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Thread: Help in identifying Miltary? Magazine Conversion Kit

  1. #1
    Moldy Boolit Phoenix's Avatar
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    Help in identifying Miltary? Magazine Conversion Kit

    I have a .223/5.56 to 22lr conversion kit. I have been told it was a military issue M261 kit based on pictures of the magazines. I have found the conversion bolt and would like confirmation/input. The only identifying marks are 2 numbers on the bolt. I have a some pictures attached including a closeup of the numbers. The top number looks like 012432 and the bottom one is either 009818 or C09818. Interested in maybe selling it along with 6 magazines for it. Thanks for all your help.

    Scott

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  2. #2
    Moldy Boolit Phoenix's Avatar
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    OK...had trouble with pictures. They should be uploaded now. Thanks.

    Scott

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    Last edited by tomme boy; 12-29-2016 at 01:55 AM.

  4. #4
    Moldy Boolit Phoenix's Avatar
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    Thanks tomme boy. The magazines and the bolt are the same as what I have. Too bad they did not give more of a description. At least it is a start.

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  5. #5
    Moldy Boolit Phoenix's Avatar
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    From what I have been reading this might be an Air Force kit because of the special plastic white/cream colored magazines that came with it? Can anyone confirm?

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  6. #6
    Boolit Master


    Taylor's Avatar
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    Never knew we had 22's (army).But I found out, back in my 25th days,we had daisey BB guns.Training went to pooh real fast and straight into a free for all.It was fun.
    Pro Patria-Ne Desit Virtus

  7. #7
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    Scharfschuetze's Avatar
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    Sub-Cal Devices

    Quote Originally Posted by Taylor View Post
    Never knew we had 22's (army).But I found out, back in my 25th days,we had daisey BB guns.Training went to pooh real fast and straight into a free for all.It was fun.
    Before I deployed to Vietnam, we went through what the Army called the "Quick Kill" course using Daisy lever action BB guns. We were taught to use the sightless rifles by instinct shooting and many could hit quarters and dimes flipped into the air on completion of the course.

    Later in my police career, I attended the Jim Gregg course of instinct shooting which was pretty much the same, other than we used our service handguns as well as Daisy BB guns. There was an infestation of grass hoppers that year and we had a ball shooting them with the sightless BB rifles.

    I type this today thanks to those skills.

    Regarding the .22RF sub-cal kits used by the military, we drew them from TASC (Training and Support Command) for specific training. The military actually has 22RF ammo for issue to shooting teams, so it isn't hard to forecast, order and draw if you are competent with the Army logistics system. I don't remember the cream color magazines though. As noted earlier, they must have been an Air Force thing.

    Colt at one time sold a sub-cal kit for the AR15. I have one and it works pretty well, but it will never make an AR15 a match rifle. The .22RF is usually .222" in diameter and the AR/M16/M4 barrels are .224" in diameter. In addition to that, the current 1 in 7" twist way over stabilized the little 40 grain bullets, which did much better in the 1 in 12" twist of the M16A1. Also, if that weren't enough, the long jump from the .22RF chamber insert to the actual start of the .556mm/.223 rifling does nothing for accuracy either. For shooting tin cans or teaching basic marksmanship, the unit is a hoot.

    A little story if you will. While shooting on a military rifle team, a good friend of mine was the Ops NCO for an ROTC Battalion at the university level. He was issued Eley Tenex match ammo for the ROTC cadets to shoot through these sub-cal devices. At the same time, I was issued "White Box" .22RF ammo by the military for practice. He said that the ROTC cadets didn't know $hit from Shinola when it came to ammo, so he traded me brick for brick Eley Tenex for the "White Box" military ammo. I shot most of that 10X ammo through Model 52 and 40X match rifles.

    Here's the Colt unit with some left over ammo from back in the day.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Colt Sub-Cal 2.JPG  
    Last edited by Scharfschuetze; 12-29-2016 at 11:32 AM.
    Keep your powder dry,

    Scharf

  8. #8
    Moldy Boolit Phoenix's Avatar
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    Thanks everyone for the great information and input. Looks like it is definately an Air Force conversion kit.

    Scott

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  9. #9
    Moldy Boolit Phoenix's Avatar
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    Thanks everyone for your help with this.

    Scott

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check