Sharps40
Price, it's all about the price
Spiffing it up. I'll have to get a spare mag or three but so far its a great rifle. Nice and light, plenty accurate, short in length and now in height for walking the woods. It came with a Nikon ProStaff 3x9 and nothing to do there but assure base screws are tight and slide it back to where there is no shadow at full power. Oh, yeah, add a quick adjusting sling.
First step was to use a half round file and some fine sand paper to unshroud the magazine release button. They come from the factory half covered up. Its nice to be able to actually hit the button, even with gloved fingers, and have it work. While I was at it, the mag release spring is stout. I didnt replace it but spinning the button out 1.5 turns really smoothed up the action, eased the finger force needed and still locks in the mag fine. So, no new spring needed there.
I just discovered Shopruger.com. Neat-o. Not as cheep as the ultra high quality chineasium available on Amazoid, but its either ruger factory stuff or at least stuff they seem to like enough to carry in stock. In any event, added their birdcage. Greased the threads and torqued it to a recommended torque of one rap with the rawhide mallet on the handle of the 8 inch wrench.
No shims or chrush washer needed as it indexed with the angled ventallation thingies squirting gas up out left and up out right....e.g one of the metal strut thingies between the ventallation thingies clocked about 1200 hrs or 2400 hrs....anyway, I'm happy. Now i have to get around to stashing away the muzzle cap so I can't find it when I really want it again.
It came with a Magpul Generation 3 10 round magazine. Nice, but too long for the woods and up in the tight tree stands and too long to sight in the gun on the bench rest. I'll get spares later but for now, the following mods were accomplished. I really want the spares to be the tan ones like the stock, shorten one of those and it should really blend in/disappear below the stock.
But, on inserting the uncut empty mag, I noted it wouldnt close on an empty magazine. So, I rounded over and around the back of the follower bump and now it closes on an empty mag pretty slick. I'll have to do this mod on the spares too.
And, to make the gun quite handy as a hunter/bench/for carry, the 10 round mag got a Glock Style Grip Chop. I set this one up for 4 rounds in the mag, and one in the pipe. In addition to looking, handling and carrying better, it'll be handy in those states were bored officials find a need to wedge an extra round in the mag in order to write an over 5 rounds citation. HA! Gotcha! Mag only holds 4, not five and for sure, not more!
In any even, mimimal work was required to chop the mag and I retained all the factory mag guts in the process. Since there just is no glue good for this type of plastic, I pinned the base back on, heads are upset into recesses in the base plate and cold blued. It works great on the bench and is loads easier to pocket the mag.
Finally, while i was inside it, the trigger was adjusted. No matter the position of the adjustment screw, the max was 5 lbs 6 oz with 4 lbs 4 oz the lowest setting. So, apart, cleaned the guts of the trigger and clipped one coil from the factory spring. Back together and I selected an adjustment of 3 lbs repeatable.
The rifle was not harmed by unjigged "honing" of parts or other bench basterdizing (other than clipping that spring and thereby saving $20 on the mail order of a reduced power spring from MCARBO). An approximate 20% reduction in pull weight with the wide trigger shoe feels great and short of beating the gun against a tree stump, which I won't do, its passed all safety checks.
First step was to use a half round file and some fine sand paper to unshroud the magazine release button. They come from the factory half covered up. Its nice to be able to actually hit the button, even with gloved fingers, and have it work. While I was at it, the mag release spring is stout. I didnt replace it but spinning the button out 1.5 turns really smoothed up the action, eased the finger force needed and still locks in the mag fine. So, no new spring needed there.
I just discovered Shopruger.com. Neat-o. Not as cheep as the ultra high quality chineasium available on Amazoid, but its either ruger factory stuff or at least stuff they seem to like enough to carry in stock. In any event, added their birdcage. Greased the threads and torqued it to a recommended torque of one rap with the rawhide mallet on the handle of the 8 inch wrench.
No shims or chrush washer needed as it indexed with the angled ventallation thingies squirting gas up out left and up out right....e.g one of the metal strut thingies between the ventallation thingies clocked about 1200 hrs or 2400 hrs....anyway, I'm happy. Now i have to get around to stashing away the muzzle cap so I can't find it when I really want it again.
It came with a Magpul Generation 3 10 round magazine. Nice, but too long for the woods and up in the tight tree stands and too long to sight in the gun on the bench rest. I'll get spares later but for now, the following mods were accomplished. I really want the spares to be the tan ones like the stock, shorten one of those and it should really blend in/disappear below the stock.
But, on inserting the uncut empty mag, I noted it wouldnt close on an empty magazine. So, I rounded over and around the back of the follower bump and now it closes on an empty mag pretty slick. I'll have to do this mod on the spares too.
And, to make the gun quite handy as a hunter/bench/for carry, the 10 round mag got a Glock Style Grip Chop. I set this one up for 4 rounds in the mag, and one in the pipe. In addition to looking, handling and carrying better, it'll be handy in those states were bored officials find a need to wedge an extra round in the mag in order to write an over 5 rounds citation. HA! Gotcha! Mag only holds 4, not five and for sure, not more!
In any even, mimimal work was required to chop the mag and I retained all the factory mag guts in the process. Since there just is no glue good for this type of plastic, I pinned the base back on, heads are upset into recesses in the base plate and cold blued. It works great on the bench and is loads easier to pocket the mag.
Finally, while i was inside it, the trigger was adjusted. No matter the position of the adjustment screw, the max was 5 lbs 6 oz with 4 lbs 4 oz the lowest setting. So, apart, cleaned the guts of the trigger and clipped one coil from the factory spring. Back together and I selected an adjustment of 3 lbs repeatable.
The rifle was not harmed by unjigged "honing" of parts or other bench basterdizing (other than clipping that spring and thereby saving $20 on the mail order of a reduced power spring from MCARBO). An approximate 20% reduction in pull weight with the wide trigger shoe feels great and short of beating the gun against a tree stump, which I won't do, its passed all safety checks.
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