OK, thanks for all the kind words guys. I appreciate it. Lemmie try to clear up some questions.
First off, I don't know how she shoots, as I haven't had a chance to get out to the range yet. That being said, in my experience, this combination of reciever, trigger assembly, and barrel, will shoot ~.35" groups at 50 yards. I LOVE Whistle Pig Barrels.
Next, let's break down the costs:
Ruger 10/22 carbine from Academy Sports: $149
Nordic Components AR22 Stock: $225
ACE skeleton buttstock: $60
Whistle Pig barrel: $200
Various bits in the trigger assembly and reciever I replace to make her shoot better: $50
Yankee Machine free float foregrip: Free (already had it)
Harris Bipod: Free (already had it)
Erog pistol grip: Free (already had it)
Aimpoint 2x red dot and scope ring: $60 (already had the scope, but got a different ring for it)
I'm kind of a 10/22 fanatic. This is my 4th one, though my first *EBR* styled one. Two are bench rest guns (and each of them easily cost more than a fully tricked out AR), and one lives in my boat, loaded with snake shot. That last one's not so pretty. But she gets the job done.
As to whether there's anything original still on it, the answer is yes. The trigger housing, trigger, sear, hammer, bolt, extractor, and reciever are all original parts. Everything else has been swapped out. And those parts that are still there have had my special touches applied to them.
Honestly, I do this more for the fun of building it and playing with it than anything practical. I have enough practical guns. This one's for fun. I can hardly wait to take it out to the range, so the pissed off wanna-be wildlife officer will flip out and yell at me for bringing a machine gun onto his range. God I hate that guy. He's just a dick. But I digress.
The sum total is that if you have a bunch of AR parts laying around, and a 10/22, you can do this thing for the cost of this stock and a barrel. I bought a new 10/22 only because Academy had them on sale. My other three came from pawn shops for less than $100 each.
And the barrel's the one thing on a 10/22 worth spending SERIOUS money on. Well, serious for a .22 anyway. I highly endorse Whistle Pig barrels. They're the top of the line as far as I'm concerned. This is my 4th one, and I have nothing but good things to say for any of them.
Not to mention, this thing looks so much better than all those crappy $75 "tacticool" folding stocks you can get from midway, etc. And it FEELS solid. Tim at Nordic Components really outdid himself this time. The tolerances are perfect, and the sucker feels "right." Not cheap.
Anyway, squirrels beware. I'm coming.