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My Pair of 702s

Gun47

.22LR
As noted in another post, I ended up investing in the 702 "all-in", and these are my first rifles, first accessories, et cetera. My budget was just to keep it somewhat reasonable but get 'em like I wanted 'em. So:

As previously discussed in the Pistol Grip thread, I had pondered cutting down a thumbhole/tipdown stock and, after thinking about it too much, I finally went and did it the other night. Here was the original plan:

702tipdown4.jpg


Here is the final result, in "polite" and full "tacti-hideous" mode. There are a couple of parts still due to arrive, such as the holo sight with flip-covers found cheap online, as well as a little strap-on light doodad:

702tipdown_real1.jpg


"Tacti-hideous"
18 inch barrel, thumbhole/tipdown stock (modified)
Optics: EO 552-style Chinese Holo with flip-covers (64.48) (not pictured)
Mount: Barska Dovetail to Weaver Converter Mount (Aluminum, 4.75in, 1/2in High Rise with peep sight) (22.99)
Brake: Aim Sports Ruger 10/22 Black Short Muzzle Brake (9.95)
Light: .5W AAA "Police Security" light from Autozone ($5?) (not pictured)
Mount: Universal Nylon Mount (8.98) (not pictured)

Build notes and part reviews:

I hemmed and hawed about the cut to the thumbhole stock (I kinda hated to do it at all, since I found the thumbhole stock made it easier to keep on target when standing), but finally decided to get it over with with a hacksaw. I still have to do a little filing and then fill in the rear cavity with something semi-solid then use Plasti-dip to button it up.

At one point I was thinking of trying to find a way to have the stock with rods or somesuch so I could re-attach as needed, but after firing it as-is the other day I was very pleased with it. Still, it would be nice to have a removable stock full of survival gear, a mag or two, et cetera, but that would entail a lot of retrofitting. (A major reason I did this instead of a bullpup was to avoid a lot of crafting work.)

As it stands, I have plenty of space for a decent cheek weld with some room left over for recoil movement so I don't get bumped. The see-through rail adapter leaves juuuuust barely enough room to peer over its base and see the original sights, but only just.

I am probably going to install an Uncle Mike sling swivel at the rear in case I decide to use a tactical sling, but I doubt I'm going to really use it. I'm satisfied with it as-is, and the extra length makes for a good carrying handle, whether upright or downward. And if held correctly, you can have this concealed behind your arm and swing it around to firing position quickly. Not that I've tried that several times, mind you . . .

Altogether, the accessories tally up to $111.42. The thumbhole stock from the other rifle boosts the price of this rifle, and I paid more than Wal-Mart price initially for this one since it had the 25rd onboard at the store, but still, for somewhere in the $250 range, I have a convertible plinker that can appear as a relatively innocent rifle or suddenly play semi-tacti-cool.
 
702longrange1.jpg



Long-range
21 inch barrel, standard stock
Scope: Simmons 3-9x / 32mm A/O 511073 (77.99)
Mount: Redfield .22 See-Thru Dovetail Rings 47327 (14.56)
Studs: Uncle Mike's 115 RGS Sling Swivel Wood Screw Set (4.77)
Bipod: Universal Folding Extending Bipod with Panning BIP0300 (39.98)
Sling: Allen Company Cascade Neoprene (w/ Swivels) (15.08)

Build notes and part reviews:

The Simmons scope is excellent quality and fantastic for my questionable right eye, and survived the utter crushing of the box UPS shipped in it that even partially crushed the store-style packaging. I am shocked it survived, though I haven't tried to zero it yet so my awe may be premature. I really shouldn't have splurged for the silver one, though.

I went with see-through sights, and in this case they work but only just barely. Once mounted, even with no scope, you can only see the slightest sliver of the rear sight at its center, which is enough but still. The package says they are useful for up to a 50mm objective scope, but on a 702 you could go even bigger if you were insane and still be able to see the original sights.

Uncle Mike scores again . . . but just remember that even if you have the stock upright and level and the levels on your drill say you're good, you may end up with a swivel stud listing to port or starboard. Better to just go through the bottom. The rear one is rock solid going through like half an inch of plastic, but the fore one is embedded in some wood to hopefully keep it a little better behaved and less wobbly as a mount for the bipod.

The bipod is plastic and cheap but feels reasonably solid and is wonderfully light. I don't know if it will hold up but it mounts easily and fairly well, and the height and ~30-45 degree panning either way are very nice features. However, note the below:

The sling is very good quality and spreads out the already light weight so well you scarcely feel it. However, once the bipod is in place, you have to really give it a little room off your back or else you've got bipod giblets digging in. This was worse when I originally mounted the bipod with stud to the rear . . . now it is in front of the legs so at least you get a somewhat larger surface trying to dig in. The only reason I mention this in relation to the sling is that the wide neoprene part doesn't slide, so if you have to let the rifle rest at a further angle away from the back, you end up with relatively little of the neoprene engaged. (In principle, there's no reason I couldn't put a second swivel stud further back and have the bipod stand completely over the shoulder, but I don't think I would like my hand position for holding with yet another doodad.)

Altogether, the accessories tally up to $152.38. I paid a bit more for this rifle than Wal-Mart price for the longer barrel and thumbhole stock that I swapped out to put on the other 702, but still, for what we'll call about $300, I have a relatively tricked out, relatively long-range plinker. Or to put it another way, for about the price of a naked 10/22 in the current market, I have a nicely tricked out .22 rifle.

I intend to do put some sort of insert into the stock and pack in some survival gear that I won't have to touch again unless needed (the wasted volume offends me, I guess). I'm also seriously considering the longer style of muzzle brake just to see if it will help increase accuracy. But for now, I am all set.
 
So the Chinese knock-off EOTech finally arrived and . . . well, uh, it looks completely silly atop the 702. I suspected it would be a bit big but this seems even larger than the real EOTechs.

I hope to be able to shoot with it soon to see if it is worth anything. It's basically just a red dot sight in EOTech clothing, so I suppose that ought to mean it is more rugged than a normal single-window-frame red dot but ugh. My main criteria for getting it was that the design wasn't supposed to project light forward, but this one does, which to my mind rather defeats the purpose. I'd have done better to get a normal red dot, or maybe one of the mini red dot sights.

Oh well. Methinks I'll check on the return policy.
 
I can imagine it'd look a little odd perched on top of a 702.

The EOTech units are a bit on the wide side to begin with and if this one is bigger it's probably twice the width of the rifle...
 
Basically, yes . . . makes it more than a little top-heavy, too, though I didn't really mind that.

Attached are pictures that should be distributed elsewhere for amusement. ;-) Just wanted to show what it all looked like put together, even though I'll be changing things up at least in the optics department.

After getting a chance to send 35 rounds through earlier at short range I can say it did quite well . . . certainly it makes me think I was right to go with the general concept of a reflex sight, even if this one missed the mark on several levels. I imagine a more normal style (like a Sightmark Sure Shot) would be more of what I need to go for here. I think I'll keep the Picatinny mount, though, because I do like having the stock sights available, and the 1x square tube scope effect of it is interesting. Not to mention the fact that should the zombies attack, I can always pop a Picatinny whatever onto a superior found weapon.

The flashlight is a temporary one for testing, but in principle is very close to what I want to use. It is easily removable thanks to the strap-on nature, though I did have to glue on some additional velcro material to keep the straps tidy.

Without further ado, here's the weapon as originally planned:

702tipdown4.jpg


. . . and as it somewhat absurdly turned out:

702tipdown_real2.jpg


702tipdown_real2a.jpg


The EOTech style is really only 10-15% larger than I originally scaled, but I swear the one in the store wasn't even that big. Also, I had later made the mistake of scaling off of shots of it mounted on other guns, using the Picatinny spacing as an estimation tool, which made me think it would be smaller still. But, that was clearly a mistake. So by the end of that, to finally get this huge beast that overwhelmed even my long Picatinny adapter was a little more shocking than it really should've been.
 
Getting better:

702tipdown_almostfinished.jpg



That is a short little laser in front of a standard reflex. So yes, I can triple-witness, for whatever that's worth. However, I have lost the quick-detach option for the optics, so I can't easily make it polite looking anymore without removing the Picatinny and having to re-zero afterward. :-(


Will report in after testing.
 
What's the huge optics riser for? You still getting a cheek weld on that ( what's left of the stock anyway :) )
 
aksavanaman said:
What's the huge optics riser for? You still getting a cheek weld on that ( what's left of the stock anyway :) )

I wanted to still have access to the original sights in case whatever silliness I put atop it failed, broke, ran out of batteries, or what-have-you. The same general theory is in use for the scoped one, as well, which also has see-through action (though that also allows for closer shots with ease, whereas for the short one there is no range distinction).

I thought at one time that if I had my druthers it wouldn't be quite that tall, since to use the stock sights the line of sight really skims the interior bottom of the see-through area. However, I do like it in the sense that it provides a sort of tube effect allowing me to get a little bit more sight picture than a shorter one would. So, it works rather well for me.

And when using the original sights I do get great cheek weld (that was the whole reason I left as much stock as I did), and if I choose to use the red dot I still get a perfect fit over the jowl and under the corner of the jawbone. It even moves less in that position if I'm flappin' my gums than in a cheek weld, meaning I can talk with less wiggle if the need were there.

I know I couldn't get away with most of this on a higher-caliber weapon that actually featured recoil, but that's the beauty of this little gem.

(Also, as noted previously, I can still put it to the shoulder if desired, though I didn't get the angle perfect for that . . . a little more off the bottom (or a little more left at the top) would've been better. But again, I am comfortable leaving it this way, since it isn't like the recoil is making it dig in.)

One other nice feature is that I can stand it on its butt when on a flat surface. :)
 
For anyone missing a few posts they have been moved out of view as a courtesy to other members. Should either of you feel the need to continue the verbal ping pong, please do so by PM...
 
I have a pair of 702s AND a pair of 715s!

We should start a club, the pair of plinksters club lol. :lol:

702plinksters_zpsf4d9da28.jpg


And my pair of 715s

Mossberg715FT_zpscd7cbb32.jpg
 
Not much has changed since the last report.

The scoped one was basically finished and I've done nothing more to it. I tried a little silver birdcage on the end but I haven't practiced enough at decent range to notice a difference . . . the broadside of a barn is still safe from me either way beyond medium range. I exaggerate, but still, I definitely need to work on my accuracy.

For the hideous one, I got a vastly superior high-lumen flashlight with adjustable focus cheap on Amazon (they're like four bucks shipped), which was quite handy one evening when something wild and fast was running around out back. I did discover in that instance that a sling of some type was a necessity and not a desire, but I haven't gotten around to finishing that up yet. Fortunately, I never did seal up the rear, either, which will make attachment easier.

I have a single-point sling that will attach to the lower remainder of the stock, which with the balance will put it hanging a bit beyond vertical, though that's fairly common. Part of me is tempted to actually have the attachment point within the open rear of the buttstock (using the open area to store the short length of material that connects via clip to the rest of the sling, making for a tidy package if the sling's not in use for whatever reason), but I haven't decided with certainty yet. I want a little "slung weapon holder" or "weapon catch" for the belt to secure it with the single-point, but most of those are intended for guns that have some weight to them and are thus overkill for me.

Fortunately, there's no rush . . . she's a fun little plink(st)er as-is. I haven't done any group size games lately, but an eighteen-inch square of dark wood in late-twilight at about 75 meters made a satisfying THWACK sound almost every time in 75 rounds despite the fact that I could only barely see it and even when unloading quickly, which is more than sufficient for my purposes for this shorter-range fun-gun.
 
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