon dog trials friday for $100. It's pretty battered, insides were fouled up real bad with powde/grease. He claimed it was his truck gun for years, that would explain why it was beat half to death . So far I've field stripped it, cleaned all the gunk out, reassembled it, and it did fire which is a good thing. Brushed out the 20+ years of lead caked in the barrel, (thing probably hadn't been cleaned since it was made) and did find good riflings and a clean bore afterwards. I've stripped the stock and have begun taking out all the bad dings, and am working on those still. I plan to strip the remaining fininish off the reciever and refinish it too, blueing on the barrel is still good. It also had a big chunk out of the toe, that I have repaired, should be a good shooter when I get it finished

[Hukk]

If you need a few small parts blued, maybe you can get ahold of a knife maker that has a quarter tank for blueing knife parts. Just a thought, that's on my to buy list. (Full tanks and half tanks are available, for knife making these are rather large to justify having due to the amount of Nitre Blue Salts they would have to buy as well as a cleanining and rinsing tanks).

[muskrat man]

Thanks for the tip Hukk. The reciever is aluminum, so I'm gonna have to go with some kind of anodizing process to refinish it. Either that or try some of birchwood casey's alumablack?

[useem]

Is that your first Ruger 10/22? If it is, i think you will like how reliable they can be. i have owned one for almost 20 years and it has NEVER jammed. Best .22 semi-auto i ever owned!

[muskrat man]

Nope, not my first iv'e had 7 over the years, eventually they would get traded off for something else, I have three now, a standard carbine, folding stock carbine and this one. In the past I had a checkered deluxe sporter, target model with the hammer forged bull barrel, an anniversary carbine, and a laminated carbine, they were all great shooters. I may glass bed this finger groove one, trying to decide between a reciever sight or a scope

[Sauconian]

M.M. If you can get a hold of a gunsmith supply catalog, there are spray on finishes for your receiver that bake at a low temperature in a home oven. More durable than other do-it -yourself products, and the gun not worth the cost of having someone else do it. But then, for as long as you seem to keep 'em, howz about Krylon.

Fran

[Gr8Scout]

Good project for ya, MM. I spent about 18 months building up my tricked out 1022. Was a fun project.
Phil

[muskrat man]

thanks all. You'd be surprised at what these finger groove sporters are fetching on the auction sites! I am nearly finished with the stock, I got the majority of the dings out and have just rubbed in the third coat of oil. Going out for supplies tommorow and will work on the reciever some.

[muskrat man]

here is a pic of the stock rough sanded

[muskrat man]

I just got finished assembling it. put 6 coats of oil on the stock and refinished the reciever, will wait until I have good light tommorow to photograph it. Looks a sight better than it did when I got it if I do say so myself.

[muskrat man]

Here is the stock after a few coats.



The repaired toe



The refinished reciever



And here she is assembled

[Sauconian]

NICE JOB, M.M. , especially matching up that toe chip. What did you use to finish the receiver, B.C. ?

Fran

[muskrat man]

aluma black by birchwood casey

[useem]

Very good work