Ruger 10/22 VLEH Target Tactical Rifle

The 10/22 VLEH¹ features a Hogue OverMolded stock, in my opinion the best for the Ruger 10/22. The barrel is 16" heavy .920" profile match-grade barrel with target crown. It has the same trigger group as the Ruger 10/22T, which is much superior to the standard factory trigger. To top it all off, a bipod is included.

The VLEH configuration is almost identical to my favorite 10/22 configuration. It makes perfect sense for hunting and general plinking. My only complaint would be the lack of iron sights, although few people will miss them.

Specifications
Caliber	.22 LR
Capacity	10 Rounds (with factory magazines)
Finish	Black Matte
Stock	Black Hogue OverMolded
Barrel Length	16.12"
Groove	6
Twist	1:16" RH
Overall Length	34.5"
Weight	6.88 lbs
Front / Rear Sight(s)	None
Suggested Retail Price	$ 555.00

Hat Tip: Down Range TV

Specifications
Caliber	.22 Long Rifle
Capacity	10 rounds
Grip	Wood
Barrel	5" / 6 grooves
Twist	1:16"
Total Length	9"
Weight	32 ounces
Price	$265+ depending on model
Availability	Now

The market for this pistol, and its not-yet-on-sale competitors the GSG 1911, are 1911 shooters who want to practice with cheap ammunition but would rather have a dedicated gun than purchasing a .22 conversion kit and having to swap it in and out of their .45 1911.

The F88T Austeyr

Note the subcaliber magazine insert - the only giveaway that it is chambered in .22 LR

Almost no information about this rifle is available online. This is very surprising because the rifle is currently in service with a major defense force.

The F88T Austeyr was developed by ADI Limited (now known as Thales Australia). It is, as far as I know, the only variant of the Steyr AUG chambered in .22 Long rifle. A page on the, now offline, ADI website described the weapon as:

ADI has developed a .22 calibre training rifle for use by the Australian Army. The weapon provides an economical training alternative, with very low ammunition cost, which can be used in environmentally sensitive training areas and indoor areas for special force training with reduced risk to trainees and instructors.

This paragraph sums up just about all the information available online! Because of the lack of information I was convinced that very few of these had ever been built, but I stumbled across the minutes of a meeting from an Australian Air Force conference where they discussed an order of 200 F88T's which were going to be used for cadet training. Presumably there are more than 200 in existence.

Australian cadets also train with .22 single shot bolt actions rifles.

I do not have any technical information about the gun. Most .22 semi-automatics share similar features. The gas system will be non-functional because a .22 LR cannot generate enough case to cycle an action. The action will be a standard blowback system. The barrel is probably the same as the regular Austeyr. While this is not optimal for accuracy I can't imagine it would have been worth the cost of producing dedicated .22 Long Rifle barrels.

I am sure that the owners of the civilian Steyr AUG SA, which went on sale this year, would love to have a .22LR conversion kit. Realistically, a third-party American firm is much more likely to develop a conversion kit than Steyr is too either develop their own or license the design from Thales Australia.

Many thanks to Jon for the photos.

Cracked Remington 597 magazine


Blown out case head.


Split Case

Thanks to Joe for the photos.

If you have a semi-automatic firearm chambered for 17 HMR ammunition, immediately discontinue use of Remington 17 HMR ammunition. If you have any Remington 17 HMR ammunition that you wish to return to Remington contact the Remington Consumer Service number below. Do not return the ammunition to the dealer. Remington will provide you with a $10.00 coupon for each complete box of 50 rounds of Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition you return to Remington. This coupon will be good for the purchase of any Remington ammunition at your local dealer.

In light of the ammunition manufacturer’s notice, it is very important that you immediately stop using your Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle. If you own a Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle and wish to return it to Remington please contact the below Remington Consumer Service Number. In return for your Remington Model 597 17 HMR synthetic stock semi-automatic rifle, Remington will provide you a coupon valued at $200.00 good for the purchase of a replacement Remington firearm. If you have a laminate stock Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle, Remington will provide you a coupon valued at $250.00 good for the purchase of a replacement Remington firearm. Remington will also reimburse you for the actual postage to return your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle to Remington.

Please allow up to 6 weeks after Remington receives your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle or your Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition for the appropriate coupons to arrive. Instructions for redemption of the coupons will be contained on the coupon.

For any consumer questions or instructions on how to return of your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle or your Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition, please contact the Remington Consumer Service Department at 1-800-243-9700, Prompt #3.

Problem with the Model 597 and .17 HMR is not uncommon. Gun manufacturers seem to have a very hard time in trying to convert .22 blow back actions to the more powerful .22 Magnum and it’s child cartridge the .17 HMR.

A reader of TFB recently had the exploding-597 problem (darn … I lost he photos he emailed me) and Remington said they would refund the purchase price, instead of fixing it. I did not read too much into their response at the time, but in hindsight I can see now that they were considering this action a couple of months ago.

I think Remington have taken the right action. I hope they let this offer stand for sometime so that all potentially dangerous guns can be returned.

When they release more information I will be sure to publish it on the blog.

The new Hyper Speed HP load is a very hot load that matches the ballistic characteristics of the CCI Velocitor round. The Hyper Speed HP, like the Velocitor, features a copper plated 40 grain hollow point bullet. The bullet has a published velocity of 1435 fps at the muzzle, which works out to be 183 ft-lbs of muzzle energy.

A significant difference between the CCI load is that is will be sold in a 100 round box, rather than the CCI 50-round box. This suggests it may be quite a lot cheaper that the Velocitor. If it is, I will defiantly consider switching to this for my hyper velocity needs.

Winchester are also introducing a 555 round bulk pack, giving it a slight edge quantity wise over the Federal 525 and 550 bulk packs.

The bulk pack features high velocity (36 grain / 1280 fps) rounds with copper plated hollow point bullets. Nothing fancy.

Overall I am quite impressed with the new offerings from Winchester. I don’t think there is much else they can do as far as rimfire ammunition is concerned.

Click to expand.

* 16″ target-style heavy barrels.
* A2 style stock or Pardus M4-style collapsible stock
* A2 Pistol grip
* Free float handguard
* 1913 Picatinny rail for optics.
* Black finish on all parts.

It is not clear if standard AR-15 compatible stocks and pistol grips can be attached. I will try to find out from Remington.

Two models will be available. The “Model 597 VTR 22LR with A2 Stock” model will MSRP for $445 (10 round magazine) and $479 (30 round magazine).

The “Model 597 VTR 22LR with Collapsible Stock” features a Pardus collapsible stock and had an MSRP of $445.

UPDATE: According to John, Product Development manager, different AR stocks should be compatible. AR pistol grip interchange will be limited because of the receiver design.

Thanks to Linda from Remington for her help getting me information.

An American model holding a German made copy of the iconic Soviet rifle … oh the irony

Two models are available, synthetic or wood, with either with 10 or 24 round magazine. They have an overall length of 34.5″ (an inch longer than the original wood stocked Russian AK-47) and a barrel length of 16.5″. Click to expand the photos:

Synthetic model.


Wooden model 24 round magazine.


Wooden model 10 round magazine.

It was rumored that the wooden stock would be wood-looking plastic, but it is real, and looks really nice. The gas system is defiantly fake, it is a blowback operated rifle that requires high velocity .22 ammunition to cycle. You can see in the above photo that the 10 round magazine has the same AK-like size as the 24 round magazine, which is a nice touch. It appears to be compatible with the AK side mount for optics.

The MSRP is $549 for the synthetic model and $569 for the wood. I think this will be very popular rifle.

Read it here.

I have emailed my contact at TALO asking what the MSRP. I will update the page when he replies.

UPDATE: The MSRP is $419

Click to expand the photos.

Model 817 with scope, thumbhole stock and tip down stock (used as forward hand grip)

Model 702 autoloader

Model 802

Model 817 with scope and bipod.

From the press release:

Muzzle brakes are now available on the following models: the standard 702 Plinkster® (.22 LR autoloading), the scoped 802 Plinkster™ (.22 LR bolt-action with 4x scope) and the scoped model 817 (.17 HMR with 3-9×40 scope). In addition, muzzle brakes will be fit onto a scoped model 817 with a thumbhole stock and Tipdown forend (.17HMR with 3-9×40 scope), and lastly, an 817 (.17HMR) will offer a complete package of a muzzle brake plus an upgraded 4-16×50 scope featuring sun shade, flip open lens protectors and a bi-pod.

I have questioned the effectiveness of muzzle brakes on a low powered cartridge, such as the .22 LR, many times on the blog but this sure looks cool. Do I want one? Hell yes I do

Thanks to Kim for the photos.

The difference is subtle.

From Sig:

The Look and Feel of the Classic SIG556 ™ in Affordable .22 Rifle SIG SAUER, Inc., the leading manufacturer of commercial, law enforcement, and military firearms fuels the demand for the legendary SIG556 performance but in an affordable .22 LR caliber with the new SIG522 semi-automatic rifle. Featuring SIG556 parts including a Swiss type folding stock and polymer forend on a durable metal receiver with integral Picatinny rail, and a Mini Red Dot sight. The SIG522 provides the avid sport shooter plenty of action on a classic military style platform that give the look, feel and dependability of our full size SIG556.

Specs:
Overall Length: 29.8 in
length w/Stock Collapsed: 29.1
Barrel Length: 17 in
Rifling: 1 in 7 in
Sight Radius: 14.4 in

The MSRP is $515.

The new PT-22 (Photo from G&A).

The old model PT-22

The old line has a wide range of models featuring every grip you could imagine. It is not known if they will update the old models or standardize on the the “classic” polymer-type models (two tone and black)

The new model weights in at 10.8 ounces and as you can see in the top photo feature a larger trigger guard.

Hat Tip: Guns and Ammo

The M-22 features:

* 3.5″ or 5″ match barrels.
* adjustable rear sight.
* Weaver style rails.
* Multiple safeties (many will call this a bug not a feature).
* All black model or nickel framed two tone model.

The “multiple safeties” probably means a magazine safety like the P22. The pistol will be imported by Austrian Sporting Arms and is said to be available in Spring 2009. MSRP is $400.

Promotional video:

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire

I am not 100% sure they are in fact AR-15s. UMAREX USA uses well known brand-names such as Beretta, Ruger and Walther to sell their airguns. This could easily be a AR-15 patterned rifle much like the .22 GSG MP5 or GSG AK.

There will be four different models.

Colt M4 Carbine

* 16″ Barrel
* M4 collapsible style stock
* A4 flat top upper recoever
* detachable carry handle
* A2 flash hider
* A2 pistol grip
* 30 round magazine
* Weight: 5.95 lbs

Colt M4 OPS (includes the following extras):
* Rear BUIS (Backup iron sight)
* Free floated aluminum picatinny rail handguard

Colt M16 (includes the following extras):

* 20″ barrel

Colt M16 SPR (includes the following extras):

* 20″ barrel
* Free floated aluminum picatinny rail handguard
* Flip up read and front sights

Fake suppressors will also be available as seen in the above photo.

It will be officially announced at SHOT Show 2009.

Hat Tip: OnPointFirearms

Instead of porting the gas that exists the muzzle to the side or backwards toward it ports it forward at an angle.

From the product page:

Conventional wisdom tells us that compensators/muzzle brakes increase noise to the shooter. Our new forward blow stabilization module is designed to offer the best of both worlds – less recoil without the increase in noise.

.22 LR rifles do recoil contrary to popular belief and you notice this when shooting competitively. Saying all that, you can call me skeptical on how effective this would be. Still, I am willing to keep an open mind and look forward to some intrepid shooter taking photos of this in action with a high speed camera. The device retails for $109.75.

The original Xpediter

I am not sure if this round is identical to the original that used to be produced by Winchester many years ago.
[No doubt its a shrewd marketing plan of Winchester to dole out individual press releases over a period of time instead of announcing everything at once ... ]

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire

Winchester has announced a new line of lead-free ammunition.

CCI currently manufactures lead free .22 Magnum called TNT GREEN but as far as I know Winchester are the first US manufacturer to announce lead free .22 LR. It is rumored that more companies will unveil their lead free rimfire at SHOT 2009.

The new Winchester SUPER-X .22 Long Rifle will propel a 30 grain THP (tin hollow point) at 1650 fps. This is a hot “hyper velocity” load which generates 181 foot pounds of energy, only slightly less powerful that the CCI Stinger at the muzzle.

It is likely that the case will be extended in length, like the CCI Stringer. The extended case can prevent the round from chambering in some rifles.

CCI Stinger length compared to standard .22LR (Wikipedia)

The new SUPER-X .22 Win. Mag (.22 Magnum / .22 WMR) pushes a 28 grain JHP at 2200 fps. The under 30 grain bullet means it will won’t perform as well as standard .22 Magnum 30 grain rounds.

SUPER-X .223 Rem lead-free pushes a 55 grain bullet at 3030 fps. Like the .22 Magnum, there is a significant performance hit. The round is being marketed as varmint cartridge..

This new range should be available in Spring 2009.

* That was a joke. I bought 100 rounds of “toxic” ammo today.

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire.

AcuSport is the distributor for the new Ruger Charger in stainless steel. The Ruger Charger is a pistol build on the Ruger 10/22 .22LR rifle action.

UPDATE: Brian at AcuSport old me the MSRP is $387.25.

More on the Ruger Charger here.

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire.

Click to expand.

To complete the mid-1800’s look they have included a fake reloading. It has a 4″ octagonal barrel and weights 8.6 oz. The MSRP for the standard model will be $289. A model with a .22 Long Rifle cylinder will cost $324.

More info at NAA.

What makes it interesting is that it is Standard Velocity (1,120 fps) which is unlike most match grade target .22LR ammunition which are usually Subsonic.

No surprises … looks like a .22 LR round

From the press release:

Fiocchi begins with an exclusive case priming procedure that ensures precise priming mixture weight. Next, only premium, ultra-reliable powders are selected. Precise care is given to ensuring the cases used are of exact and consistent dimension. Finally, the specially-lubricated bullets are loaded using a unique process that prevents the bullets from touching one another during processing to prevent even the slightest deformation from occurring.

Hat Tip: Tactical Life

The new GSG-5PK pistol is a .22 Long Rifle HV Caliber with a barrel length of 4.52″, total length of 15.275″ and a total height of 10″. It weighs in at a dainty 5.2 lbs. It has an alloy frame construction and features a magazine safety and click-adjustable target sight. At a MSRP of $549.95, the GSG-5PK pistol is the perfect partner to the original GSG-5 rifle model.

It is basically a GSG5-P (pistol) with a shortened barrel and MP5K style handguard. Some photos (click to expand):

Hat Tip: SayUncle

The idea behind the tool is threefold. It ensures consistency in bullet shape which will increase accuracy, allows you to select a bullet shape and allows you to choose a bullet diameter that suits your handgun or rifle.

I must admit I would be too scared to hit a a rimfire cartridge with a hammer. I would rather purchase match ammo.

Different models are available and range from $38 – $53 (+ $5 shipping).

The advantage of having the sight raised is that when shooting from a offhand/verticle position you can keep you head as close to upright as possible to achieve better balance.

Hat Tip: RFC

Priced towards the upper end of the rimfire scale, the M77/22 still gives excellent value for money. Build quality is good, as is the accuracy and reliability in the test.

With the options of stainless and synthetic designs, this rifle gives a genuinely good choice for any rimfire shooter – it has the feel of a centrefire rifle but the weight of a light sporter. Supplied with 1in dedicated scope mounts, it is a definite winner as is the pre-threaded barrel, essential on a sporting rimfire these days.

I briefly looked at getting the synthetic model. I decided it was not worth the price. In my opinion for the price it should include an adjustable trigger and free floating barrel.

Ruger 77/22-R

The inventor of the Akins Accelerator, the replacement stock for a Ruger 10/22 that allows controlled bump firing, is suing the United States over the BATFE’s ruling that the Accelerator wasn’t a machine gun, but now is. Here’s the complaint.

If you have not been following the saga: the ATF initially approved the sale for the stock, then sometime later declared that it converted a rifle into a machine gun.

Hat Tip: SaysUncle.com

(Click to here to expand)

I think the branding was a good idea. The boxes look like and the names are better. For example “Tenex” is better than “Tenex Ultimate EPS”.

The press release

ELEY is proud to announce with effect from 1st January 2008, the new re-branded product range, which features a rationalized product choice and introduces “Team” a new .22 calibre cartridge.

The re-branded product range, coincides with Eley’s 180th year of manufacturing high quality ammunition and will strengthen the company’s position in the worldwide market place. All the ELEY products have been re-branded with a new design but the product colours will remain the same to ensure customers can clearly indentify their chosen ammunition.

Changes to product range:

The premium products, Tenex and Match, remain unchanged, apart from dropping the terms Ultimate and EPS from the name. These products feature the well known flat bullet profile, but are also available in round nose versions (Tenex Pistol and Match OSP) which are ideal for semi-automatic rifles.

The introduction of the new blue labeled “Team” product is an improved version of the Club ammunition using the same flat nose bullet as used for Tenex and Match. We believe this product will allow club shooters to use a quality of ammunition closer to that used by championship shooters, but at a much lower cost and therefore giving them the edge over what they are currently using with existing Club ammunition. This product will be available only in limited quantities!

The popular Club product will remain unchanged apart from the re-branded label. Target Rifle and Standard have been replaced by a new improved product launched as “Sport” and packaged with a new green label.

Managing Director Mike Semens-Flanagan commented:

“Eley strongly believe these changes will not only help to consolidate our position in the market but also give customers shooting with our ammunition a better product and clearer choice.”

More info at Eley.com

The Zimmerstutzen was the ancestor of the 10-meter target [air] rifle and extends back to at least 1840. Zimmerstutzen is the rough translation of “parlor rifle” in German. The first zimmer was powered by a percussion cap that propelled a small lead ball through a short rifled barrel.

What I found fascinating was that there were 25 different Zimmerstutzen calibers!

A Zimmerstutzen comes in the nominal caliber 4mm, but in fact there are over 25 discrete calibers that range from 4mm to 5.55mm, in half-milimeter increments.

Zimmerstutzen vs .22LR

Read the article here.

“Pumper Hinkle” sums up the options:

Hmmm. I understand your problem better now. For the squirrel to be
chewing on your roof, though, he must be sitting still for at least a
little bit.

I believe that if it were happening to me, I’d get a night vision scope for
the bolt-action .22 and sight it in using BB caps. I’d then set up a
sniper position and be patient. Once it stands still, bang.

Or, well, you could get a .410 shotgun and some light loads, and figguring
on patching the roof maybe.

Or, I believe you can fire .45 colt cartridges in a .410 shotgun, and I
believe you can get .45 snake loads.

As you’ve observed, the .22 snakeloads don’t cycle in autos, and the rifling
disperses the shot too much. I believe I once heard of a smoothbore .22,
which would give better range.

But I assume you don’t want to buy another gun, especially some sort of
specialty gun. So, back to first suggestion, night vision scope on the
.22.

CCI have renamed Quik-Shot as SHP (Segmented Hollow Point) and are now offering it as a subsonic round!

It will drive a 40 gr bullet at 1050 ft/s with 98 ft/lbs of energy! This is great news for me. I have been using Quik-Shot but since I use a suppressor subsonic is preferable.

CCI’s unique Segmented Hollow-Point (SHP) bullet is now available in 22 Win Mag and a 22 Long Rifle subsonic load. This offering is ideal for bigger targets that require a larger wound area and makes perfect sense in the 22 WMR. The flat-shooting SHP is designed to break up into three sections on impact for even more stopping power. These three segments diverge from the main path for unique terminal performance on game. The subsonic 22 LR offering is great when hunting around a populated area and a quiet, effective round is needed.

More here.

The 5mm Rem Magnum was originally produced from 1970 to 1974. Only a few firearms where chambered in it. The bolt action Remington Model 591 and Model 592 where chambered in it and Thompson Center Arms offered it for a brief period of time.

In comparison the 30 gr .22 Magnum (WMR) traveling at 2,200 ft/s generates 322 ft/lb of energy.

More about the Centurion 5mm Remington Rimfire Magnum @ varminter.com

For those who held onto their Remington 5mm Rimfire rifles in hopes that someone, someday, would revive this fine cartridge, their prayers have been answered in the Centurion made 5mm Remington. For those of you who wished for a new generation of 5mm rifles and handguns, your day is at hand. There can be little doubt that the reintroduction of this cartridge will produce a new line of firearms to augment the original Remington rifles that might be in a shooter’s rack. And with current powder technology, better bullets and a better understanding of internal ballistics, there is yet, more to come! Future development of newer, higher performance Centurion 5mm Remington ammunition is already underway! The future indeed looks bright for this old veteran cartridge…

UPDATE:

THe ammo should be available after SHOT Show. According to an bayouboy @ RFC Aguila said:

OUR WEB SITE IS DOWN FOR UPDATING, THE AMMUNITION IS BEING SHIPPED THIS WEEK
AND WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER THE SHOT SHOW, PLEASE CHECK BACK WITH US, THANKS
FOR YOUR INTEREST.

UPDATE: More info at GunPundit

Very cool. I love the magazine release.

Hat Tip: RFC

More here (scroll down the page)

This should interest varminters looking for a harder-hitting rimfire round with better ballistics and accuracy. The most common .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) ammunition features a 40gr round nose or flat point bullet with a Muzzle Velocity of about 1910 fps. All the major makers – CCI, Federal, Remington, and Winchester – sell 40gr ammo loaded to this specification.

Hornady’s new 22 WMR offers a more accurate bullet traveling faster – roughly 300 fps faster to be precise. The new Hornady round features a 30gr V-MAXâ„¢ bullet leaving the muzzle at 2,200 fps. The new 30gr Hornady 22 WMR ammo should be available in “early February” according to Hornady.

More here @ AccurateShooter

Very nice photos.

From RFC

The Krinker Plinker is a kit that includes everything but the receiver, trigger group, and their internal parts to convert a Ruger 10/22 rifle into a replica AK-74U Krinkov assault rifle. The kit includes a new sixteen inch heavy barrel, AK-style pistol grip and handguard, an extended magazine release, a fake sound suppressor (silencer), a good set of adjustable peep sights, a Picatinny rail for mounting optics, hardware, and a Krinkov style side-folding stock. The metal parts are either black anodized aluminum, or black oxide coated steel. The kit also comes with a good set of illustrated instructions for installing the kit on your Ruger 10/22 receiver.

More here.

UPDATE

A custom camo paint job:

Click the image to view the full size target:

Hat Tip: WVUChrome @ RFC