M1 Carbine Conversion Kit for Ruger 10/22
E. Arthur Brown Co., i.e. EABCO.com, has a neat, affordable conversion kit for the Ruger 10/22. This transforms your plain Jane 10/22 into an M1 Carbine look-alike. EABCO’s 10/22 M1 Tribute Kit includes a two-piece, M1 Replica wood buttstock and handguard with barrel band and front sling swivel. This stock is compatible with original factory sights. Installation on your Ruger 10/22 is an easy, drop-in fit. The conversion kit, less sights, is currently on sale for just $109.00.
Replica Sights for 10/22 M1 Conversion
EABCO also offers two iron sight kits, both of which improve on the Ruger’s factory sights. As shown in the large photo above, the $69.00 TechSights 200 model has a winged NM post sight in the front and a shielded rear peep with circular, AR15-style adjuster. This system provides 7.5″ more sight radius than original factory sights. For $59.00, EABCO offers the even more authentic Replica M1 Carbine Sights. The Replica sight kit features a functional flip-up rear peep sight, on a base that screws into the 10/22’s rear scope mounting holes. The Replica winged-style front sight assembly slips over the front sight barrel band and is secured with a set screw. These sights look and function just like the original M1 sights. They work great for Appleseed events.
The Story Behind the M1 Carbine Ruger 10/22 Tribute, by Eben Brown
One of the most satisfying things about business is the way trying something different can lead to greater opportunities than just the original idea. My friend Andy approached in 2009 with his concept of doing an M1 Carbine styled stock for the Ruger 10/22. Like any 10/22 lover, I thought, “Neat”! But as a businessman, I was thinking, “The 2-piece stock is going to be expensive to make and by the time you add in the sling, oiler, and sights, it could get pretty expensive. Will customers want to buy it?”
Well, I liked the idea enough to pursue it and gave Andy an order for the stocks. I began looking around for sights, sling, and oiler to complete the project. The M1 Carbine Sling and Oiler can be found in a wide variety of conditions and prices. We found some that were brand new WWII war surplus selling at up to $60 to gun collectors — too expensive for this project. After a couple of months we finally found some brand new production M1 Carbine Slings with Oilers that we can sell for only $19.
Next, I found a company called TechSights that has the exact, military style sights that we needed. The TechSights folks revealed their 10/22 retrofit sights are very popular with shooters involved in Project Appleseed. This is a basic rifle marksmanship training program that typically employs the Liberty Training Rifle, a low-cost 22LR concept usually built on a Ruger 10/22. They also shoot centerfire rifles.
Editor’s Note: Project Appleseed is an activity of The Revolutionary War Veterans Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, dedicated to teaching the nation’s heritage as well as traditional rifle marksmanship skills. The Appleseed Project has expanded rapidly. It organized over 1,000 shooting events in 2010, including “Adaptive Appleseed” clinics for physically challenged individuals.
