If you are about to reply with the Internet Brochure class Anti Red Jacket bullshit - spare me please. I bought this thing to spruce up an old 10/22 that I had and have something to shoot & have fun with whilst most ammo & such is hard to get or too expensive for my "real" guns. I am from LA, damn near local to Red Jacket and I don't mind supporting local business.
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way....
I just received mine last Friday, 4/5/2013 after ordering it on May 19, 2012. It was a pre-order that was supposed to be delivered by fall and fell 3 months late... That kinda sucked... Oh well...
I must say, once I got some kinks worked out which were significant, it is a pleasure to hold & shoot. The weight and balance is good and it is as sturdy as a rock. The shells have a slight interference fit and really bite down onto the receiver and barrel tightly not allowing any play between the sight, which is mounted on the shell and not directly to the receiver, and receiver. Once together, it has an excellent sturdy feel. It is a fiber reinforced polymer, not a standard soft polymer like most cheap stocks.
Heres my notes - I'll reference the time in the Red Jacket installation vid on Youtube for pointers
Red Jacket Firearms ZK-22 Ruger 10/22 bullpup conversion stock Installation - YouTube
The trigger bar was binding in 2 places when the shells were tightened. mainly on both sides where the cam brackets mount to the trigger bar with the small screws. (5:26 in the vid) It was binding so tight it made the trigger very hard to pull and it would not move forward to reset without assistance. I coated the inside of the shells with white PTFE dry lubricant and partially assembled just the gun and trigger bar to the shells and could see where the hard rubbing was by looking fro the removal of the PTFE. I t also looked like the trigger bar may have been rubbing quite a bit on each side about 3" in front of the cam bracket. I sanded the entire trigger bar with the intention of taking a few thousandths off with some 80 grit then 220 then repolished with some 400. I then sanded the cam brackets where the screws mount, flush with the edge of the trigger bar. I also sanded the front trigger mount on top where it fits under the barrel just to smooth out the rough edges and make sure it's not touching the barrel. This is hard to see in the vido but it's the top of the front trigger mechanism where the spring for the drop safety release is. It's pretty rough cut plastic up there.
The trigger bar reset spring that comes with it is insane. It adds about 4 lbs to the trigger pull. After giving my trigger bar a bit of slop with the sanding, I replaced that spring with one that has about 1/3 as much compression. It's a standard 3/8" v 1 1/4" spring and many compression weights can be found at Ace or other hardware stores. 5:32 in the vid.
I had a very old model 10/22 that I did a self trigger job on it runs about 3.5 - 4lbs. The cam (8:33) had to be rotated to about 10:00 to get decent engagement and it was hitting pretty high up on the trigger. I put 2 layers of 1" heat shrink on the cam and this allowed me to rotate it down to about 7:00. The trigger now has just a bit of pull up due to the drop safety and about a 4-5 pound pull thanks to the lighter reset spring.
Lastly, the charging handle was also a little sticky, not allowing the bolt forward at full speed. I sanded it wit some 220 grit and smoothed it out with some 400 and it was good to go.
It's a fair criticism to say that for the money they charge, it should at least be readily form fitted when it arrives. The fact that I had to do so much sanding kinda ticked me off.
With all that... The gun is now a pleasure to shoot with the groups in the picture shot off of some sandbags and I can also hold about 6" free standing. The barrel is an Adams & Bennet and the scope is a 1-4 Mueller speed shot, if anyone is wondering. Heres a pic of the gun and a couple of ammo trials. Everything a hair low because it was zeroed for a faster round than the ones shown. I was just looking for groupings.
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way....
I just received mine last Friday, 4/5/2013 after ordering it on May 19, 2012. It was a pre-order that was supposed to be delivered by fall and fell 3 months late... That kinda sucked... Oh well...
I must say, once I got some kinks worked out which were significant, it is a pleasure to hold & shoot. The weight and balance is good and it is as sturdy as a rock. The shells have a slight interference fit and really bite down onto the receiver and barrel tightly not allowing any play between the sight, which is mounted on the shell and not directly to the receiver, and receiver. Once together, it has an excellent sturdy feel. It is a fiber reinforced polymer, not a standard soft polymer like most cheap stocks.
Heres my notes - I'll reference the time in the Red Jacket installation vid on Youtube for pointers
Red Jacket Firearms ZK-22 Ruger 10/22 bullpup conversion stock Installation - YouTube
The trigger bar was binding in 2 places when the shells were tightened. mainly on both sides where the cam brackets mount to the trigger bar with the small screws. (5:26 in the vid) It was binding so tight it made the trigger very hard to pull and it would not move forward to reset without assistance. I coated the inside of the shells with white PTFE dry lubricant and partially assembled just the gun and trigger bar to the shells and could see where the hard rubbing was by looking fro the removal of the PTFE. I t also looked like the trigger bar may have been rubbing quite a bit on each side about 3" in front of the cam bracket. I sanded the entire trigger bar with the intention of taking a few thousandths off with some 80 grit then 220 then repolished with some 400. I then sanded the cam brackets where the screws mount, flush with the edge of the trigger bar. I also sanded the front trigger mount on top where it fits under the barrel just to smooth out the rough edges and make sure it's not touching the barrel. This is hard to see in the vido but it's the top of the front trigger mechanism where the spring for the drop safety release is. It's pretty rough cut plastic up there.
The trigger bar reset spring that comes with it is insane. It adds about 4 lbs to the trigger pull. After giving my trigger bar a bit of slop with the sanding, I replaced that spring with one that has about 1/3 as much compression. It's a standard 3/8" v 1 1/4" spring and many compression weights can be found at Ace or other hardware stores. 5:32 in the vid.
I had a very old model 10/22 that I did a self trigger job on it runs about 3.5 - 4lbs. The cam (8:33) had to be rotated to about 10:00 to get decent engagement and it was hitting pretty high up on the trigger. I put 2 layers of 1" heat shrink on the cam and this allowed me to rotate it down to about 7:00. The trigger now has just a bit of pull up due to the drop safety and about a 4-5 pound pull thanks to the lighter reset spring.
Lastly, the charging handle was also a little sticky, not allowing the bolt forward at full speed. I sanded it wit some 220 grit and smoothed it out with some 400 and it was good to go.
It's a fair criticism to say that for the money they charge, it should at least be readily form fitted when it arrives. The fact that I had to do so much sanding kinda ticked me off.
With all that... The gun is now a pleasure to shoot with the groups in the picture shot off of some sandbags and I can also hold about 6" free standing. The barrel is an Adams & Bennet and the scope is a 1-4 Mueller speed shot, if anyone is wondering. Heres a pic of the gun and a couple of ammo trials. Everything a hair low because it was zeroed for a faster round than the ones shown. I was just looking for groupings.
in all seriousness, they all seem like a great group of guys who got caught up in the "reality TV" BS. Congrats, I'm glad you're happy with it.
