This is just a thread to document my experience with a Gemtech MIST 22 integrally suppressed barrel for the 10/22 takedown.
I received the barrel after about a 9 month wait. On reading instructions I realized I needed a Bull Barrel stock since my 10/22 TD donor was a tapered barrel. A short amount of research led me to the Magpul X22 Backpacker stock which was pretty dang cool as well as cheap. So I waited another week for that and got it installed along with the Magpul Optic mount and it makes a very nice, handy package.
On initial function checking, I had a few failures to fire but generally it ran decently. The problem came when I had a failure to fire or I needed to unload a live round, the extractor would not extract the round leading to me needing to take down the rifle and flick out the round out with a knife. Closer inspection showed a clear, to me, manufacturing defect in that the extractor channel was not cut deeply enough. See photos comparing the Gemtech to the Ruger stock rifle.
So contacted Gemtech. I called and talked to them by phone and followed up with an email explaining the problem with photos. 48 business hours with no response, so I called them again. They looked at my email with me on the phone and agreed the barrel needs to go back to them. Just the barrel, not the serialized part.
Disappointingly I found out that Smith and Wesson now owns Gemtech and they will not pay return freight or issue a return label for any Gemtech product, nor will they reimburse it. I put my request for a shipping label up the chain of command and am awaiting a reply.
So now I am faced with a dilemma: Part of me just wants to hit this thing with a file and ghetto fix it myself. Part of me wants to pay a local machine shop to cut the groove deeper. Part of me wants to suck up the shipping, ship the barrel, and wait the probable eight weeks to get it back hopefully corrected, hopefully not lost in the mail.
Luckily the serialized "can" part is fine and does not need to be shipped back and forth.
Needless to say this experience has soured me on Gemtech and I don't think I will be buying any more product from them. Usually with broken or defective firearms, my experiences with Smith & Wesson, Ruger, and Beretta have been exceptionally good. They send a label, fix the problem and it is back in a few weeks, always without a run around.
I am open to opinions from forum members on how to go about fixing this or if they recommend a better barrel smith to deal with it. I would rather spend my money with someone who gives a care than on shipping to Gemtech.