Customizing a Ruger 10/22 Takedown, into the Bunny Slayer

It has been one frosty winter, in fact it was so cold over my 10 days off over the holidays neither myself nor my wife and daughter got outside much at all except to feed the livestock and changing out frozen water. Sure there were one or two days, but outside of shooting (behind the barn) on the range for an hour or so with my father in-law and wife...we were stir crazy in the house.

Needless to say, I as a regular shooter began to go bonkers, I thought about field stripping some guns, but I am steadfast about keeping up on that, so I really had nothing left to do gun related, except surf around the net. I listen to Dana Loesch pretty often on Talk Radio, I find her pretty insightful, humorous and a damn fine gun advocate, well as I was sitting at the desk surfing around one of Dana's sponsors names popped into my head: Volquartsen volquartsen.com...
Now I had peeped these folks before, but didn't dig all that deep, I figured they were a really high-end competition gun manufacturer and left it at that. Now during my vacation, boredom and needing a gun fix, I started digging around their website landing on their "parts" tab. It ends up these guys make their own rimfire pistols and rifles .17-.22wmr etc... but they have a bunch, and I mean a bunch of drop in upgrades for a bunch of manufacturers, particularly Ruger, 10/22 rifles and target pistols: Mark 3 and the amazing Mark 4 (if one button field strip appeals to you as much as me).

It wasn't too long until I had pulled my Ruger 10/22 stainless takedown (ruger.com...) out of the safe and started qualifying possible upgrades. As it turns out, I have a project as soon as the parts arrive, sadly theres a 3 week back order on the barrel and fore-end I bought, but it being the easiest installation, I dont mind getting after the other items 1st.

Heres what I bought to create my "Franken Ruger" or Ruger Volquartsen hybrid if you please:

1. Light weight Carbon Fiber Barrel(with forend): 16.5” lightweight carbon fiber barrel with ½” x 28 threads – includes thread protector
Breech is heat treated for added durability
Picatinny rail installed on the top of barrel
Picatinny accessory rail mounted to forend (only included with complete kit)
Barrel mounting hardware installed for quick and easy installation
volquartsen.com...

2. 32 hole Stainless compensator: 32 Hole Comp 32-Hole Comp, Stainless, 0.920" 10/22 Bull Barrel [VC1032‑S‑920]
volquartsen.com...

3. TG2000 (red) Trigger assembly: CNC-machined from aluminum billet
Precision wire cut internal parts providing a crisp, clean 2lb trigger pull
Pretravel and overtravel adjustments that can be set to your preference
Includes Automatic Bolt Release and Extended Magazine Release
The trigger is reset internally to eliminate any dragging or inconsistencies caused by a conventional trigger plunger.
volquartsen.com...

4. CNC machined Bolt group: Complete CNC-Machined Bolt features our hardened and tuned extractor for positive, consistent extraction. It also includes our round titanium firing pin. This round design eliminates the unnecessary movement found on most 10/22 firing pins. The CNC-machining process allows us to hold the head spacing to exact dimensions eliminating the need for having your factory bolt reworked.

Bolt is case hardened and then a black nitride finish applied for improved lubricity during cycling. Ejection port side of the bolt is then polished.
Recoil rod and spring designed specifically for this bolt included
Recoil buffer included
Approximately 7oz
volquartsen.com...

I wont utilize a receiver due to the take down model barrel I'm getting, but I feel that the Ruger stock receiver should be more than acceptable, any thoughts there? My thinking was bolt, trigger, compensator and barrel is where the accuracy and clean cycling occurs, would a receiver improve performance like the other items I'm dropping in? Maybe down the road, I will get a wood laminate thumbhole stock, but I kind of like the look of keeping some of the original Ruger's lines at this point and I don't feel like shelling out any more dinero than I already am. Later though, I suspect Ill replace the stock and just rebuild the original Ruger 10/22 with all of the old parts I yanked out. So a little spendy, but the puported performance improvements are profound.

I'll cap it off with a Vortex Razor Moa 3, or a gen 2 Aimpoint dot and on the bottom rail Ill toss a decent lumen tac light. Now Bunny slayer comes from my need to put rabbit in the pot for stew and a huge over population of the tasty lil critters...due to a lack of coyote predation.

Anywho...anyone else have any custom jobs they have put together, or are working on putting together? Love to read about them all during these house bound cold winter days. Pity theres no good downhill skiing here.

ATN makes an awesome day/nightscope that's HD digital, smart shoot solution finder, range finder, and a bunch more features.
Check in to them, you'll be glad.
599-699$ The xsight II


3x14 magnification or 5x20mm magnification.

a reply to: Hewhowaits

Wow, that's a really nice optic...and here I thought I had dove into it all. Thanks for the heads up. Do you have one mounted? What's it on if so?

a reply to: BlueJacket

6mm ppc. Full custom Jason rifle. From out west.
Bull barrel 1:16 twist, jewel trigger, hand lapped bolt.
Sitting on hand carved black walnut stock, Harris bipod.

Best fur rifle I've put hands on yet. Sub 1" groups at 250 in daylight/ 1 1/4" at night.

a reply to: Hewhowaits

That a nice rifle. I considered the 6.5mm Creedmore, on my last "out west" rifle purchase, but opted for .300 win mag. Id like to shoot that 6mm.

a reply to: BlueJacket

The Creedmoor is an amazing round. I had used one for a fur season a couple years ago. Deadly accurate, but wrecked a few pelts, so switched over to the 6ppc.

Lately we've been playing around with some .243 hand loads to try to find an all purpose but accurate round.
The velocity / weight ratio is hard to figure out when trying to put down medium game without completely destroying furbearers.
Next on the list is a .300 blackout ar platform based "quiet rig. The goal is 1" at 200, under 26"total length, under 9 pounds total weight.

Most of the headaches I run into are trying to find oddball weighted bullets for the handloads.

Might be time to pick up a swaging press....

a reply to: Hewhowaits

Not sure if you get Rifleman magazine, but I was reading an article regarding a 6mm creedmore, Ill see if I can dig it up again. Might meet your needs, but it sounds like your ppc might make it redundant.

yeah, I have stopped investing in the oddball calibers, I still have some, but reloading can be a challenge and theres hardly ever a good deal on factory loads.

a reply to: BlueJacket

Yeah, my son and I both get it(rifleman). I've got some ballistic sheets in one the cabinets, if you want copies I'll scan them for you. I'm not going to the shoot shack today though, it's -18° before windchill. Windchill is -40°.
Brrrr.....

a reply to: Hewhowaits

I hear ya...hows .257 Roberts for your needs?

a reply to: BlueJacket

.258 Weatherby in the case sits next to an heirloom 25-06 .....
Both are great, we just get bored around here in winter. Then challenges and projects start.

a reply to: Hewhowaits

Have to say thanks for bringing that up.

Was thinking out loud and my son just said to me-
"Dad, we can get an upper receiver / barrel for an A.R. in .25-06


And a new project is born...

a reply to: BlueJacket

well, I feel like a boob, I spaced out on polishing the receiver, Ill be hitting the top side of the receiver with some jewelers rouge/polishing compound and a Dremel. I noticed its pretty rough when I took it apart yesterday for a field strip.

a reply to: BlueJacket

Well, good thing I didnt polish the Receiver, I would of been wrong, not horrible, but utterly unnecessary...still learning. Guess Ill go sit with my dunce cap on now

a reply to: BlueJacket

Don't beat yourself up. I've had some real genius moments myself. What's up with the receiver?
P.s. jeweler's Rouge can be a bit overkill, and a P.I.T.A. to clean up.
Try buffing compound and polish and swirl remover
For vehicles.
I use the meguires stuff myself.


And don't do it in the kitchen - it will be everywhere, and your wife will be pissed. I speak from experience.

a reply to: Hewhowaits

You know, I was just getting gung ho. The receiver is perfectly fine, and in the 10/22 takedown...factory Ruger is all ya have available that I know of. I guess I was just over zealous since I am swapping out the trigger group, the bolt assembly and barrel...I was going to polish the top of the receiver that the bolt runs across just trying to "slick" up the action. I have been told that that isnt necessary.

I usually use automotive compounds as well, but I was about to listen to some no name on u tube, sigh...I dont drink often...probably shouldnt drink and watch You tube

Does the CF barrel last as long as steel?

a reply to: vonclod

Great question, I hear great things...but I figured with the takedown, changing barrels is a flip of a switch and a pull on the bolt. Its not an economical choice, just a performance chance I took with some spendable cash.

Volquartsen Carbon Fiber 10/22 Barrels have a match grade steel bore with carbon fiber tensioning tube

a reply to: BlueJacket

Don't worry too much about that factory bolt, mines 27 years old and still just fine. I've softened it a bit with a bronze brush for the dremel and polished it myself, and she's just as reliable as day one.
As for the carbon fiber barrel, I'm just too old school to trust it getting banged around in extreme cold or delaminating over time.
The only thing I would be really concerned about is fitment. My old rule is if you can slip a dollar bill between it and the stock, your good, otherwise resonance is going to screw up your accuracy big time.
Glass bed the stock if your really worried, but with such a short barrel, I think it's a negligible difference as long as it passes the dollar bill test.
As for drinking and YouTube - I been there too!
You're going to have one hell of a 10/22 in your hands.
And those hands seem quite capable in my opinion, due to what you've said so far.
If your ever in my neck of the woods, definitely let me know, we'll have a great shoot.

a reply to: Hewhowaits

I get back home to Oregon most every year...sadly Im in Ohio at the moment, great White Tail...but that and cheap farm land is all it offers I know youre out west...where about?

a reply to: BlueJacket

I'm not out west, I just go out there whenever time/money allows.
I'm actually in northwest wisconsin. Bought a property near a world class trout river, in a state park that borders the national forest.
Great hunting(except pheasant) and great fishing.

If your ever out this way, let me know.