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Jesse's Hunting > Gun Room Articles > Gun Room Archives > Building the "Squirrelinator"
Building the "Squirrelinator"
Andy Moe - JHO ProStaff
- InSane Diego, CA
May 07, 2005
Not a girly-gun
It may look like something from a Schwartzenegger movie, but as the author found out, it's a real-life shooter! |
If you’ve been shooting long enough, or are just plain lucky, you may have stumbled onto what you consider to be that perfect one-of-a-kind rifle. It usually happens when you aren’t looking too hard, and often comes from the most unlikely source. Like friendships, where chance meetings of different personalities can form an inseparable bond, a conglomeration of miscellaneous components and circumstances can sometimes result in a rifle or load combination that functions better than a shooter could have ever planned for. Such is the case for my new .22 rifle, nick-named "The Squirrelinator".
I should start by saying that I am not fond of auto loaders for accuracy work. I have always been a bolt gun guy. That fact alone might make my ownership of a pair of Ruger 10/22 ‘s somewhat surprising, but in my line of work a 10/22 is standard equipment. The Ruger is probably the most popular semi-auto on the market and new barrels and drop-in parts appear on the scene at fairly regular intervals. If you hope to write about shooting, you'd better be familiar with the Ruger 10/22.
Don’t get me wrong! I have always liked the 10/22 Ruger. As semi-autos go, there are none better in my opinion. I just never gave them any consideration as target rifles. One of my Rugers is an ancient "Deluxe Carbine" –walnut stocked, iron sighted, and amply capable of the quick handling field work I believed the gun was designed for. The other is an action I bought to be used as a test mule for barrels and scopes. It was this "mule" that helped to change my mind about the semi auto as a potential tack-driver.
One of the great things about Ruger rimfire rifles is that you can easily change barrels, and in a corner of my office there lives a stack of assorted barrels for the various Ruger rimfire models. It was curiosity more than anything that got me to install a 1:18 twist, .22 LR barrel made by Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Company on the Mule. The barrel was designed to shoot High Velocity ammunition —namely CCI Stingers. It was good concept but the idea never panned out for Green Mountain. I was offered the barrel on "give it a try" basis more than as a serious test. This barrel was the usual Green Mountain offering: well machined and finished, nicely chambered; a heavy 20-incher, blued and fluted. Assisted by a Weaver 4X and mounted in a Hogue Overmolded stock, this barrel had delivered some decent groups with CCI Mini Mag Hollow Points at 25 yards. I wasn’t too serious about pursuing this accuracy because I was busy with other shooting projects. I made a mental note of the Ruger’s accuracy potential but that was about all.
So, I never did shoot the Hogue/Green Mountain/Ruger too much. The barrel came off at one point and I used the Mule for different barrels and scopes. As good as the Hogue stock was, there was a problem: it was too low in the comb for most scope and ring mountings —at least those of the target variety. When writer and hunting partner Tim Mancillas showed me his Richards Microfit “Tack Driver Silhouette” laminated silhouette stock I thought that it might be a good platform for the Mule. The cheek piece was definitely high enough. I am not a fan of target style stocks for general use but this was to be a single purpose rifle. A utility test bed. I ordered the stock in brown laminate and it arrived a couple weeks later.
Richards is generous with their milling. The stock came with a bit too much extra wood for my liking and I spent a good deal of spare time rasping the excess away and fitting the thumbhole and finger grip to my hand. The inletting was press-fit perfect so it was only the outside that needed the attention. Three weeks of intermittent work saw the stock in its final shape. The stock was unbelievably comfortable and I knew that it would work out fine for my bench shooting. My biggest concern with the finished product was that I hadn't free-floated the barrel. I’d worry about that later. With no testing on the docket, I really didn’t care at that point.
During the three weeks I was working on the stock, I received shipment of a Hakko "Blue Ring" 3-15X by 56 mm rifle scope. I am a big fan of Hakko optics and already had one of their fine, fixed power tactical scopes. I'd wanted a variable sporting scope that would stand up to the rigors of my summer time .223 shooting so the Hakko was my top choice and the 3 to 15X variable seemed perfect for my style of hunting. This scope was of special interest as the variable feature is in a power of five, instead of three or four. The Hakko is a 3 to 15X; versus 3 to 9X, 4 to 12X. 4 to 16X, etc. This feature is unique to Hakko. 
The Blue-Ring Hakko 3-15
Initially slated for a .223, the author's "big glass" may have found a home atop "the Squirrelinator". |
As it turned out, my Ruger’s venerable old Tasco Varmint scope gave up the ghost on the morning I again got the notion to shoot the 1:18” twist Green Mountain barrel mounted in the new stock. I was bore-sighting the freshly installed barrel when the Tasco’s reticle suddenly keeled over 45 degrees, ending its long career. I dug a set of high Leupold Rifleman rings out of my desk drawer and the Hakko glass was pressed into early service.
At the range, I roughed in the scope with CCI Mini-Mags because the rifle had already shown a liking for this particular ammo. I quickly ran out of elevation due to the height of the base and rings on the Ruger. As an expedient, I made a shim from a slice of plastic 12 gauge shell slipped under the rear end of the one-piece base. This allowed a 50 yard zero to be attained with plenty of extra travel to spare. The scope adjustment clicks were positive and the bullet movement was appropriate with each adjustment. The parallax was well matched to the range and the optics crystal clear. I especially like the “speed focus” adjustment. (Why domestic scope manufacturers don’t allow for an easily and rapidly adjustable focus is beyond me.) When properly focused this scope displayed the reticle and target, both, with crystal clarity.
When I got the bullet holes to hit center at 50 yards I started shooting in earnest. The CCI Mini-Mags shot well. I mean really well. My ten-shot groups were 7/8 inches with 8 of those into .4 inches! At fifty yards, no less! The two that weren’t in that single, ragged hole were clustered a tad to the left –and probably my fault. I was pleased that I’d found what I thought would be my benchmark ammo for this rifle in the CCI Mini Mags. This ammo was inexpensive and readily available. As to the accuracy, well, it made perfect sense. The 1:18” twist barrel was, after all, designed for high-velocity ammunition.
I am a bit of a pessimist and the euphoria of tight groups was short lived. I wanted to expose this gun’s Achilles Heel. The barrel wasn’t free floated and it had what I considered to be a marginal rate of twist. It was time for to expose this gun's Achilles Heel. I figured I’d just slow the rounds down a bit and see what happened when the slow twist quit putting as much spin on the bullets.
I dug out a box of Remington Target Standard velocity. All ten shots cut each other in a group just over a half inch, about an inch lower than the CCI's zero. Well! It was possible that the velocity was high enough and the bullet short enough for the slow twist of this barrel. I was still a bit skeptical but couldn’t help being a little pleased: This was yet another ammunition that was locally available at Walmart prices.
It was time for the acid test.
Proof of concept?
With 50 yard results like this from sub-sonic PMC Moderators, the author's preconceptions about the slow twist barrel and semi-auto action were challenged. |
The flood gates opened. I tried everything I had, from sub-sonics to hyper-velocity. Most shot exceptionally well. Notably, the Remington Target Standard Velocity, Aguila “SE” Hi velocity Solids and Hollowpoints, Aguila “SE" 40 grain Sub Sonics, Aguila Golden Eagle Target, the CCI Mini Mag Solids and Hollow Points, CCI Green Tag Standard Velocity, PMC Zapper, PMC Moderator Sub sonic, Eley Club, and Wolf Match Target. The ammo that shot well, usually shot very well indeed: around a half inch when I didn’t screw up. The cartridges that shot badly were few and far between but a few of the notable failures were the Aguila Super Maximum, the Federal “Bulk Pack” hollow points,the Remington Golden Bullet, and remarkably, the CCI Stinger. None of these cartridges would stay under 1.5 inches at 50 yards. A middle of the road cartridge might be illustrated by CCI Velocitor, one of my favorite meat-eater loads. Just under an inch at 50 yards for 10 shots. Not the best, but good enough for ground squirrels.
All in all, my trigger time with the new gun was a blast! That was a happy day at the range, I can tell you that.
I try never to take a single day’s results to the bank so a few days later I made the trip to the range again with the Ruger. On the second range trip the wind was present at 6-12 mph and my 50 yard groups told the tale. The groups were still tight but I’d lose a couple to the wind on every target. I fired a few boxes at 50 and then moved the targets in to 30 yards where the wind would have a lessened effect. On this day, the best accuracy came from Aguila ammunition. The top accuracy was with the “Super Extra” 40 grain sub-sonic. In second-place was the Golden Eagle Target standard velocity, and close behind was their “Super Extra” 40 grain High Velocity. The ten-shot groups,center to center, measured .355” for the Subs and just around .370" for the others. It is interesting that these three rounds span the entire velocity range from Sub Sonic to High Velocity. Who’d a thought?
And what about stability at longer ranges? At the 100 yard line of my range there was a scattering of pale yellow, empty 12 gauge hulls on the sand bank. Through the clear eye of the Hakko scope I had no problem picking them out from the sun lit sand. Even with the sub-sonic loads, I could flick the casings about at will. I guess a 1:18” twist rifling rate isn’t as marginal as I thought!
When the shooting was over for the day I sipped my Pepsi and studied the rifle, resting on bags in the middle of a jumble of targets and empty Long Rifle casings. It was a head scratcher. The Richards Microfit stock I was initially cool towards has turned out to be an ergonomic wonder, allowing me to shoot comfortably while being very forgiving to my less than perfect bench technique. The superb Hakko scope, destined for my .223 had now found a more or less permanent home on my Ruger 10/22. The Green Mountain slow-twist barrel, installed on a whim, has become my benchmark for 22LR accuracy. And the Ruger 10/22 action, formerly thought of as a relatively poor choice for an accuracy gun, is being viewed under a different light these days.
I liked this rifle but it sure didn’t look like my kinda gun! Just not quite my style. Looking somewhat aggressive and futuristic in its thumbhole stock and sporting that large piece of Hakko glass, I commented to my range mates that the rifle looked more like something Arnold Schwarzenegger would carry. When I joking referred to it as the “Squirrelinator” the name stuck. I knew now I’d have to make it live up to the name.
On the way home from the range I stopped by a local ground squirrel colony to begin taking care of that little detail. I set up my camera tripod with the sand-bag attachment on top and rested the Squirrelinator on the bag. Surveying the ditch bank through the Hakko, I could see two fat squirrels basking in the late afternoon sun at 60 yards, seemingly confident that I was of little threat to their sun bathing. I dialed in the parallax and fired two quick rounds of Aguila SE High Velocity sending them both to that Great Alfalfa Field in the Sky.
Yes. It’s going to be a good summer.
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