TFB's Build Of The Week Series: Week 4: Doug M's "Corona Light 10/22"
The fourth entry named “Corona Light” by Doug is the lightest (and quietest) build of the bunch. Stuck at home under quarantine, he wanted to make a lightweight, suppressed rifle suitable for training and plinking.
Three and a Half Pound Corona Light
At 3.5 lbs, this rifle is definitely light. And personally owning a Surefire Ryder, I can attest it makes for a pleasant and quiet shooting 22LR. Hopefully, the Surefire Ryder is not discontinued—there are a few retailers that still have it in stock. In fact, I actually have that action and barrel (as well as the RMR)—I may have to do this build myself if I can source that chassis and stock.
It is a pricey build for a 10/22, but any time you aim for lightweight components, the trade-off is cost. And we all know that mufflers have that forced premium (thanks ATF) that adds to the cost when we want to be quieter. I also like that Doug included some notes for further reducing the weight.
Take a moment to read through the build and let Doug (and us) know what you think. Would you have done something differently?
How “Build of the Week” works.
We will feature a build each week (assuming we get enough submissions). After four builds, we will hold a public vote. The winning build of that vote will win a prize. A random voter will also receive a prize. We will repeat that same cycle six times after which we will hold a run-off and the winning build will get a much more awesome prize (remember the rifle from last time?). Second place will also win a prize. We will also pick a couple of random voters that will get prize packs.
The best submissions will include:
- A unique build you have done and the concept for it.
- A great overall photo of the build—James did an excellent primer on photographing guns.
- Component prices and weights.
- Individual item photos.
- Detail of why a component was chosen.
- Link to where that component was sourced (if commercially available).
- Staying involved with the post by answering questions the other readers have.
A few caveats:
- Do NOT just copy someone else’s build, change a couple of things and call it good.
- Do NOT submit a build with a single line item which is the completed gun—we want to the see the custom parts that make it up.
- Concept builds were pretty universally hated by the readers—we may still allow a couple depending upon circumstances but don’t be offended if you get torn apart in the comments.
- We will only accept one build per person, per six cycles. Make it your best.
- It does not just have to be a gun, though a gun MUST be the central focus.
How to submit a build
Go to https://theprepared.com/kits. You will see some other example kits that are more related to preparedness. Scroll down a little and you will see a banner with a link to “Create Your Own Kit”. If you don’t have an account (or are not logged in), clicking on that link will popup a box allowing you to do either. Once you are logged in, the “Create Kit” wizard process will start. Give the kit a catchy name and set the visibility to “Public”. Follow the steps and make your build. Everything is saved in realtime, and you can always get back to it on the main “kits” page.
Email the link to your kit (either copy from the URL or hit the “share” button on the editor) to tom.r @ thefirearmblog.com with the subject of “Build of the Week Submission”. I’ll check out the build and if it is good to go, it will be added to the queue. If it needs some work, I’ll help you polish it up.
May the odds ever be in your favor.
Tom is a former Navy Corpsman that spent some time bumbling around the deserts of Iraq with a Marine Recon unit, kicking in tent flaps and harassing sheep. Prior to that he was a paramedic somewhere in DFW, also doing some Executive Protection work between shifts. Now that those exciting days are behind him, he teaches wilderness medicine and runs an on-demand medical staffing business. He hopes that his posts will help you find solid gear that will survive whatever you can throw at it--he is known (in certain circles) for his curse...ahem, ability...to find the breaking point of anything.You can reach him at tom.r AT thefirearmblog.com or at https://thomasrader.com
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If i could own that i definitely would! Imagine all the opportunistic shooting you could do with that!
All,
Thanks for all the feedback.
I have found that all of the aluminum stocks/chassis are heavier than the Axiom chassis with a brace or light stock, and that the weight along with length of pull were key factors that lead to the Axiom chassis with the SBA3 brace being chosen for this build until the Form 1 is returned with the stamp. I will look more closely at the Crazy Ivan solution, and thanks for the recommendation.
Pistol vs. Rifle, the SBA3 is on the build while the ATF Form 1 is pending because the basic stock is 1.5oz lighter than the SBA3, and the pistol brace allows me to test the custom build until the Form1 arrives and I can engrave the receiver.
The MP5 and Scorpion can get a 10" or less LOP, but could never get close to 3.5lbs suppressed with a red dot. My MPX with a 4.5" barrel, EOtech EXPS2, Omega 9k, and 4.5" Midwest handguard is 6.85lbs. Muzzle energy was not a requirement for this build, and I agree with you that if it was, then a 22lr platform would not have been considered.
The price of the build is primarily driven by the cost of the suppressor and optic which can drive up the price of nearly any build pistol or rifle build. Other than optics and suppressors, if you are looking to customize a 10/22 pistol or rifle, then I highly recommend looking at building a custom 10/22 vs. the cost of extensive upgrades to a new Ruger 10/22. KIDD and Tactical Solutions are great companies that offer quality products for reasonable prices given that they deliver on the promises of their products from my experience.
Thanks again for the feedback, and comments. :)
DM