In a previous post I bemoaned the fact that while I like the 22 Magnum cartridge, it’s not really a precision round.
So why swoon over this high-dollar rifle in that caliber?
I mean, no 22 WMR ammunition can deliver the kind of laser accuracy you’d expect from a gun that costs that much, right?
Is it that it’s a semi-automatic?
Maybe.
The rifle this Volquartsen is more or less based on, the Ruger 10/22, is a hugely popular 22 LR semi-automatic that can be endlessly upgraded or, if you have cash to burn, completely replaced by stunning clones crafted by Volquartsen, Kidd, Clark Custom, etc.
Once you have your dream gun in hand, you can find the match grade 22 LR ammo it shoots best, and–if you’re really serious–even pay experts to test different lots of it.
(note: some of these are affiliate links, which means that if you click the link and buy the corresponding product, the vendor may pay me a fee. Your price is unaffected)
So yes, I would dearly love to have a 10/22 in 22 magnum–but they don’t make them anymore (except for the Volquartsen I keep mooning over).
Ruger discontinued theirs in 2006, along with a 17 HMR model. They’re extraordinarily rare today, and rumor has it that they suffered from feeding issues–a known challenge for 22 magnum semi-auto designs.
But what if someone else developed a reliable 22 WMR semi-auto? And what if it was reasonably accurate–pushing the same 1.5-2.0 MOA at 100 yards that I’m getting out of my dolled up Ruger American Rimfire Target rifle?
Heck, if I miss by an inch at 100 yards with a semi-auto I can just shoot more–as fast as I can press the trigger!
And…what if this rifle was less than half the price of my dream Volquartsen?
Well, someone has introduced a rifle just like that, and I’m very excited about it.
A new approach
Enter the Tippman Arms M4-22 in 22 magnum. Built as an M4 clone, it accepts many of the upgrades designed for that platform.
Long story short: after checking out a LOT of internet reviews, I sold my 22 WMR target rifle to Guns.com, both to make room in the gun safe and to defray the cost of the new rifle.
While it’s less than half the price of the Volquartsen, at $730 it’s still damned pricey for a rimfire.
Shout out to my new local gun shop, by the way: they charge way less than the going rate for FFL transfers, and–if you hold a carry permit–give you one freebie a month. I bought a box of 22 Longs while I was there, just so they’d make SOME money on the deal. If you live in the Phoenix west valley, I strongly recommend them.
One of the reviewers did mention that the collapsible buttstock on the Tippman M4 was a little rattly, a pet peeve of mine. I saw another reviewer inadvertently collapse the stock by leaning on a shooting bag, so before the rifle even arrived I ordered a fixed stock from Magpul: a simpler version of the PRS Gen-3s I have on my other ARs, for about half the price.
Over the years I’ve also become a little bit of a trigger snob, so the factory trigger–which feels like a generic mil-spec 4 1/2 lb AR trigger–wasn’t doing it for me. As it happened, Tippman Arms had just released an upgraded version but I couldn’t find reviews anywhere.
Jason, the proprietor of Resilient Arms, noticed that I’d been looking at them on his website. He reached out via email and enthused about the triggers, so I took a chance and ordered one.
This drop-in replacement is adjustable between 2.5 and 4.0 lbs: I set mine to break at 3.5 lbs.
Note: if you back the adjustment screw out too far, the trigger won’t reset consistently when the rifle is reassembled (just like it says in the instructions). Ask me how I know...
My Hawke Vantage scope reticle is calibrated for 22 magnum ballistics, so it was a natural choice for this rifle. I dug a Vortex cantilever mount out of my spares drawer that fits the Vantage’s 1″ tube.
The release on my Butler Creek eyepiece cover for the Vantage was hard to reach in its new configuration as an AR optic, so I replaced it with an official Hawke aluminum one.
Note: after a few weeks I decided I needed to buy one for the front end, too. It took me several tries to order the right size—I should’ve checked the part numbers more closely—but Southland Archery Supply was kind enough to put up with my antics until I finally got the right one.
I used the limited scope clearance as an excuse to upgrade the original polymer charging handle to a larger, ambidextrous aluminum model, also from Tippman Arms.
It’s expensive–maybe too expensive–but I like it much better than the original. No regrets, although my piggy bank definitely whimpered a little.
I eyed the polymer safety selector suspiciously, but it works fine so I held off on replacing it with a metal version.
There was a very slight amount of play between the upper and lower receiver. There’s a lot of arguments over whether that affects accuracy, but–as with stocks–I prefer that mine not rattle.
The aluminum AccuShims I used in my other gas guns to cure receiver rattle won’t fit into this upper. However, I discovered that the lower is tapped and threaded for a 1/4-28 tensioning screw, so I ordered one of those.
You remove the grip–being careful not to lose the safety selector spring and detent in the process–then install the tensioning screw from below. Tighten it enough to reduce rattle without putting too much tension on the rear takedown pin.
Note: when installing the tensioning set screw and replacing the grip screw, be careful not to damage the threads in the aluminum lower.
I worried that the polymer tip on that tensioning screw would wear down over time, so I followed a tip I discovered on an internet forum and ordered this spring plunger from McMaster-Carr to replace it.
The side-to-side fit at the pivot pin was tight enough that I didn’t need any shims there.
I removed the included backup iron sights. I prefer mine to be fixed and offset 45 degrees, so I went with an inexpensive set from Ozark Armaments that I’ve used before and have been happy with.
I added a sling, attaching it to the slot in the Magpul stock and to one of their QD attachment points up front.
I got a spare magazine from Guns.com and splurged on a Streamlight Protac HL-X weapon light. I’m usually in charge of defending the camphouse from marauding vermin while the brothers sally forth at night in search of larger game.
No more wondering what that scary rustle in the bushes was for THIS kid!
Range test
Having run out of money for hardware upgrades, I went to the range to test my stash of 22 WMR ammunition in this rifle.
Once I got the new trigger adjusted so it would reset consistently, the action cycled smoothly with no malfunctions. You can hear the buffer spring “twang” pretty clearly, so I used this guy’s technique and installed a 1″ ranger band on the last half-inch of spring to dampen it.
On this trip I used my backpack to deflect some of the endless stream of 22 magnum brass I was flinging at my neighbor’s table. After I got home, I stole a KET brass deflector off of one of my other gas guns to keep things tidy in future.
I planned to set up my backup sights up for 25 yards. Unfortunately, the rounds hit comically high unless I lowered the rear sight to the stop and raised the front sight beyond what I thought prudent: leaving it wobbly, hanging on by a thread or two.
When I got home I borrowed an idea from the internet and adjusted both sights to midrange, then installed a piece of shrink tubing on the front post. I trimmed it short, adding maybe an eighth of an inch total, then boresighted the sights with a laser.
I then painted the tip of the new front post with green gunsight paint so it would stand out against dark colored targets. I liked the result so much that I went back and did the same on my other ARs.
Next time at the range I can fine-tune those sights within their normal range of travel.
After sighting in the scope I saw good groups at 50 yards: no surprise, since those are pretty much heart-of-the-envelope shots for this round.
Stretching out to 100 yards I expected variations in accuracy and speed, but this rifle shot almost as well as the bolt gun it replaced, despite the latter’s glass bedding, shimmed bolt, and polished internals–all the things I’d done to accurize it.
Even with a slower barrel (1:16 vs 1:14), this one likes the same 50 grain bullets as its predecessor.
The takeaway: whatever the 22 WMR cartridge lacks in precision, this Tippmann Arms rifle makes up for it in reliability and firepower.
In other words, it plays to the round’s strengths, and in doing so positions itself as a legitimate bridge between the diminutive 22 LR and the various 22 caliber centerfires.
And by the way, the A2-style flash hider unscrews easily from the barrel, increasing my enthusiasm for a rimfire suppressor sometime in the New Year.