Preface: The term "assault rifle" is not meant to be taken military-dictionary-definition literally here.
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When is an evil assault rifle not an evil assault rifle? When it's a rifle that looks like something grandpa used to own.
This thread is dedicated to the topic of non-AR/AK rifles modified for defensive purposes. It's a hot topic on other gun boards and, IIRC, I've already seen a few examples here at TFP. The idea is that a bolt/slide/lever action rifle designed for hunting can be turned into a slick defensive firearm with a few subtle modifications while still maintaining its wholesome image. Turns out that backpacking with a tricked out Colt M4 is significantly harder to get away with than backpacking with a Winchester 94.
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Couple of main features of non-assault rifle assault rifles:
- no scary all black super serious military motif (traditional wood furniture, blued / stainless receiver)
- lack of a scary extended detachable magazine (usually an internal box or tube magazine)
- absence of a pistol grip and adjustable shoulder stock (usually a classic rifle stock)
- no crazy accessory rails and "tactical" accessories (flashlights, pistol grips, uh… bayonets)
- not considered "assault weapons" by whatever asinine local laws that may separate rifles into said categories
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I've decided I'm going to go down the "undercover truck gun" route when I get back to the states. I've already got a Savage Scout 10FCM (.308 w/ 18" bbl) but I was thinking about going with something even more compact and even less military-looking. I decided that a featherweight lever action rifle would be a good choice.
The Winchester 94 is the ubiquitous lever action hunting rifle. The venerable .30-30 round it launches is suitable for deer (comparable to the 7.62x39mm in many ways) and the traditional lines of the gun are about as threatening to most people as a high school history textbook. It just looks like an antique; a prop from those old cowboy movies where every wound is a fleshwound.
The foundation of this project will be a Winchester 94AE Trapper angle ejector with a tang safety. The idea was to start with the lightest, most compact rifle I could buy without any special gummint paperwork. The ~16” barrel and ~6 pound loaded weight make it perfect for strapping on to a rucksack even if the muzzle blast is increased and it isn’t as balanced as the 20” model. I had considered the popular Marlin 336 (I currently own a 336SS) but the 20" barrel and extra heavy duty receiver (far more so than necessary for this project) made the stubby Winchester a better choice. Although revolver caliber carbines (.357 / .44) offer higher magazine capacity and compatibility with popular trail sidearms, they have limited range and stopping power.
In order to modify the Trapper to be more suitable for defensive purposes, I’m going to need to alter some of the things about this particular traditional hunting rifle that make it unwieldy as a fighting weapon. Aside from a professional slick-me-up trigger and action job, the list of necessary modifications includes replacing the iron sights, finding a suitable scope mount and scope, working on the stock and choosing a sling.
The standard buckhorn iron sights will be replaced with XS products: a white line front post and a “ghost ring” aperture rear. These are the sights I’ve got in mind:
XS Sight Systems - Rifle Sights
Why use a scope if I want to keep this thing light? The primary advantage of any optic is not magnification, but that it provides a single focal plane. If I spend less time lining sights up, I'm faster to send one down range. I’ve decided to go with a scout scope setup on the Trapper in an attempt to help balance it out. Unlike a traditional scout setup where the scope is mounted atop the receiver close to the eye, scout scopes are pushed forward onto the barrel above the chamber and feature long eye relief, a feature that allows you to get a clear sight picture farther away from the optic. Aside from balance, this feature allows easy access to the chamber area while the downsides are… well, I won’t get into that here. This is the mount I’ve got in mind:
XS Sight Systems - Scope Mounts with a Loop scout scope such as
Leupold FX-II 2.5x28mm Scout Rifle Scope.
The standard wood stock will be maintained to keep the rifle looking as innocent as possible, although some more aggressive checkering may be involved. I was thinking about bulking up the skinny hand guard to make it easier to hold onto, but I don’t want to give it too much of a mutant look at first. Regardless of how it turns out, the idea is to keep the furniture looking like brown wood because brown wood is less scary than black plastic.
As for the sling, standard sling studs will be installed on the rifle at the barrel band and buttstock. A single hand adjustable assault rifle sling, such as the popular Viking Tactics unpadded model, will be used to increase the “user friendly” factor of the rifle. Modern assault rifle slings feature quick adjustment tabs or buckles that allow the user to change the length (and thus tightness) of the sling quickly, something that is incredibly handy when performing activities such running and climbing or those times when you need both hands free and don’t want to worry about a rifle stock smashing your ghoulies.
As a finishing touch, I may decide to get the metal components covered in an off gray Cerakote finish to protect while making it look more like an antique and less like a threat. One of the problems with a traditional blue finish is that it quickly wears off and the hungry rust monster is quick to show up.
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Thoughts? Comments? Advice?
Where did I screw up my Gun Fu?