M6 Scout

[Timmerton]

Seems like a perfect application for a 2x25 pistol scope, etc.
 
http://www.opticsplanet.net/bsa-2x20-pistolscopes-black-and-sil.html

You might be right about that.  I'll see tomorrow when the rings come in.  An accurate 2x would be ok, but am hoping for the higher 4x with mil dots to reference both barrels.  Will keep that one in mind though if this scope setup doesn't work.  Thanks!

[Timmerton]

Wow, I wish I could say this was easy but it was actually a lot of work!  Here is the finished product, except for the loose screws on the rings.  The rings are see thru so I can still use the irons.  In order to get the ring mount to fit right I had to grind and file a whole new picatinny slot from scratch.  I would have had to enlarge the existing weaver slot anyways, so I figured I'd put one where I really wanted it.  And, somehow, I didn't screw it up.  It feels very solid.

The eye relief and height work surprisingly well.  Its a different cheek weld than using the iron sights for sure, but it feels comfortable.  Hopefully will be able to go to the range in a few days.

[tacklebury]

Pretty cool man.  Glad it worked for you and looking forward to the range results.  I still think that 2x20 silver scope would look rad on that. 

[Timmerton]

Spent some time today sighting in the scope.  Took me a while but finally got it.  I think part of the problem I was having was that initially the ring base was just hand tightened, which was obviously dumb.  Clamped it down better and soon honed in on zero pretty well at 50 yards.  100 yards was doing well too, but didn't have any clean targets or spinners to aim at for better accuracy.  At 50 yards the group got very tight though I haven't done a true clean paper target test yet to give you any actual numbers.  I'm thinking 1" or less easy from a rest.  The hard pull on the trigger really makes you take your time to get a clean shot.
 
 Didn't have enough shots off on the 410 to get the best reference point on the mil dot scope.  One thing I noticed earlier was that the connector holding together the 22 and 410 barrels together at the muzzle is not tight enough to where you can't tweak it a little bit by hand.  I feel like the position they are in right now are a little askew to each other, and I would like to find a way to straighten them out and lock it down better.  Going to have a friend take a look and see if he has any ideas on that. 
 
 I wasn't able to test the 22 hornet insert today.  After I fired the 410 slugs a few times, I must have dirtied the barrel enough so that the insert didn't want to slide easily enough into the bore.  I would have had to force it too much and didn't want to deal with that.  Also, I do need to work out a good method of extracting the hornet shells from the insert.  I'm thinking I'm going to try a small notch on the insert to allow for a fingernail or pocket knife to get into.
 
 But so far so good.  I'm pleased with the results and will continue to work on it.

[weeble]

Looks good, Timmerton!  I think you've done a fine job on the scope base.


When sighting in a 22LR, it helps me to start at 25 yards.  With high velocity ammo the diffence in point of impact from 25 to 50 yards is very slight.  I find that zeroing at 25, then backing off to 50 and re-zeroing quicker than starting at 50.  But then, I don't use a spotting scope...if you so, then it's probably no quicker.


You say the front sight (barrel connector) is loose?  The only thing I can think of is that one (or both) of the roll pins is not a tight fit.  These are spring pins, and are supposed to be a bit oversize.  They compress when you drive them in, ensuring a tight fit for all eternity (in theory).  You could try some new ones.


Weeble

[Timmerton]

You say the front sight (barrel connector) is loose?  The only thing I can think of is that one (or both) of the roll pins is not a tight fit.  These are spring pins, and are supposed to be a bit oversize.  They compress when you drive them in, ensuring a tight fit for all eternity (in theory).  You could try some new ones.

Yep, its definitely an issue... I took it to the range again on Friday.  It is still sighted in perfectly, and easily can pick off clay pigeons at 100 yds using a couple mil dots lower on the scope for reference.  50 yards, lovely as well.  As long as you take your time with the trigger the rifle does its job well.

Then, however, a problem came up when I extended my grip on the barrel almost to the very end.  I guess my grip is enough to torque the barrels in a clockwise direction, so much that at fifty yards the 22 is hitting probably about 3" to the right.  I tested this a few times to confirm.  It hit exactly the same point each time I used that same grip, and then returned back to zero again when I moved my grip closer to the trigger, or used a rest.  So I guess as long as I'm conscious of my grip it won't be a problem, however its still something that I'd like to fix to eliminate any room for error.  Those spring pins are something I'm not familiar with.  They look hard to replace!  Not even sure where I could find new ones.  Maybe I will try the trusty Ace Hardware where I got my last fix from.

Thanks for the feedback Weeble!  The project continues...

[Timmerton]

Took out those front sight/band pins tonight, traded them places, and expanded one of them that seemed loose by driving a knife in between the gap.  So far seems much tighter than before, but still not unmoveable.  Am wondering, what if I slipped a drop of blue locktite into each of these before I hammered them in?  That would give me some extra holding power, but not too much where I couldn't remove them if I needed to, right?  I guess I don't like the idea of these two little pins being such a factor in potential accuracy.  I want to lock it down good, but not irreversibly. 

Still haven't tried my 22 hornet insert, but soon!  Also got the 410 boresnake and works really good.

[weeble]

Locktite will keep the pins from moving, but you should still be able to remove them if you want.  Sometimes it takes heat to release the bond.

[Timmerton]

Here's a fun little picture for you....I was testing out my 22 hornet insert this weekend.  Its actually functioning pretty well except for the fact that every time I fire a round, the casing seems to expand a bit and really gets stuck in there good.  I have to stick a small metal rod in the other end and jam it with a lot of force over and over until I can finally knock it out.  Not sure what to do about that...would it be a matter of reaming out the insert more to give it a little more space for the casing to expand?  I don't know anything about it....

Anyways, back to the picture.  This is a single 22 Hornet shot at 25 yards.  Accuracy is not bad at all, its just the iron sights are off a bit, definitely shooting a little left.  The explosion on the target is so big because I taped this to a steel silhouette, lots of shrapnel!  I thought it was pretty cool looking though.



EDIT: Somebody suggested polishing the insides of the insert so the bullet won't stick as much, so I gave it a whirl with my dremel and some compound today.  Probably won't be able to test it for a week or so though.

[Timmerton]

After polishing up the chamber a bit the hornet rounds stick a lot less than before.  To make it even easier I can put a small amount of Lee's case lube on the bullets, but I haven't been doing that since I polished it.  I still have to pound out the casings with a rod, but is much easier than before.

Here's another small mod I made to the Scout.  Since it was shooting high with the 410 barrel and open sights, I clipped off an extra fiber optic that I had and glued it to the top of the front sight post.  I took it to the range on Sunday, and was absolutely shocked by how it performed.  Its no tack driver by any means, but was easily hitting small steel targets at 25 and 50 yards.  And here is the biggest surprise of all... Just for kicks I wanted to see how close I could get to a steel silhouette at about 120 yards.  I told my friend to watch and see where it hit the dirt.  Well, I missed the dirt and hit the steel!  And I was standing, no rest!  That was my first shot.  After we stopped laughing I asked if he wanted to try it so he did.  He hit it too on the first shot!  I really couldn't believe it, all this from a 10" insert stuck inside a 410 barrel with a jerry-rigged front sight.  So I had some fun with that for a while.  I need to do a real paper test and see how we do.  I still don't expect great accuracy, but this is already better than I had hoped for.  Next I'm going to try the Hornady 35 grain bullets compared to the 45 Remingtons I have been using.  I am guessing that I will get a more stable bullet from the lighter weight.

For the next bit of fun, my friend gave me some of the new 22LR CCI Quiet ammo.  They are 40 grain and I think 710fps.  Scope was still zeroed and I entertained myself by blasting shotgun shells and other small targets on the range.  And true to its name, this stuff is QUIET!  At first I thought I was having misfires but nope, I just couldn't hear the bang.  We had to take of the hearing protection to see how loud it really was.  Another guy thought it was even quieter than his air rifle.  Its good stuff...

Oh, this is also a different scope from the one I had on earlier.  Its a 2.5x32.  The glass is very clear and has a huge amount of eye relief, almost too much.  But it allows me a more natural shooting stance without having to crank my neck forward.  I just have to make due with a "chin weld" instead of a cheek weld.  You get used to it.

Enough blabbing, but I'm not sure if I ever had more fun at the range than I did that day.

[Graybeard]

Let's bring this one back up and see if folks might want to talk more about it.

[darkgael]

Last post 2019....now April 2021.
I thought that i would add a picture....i wrapped my M6 barrels in parachute cord. It is a bit easier to handle, a tad wider where the supporting hand goes.

[Mule 11]

Is that real ray skin under that katana?