Custom Ruger Charger

SD Handgunner · Post by **SD Handgunner** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:47 pm

I actually started this project a year ago, then scrapped the whole project.

A month or so back I got the urge once again so this time I just went and bought a Ruger Charger.

I shot the Charger in the above configuration for a hundred rounds or so and knew I had to make some changes. I quickly removed the factory stock and barrel. I then decided on a replacement. For the Barrel I selected a 10" Bead Blasted Stainless Steel KIDD Bull Barrel. I then sent the receiver, an aluminum trigger housing (that had previously been sent to TT Shooter in Modesto California for one of his Precision Trigger Jobs. It breaks super crisp at 1 3/4 pounds.) and scope base to John Norrell Arms to be refinished in their "Stainless-Steel" Norrell's Moly Resin finish. (The Ruger Charger came with the new Plastic Trigger Housing and Trigger which I put in my plinker 10/22 and used the Aluminum Trigger Housing from that Plinker to have tuned for this Charger.)

I then took the factory Ruger Bolt to my local machinist buddy and he milled the breechface to set the headspace at .043", pinned the firing pin so it can not ride up. I finished the bolt work by chamfering / radusing the rear face of the bolt that the hammer rides against during cycling.

I topped off this Charger with a 3x12x Burris LER Handgun Scope with a Fine Plex Reticle and Target Turrets in Silver 1" Weaver Quad Lock Scope Rngs.

My local gunsmith is working on a Custom Stock for me, but it is not finished yet. He is adapting a T/C Contender Grip to a Cut Off / Modified Ruger 10/22 Stock. In the meantime I decided to try a Tactical Innovations REBEL Charger Stock (which is the stock in the photo). Yeah I know I shouldn't have sold the Factory Charger Stock before my Custom Charger Stock was finished but I wanted to try the Tactical Innovations REBEL Stock anyway, besides I am impatient.

Above is a photo I snapped of my Custom Ruger Charger while at the range today. I was actually quite pleased at how the Norrell's "Stainless Steel" Moly Resin Finish matches up with the Bead Blasted KIDD Stainless Steel Bull Barrel.

I had previously zeroed this Charger at the Indoor Shooting Range at 18 yards. Todays goal was to try to determine what kind of accuracy I could expect at 100 yards. I only shot SK Jagd Standard Velocity Hollow Points and Wolf Match Target today and was rewarded with 5 shot 100 yard groups ranging from 1.350" to 2". All in all I was pleased considering this new KIDD Barrel only now has 190 rounds through it after todays range session.

I also spent some time trying out the new Egg Silhouette Rack I just completed.

Each fall our local shooters club holds an egg shoot. We set up 5 chicken eggs at 50 & 100 yards for rimfires. At 50 yards the shooter is restricted to using an optic of 9x or less but at 100 yards there is no restrictions on magnification, anything goes. I decided to build a set of Steel Egg Silhouettes to use for Practicing. I figured this would be quick to set up and loads of fun for the Grand Kids to shoot.

On this session I set up the Egg Rack at 50 yards. I must say that the Egg Rack worked perfectly and is not going to require any modifications at all. I burnt up about 50 rounds shooting eggs but that was only part of it. I had along my Ruger / Archangel 10/22 with an old 4x40mm Tasco World Class Riflescope on it for the grand kids to have their way with the egg rack. And have their way with the egg rack is indeed what they did.

It was a very fun day at the range, and for once everything worked as it should have.

Thanks for reading.

Larry

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:52 am

That Charger looks very nice. I'm sure you'll be equally satisfied with your new custom stock when it is finished. I like your thinking on the egg rack. Those sure can be fun. I had a similar experience recently when some folks wanted me to try out their homemade plate rack. I found it even more fun when one of the gents added a suppressor to his Mark III for me to shoot the plates. This made it even easier to hear the bullets striking the plates. They used conveyor belt rubber to hang the plates from the rack. What are you using?

I'm sure your grandkids had the experience of a lifetime out on the range.

R,
Bullseye

greener · Post by **greener** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 7:27 am

Very nice mod. Like the egg plates.

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:46 am

The Charger has been on my wish list but never pulled the trigger knowing I would spend more on it than the original price

Yours look very nice and will probably look better once you get the custom stock.

Like the egg rack, could see why it's fun. I bought a polymer ball last year and hung it with a string at 25 yrds to play with. With no back stop to know where the shots may have been, made it interesting to shoot. Was very easy with my MKIII 2/dot sight, not so easy with open sights when you can't see them.

SD Handgunner · Post by **SD Handgunner** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 10:25 am

Thanks guys. I am an old Contender Handgun Shooter from way back so the Charger was sort of a natural for me.

The steel eggs are hanging on a piece of 1/4"x1" x 12" long piece of flat iron. I had the eggs welded on the edge of the flat iron and simply drilled a hole on the top for the pivot point. The whte between the hangers on the pivot rod is 7" pieces of PVC to keep the eggs spaced apart.

Larry

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 6:45 pm

That should do the trick. Fun and durable, should give you years of enjoyment.

R,
Bullseye

SD Handgunner · Post by **SD Handgunner** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:42 pm

Yep the grand kids are already asking when we can go to the range again to shoot eggs.

Larry