.22LR Barrel Length

[AlieN]

I'm a bit new to all this so go gently...

With a full-bore rifle I can see the advantage in a longer barrel in order to gain greater muzzle velocity for longer distances.

So for .22LR, what are the pros and cons of say a 16" barrel against a 12.5" barrel? Is it all about reach again (in which case for 25 or 50 yards would I be better off with the shorter barrel) or is there more to it than that?

AlieN

[HALODIN]

I'm certainly no expert, but I find my 12" .22 spikes tactical is very accurate over 25 and 50 yards, the short barreled .22 ruger 10/22 club gun is also surprisingly accurate over 25 yards. If you want pin point accuracy with .22, in my experience and by proxy of barrel harmonics, barrel weight is more important than length. I have an Anschutz Match 54 with a high mag scope/heavy barrel and you could shoot through the hole in a polo all day long at 25 yards. From memory at 100 yards and with subsonic R50, it groups around the size of a 10 pence piece if there's no wind.

As far as I'm aware all .22LR match ammo is subsonic because breaking the sound barrier causes inaccuracy.

[zzr1100]

its not the breaking of the sound barrier on acceleration thats the problem (it will happen in the barrel) its the transonic phase as the round slows that can cause instability and therefore inaccuracy

[the running man]

Barrell length in my experience on .22 is irrelevant up to 50m......In the pistol days a mk ruger pistol in the ransom rest put all 10 shots through the same hole at 50m.......my rude fat dog kid diamond match 12.5 inch barrell does the same when clamped to the bench......so its not the gun or ammo its the guy shooting that makes the difference...I've not messed around past that distance to any degree of conclusiveNess, but our club used to shoot a 200 mbench rest on short Siberia and that's a surprise how accurate an old bsa martini 12/15 can be on a granet target.....

[AlieN]

Thanks for the replies.

HALODIN - when you say its more about the barrel weight, would you then say that heavier is better? I'm not going to need to carry the thing over any distance so don't need something lightweight.

zzr1100 - I hadn't even considered that .22LR might not be supersonic - more research required.

the running man - good point about the accuracy potential of .22LR pistols which obviously have a much shorter barrel.

AlieN

[DL.]

I had my .22lr shortened by a moderators length. I lost 100fps with subsonic ammunition.

This just goes to show that some of the gunsmiths giving out advice on web forums (talking about short barrels producing higher velocities) are not speaking for everyones circumstances.

[waterford103]

16" bbl is optimum for a SCOPED .22lr , a longer bbl increases bbl time and therefore a bigger possiblility for error .The thing is , if you are using open sights you need a long sight radius and a lot more attention to grip and trigger release. If you will only use scope sights then a short stiff bbl is the best , std velocity achieves best speed at 16".


:goodjob: :goodjob:

[AlieN]

DL - I would have assumed that a shorter barrel would reduce the velocity (all other things being equal) - as indeed you found.

AlieN

[AlieN]

waterford103 - I realise (once again), how little I know! Now that you mention it, of course it is obvious that the barrel length has an impact on sight radius for open sight. Yet another aspect I had not previously considered. I would be looking for a scoped rifle, so your recommendation for a specific 16" barrel is very helpful.

AlieN

[HALODIN]

Yes I think it's generally accepted that heavier barrels produce better results, because of barrel harmonics. In my experience, quality match ammo is key. Eley Match very slightly out performed R50 at 100 yards, but R50 outshot Eley Match at 25 + 50 in my Anschutz match 54.

I take it you don't have an FAC yet, is that right?

Thanks for the replies.

HALODIN - when you say its more about the barrel weight, would you then say that heavier is better? I'm not going to need to carry the thing over any distance so don't
need something lightweight.