I've wanted a 22 Magnum for a few years. I decided I was ready for another AR project after seeing prices on the levers and bolt actions I was interested in.
I started with an Anderson lower, added a PSA lower parts kit and a PSA match-grade drop in trigger assembly. I ordered a BCA 22 magnum side charging upper, and mounted a Leupold Rifleman 4-12x40 scope I had on-hand in a Monstrum 1-piece mount.
I swabbed the barrel prior to shooting, expecting maybe some packing grease. Instead, a ton of metal shavings came out - the shavings in the picture, and about the same amount that came out the breach end. I guess I thought they'd at least clean it up and give it a once-over before sending it out, but apparently not.
Regardless, I was pretty pleased at first. After cleaning it up, I thought the finish was good and it was an overall attractive design. I had two types of ammunition to try through it, as pictured below.
I put 100 rounds through it. The 4th cycle, the spent case was not extracted and the next round jammed up against it. I cleared that, and no more problems cycling. I zeroed the scope at 50 yards, and was getting pretty good accuracy with both rounds, probably slightly better with the CCI.
After the first 50 or so rounds, I began having no-fires - very light marks on the case from the firing pin. I had 1 CCI fail to fire, and several Remington rounds. I cleaned it again afterwards, and got a bunch more metal shavings out.
I'm hoping the chamber was just getting gummed up with shavings and preventing the rounds from being fully seated and the bolt from 100% closing. In that case, the round might move forward a tad when the pin strikes it. I did later read several product reviews with similar issues concerning light-strikes, with a stronger hammer spring being a recommended fix. If it does the same thing next time I shoot it, I'll swap it onto another lower or 2 to see if that changes anything.
Anyway, for the total investment, I'm still pretty happy with it. Fun to shoot and accurate. Just gotta figure out how to make it go bang every time.
I started with an Anderson lower, added a PSA lower parts kit and a PSA match-grade drop in trigger assembly. I ordered a BCA 22 magnum side charging upper, and mounted a Leupold Rifleman 4-12x40 scope I had on-hand in a Monstrum 1-piece mount.
I swabbed the barrel prior to shooting, expecting maybe some packing grease. Instead, a ton of metal shavings came out - the shavings in the picture, and about the same amount that came out the breach end. I guess I thought they'd at least clean it up and give it a once-over before sending it out, but apparently not.
Regardless, I was pretty pleased at first. After cleaning it up, I thought the finish was good and it was an overall attractive design. I had two types of ammunition to try through it, as pictured below.
I put 100 rounds through it. The 4th cycle, the spent case was not extracted and the next round jammed up against it. I cleared that, and no more problems cycling. I zeroed the scope at 50 yards, and was getting pretty good accuracy with both rounds, probably slightly better with the CCI.
After the first 50 or so rounds, I began having no-fires - very light marks on the case from the firing pin. I had 1 CCI fail to fire, and several Remington rounds. I cleaned it again afterwards, and got a bunch more metal shavings out.
I'm hoping the chamber was just getting gummed up with shavings and preventing the rounds from being fully seated and the bolt from 100% closing. In that case, the round might move forward a tad when the pin strikes it. I did later read several product reviews with similar issues concerning light-strikes, with a stronger hammer spring being a recommended fix. If it does the same thing next time I shoot it, I'll swap it onto another lower or 2 to see if that changes anything.
Anyway, for the total investment, I'm still pretty happy with it. Fun to shoot and accurate. Just gotta figure out how to make it go bang every time.
