Convert 15-22 to "bolt action"

Hi all,
I have been having a lot of fun using an old pump action to shoot CCI Quiets. But the pump gun I have is an old, beat up Nobel Model 235.
I enjoy shooting the 15-22 more, but when shooting Quiets, which we all know it is not intended to cycle, it will pick up the next round, but not cock the FCG.
My though was...
Could one replace the charging handle with one that does not have a raceway for the bolt to slide on? So when you fire the rifle the charging handle would hold the bolt in place. Then to cycle it you can use the charging handle.
I know these sort of questions have been asked, but I got curious and wanted to know what you all thought.

It may work for a while but the big problem I foresee, is that the latch on the charging handle will be beat to hell after a while. It's really not meant to take a load even if its small.

I've been looking into this as well, just haven't posted my findings yet. I'll post pictures of what I have so far tonight. I have a bolt lock for my 10/22 that works great, just hoping to find a way to do something on the 15-22 as well. Since replacement upper receivers are cheap for the 15-22, I'm not opposed to modifying it a bit.

I've been doing the same thinking with a Ruger 10/22 as my base. I figure that I get a larger bolt handle (they make LOTS of different ones at reasonable prices) and put on the spring made for 22 Magnums.

I was REALLY interested in a straight pull back bolt action AR but found the best one made in America had a waiting list of about a year and a half and were just bought by Remington. There are several very good AR uppers like this over in the UK but no one is importing them.

Thinking about the 15-22 is there a change to the latch on the locking handle you could make? How hard is it to change/replace? How much is a new one?

I love the idea of straight pull bolts, it just seems so logical.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

B2

Wouldn't the charging handle likely give you a rather unpleasant shot in the chops if the latch happened to let go?

My initial thought on trying to make the 15-22 a straight pull bolt was to put a pin in the charging handle across the bolt channel, just behind the pin sticking up from the bolt that is normally used to pull the bolt back with the handle.







This does allow the handle to operate the bolt and require the handle to be back when the bolt is back as well. As mentioned, the latch is the weak point so far. Even with lower powered loads like CCI Quiet, the latch would let go and the bolt and handle would move back. The momentum was reduced so it wouldn't cycle properly. When I was testing it I was keeping my head away from the stock just in case the handle started moving towards my face and I never got bit by the handle.

The problem seems to be that the latch just doesn't have much to latch to on the upper receiver




So I made an adjustment to the receiver to hopefully help the latch catch a little better






This still wasn't enough and the handle still retracted. I did try getting the latch to engage the receiver a little more, but it didn't quite work


I think maybe a metal latch would work better, but I haven't tried it yet. I have a Tacticool22 handle and a Simple Weapon Solutions ambi latch. I haven't installed that latch in the plastic charging handle I modified with the roll pin yet, and I haven't modified the T22 handle to take a roll pin. But those are probably my next trials.

Ideally a metal charging handle with only enough of the bolt channel milled out to allow it to fit to the bolt pin and a metal latch would be used. It would probably still need to have the receiver modified so it would engage as much as possible


There are a couple other ways I was thinking that could help keep the latch in place. The first would need a latch like the SWS or Plinkter Tactical ambi latches. Having a block in the ambi portion of the latch so you have to move the block before the latch can be moved might work. The PT looks like it might have enough room where an additional hinge could be installed with a block.




The other way I was thinking would be to install a block just behind the rear of the bolt in the receiver, but I think it would have to penetrate the side or top of the receiver and not interfere the hammer. The best option for that would be if it was operated from the side and could also be disengaged by the latch.






Anyways, those were just my first ideas, but I haven't got a working solution yet. I was kind of curious how Rundover's forward charging handle mod for his bullpup might have been able to be utilized for this as well, in particular if he had continued on with an internal forward charging handle.

Why can't folks just leave this gun alone and just shoot it for what it is intended to do...

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Why can't folks just leave a thread alone and let the discussion be as the OP intended?

I deleted a bunch of posts here. For those who aren't interested in this idea just move along and let the discussion be.

I wonder how much effort it would take to convert the upper to something similar to how the Ice Arms rifles work with the charging handle on the side? That might help some of this with nothing coming back in your face if you did it right. Or at least I think so but I've been known to be wrong before...

Ice Arms if you haven't seen what I'm talking about:

Ice Arms

Thanks Phil

Maximumbob54 said:

I wonder how much effort it would take to convert the upper to something similar to how the Ice Arms rifles work with the charging handle on the side?

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I haven't really seen the Ice Arms upper before, but does the charging handle reciprocate with the bolt each time? And does it take a special bolt? Besides the picture on their front page, I don't actually see a product that has that side charging handle.

Personally, rather than seeing modifications to the upper itself I'd like to see replacement uppers with features like that, or even just direct replacements made from something a little more durable.

I don't have an Ice Arms upper so I'm not sure. It's one I looked at for a long hard while before the money went in another direction (stupid broke down car...) but it's still on the wishlist for someday. I figure even if it does move with the carrier and I assume it does then it's no different than an AK, M1 Garand/M1A/M14, Mini 14/30, or any other rifle where the handle moves. But I do agree it would be slick if they would offer some new options. Sure, it works just fine as it is but something new and interesting enough might just have me adding yet another .22 LR to the stash... That would make it the fifth or sixth by now...

ChattanoogaPhil said:

Why can't folks just leave a thread alone and let the discussion be as the OP intended?

I deleted a bunch of posts here. For those who aren't interested in this idea just move along and let the discussion be.

Click to expand...

Thanks Phil, just trying to have a discussion.

I think this is an interesting idea. Lord knows that I've tried my hand at making a few things. Some worked, some didn't, but they all were fun!

I wish you the best of luck! I'm thinking of a bolt action as well... one of the new Ruger American Rimfire rifles. Best of both worlds with both rifles.

If I'm reading this correctly you want to make your blowback operated semi-auto rifle have a locked-bolt option for use with lower-powered ammo. I have an old 1940's-era Springfield/Stevens 87A that does that very thing. The bolt knob has an option when closed to push it in and thus lock it into a hole in the other side of the receiver. After firing, you pull the knob out then straight back to extract and eject the brass. When shooting .22 Longs or Long Rifles you simply don't push the knob into the lock positon and it becomes semi-auto. It's a good idea and as a kid I used it as a bolt-gun a lot since .22 Shorts were cheap and I was usually broke. I don't need to modify my 15-22 since I still have that old Springer but I can see the appeal of the option. I wonder if some form of knob through the bolt into a hole in the receiver wall wouldn't be more effective than modifying the operating rod. If you are going to sacrifice a bolt and upper anyway might as well make it as direct and effective as possible.

I may be missing something here, but rather than spend money converting a reliable rifle into a single shot rifle that could possibly damage it, why not just buy a cheap or used single shot and use it?

batmann said:

I may be missing something here, but rather than spend money converting a reliable rifle into a single shot rifle that could possibly damage it, why not just buy a cheap or used single shot and use it?

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I am not looking for a permanent conversion. I don't even know if I would do it. I only asked if it could be done. It is a thought being explored. So if it makes no sense to you, don't worry about it.

Being able to go back and forth between bolt action and semi by just switching possibly the charging handle or not engaging some other bolt lock mechanism would be nice. Also, a straight pull bolt action would be ambidextrous. Sure, a pump or lever gun would be ambi as well...but the pump wouldn't work as well when shooting from prone for easy cycling. A lever would cycle well from prone, but most lever guns I know of are tube fed rather than detachable magazine. I've also already got a 15/22 with a threaded barrel and a silencer. For maximum fun and for ease of squirrel hunting, minimum noise is nice...including reduced action noise.

Something like this is what I would think would be the best option. Mostly because as stated before, if something went wrong, you wouldn't get the charging handle to the chin. There would just have to be some way to lock the bolt forward. I haven't quite thought of a way that would be easy and not too tacky.

I just don't know if the change in mass would effect the operation in semi mode. I would assume the best way would be to tap/die the hole and handles so you could take them out if need be, but the handles might not be enough added weight to matter.

The problem I see that may happen is feeding/ejecting. The 15-22 isn't made like a bolt action, the cycling is more along the lines of controlled chaos. Cycling by hand with the gun as is can be hit or miss.

Good point. On the other hand, I personally have had rounds not fire so I had to eject them with the charging handle and have never had one not eject or had problems chambering the next round. Not to say it couldn't happen, just that I've never seen it. I guess the odds would be greater if you were doing it every round though.