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3 Posts
Hello everyone (newbie here),
I recently made the decision to purchase my first firearm and after some research decided to start with a .22 rifle. Over the past weekend I went to a gun show here in Colorado to find a used rifle in good condition in my price range - nothing fancy, just something reliable I could learn to shoot on. While I wasn't expecting a ton of help from vendors (at least I wasn't expecting them to be interested in getting me to by a "tiny rifle") but the answers I got were even less helpful then expected. When asking one seller for info on a used .22 I was told "the bullets go in one end and out the other". I had my eyes open for a Ruger 10/22 but they were all a little out of my price range, and then I stumbled upon this MagTech 7022. The vendor was really the only one to answer any of my questions, the price was right, and he told me it was a good gun for my situation. So I bought it, some ammo, and went home a happy 1st time gun owner.
I got home and immediately started doing as much research on the gun as possible. I quickly learned that the gun is now manufactured (with some updates) by Mossberg under the model Plinkster 702. I found and read the owners manual and quickly came to realize there is something wrong with my rifle: the operating handle (called the cocking handle on the 7022) will not stay pushed in to lock the bolt on the open position; the bolt is unable to be locked in it's open position. While I now understand that this is a function of all rifles and something I should have looked for, but at the time of purchase I really knew absolutely nothing about the standard operation of a rifle and was relying on the seller for that information. Following this discovery I disassembled (following instructions) the rifle to inspect the operating handle mechanism. It seems that the area milled out (to accept the pin on the operating handle) on the inside of the receiver has worn out to a rounded edge which no longer holds the pin of the operating handle.
IS THIS RIFLE SAFE TO FIRE? Every other part of the rifle is in proper mechanical order and operate as they should according the the manual.
Judging by how worn out this area is it seems to have been this way for a long time and that the rifle has been continued to be used in this state, however I know that really doesn't mean anything. If the rifle is safe to use, is it worth taking to a gunsmith to have repaired? It looks to me like the hole can be re-milled 1-2mm closer to the barrel to give it a hard edge for the operating handle to catch on when pushed in. Also, the pin on the operating handle for the newer 702 has a wedge shape to it (requiring the operating handle to be pulled back slightly before it can be pulled out) suggesting that this wear issue was common with the 7022 and has since been rectified by Mossberg. If the re-milling is an option would it be worth it to replace the 7022 operating handle for the 702 one with a longer/sharper pin/catch?
ADDITIONALLY it looks like there is supposed to be a "bolt buffer" in the back of the receiver - a rubber block - which my rifle does not have. I'm guessing if the rifle is safe to use and I do intend to do so, that I will want to replace this bolt buffer?
I was very excited leaving the show to be a proud gun owner, but now I just feel like I've been taken advantage of and ripped off. I hope I can fix the issues with this rifle. Thanks a lot in advance for your help!
P.S. I can take pictures when I get home (should have done that last night) for reference, just wanted to get the question out there ASAP.
I recently made the decision to purchase my first firearm and after some research decided to start with a .22 rifle. Over the past weekend I went to a gun show here in Colorado to find a used rifle in good condition in my price range - nothing fancy, just something reliable I could learn to shoot on. While I wasn't expecting a ton of help from vendors (at least I wasn't expecting them to be interested in getting me to by a "tiny rifle") but the answers I got were even less helpful then expected. When asking one seller for info on a used .22 I was told "the bullets go in one end and out the other". I had my eyes open for a Ruger 10/22 but they were all a little out of my price range, and then I stumbled upon this MagTech 7022. The vendor was really the only one to answer any of my questions, the price was right, and he told me it was a good gun for my situation. So I bought it, some ammo, and went home a happy 1st time gun owner.
I got home and immediately started doing as much research on the gun as possible. I quickly learned that the gun is now manufactured (with some updates) by Mossberg under the model Plinkster 702. I found and read the owners manual and quickly came to realize there is something wrong with my rifle: the operating handle (called the cocking handle on the 7022) will not stay pushed in to lock the bolt on the open position; the bolt is unable to be locked in it's open position. While I now understand that this is a function of all rifles and something I should have looked for, but at the time of purchase I really knew absolutely nothing about the standard operation of a rifle and was relying on the seller for that information. Following this discovery I disassembled (following instructions) the rifle to inspect the operating handle mechanism. It seems that the area milled out (to accept the pin on the operating handle) on the inside of the receiver has worn out to a rounded edge which no longer holds the pin of the operating handle.
IS THIS RIFLE SAFE TO FIRE? Every other part of the rifle is in proper mechanical order and operate as they should according the the manual.
Judging by how worn out this area is it seems to have been this way for a long time and that the rifle has been continued to be used in this state, however I know that really doesn't mean anything. If the rifle is safe to use, is it worth taking to a gunsmith to have repaired? It looks to me like the hole can be re-milled 1-2mm closer to the barrel to give it a hard edge for the operating handle to catch on when pushed in. Also, the pin on the operating handle for the newer 702 has a wedge shape to it (requiring the operating handle to be pulled back slightly before it can be pulled out) suggesting that this wear issue was common with the 7022 and has since been rectified by Mossberg. If the re-milling is an option would it be worth it to replace the 7022 operating handle for the 702 one with a longer/sharper pin/catch?
ADDITIONALLY it looks like there is supposed to be a "bolt buffer" in the back of the receiver - a rubber block - which my rifle does not have. I'm guessing if the rifle is safe to use and I do intend to do so, that I will want to replace this bolt buffer?
I was very excited leaving the show to be a proud gun owner, but now I just feel like I've been taken advantage of and ripped off. I hope I can fix the issues with this rifle. Thanks a lot in advance for your help!
P.S. I can take pictures when I get home (should have done that last night) for reference, just wanted to get the question out there ASAP.
