Building a Cool Crosman 22XX for a Cool 10 Year-Old

This is sort of an extension of a previous blog detailing the addition of an AR-15 adjustable stock to a Crosman 22XX platform.    I've abbreviated much of it so this wouldn't turn into a five part mini-series of madness.  It does jump around a little.  It'll probably be OK. 


Backstory:  Two years ago, with the goal of teaching gun safety and shooting fundamentals, my neighbors purchased a Crosman Custom Shop 2240 with the optional 1399 shoulder stock for their 12 year old. They quickly found out that a 1399 shoulder stock has a rather LONG length of pull.  By LONG, I mean it's too long for 6' tall knuckle-draggers like me.  Completely unsuitable for their 12 yr-old daughter.  The easy solution was to copy my wife's Crosman/AR 15 stock set-up as described in the link above.  We sourced an MFT stock and buffer tube, made another stock adapter and it all worked out perfectly.

Now, it's the brother's turn.  Except he's 10--and this time we know going into this what he needs.  A used UTG Pro AR stock and buffer tube were purchased online for cheap.  His gun is being built from an assortment of Crosman 2240 and 2260 parts rather than starting with a preassembled gun. 

I've seen some of the AR stock adapters for the Crosman 22XX guns.  They're OK, though I find them a bit long and bulky because they utilize the buffer tube thread.  That works, but I'd rather cut the buffer tube threads off and sleeve the buffer over the adapter.

This knocks about an inch off and allows the adapter to be smaller in diameter.   The largest diameter of the adapter fits inside the tube.

So, here's a truncated version of machining an adapter.   It replaces the Crosman tube plug on the gun.



Detour #1:  As I did for my wife's project gun, a Benjamin Marauder pistol forend was fit after modifying a Crosman 2250 barrel band and hardware.

Turned an acetal plug to fill the hole for the pressure gage.





Detour #2:  A forward sling swivel.  Rifles need slings.  Ask anyone.

My current favorite way of adding a sling to a Crosman 22XX platform--a modified 2250 barrel band.  Set screws added to the sides at 4 and 8 o-clock. 

Made this.

Used a permanent loctite on the threads for the sling stud. 

OK, enough detours.   Back to making the rifle fit the kiddo.

 

Here's the (WAY too long for me!) Crosman 1399 stock.  The six-position AR stock is at full extension and fits my 6' frame perfectly.

 

And more importantly, the UTG stock at it's shortest compared again to the 1399.   Of course, I forgot to write down the LOP.  Think it was 8".  It's really short.




Here's what I gave his father.  It's my jaded take on a 10 year-old's first air rifle.   A 2260 gas tube and a cut to length barrel.  Keeps it short and in proportion for a 10 year-old.  Used a Crosman steel breech with a simple red dot sight.  Made sense to give him a similar sight to what he was already comfortable with from using his sister's gun.    It's a .22 caliber.  The bigger pellets are easier for the kids to handle--and its the same caliber as his sibling's.

Before dropping it off, I shot it for the better part of a week and a half.  The carbine length is appealing.  Fast, light, easy to carry slung.  Really liked it.  If he wasn't such a good kid I would've kept it, grinch that I am.

Yeah, you know how this ends.  He was elated with the rifle.  He's allowed to use it with his parent's supervision.  They're happy it actually fits and appreciate that it's not a cheap toy, but is accurate, easy to use and can be adjusted as he gets taller every week.

Anyway, I'm hoping Crosman redesigns the 1399 stock.  I've read several online posts about parents running into this same problem.  It'd be pretty slick if they made a length adjustable stock that would retrofit to all the zillions of 22XX and 13XX guns out there.  Oh, and a longer forend. With a built in sling QD socket.   And while we're talking about it...


More soon.  Thanks for reading along.