Ok - so I hit the range today and here are the pictures of my sample barrel shroud attached to my 15-22.....

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I then proceeded to send 900 rounds down range (CCI AR Tactical - excellent ammo, zero issues in all 900). I had only hand tightened the shroud and it didn't budge (you keep the crush washer on with my version).

I'm really pleased with the look and can't wait to deliver the first ones to the shop who are giving it a go.

I also had some nice bits turn up last week:

Norgon Ambi Mag Release
Bad *** Ambi Safety
Plinker Tac charging handle (looking to pull apart and make my own more hardcore version)
CMC 3.5lb Flat Blade AR replacement trigger (absolutely sweet to shoot)
LaRue Tactical A-Peg Grip (wider, much more natural grip)
Magpul STR Stock + Enhanced But Pad
Black Dog 50rnd drum mag (keep smiling and pulling the trigger!)

It's really coming together now and I've also found a decent outdoor practical shooting club (although I've not made it there yet).

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I love this gun (although it's now going to take me 2 hours to clean it!)

If you're interested in one of the shrouds, let me know - anti walk pins & brackets coming soon

Hereford,
That looks stunning, hearing that it functions well, you must be chuffed to bits.
I am going to take mine to the range tomorrow and try to get the flash-hider off, using the vice and blowtorch, if I am successful I will most definitely be in the market for one, I love the look and I would imagine it would add a fraction of weight to the front end, which would suit me.
What kind of price tag are you looking at?
Well done !!!

Thanks GM - this is a bit of a labour of love (and money!) for me, although we're all pretty 'enthusiastic' on here! I've never tinkered so much with any other rifle I've owned - having said that, if I send 3 or 4 quick rounds through my Sako .243 I need to then wait a while for the heat haze to die down before I can see straight again - with that 50rnd drum, 6 x 25rnd and 2 x 10rnd mags, I sent 220 rounds faultlessly 50 yards to their Birchwood Casey targets in no time at all - I simply don't get tired of pulling the trigger

Very good point re- weight - I will check and post back - you are correct though, it does balance things up a little. To be honest, I've hung near enough all I can on it so it definitely feels purposeful now, however, with the MFT mag grip it's still really quick to point.

The guys I'm supplying have their own ideas on price, but if I'm punting them on to other 15-22 like-minded souls over here then how does £70 sound? They can also be personalised with engraving for a few quid more.

As I said before, as soon as I get chance to finish my walk pin brackets I'll put them up too - I had the nice pins come with the CMC trigger however I can make the same but in stainless steel and supply it all with the allen pan head screws. What I'd really like to do is come up with a really bad *** charging handle? Sketches on the back of a fag packet gratefully received - the winner gets one made for free!

It may be that I just make a few bits for people who really want them, or it might grow a bit further - I was just a bit frustrated by the prices, lack of choice, the waiting time and most of all, the poor quality sometimes.

Why is your 15-22 looks so much more ...........English?

was one of those 'quid' thangs?? does it make the gun shoot better? we had some fried 'quid the other day, tasted kinda rubber like.............

And there I was thinking y'all just ate BBQ catfish and drank Bud!

I like and i think i might have to get me one of those!!!!

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Utrinque Paratus

Shrouds or moderators are considered to be good shooter-courtesy over there. Here, they are a highly regulated, taxed item, for which you need special Gov't permission.

Update - for all you weight watchers out there, my shroud comes in at around 175 grams or 6 ounces in old money.....

Moderators too are restricted over here, however, shrouds (like this one) are purely cosmetic and not regulated - it does give you some more bad *** kudos at the range though!

These are two totally different items. All a shroud does is cover a portion of the barrel; it has no sound suppression capability. They are neither regulated nor are they an NFA item.

Okay so I clamped the barrel in a vice with padding, I got scared and bottled my attempt at removing the flashhider, goodness knows what that thing is held on with. My dilemma is because mine is second hand (and guy I bought off said he'd not tried to take it off, but the end cap has been removed..maybe saw through?), I do not have any provenance as to whether the FH actually does come off, I have nightmares of mine being not threaded and doing some real bleeping damage trying to get it off...I have emailed S&W regarding serial number/model but received no reply, I am tempted to invest in some barrel vice jaws and try the blowtorch and wrench vice method, but then again, I think what if I bleep it up all for the sake of a cosmetic shroud, but then again I look at the shroud and think I WANT it!
I am not a gun-nut, or a grease monkey and the thought of messing up my beloved gun scares me. I guess it would have to be sent off to a professional smith to attempt it, which is going to cost me an arm and a leg. All for the sake of vanity. I don't dislike the FH, I just love the look of a shroud. Woe is me...haha I could probably kit myself out with a lot of mags and other ear marked extras for the cost, why did they have to have the FH on so tight

First time I took mine off it was tight - didn't put the barrel in a vice though...... I put it on the gun butler, got correct size spanner and then short, sharp tap with a hammer and it was off.

If it's never been off, my advise would be to try and get your hands on some 'Plus Gas' (should be fairly easy to get). Basically, this stuff is and excellent pre-treatment penetrating oil if you've got anything like a locked up thread, something that hasn't been off for a while or threads approaching a 'cold weld'.

If you can get some of this stuff and give it a while to work its magic and (then find the nerve) to give it a tap, it should crack it quite easily.

If you can't bring yourself to do it, perhaps ask the wife after a row?

Seriously, Plus Gas - the engineers friend!

Nice one, will get some and give it a go after my comp at the end of the month, would you recommend aerosol (spraying on the FH) or getting the tin oil and soaking the entire FH in it for a day?

S&W has repeatedly stated that they DO NOT use LocTite or other thread locker on their threaded barrels with flash hiders.

The best way to break them loose is to clamp the barrel in a vice, put a 10" or so wrench on the hider and rap the end of the wrench with a hammer.

Get it in the tin (should be cheaper?) - you don't need to soak it, perhaps three or four drops where the FH meets the crush washer and the same dropped in on an angle onto the crown (so it runs toward the thread) and leave for maybe an hour.

The stuff is good - it's like WD40 on crack!

Here is a pic (not great quality) but are we sure this thing comes off? forgive my noviceyness and my making up of words

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Yes, it can be removed; it is threaded onto a threaded barrel.

GM just get 2 blocks of wood hold them in your vice and then drill a 5/8th (16mm) hole down through the middle of them .....clamp your barrel real tight and as Major says get the correct size spanner (wrench) and a sharp rap with a steel hammer on the end of the spanner and hey presto your fh will be off ......

keith

Whatever you do, DO NOT HOLD THE UPPER. Do not put the upper on a standard AR fixture.
Clamp on the grease free barrel with the correct tool to prevent damage.
NEVER apply thread lock or anything other than a crush washer to keep a flash hider or muzzle brake from vibrating loose.
Never use a crush washer with a sound suppressor.

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Buy cheap, pay twice.

Hereford can you post a pic of the end that goes into the hand

guard,does that end have a plug fitted in the end with a hole

just a little larger than the barrel dia?

keith

Hi Keith - no, it doesn't, it free-floats

Pic below:

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Hey GM - just noticed that you've got no crush washer - that'll be why it's tighter that your average one. It'll still come of with a bit of persuasion but I'd recommend ordering a couple....

When I was looking at images online I thought mine looked a little different, I can get a hair in between where the FH meets the barrel and have got some plusgas, so im gonna put some drops on and then try again. Gonna do the blocks of wood thing for the vice as well. Best UK place for crushwashers (size etc) and are they need when you have a shroud attached?
Gonna have to wait until the next week though got a comp on Sunday, today gotta go get scope adjustments for the different distances.

Which, fried guid or BBQ catfish ?

Blocks of wood can slip. You need to machine them perfectly. You should use some tape or rosin / chalk to help the wood "grip" without scratching. Make sure the barrel is absolutely oil free.
As far as crush washers go, use 1/2" crush washers on 1/2" threads, 5/8 on 5/8, Etc.
You don't "need" a crush washer with a shroud.
Do not use a crush washer with a sound suppressor (moderator)
Do not use thread lock of any kind on any muzzle device.

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Buy cheap, pay twice.

That would be both of course, some fresh fried Quid an BBQ catfish followed by a good side of deep fried Gator nuggets and finished off with some good ol English Muffin!!!

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Utrinque Paratus

Nice bit of kit Hereford. Well done that man!

You for got the BUD LITE, you may need a few

What do you recommend for removing oil from the barrel?

Acetone, alcohol, degreaser, Etc.

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Buy cheap, pay twice.

Hi Hereford Just a question about the ammo please! I have not used CCI AR Tactical yet but 900 rounds down range without issue sounds great.
I have stuck with MIni Mag since getting my 15-22 or CCI Standard also without issue. Although accuracy is not that great with latest batch of Mini Mag
What price are you paying for the AR Tactical please?
Cheers

Hi SC - I'm paying £23.95 per brick of 300 rounds - see below:

Dauntsey Guns: CCI, CCI-956, CCI - .22LR AR Tactical Copper RN 40gr

I had to find an alternative for the range as I shot my local shop dry of the RWS Semi Auto that I like.

The accuracy is very good (I'm scoped up) and can hold good 1-1.5" groups at 60 yards no trouble.

Really good reliability - I reckon I must have sent best part of 2500 of these down range so far with zero issues - that's zero issues - recommended!

Many thanks Hereford for the info, I scoped up my Standard 15-22 for the very first time this week. From day one i have run it with my Aimpoint Red dot on it as i use my 15-22 for Mini Rifle comps only.

Not sure if i have a bad batch of Mini Mags but
I have to say i was very disapointed with the results it was all over the place!

Normally when i sight it in for Mini rifle comps with the Red dot i just draw a 3" circle on a blank sheet of paper at 25yards and if i can get them in the circle job's a good'n.

I have noticed in the last couple of comps that the targets have got smaller and further away so i thought i would put the scope on top with a small red dot on a 45'deg rail for the close up stuff plus my eyes are getting worse.

I was so fed up wth the outcome that i was going to take the scope off and go back to the Red dot, but i think i will try some other ammo first.

My local dealer sells the RWS for £89.90 per 1k & CCI AR Tactical for £22.00 per 300.

They are both more expensive than Mini Mag but i think it's maybe worth a try!
Thanks again. Cheers

Persevere with the scope (what have you put on it?)

IMHO CCI is a bit hit and miss in the accuracy stakes so I have been pleasantly surprised by the AR Tactical stuff. Your RWS price looks good and I would say is a superior round to the CCI AR. Then again I am a bit of an ammo 'tart' but even I couldnt justify blasting away with Tenex!

Where do you shoot? Did I see you mention the Shield down Dorset way?

What Hereford said!
I bought a BSA 6x24x44 'stealth tactical' because it was on offer and was a cheap make do (with funky scope covers you're an ammo 'tart' I'm a gadget 'tart' haha) , until a better option becomes financially available, probably when my 21 month old reaches 16 lol, when I first started to shoot with my 15-22 I was using Aguila, because it was the cheapest option our club had on a regular basis, I noticed that every 2 of 10 rounds would fly and I was miffed with the gun, the scope and the operator. Then I did two things. 1-changed ammo - 2 got a barrel wrench and tightened my barrel nut, which although was not 'loose' it wasn't tight either. Since 'tightening' the barrel and changing ammo, I am a very happy 15-22 owner, the scope/rifle/ammo is no longer the blame for all my wayward shots...no, now the blame lies squarely with the guy behind the trigger

Hey GM - obviously getting the barrel wrench was good for you - do you think it's worthwhile for the majority of owners? Has anyone else had the barrel un-do? Opinions please?

Love trying and testing different ammo (I'm a re-loader with my ctr fire - another path that leads to madness!)

Well i quickly shot out to my local dealer and picked up some RWS semi auto & some CCI AR Tactical, i thought that the proof of the pudding and all that!

I will try it up the club this week, yes i think i will keep the scope on for now which is a simmons whitetail classic 1.5-5x20 to test the ammo, i dont want too much magnification on the scope as its mostly used for distances from 10mtrs out to 40mtrs.

Hereford i am in North London, but i try and visit Shield when i can as they hold really good comps, it's a long way to go but it's always worth it

Cheers Guys

Glad to help - you've got good magnification range there too (mine is 1.5-6 x 40) - even when I'm stalking and shooting out to 200 I rarely set my scope on my .243 above 6 as it's fairly well acknowledged that 5-6 x magnification is optimum for normal human eyesight (please, Lord, don't let me be opening a can of worms here) - it's something to do with the eyes capacity for focal length.......

Really want to go down to Shield - will try to get in touch with Steve down there soon - really looking forward to it as there's nothing in somerset

Hereford, probably not worth it, however my longterm project is to put a new handguard on, so it will eventually be needed

Thanks - btw, good luck with your comp tomorrow!

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Really want to go down to Shield - will try to get in touch with Steve down there soon - really looking forward to it as there's nothing in somerset[/QUOTE]

I am sure you wont be disapointed Hereford when you go to Shield.

2 weeks ago we shot the Multi Gun Charity Match there in aid of the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance.

Not only are you doing your bit for Charity you are also shooting a real challenging & fun match and on top of that they had a raffle prize table that must have been worth at least 5K.

Cheers

Any news on availability of this Hereford? I've got a shroud from tacticool22 on at the moment but yours looks much better.

Welcome to the madness MG

Rob1

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Utrinque Paratus