I ran across a booth at TriggrCon 2018, and it was loaded with many things to upgrade your Mossberg and Remington shotguns. New stocks, forends, and magazines of all sizes. I talked with Doug from Adaptive Tactical for a while, when I noticed towards the back of the booth there was a whole display of 10/22 accessories. He showed me their Copper Basin Takedown Firearm Pack. I told him I had a 10/22 Takedown, and I wondered how I could take it up a notch. He suggested along with the pack, that an upgraded barrel, like the Tac-Hammer barrel, would help enhance the rifle.

Building Adaptive Tactical 10/22 upgrades

Skip forward a few weeks, one day at my door was a big box from Adaptive Tactical. It contained a whole bunch of goodies for me to play with. That following Saturday, I laid out my tools, torque screwdrivers, and everything else I thought I might need for several hours of modifications to my rifle. Twenty-five minutes later, I was done!  Actually, I would have been done quicker than that, but it was so easy, I took some of it back apart because I figured I must have done something wrong. Honestly, the toughest part of the conversion was installing the forend. The tolerance was so close that you really had to push hard to snap it on, and when it was installed it aligned perfectly with the re-installed Takedown lever.

The other problem I had was now what do I do? I told my wife I would be busy with this for quite a while, if she found out how quickly I finished it, I’m sure there would have been some “honey-do” jobs to fill up the rest of the time…

All of the parts fit perfectly, with no burrs or any other flaws that I could find. The magazines fit and released with no issues.

The Tac-Hammer Barrel

The Tac-Hammer barrel is a rigid-core, post-tension barrel that gives you the benefit of a bull type barrel  (larger diameter and stiffness) without the added weight. The barrel is made from P4140 Chromoly steel with a 6061 aluminum shroud coated with Cerakote. The threaded barrel at 1/16 twist is 16 inches long without the compensator. AT also sent the Tac-Hammer Barrel Compensator which increased the length of the barrel to 17.25 inches. The barrel weighed about 30.6 ounces.

The Copper Basin Backpack is designed to carry all you would need at the range, and is an alternative to the Ruger Takedown pack. It resembles a regular backpack and has shoulder straps and padding that make it an easier and more comfortable carry.

The pack has pockets on the outside that will carry any of your normal daily items you may want to stash away. Inside there seems to be enough room to put in rain-gear or a small jacket, along with magazines, ammo, and of course the rifle. The fleece lined interior of the rifle pockets has enough room for nearly any optic you have installed.

SHOOTING THE COMPLETED PROJECT

Two of my many favorite words in the English language, “range day”!  I slapped on one of my not very expensive optics from another .22 I’ve had for a long time. Once I zeroed the rifle, I spent about an hour and a half plinking away. Let’s be honest, the Ruger is a very reliable little rifle. It performed flawlessly for the 400 rounds I brought with me.

Like many of you (I assume), I had spent a lot of my youth with my trusty 22 rifle, and this brought back a lot of those memories. With all of the existing firearms out there, it’s easy to neglect the diminutive 22LR. It had been a while since I had shot one, and boy what fun I had! The big difference with this rifle was how comfortable it was. Between the adjustable stock and the pistol grip, the ergonomics were better than any rimfire I have ever shot. The forend is flat and comfortable in my hand, and my cheek rested comfortably for a good sight picture.

Shooting with my elbows on the bench, I shredded the bullseye at 60 feet. Freestanding shooting was a little less accurate, but still within “dead squirrel” area. I’m in Western Washington state, so naturally, it was raining. I was using an indoor range, and 60 feet is the maximum.

I know a 22LR isn’t sexy in this day and age with all of the AR variants that seem to come out on a daily basis. But this is a great way to step into customizing firearms. Perhaps a parent introducing their kid into an easy way of improving the function of their first firearm will lead to an adult who will come up with even more innovative and creative ways to customize? If you think this could be a possibility, then perhaps you should check out Adaptive Tactical to get started.

Adaptive Tactical  website: https://adaptivetactical.com

Accessories list:

• Tac-Hammer 10/22 Takedown Rifle Stock: MSRP 126.00
• Copper Basin Takedown Pack: MSRP 229.00
• Tac-Hammer 10/22 Takedown Barrel: MSRP 299.99
• Tac-Hammer 10/22 Barrel Compensator: MSRP 35.99

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