Today we recognize 249 years of the unique and incredible existence of these United States of America. In a world where governments and constitutions change on average before legal drinking age, our republic has by the grace of God above, survived. Our republic has survived the wars of monarchies, dictatorships and other authoritarian governments but our constitutional republic ruled by We the People trucks along.
God Bless These United States!
The Senate Parliamentarian, a Democrat, has chosen to remove the tax-removal portion for firearms under the budget bill. For the most part, the vast majority of the bill was gut. I don't know if anything can be salvaged but at this point, your rights will continue to be infringed. The Democratic Party of these United States has chosen to support the precedence that taxes on your constitutionally protected rights is acceptable. I wonder if those same Democrats would accept a tax on your right to vote?
It stinks but keep up the push. This is the closest we've ever been to restoring a major part of our rights. It may have taken 90 years to get here and it might take another 90 years to actually restore our rights but we can get there. The war against our freedom never ends so we can't stop fighting back either. Remember that in the 90's our nation went from major infringements on the "bear" part of keep-and-bear. In 2025, more than half the country is now constitutionally carry and Shall Issue permits are the minimum. We are taking back ground stolen by us under the guise of Progress even if it's very slow. As a parting piece, remember that the Lord God above's plan is perfect. Maybe we don't get this but this could also save us from something worse like Democrats adding regular AR rifles to the NFA via the same method. Never give up even when it hurts.
Edit: I was thankfully wrong. I had interpreted incorrectly what was happening with the Parliamentarian. I am sorry as I have misled you. What actually happened was she had made a recommendation to remove. Apparently, she can be ignored. Anyway, after doing additional digging around, the BBB did move forward from the Senate with a provision to reduce the $200 to something like $0 instead of the deregulation which is preferred. Sadly, it just means that you are still registering and having to deal with the worst part which is the administrative junk that goes with owning a Title 2 device.
Again, please accept my apologies for a misleading statement. I will endeavor to serve you better.
Update 01 JUL - The $0 tax has gone through and the BBB is on it's way to the House for a vote. The House could make changes and send it back or they can approve. Anything can still happen.
Anything did happen and the Representative from Georgia Andrew Clyde, the owner of Clyde's Armory none-the-less, submitted an amendment to start this process back onto the correct track of de-regulation. I have not heard if that amendment made it into the House Committee yet and if it made it back into the BBB. If it does, the BBB will go back to the Senate.
Because of how much is changing and the speed which it does, I'm not going to keep updating until we see this bill go to the President. I'll update then or post something new about what changes we can expect.
Okay, last update. The Clyde Amendment did not make it through the Committee.
We Appeal to Heaven to have our rights de-infringed.
Over the years, I have had quite a few build ideas that centered on Short Barrel Rifles. Mostly these were dreams based on paying the $200 tax. I never expected that we'd see some of the infringements on the Shall Not Be Infringed part of the constitution possibly be removed but since that's what people are saying could happen, it's got me thinking over build ideas. Let's look at a few inexpensive, commercially available options that the average person could put together
The one idea that keeps being of the most interest for me is a .22 LR rifle with a barrel length around 12 inches. Previously, I had floated a variety of ideas based of the Henry Mare's Leg or a Ruger 96 or something else but recently, I was gifted a Crosman 1377 Classic variable pump pistol and I have been enjoying it in the backyard. I have found the massive aftermarket support for this air gun and installed a moderator from Buck Rail to keep the noise pollution down. It's such a fun thing to shoot.
Henry's Mare's Leg .22 LR or the Chiappa LA-322 Bandit
The Henry H001ML Mare's Leg .22 LR with 12.8 inch barrel is the same receiver as the standard H001 and others in the family. Simply replace the pistol grip with a short stock from the H001Y. Add a cuff, leather sling and maybe a Leupold FX-II scope and you should have a lightweight rifle that will work in every woods in the US for small game hunting. It's short and would stow very will in your truck. It would be easier to work with than the Classic 18 inch barrel 22, that's for sure. Sadly, putting a silencer on this will be hard, enough so that I'm not sure that I would end up doing this.
The same idea can also work with other lever actions such as the new Chiappa Bandit (I think you'll need to use the straight wrist version, not the birds head grip version) or the Rossi and Heritage Arms options.
Browning Buckmark Varmint SR Carbine
I found out about the Varmint SR which has a 10 inch barrel and a full length picatinny rail. Browning also had made a rifle version of the Buckmark. Sadly, both of these versions have been discontinued making this idea the hardest to achieve. I had the though of seeing if I can find a used Varmint SR. then source the parts needed to put a stock on it. If I can combine the stock parts with the Varmint SR, you'd have a setup that's incredibly close to the Crosman build but it would be a .22 LR instead of an air gun making it more practical.
Since neither of those are made anymore, a person could purchase the Browning SA-22 and have the barrel cut back. The front sight would need to be reinstalled by cutting a new dovetail in the barrel but any good gunsmith should be able to complete both actions easily.
Ruger 10/22 and Charger plus Takedown Models
For the average person, the 10/22 platform is the easiest way to make this build work with the suppressor because all the parts just bolt on. You just need hand tools. Additionally, the aftermarket support is wild. Seeing that the Ruger Charger is the pistol version of the 10/22 and with base models with both 8 and 10 inch barrel options but also have takedown version, you can use the full aftermarket support of the 10/22 to build a Charger into a short rifle.
Simply put, all you would need is to buy the Charger of your choice and order a stock for the 10/22. Pull the Charger's action out and slide it into a stock of your choice and tighten the bolts back down. Farrow Tech does make an buffer tube adapter for the Charger that lets you put an AR stock onto the factory Charger which is even cheaper than a 10/22 stock. Alternatively, you can purchase an aftermarket Charger barrel and match it to your existing 10/22 rifle.
For example, if you have a regular 10/22 Takedown, you could purchase the Tactical Solutions 12 inch barrel giving you the ability to use a traditional screw-on suppressor. I like the idea of adding a small suppressor like a Bowers Bitty or TacSol Aeris. The nice thing is that if we do get the SHORT Act we should also get the HPA. Having a small silencer that's integrated should be much easier to get. Therefore, these integrally suppressed barrels from Angstadt or Gemtech like the MIST-22TB could be a good choice though I think they'll end up being longer than I want.
Personally, I think this is the option we are going to see the most of if SBRs are no longer taxed. The 10/22 is so widely available and there are already lots of people with Chargers and registered 10/22s. A quick internet search for 10/22 SBR gets you plenty of ideas. The aftermarket support for this platform is huge so it's a no-brainer.
I do have a 10/22 and I even have the Farrow Tech adapter for the Charger for a build I never did. My 10/22 is setup with a factory 18 inch barrel modified by MaddMacs and is using Tech sights with a red dot on a rail. It's setup to look a bit like an M14. It shoots so well that I don't want to mess with it so I won't be touching it. If I didn't care, I would go find a factory 10 inch Charger barrel and install that on my current 10/22 with wood stock. To be fair, it would probably be the cheapest option for me.
CZ 457 Scout + American
I have the 457 Scout and I can confirm that with the short stock and 16 in barrel, the rifle carries very well with it's 6.5 pound field weight but I would like it shorter and lighter. While I don't use them, I like having the iron sights on the barrel so I don't want to shorten it unless I can move the front sight rearward. A nice feature of the 457 are the barrels and how easy it is to swap. It's basically the bolt action version of the 10/22. Currently, you can get the rather long 457 American barrel for around $250. The American barrel is 22 inches long but we can trim it back to 12 inches or so and easily fit that to the CZ 457 Scout. Just for fun, I measured Scout barrel and found that with the Scout stock, I could actually trim the barrel back further to 9 inches without cutting into the stock. That could be a very handy option but I am trying to stay close to that maximum velocity range.
What I like about this for me is that I keep the original barrel untouched and can quickly switch back if I want to. I can remove my cartridge cuff returning to the 12 inch length of pull (currently around 13.25 inches) so that my kids can use it when time comes.
Keystone Arms Crickett Pistol
Keystone Arms makes a single shot, bolt action pistol that can be had with iron sights and a threaded barrel for not a lot of money. These have a left hand bolt configuration but I think a person could replace the stock with a rifle stock without to much fuss. If the Keystone stock could fit, you can have a very lightweight rifle with a 9 or 10 inch barrel for under $200. They do have the Overlander chassis for more money that might be something you are interested in but I can't confirm if that fits the pistol action.
Standard .22 Rifles Cut Down
So far, other than the Browning SA-22, I've offered some options that would be somewhat complicated in achieving the goal of a 12 inch .22 LR rifle. Honestly, it doesn't have to be that complicated with buying stocks and parts etc. The 10/22 option is great because parts just bolt on meaning you can do that in your living room on the couch with hand tools. No gunsmithing needed.
If you didn't have hundreds of dollars to build out something new but you still wanted to do this, having a gunsmith trim your barrel down to whatever length is not going to be costly. It would be even less if you don't have it threaded. Do you have a Winchester or Mossberg bolt action or maybe a Savage 64 or 93 that's been around for years? Sent it over to a smith. None of this needs to be complicated with fancy parts. I genuinely considered having Moss Pawn or someone local cut down the barrel on my Ruger American Rimfire for this idea but seeing as the BSA Sweet 22 scope is heavy, I think I'll just leave that rifle alone for now.
Summary
In summary, I believe that you will be just as well served by a 12 inch barrel version as you would an 18 inch barrel version of the rifle you might be considering. There are definite weight and length savings with the shorter rifle with little to no loss in average velocity. For some, the 18 inch version of the Henry classic 22 rifle is the best because of the magazine capacity; 15 vs 10 rounds for the 12 inch model. For some people, that won't matter. In the end, what actually matters is that you should be free to choose the firearm with a barrel length that does what you need it to do. It is a tool and you shouldn't be hindered in selecting a model that best fits your needs. You shouldn't be forced into something for compliance reasons that compromises the utility of that tool.
Which one do I like the most? I think the best option might be to buy the American barrel for the CZ 457 however, I keep thinking about the lever action a lot. I'm a very big fan of the H001 platform but spending $400 on the H001ML and spending another $100 for a youth stock is a bit much for something I can't suppress. Other than the silencer, I can't guarantee that it will be as light as I want it to be which is around 5 pounds with everything. The CZ does everything I want at 6.5 pounds and it will only get lighter with the short barrel and no iron sights. Not to mention that the barrel kit from CZ comes with and extra magazine which are around $30 each. Yikes. Chiappa's LA-322 is pretty inexpensive and they claim the Bandit is 2 pounds which is very light. I pulled the stock off of my LA-322 with Mason Leather cuff and 50 round box of CCI Standard; it weights 2.27 pounds. If everything is accurate, the Bandit with stock and cuff would be around 4.5 pounds with all the leather goods. I can live without a suppressor with that weight. Add a Leupold 1.5-4x20 scope for an additional 9.6 oz and we're looking at just over 5 pounds for a lever action rifle with 12 inch barrel and most of the goodies. The best part of this though is the Bandit is also a takedown model. That means that I can break the rifle down into halves for even easier transport. I might not have the suppressor but I do have a takedown that's very light. Very interesting. Final question, will 922(r) be a problem for me? Will I be forced into building a Henry because they are made in the US? Let's find out.
If you care about your Right to Keep and Bear arms as protected under the Second Amendment, you need to take a few moments to do this. Over the last few days, the House Ways and Means committee has been working on amendments to what is supposed to be a massive bill that is to be sent to the President. There is talk about getting silencers and short barrel firearms off of the NFA added to the bill.
You need to email and call your Congressional rep to push on this and get the Hearing Protection Act and SHORT Act off the NFA by getting the amendments to the bill. This is the time. This is your call to action to help get these infringements of the books.
How to find your Congressional Rep
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Update: If I am hearing correctly, the HPA made it into the Big Bill and will be sent to the Senate or clearing up. There are two provisions. The first is a complete removal of suppressors from the NFA but there is a backup to reduce the tax from $200 to $0 in-case the Senate wants to play games with your rights. Again, you need to reach out to your Senators. I emailed and called my Congressman but in Georgia, our Senators are not the favorable-to-Rights sort of politicians in regards to this topic. It will fall on deaf ears. Even if you live in a Democrat state, you should call them even to remind them that you exist and you disagree with their prohibitive position.
Update 17 Jun 0700 AM: The Senate has returned the SHORT Act to the bill and are working to make whatever else changes they want. Once they are done, they will kick it back to the House for approval. If the House makes no more changes and keeps the SHORT Act, it will go to the President to sign. Again, please call your Senators to remind them to vote yes if you think that regulating via taxation barrel lengths is infringing on the "Shall Not Be Infringed" part of the Constitution.
This is a continuation from my first article on the Smith and Wesson Model 17-9
I don't know how many rounds I've actually put through my Smith and Wesson Model 17-9 Masterpiece. I have tried to shoot it every time I head out to the Little Farm but I do know that I am working through the 2000 round case of Aguila Standard Velocity I got for it plus the big ammo test.
The first issue I had ran into was a user error and I had forgotten that I could adjust the rear sight. After getting the sights zeroed for around 25 yards, I am able to regularly hit a 6 inch steel gong off hand with various loads. While the Aguila load is not the most accurate from the 17, it's what I will be shooting for the foreseeable future along with another test load from Remington. The gun club I'm apart of has a 100 yard rimfire range. On a few occasions, I have sat down and made attempts at hitting the various steel gongs and been successful on the much larger ones. I don't know how big they are at the moment. I did, however, spur my interest to find a more accurate load which spawned the ammo test.
I very much like the single action trigger pull but I still haven't figured out how to nail staging the double action trigger. I tend to pull through.
Somethings I've noticed with the high polish blue finish is that it dulls quickly. The muzzle area definitely wears from rubbing while in the holster. I try to clean it when I'm done for the day but I can never really get it back to that same shininess. Given that this is my first deep polished blued pistol, it does make me sad to see holster wear but that's the name of the game.
I also deleted the ILS with a TK Custom kit. Installing the kit was a good exercise in patience and base level gunsmithing. Getting the side plate off was fine and removing the hammer and other parts just fine. Putting in the plug took some effort but I was able successfully install the kit. Getting the gun back together was tricky. Specifically the new-style stirrup and which way it was supposed to go. I had installed in wrong and the trigger pull was terrible. Once I figured out what I had done wrong, I had to find a way to get the side plate back on. I learned I was being impeded by the hammer block. Once I figured out how to set it, everything went back together just wonderfully.
The finishes don't match which makes me wonder if TK Custom sent me a matte kit and not a polished black kit. The box has no markings to tell you which one it is. Speaking of TKC, I've found several other of their K frame .22 products and it's got me thinking about a Model 617 10-shot as a Steel Challenge Rimfire division gun. Griffin Gun Club hosts Steel Challenge matches regularly.
Additionally, I added a plastic T-grip to fill in the undercut. It's not an original Tyler Grip. Ordering the official metal ones is sort of sketchy and I wish they would update the ordering process.
Additionally, I never did hear back from Smith and Wesson about the Master trigger job and if the Masterpiece has that level of treatment built in.
As part of the Big Ammo Test, I sat down at the Griffin Gun Club and tried 9 loads. I have the pictures but I feel as if I can do better. I forgot how far I set the target and I didn't measure the shot sizes. I also didn't run everything over a chronograph so I will be revisiting this soon. Below are the groups I shot that day.
So far, the Smith and Wesson Model 17-9 Masterpiece has become a favorite of mine. I still have plenty of the Aguila Standard Velocity and Remington SuperV bulk box for plinking. I also had ordered around 300 rounds of the Eley HV and still plan to zero and carry the gun with those for now. Maybe I can try to small game hunt with it this fall.
