Cut / Chop / Sand ... Another EXTREME FT Pistol build

This JTS Airacuda max .22 was one of the early demo guns from @ 1 1/2+ years ago. i had used it as a Modification and Learning platform shared on GTA as well the Airacuda facebook page. It has been sitting for well over 6 months .. so Cut / Chop / Sand it into a >20 fpe extreme Field target pistol. had nothing into it so why not 😁

Started with removal of the plenum / regulator section, Manufacturing an IN-TUBE holder for the OEM Reg having @ 1/2 the plenum volume as previous. This allowed using the original air tube that will create a FT Pistol right at the max 25" OAL. ( Could not do it with OEM plenum in place )
Cut the barrel to 15" and re-crowned ( No shroud being Barrel max length is 15" )
Chopped the stocks butt off & sanded into shape. cut in a Thumb Up groove for use when off hand. Sliced off the fore stock depth to be at the max 3" from bore C/L.
Stained the wood scars and made a plug for the now omitted front gauge. Rear gauge just shows plenum pressure which is fine, rifle still fills to 220 bar.

It is Legal for PFT in AAFTA or Extreme .. Just legal being at the legal size limits in all measured dimensions.
Runs at 19.8 fpe with a SNAP shot cycle not being overly loud shockingly ;)

Anywho ... here it is 😍

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Not a day goes by without trying to improve my personal guns ... No different these past few with the Airacuda Pistol project.:oops:
With choke removed on OEM barrel & doing some sight in work, yea it shot ok and no matter how stable I thought I was being, at 35 yards shot off a bi-pod and seat, my groups ran @ 3/4"+ with outliers making it an inch ++ over 10 shots doing so with every pellet of differing types shot ... Realize I need better than this !!

Digging threw by barrel stash, had forgot about a .22 cal DAYSTATE RedWolf Std barrel a customer did not want back at time of a re-barrel job ... Well there ya go .. that will work ;) Cut it to length needed, put in a leade taper, lapped & waxed bore.
Due too diameter needed, had to add a sleeve, press it on, thread it for receiver. Threaded the thimble portion on actual barrel so thimble was snug and bore correctly aligned. That done, a steel sleeve off an old AA400 was fitted with a threaded end being pressed in. All said the sleeve tightens down tensioning barrel in the process ( Super stiff !!! ) A snug twist on LDC made for when needed, or removed we're legal > 15" of barrel for competition.

Back out to sight in ... whoa !! That's what I'm talking about. Still shot off sticks and seat ( No I'm not bench steady ) or sighted in just yet, I just shot the same POA and got this group on the first 10 shots taken. No outliers just lets remove everything in the middle ! & shown is 10 shots at 35 yards.

I think I'm going to shoot the Clubs rifle match this Sunday with it & see what happens. It's always fun to shoot FT, success or not (y)

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So the JTS barrel relied heavily on a choke? When I do a barrel chop, I always debate doing it the quick easy way. Chop, thread, recrown. But I always chicken out and do the chop from the breech end if the barrel has a choke. Seems like most airgun barrels use one as a crutch. I do have barrels that don’t have chokes that shoot certain pellets very well, but they were unchoked blanks from the get go. You’re probably better off with the barrel from your stash anyway.
 
Had a very successful FIRST TRIAL of the JTS EFT Pistol .... We the SVFTC had our monthly match yesterday where I decided to just man up and shoot the .22 cal >20 fpe Pistol on the 60 shot rifle course :oops:
It held its own pretty dang well allowing me to shoot a 45/60 score managing to knock down 75% of the targets that went 3/8" to 2" set at 11 to 53 yards.

Few small tweaks and some stiffening of the cantilever scope rail we'll try it again (y)* beefed up rail, Optics switch to a SWFA fixed 10X.
getting there :unsure:

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