Custom work on 10-22 barrel

[timlt]

Hey Gundoc, long time no talk! Have a question for you on some custom work on a 10-22 bull barrel (it's an Adams/Bennet barrel, already installed).

Currently I have mounted on this barrel a William "shorty" ramp (a standard size hole was drilled in the top of the barrel), which has a standard 3/8" dovetail slot in it. The width of the dovetail slot (when facing the dovetail from the position of a shooter looking down the length of the barrel) is 0.25 inches.

I need a wider dovetail slot, going up to the next standard width size in the industry, which appears to be a width of about 0.36 inches. To put it another way, the exact width of the slot milled into Ruger factory 10-22 barrels is the width I need. I need this width because I want to get a new custom front sight for my 10-22 bull barrel which requires that width.

My question for you is: Can you suggest what brand of ramps I might be able to find that would support that width? Here would be the specs I'd need for whatever ramp I get, in addition to it supporting a 3/8 dovetail that is 0.36" wide:

* Should fit on my 0.92" O.D bull barrel. The current Williams ramp is designed for a 0.875" O.D. shotgun barrel, but stretches to fit my barrel just fine.

* As for height of the base of the dovetail above centerline of the barrel, any height between 1/8" and 5/16" will work (the front sight I'm getting is an adjustable AR-type, which can screw up or down quite a bit).

* As for the current drilled hole that mounts the ramp in my barrel, it uses a standard 6-48 mounting screw, so if whatever ramp you suggest fits that, it would be great.


Just as a for-instance, here's a link to Marble ramp that is 0.34" wide dovetail, fits on a 0.875" barrel, is 0.225" high on base, and mounts with one screw. I don't know if the ramp can be "stretched" like the Williams could to work on my larger diameter barrel, but I could ask Marble. Also I don't know if they use a 6-48 screw to mount it.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=8809&title=DOVETAIL+FRONT+RAMP

So the question is, do you know of any other ramps like this that might work?

[Edited for Update]

I haven't found any other ramps that would exactly work, except that I've learned that standard Remington, Winchester, Savage, and Marlin ramps are 0.34" wide for the dovetail. So, if I could get a replacement dovetail front ramp from one of those guns in the right height and the right diameter for my barrel, it would probably work. I'd likely need to get one for one of their shotgun barrels, as they are the only ones likely to have the right diameter.

The other thing is, I do think the Marble ramp above should work. I'll contact them Monday and find out if the screw hole size is the 6-48, and also if their .875 diameter ramp could be "spread" to fit on my 0.920 barrel, just like I had to do with the Williams ramp.

[timlt]

OK, the direction of my question has changed somewhat from the above. I decided to give up on the Williams sights for my 10-22. They were nice, but it seemed like there was always one more thing to buy: another aperture; a target set of knobs; a front globe; a quick-release base. Everything was always going to take a special mounting screw, sending it back to them, measuring ramp height versus bead height, rear sight versus front sight, etc., etc., etc. After awhile, I got tired of messing with it, and with them. Bottom line: when someone hasn't worked out a complete, end-to-end, well thought-out sight solution for a gun IN ADVANCE, so that you just get it and mount it as a whole solution, it can be VERY complicated trying to piece something together, with a bit of this and a bit of that. I decided it was too expensive in terms of time and money, so I dropped that project. Returned the FP series sight to Midway, and removed my front ramp and fire sight from my bull barrel.

What I've done now, since I still love shooting open sights with my 10-22, is ordered one of those "complete end-to-end" solutions for the 10-22. If you go to http://www.tech-sights.com, they have a beautiful set of AR-like sights designed for the 10-22, and it's a total solution, for about $70. That seems like a lot to thrifty 10-22 shooters, but really, for a good set of sights that is as versatile as these, that's very reasonable. You can swap out the front Ar-type post for different posts, with tritium inserts, white lines, beads, etc. So lots of options there. And the rear sight aperture is exactly like an AR, which I already know I like, and it becomes a nice form of practice for shooting my own AR.

Here's what I'm working on. With the new Tech-sights, they sell as part of the solution for 10-22 bull barrels, an adapter that slides over the end of your barrel, and you fasten it with Loctite. It has a dovetail slot that you slide the front sight tower into.

Question: About applying that Loctite to a stainless barrel, do you think the Loctite is likely to mar or deface the stainless finished surface of the barrel, long-term? Secondly, what type of Loctite do you think a guy should use--in general, would it make sense to use the WEAKEST version of Loctite that adequately does the job, in case you ever need to get it back off of there? So for instance, should I try blue Loctite first, since it's supposed to be removable?

[gundoc]

Tech Sights makes a good product. I have removed red Loctite from several brands of stainless barrels and none of them have marred the surface. What usually does mar the surface is the removal unless you do it really carefully. I use a heat gun to soften the loctite and remove the part, and then continue heating the mnaterial left on the barrel and scrape it off with a plastic scraper. A little oil on the new metal and it looks fine. For something I don't want moving about, or may be exposed to enough to barrel heat to soften up, I use red.

[timlt]

Thanks Gundoc. Great answer, as usual! Gives me just what I need to be able to proceed with the project. Note to self: when removing the adapter someday, proceed with caution!

[gundoc]

You're welcome! Have fun modding your rifle!

Doc

[timlt]

Well, got the old Williams ramp and sights off ok. And got the new stuff all mounted, got the front sight tower drifted into the dovetail slot on the bull barrel adapter ok (that's the part I was most worried about messing up!).

Got to the range, and those tech-sights were Beautiful, man! They were a great sight picture to shoot through, just like my AR, so much more precise than the old-fashioned round "bead".

Downsides? Just one: I used blue loctite to hold the adapter on, and that was a mistake. It shoot loose within 15 minutes. So I'll have to go with red, as you indicated works for you.

[timlt]

An update. Used the red loctite for the front sight adapter, worked great. No slippage, no problems. Got the sights dialed in, and they worked great, as accurate as the Williams sights, and easier to adjust and use.

One thing that was odd, is that the instructions on the Tech-sights recommended using blue loctite to secure the set screw that holds the front sight tower tight against the dovetail slot in the adapter. I did that, and the front sight tower shot loose, the blue loctite didn't seem to hold it. Nor did blue loctite hold the screws tight for the REAR sight assembly either (those screws go into the 10/22 receiver holes on the top).

So, I remounted the set screw on the front, and the regular screws on the rear sight, tightening all of them really tight and using a good dose of blue loctite. We'll see how it goes this time.