Why has nobody ever done this before?

Evad

New member
I have a rather unique idea that I've been toying with for a bit now. I have a Ruger 10/22 that I have fully customized to be as accurate as possible. It is my understanding that the reason a bolt action rifle is more accurate than a semiauto is due in part to the round having a nice solid launchpad to take off from rather than something that gives. Working off of that belief, if I did some r&d and came up with some sort of latch that locked the bolt from cycling when the gun was fired, that would give me an immediate, noticeable boost in accuracy right? Then, if I built it correctly, I could disengage this mechanism with a switch and the action would work as a normal 10/22 action should for faster firing at closer range. Thoughts?
 
Nope. Not illegal at all. You are asking the receiver to absorb the blowback energy of the 10/22. This may shorten the receiver's life span.
 
Thanks. As for the receiver's life span, that's where the research and development would come in. I got a few ideas
 
I would assume that, at the moment of ignition, the forward action of the bullet and the equal reaction of the brass would begin at the same time.
 
no, it shouldnt affect the seating of the bullet, I just plan to immobilize the bolt completely with something solid behind it that can be engaged or disengaged easily.
 
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Been done !

Evad
If I am understanding the concept you have expressed, it has already been done. Not on a 10/22 but other, older semi-automatic .22 rifles. I believe it was Mossberg and Stevens. They had a means of locking the bolt. Some Old-School guys in here might have some. ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
It's been done on delayed blowbacks that have a locking bolt that cams down ou of battery. A simple device that kept the lock from camming out was all it took. It wasn't for accuracy though, it was to silence the action cycling, on a silenced weapon. It's my opinion you're chasing the wrong Unicorn. I don't believe you would be able to measure the difference in accuracy of a rifle modified in this manner. In other words, a solution in search of a problem. But hey, what do I know?
 
For what it is worth, I examined an M1 Garand that had the gas piston and other forward parts removed. The action functioned as a straight-pull bolt action. It was in Michigan years ago, and I suspect it was an ill-attempt to make the M1 into a Michigan-legal (no more than five shots in an auto-loader) deer rifle that still used 8 round clips. Bolt actions can have more than five round capability in Michigan.
 
If I am understanding the concept you have expressed, it has already been done.

It's been done.

"Springfield" Stevens Model 87A ..... the bolt knob pushed in to lock it closed.

My dad had one, and it was the most accurate .22 I ever shot. Also the least reliable once it got dirty.

The bolt knob broke after being subjected to a few boxes of hyper velocity "Stingers" ...... I've still got the carcass ..... by brother left it in a wet basement, and it rusted pretty badly.
 
If I am understanding the concept you have expressed, it has already been done. Not on a 10/22 but other, older semi-automatic .22 rifles. I believe it was Mossberg and Stevens. They had a means of locking the bolt. Some Old-School guys in here might have some. .....


Stevens/Springfield Model 87A my first firearm in early 50's (used ) & still have it :-)
 
You know, I am not convinced that the better 10/22's are not as accurate as my Anschutz rifles.

No one shoots them prone small bore because you have to single load, but at the range I have seen some tiny groups with customized 10/22's that really make one think about the whole idea that a rimfire blowback can't be as accurate as a bolt rifle.
 
No why would it be illegal?


Many target pistols and rifles have that feature.

Not sure about the accuracy thing. Sounds improbable to me. I suspect the movement of mass of the bolt causes the POA to shift so slightly.
 
There are bolt locks available for the 10/22's. I was researching it for a while, as I have a suppressed model and the bolt locks are a lot quieter, but lost interest in the whole thing. Just holding the bolt back manually sure does cut the noise a lot though.
 
It seems like a good idea, but is actually pointless. The inertia and mass of the bolt prevents the bolt from moving until the bullet is out of the barrel and gone. If the bolt opened while the bullet was still in the barrel, the case would burst and there would be high pressure gas all over the action.

Tests have been run repeatedly on semi-auto .22 LR vs bolt .22 LR and the differences are within tolerances for the rounds in a box.

(But as for keeping a bolt closed with a suppressor (to eliminate bolt noise), I once did some testing with a suppressor on a Ruger Standard Model and didn't need any mechanical lock; I simply held the bolt closed with the palm of my off hand.)

Jim
 
The chambering is different between a bolt action target barrel, and a semi-auto. There are about three types of chambering on .22 LR, but the difference between the target barrel, for a bolt action, is that the rifling starts closer to the bullet, and in fact the bullet is pushed into the rifling a small amount, where this would disrupt the proper cycling of a semi-auto, as the bolt may not close. On the target bolt actions, you have to actually push the bolt closed, thus forcing the bullet into the start of the rifling.

The one in between the two chamber types, is a rifling in between the one used for semi-autos, and the one in target barrels, or it is the one on standard bolt-action, single-shot, and pump rifles. I think they may have even had or have another for target semi-auto pistols too.

Chamber Type
Sporting (Standard) Chamber .7751"Length .2307"Diameter .2270"Throat Diameter
Bentz Semi Auto Match Chamber .6900"Length .2270"Diameter .2255"Throat Diameter
Match Chamber .6876"Length .2267"Diameter .2248"Throat Diameter
Win. 52-D Match Chamber .5800"Length .2278"Diameter .2248"Throat Diameter
 
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Good point. Of course, simply locking the bolt of a semi-auto is not going to give it a match chamber and I doubt it is going to have any effect at all on either velocity or accuracy.

Jim
 
1) I have a Shilen select match 10/22 bull stainless bull barrel that came with a Bentz chamber.
It did not feed hunting ammo. So I put a SAAMI 22LR reamer in it and removed a little material, but not as much as I could have.
The target guys screamed bloody murder and that I was wrecking the barrel.

2) I have a Yugo SKS that I tried to accurize. I can turn off the gas system so it has to be hand cycled. That did not help the accuracy.
 
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