In last year’s 10/22 Takedown build, I lamented the lack of extended space available on the Brownell receiver’s integral picatinny rail.
Could not get a 3” eye relief optic far enough forward.
To deal with the limited rail space, I ran a short eye relief prism optic and ultimately went with a customized aperture sight.
Last year we also built the ambidextrous AR15 and were very pleased with the Faxon Gunner barrel chosen for that project.
The longing for a 10/22 capable of getting an optic far enough forward for a good “turkey neck cheek weld” led me to keep lusting for a 10/22 receiver with an extended integral pic rail. The Faxon FF-22 receiver caught my eye…and I swiped right.
I like the rock solid durability of an integral picatinny rail, but I’m looking mostly toward a Project Appleseed Rimfire Known Distance rifle…max 100 yards and hunting snowshoe hares out to 50. For those pursuing NRL 22 or PRS rimfire, you might want to stick with a conventional drill and tapped receiver so you can try rails with different cants or tilts… 10, 20, 30 MOA and more.
The Faxon FF22 receiver features two extra rail slots forward of the receiver. I’d prefer three, but given that my likely choice for stock will feature a near 14” length of pull, I think I’ll have no problem mounting my optic of choice far enough forward for a proper, Project Appleseed “turkey neck, cheek weld”.
The FF22 is a beautiful piece of work. Far more elegant than the stock Ruger receiver and a bit nicer than the Brownell receiver of last year’s takedown project.
I'm overall very impressed, however, I've noticed that the seat for the conical tip of the charging handle guide rod on the FF-22 doesn’t provide as good of an interface as other receivers. The FF22 works fine with my Ruger bolt and charging handle but just lacks a tiny bit in achieving satisfaction for the autist…OCD artist.
Nonetheless, for those who want an integral picatinny rail, I think the Faxon FF22 is the best and most reputable choice. And given our experience with a Faxon AR15 barrel last year, in episode two we return to the Ohio machine shop for some match grade rifling.