[henktermaat]

I'm going to bring the SU-22 to an Appleseed. I Read somewhere that using the large stock magazine would act like a monopod and get you disqualified.

I've been hunting around and figure I'd like to have 2-3 short magazines. I like the 15-rounders that black dog has, but I don't like those prices. The cheapest I've seen for a short magazine has been here: http://www.44mag.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BDMAG ($18 for 10-rounder, $5 shipping)
Does anyone else know any other sources for these?

I also need a GI sling. I have zero sling experience - Has anyone here attached a GI sling to their SU-22, and can you post pics/experiences?

thanks

 

[Whodat]

You can get some 15rd. ones here - http://www.joeboboutfitters.com/category_s/51.htm
Same total cost as the 10rd. you found. Good luck at Appleseed.

 

[Liberty4Ever]

I've shot some unofficial Appleseed with my SU-22C (Appleseed friend giving me some second hand training) and the 27 round mags are a major disadvantage when shooting prone IMO. The SU-22 is too high, and rather than acting as a bi-pod, the rifle is teetering on top of the magazine in a very unstable configuration. I like the 15 round mags much better for shooting prone or off the bench.

I bought magazines directly from Black Dog, and no surprise, the 44MAG.com prices are MUCH better.

http://www.44mag.com/category/black_dog_machine

Palmetto State has good prices too.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/BDM.php

For Appleseed, you really need the 50 round drum. Someone should make flip down legs to make it function like a bi-pod, so the SU-22 can be used like a mini SAW.

http://www.44mag.com/product/50_drum/black_dog_machine

My recommendation for a very good sling for Appleseed is a Turner synthetic sling. It looks and feels about like a leather sling, but it's more durable and I think a bit nicer. I don't have one because I don't shoot Appleseed yet, and I didn't like the weight. You probably won't like the cost, either, but it's a very good shooting sling. It's probably fair as a carry sling. Most of the cheap lightweight slings are OK for carry but not very good for shooting. This might be a good choice to install on your SU-22 liberty training rifle for Appleseed, and then move to your *REAL* liberty rifle the rest of the time.

http://www.turnersling.com

Appleseed is great! The shooting is great. The history is great. It's amazing how much people improve their shooting by focusing on the basics and learning to do it right. Accurate shooting from a prone position isn't comfortable. The sling is tight, and your support hand is at an uncomfortable angle, but I'm surprised what a stable platform can be formed with nothing more than a rifle, a sling, and the human body.

If there's time, you might want to see about a trigger job for the SU-22. IMO, the SU-22 is capable of very good accuracy, but the stiff trigger is the weak link. After shooting my friend's tricked out 10/22 with the aftermarket match trigger, when I went back to my SU-22 I thought someone had enabled the safety.

It'd also be a good idea to find out which ammo your SU-22 likes the best. Cheap bulk pack ammo will probably be 2 MOA or worse, which isn't competitive at Appleseed. I still haven't done the big SU-22 ammo comparison. I have the ammo, and I'm just looking for the time. Unofficially, I've had pretty good luck with Federal AutoMatch in the 325 round bulk packs. I bet some of the mid-priced ammo like CCI 100 round packs should be accurate. Test it before you go for reliability and accuracy off the bench, and I'd have a backup box of ammo you know feeds and fires well in your SU-22 just in case.

Have fun!

 

[henktermaat]

Thank for the tips! I am found to do another ammo accuracy test soon. Maybe today.

I'm going in Oct. And don't really expect to qualify, but it'll be fun. I'll pick up 2 15-rnd mags and a $10 sling somewhere. Gotta figure out how to attach it. I'm not paying $20+ for those little swivel mounts, I can think of something else. I can't believe how expensive that hardware is!

 

[Liberty4Ever]

Gotta figure out how to attach it. I'm not paying $20+ for those little swivel mounts

The 1/8" nylon paratrooper cord (aka 550 cord) is very handy for such things. Tie a girth hitch through the compact forend or around the butt stock and tie the sling onto the rifle. It's not as fast and easy as the hardware, but it works, and it has a certain Mad Max coolness to it.

A friend works in a pawn shop. They strip the cheap slings and hardware off the rifles before they put them on GunBroker. He gave me a bag-o-slings and I took them to the KTOG national shoot last month as freebies. There were some nice sling mounts in there with the cheap slings. Sorry you missed it!

 

[henktermaat]

You can get some 15rd. ones here - http://www.joeboboutfitters.com/category_s/51.htm
Same total cost as the 10rd. you found. Good luck at Appleseed.

A great price - thanks for sharing!

 

[henktermaat]

[quote author=henktermaat link=1281792817/0#3 date=1281801344]
Gotta figure out how to attach it. I'm not paying $20+ for those little swivel mounts

The 1/8" nylon paratrooper cord (aka 550 cord) is very handy for such things. Tie a girth hitch through the compact forend or around the butt stock and tie the sling onto the rifle. It's not as fast and easy as the hardware, but it works, and it has a certain Mad Max coolness to it.

A friend works in a pawn shop. They strip the cheap slings and hardware off the rifles before they put them on GunBroker. He gave me a bag-o-slings and I took them to the KTOG national shoot last month as freebies. There were some nice sling mounts in there with the cheap slings. Sorry you missed it!
[/quote]

You lucky bahstahd ;D

 

[henktermaat]

I got my 15rd Black Dog mags in the mail today

They look better than the one that comes with it.

Then I go and read thet you should bring FIVE magazines to an Appleseed :-/

But I'm poor. I'm not getting anymore of these. I'll use the two shorter ones while prone, and all three while standing or sitting. I guess I'll just have to load like crazy.

 

[henktermaat]

I have to add - I thought these would both fit into the stock - still not gonna happen. The spring pins in side the stock scratched up my mags while I was trying to see how they would fit.

I am considering taking it apart and filing/polishing them down so that the protruding points inside the stock are rounded off.

 

[henktermaat]

I pulled out the 4 spring pins and rounded them off with 250 then 400 grit sandpaper. Now the mags snap in there nicely without getting all gouged up. This seems to be the way it's intended to go in, even though there's a lot of extra space.

 

[Liberty4Ever]

The Alpha stock was intended for .223 mags only. It's a bonus that you managed to mod it to accept the shorty Black Dog mag.

You should be just fine for Appleseed. I think the magazine recommendations are based on lower capacity magazines. I doubt you'll find yourself limited by capacity. The emphasis is on accuracy.

Have fun at Appleseed! I look forward to a report on how well you did, and how well the SU-22 did. I introduced the local Appleseed instructors to my SU-22 LTR (Liberty Training Rifle). I think they might be 10/22 snobs.

Did you see the Appleseed thread running over in The Counter? You may be on a watch list!  

 

[henktermaat]

Now that I have my nifty trigger job done- I feel a lot better about careful shooting. I'm going to do some 25yd tests next weekend with a few different ammo types.

 

[Hopalong]

The 10-round and 15-round BD mags look to be about the same length. Are they or was that just the way they looked on the website? Thanks.

 

[henktermaat]

The 10-round and 15-round BD mags look to be about the same length. Are they or was that just the way they looked on the website? Thanks.

I wonder that too- I have never seen a 10-rd in real life...