.22RF barrel shortening

[welshwarrior]

My 12.5 has just arrived 10/22 handles fine with it just got to shoot it now

[pigeon street]

I have just appllied for my fac. when the FEO came he said i had asked to hold to much ammo. i had put down 1000/1200 he changed to 500/600 i'm happy with that

[fruitloop]

why do people keep quoting this all the powder is burnt in 14"that might be corect but there is still a high pressure behind the bullet wich produces speed out to the full lenth of a barrel so if you shorten it you will reduce the overall power of the bullet .both my cz,s are still the 20" barrels and i have no problem with it. but not every one likes it that way

[scotland rifles]

i want to get mine cit down as well from 22 to 16 inches, but the rifle is O so accurate as it is and it looks nice, but its to long for shooting from the truck.

 

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8403/22lr001.jpg

 

she has a new scope on now, and i still have the front and rear metal sights it came with. nice old rifle this and it seems a shame to chop it.

 

as for ammo.

 

6mm br purchase 500 hold 600

 

.20 tac same as above

 

.17 hmr purchase 1000 hold 1200

 

.22lr same as above.

 

bob.

Edited September 29, 2011 by scotland rifles

[scotland rifles]

why do people keep quoting this all the powder is burnt in 14"that might be corect but there is still a high pressure behind the bullet wich produces speed out to the full lenth of a barrel so if you shorten it you will reduce the overall power of the bullet .both my cz,s are still the 20" barrels and i have no problem with it. but not every one likes it that way

 

 

you are correst. here is some reading for the many.

 

bob.

 

enjoy

 

What is the Best Barrel Length? Different shooters have their preferences, but here are some general guidelines: 100/200 yd 6mm Benchrest Gun: Use a short, 20"-24" barrel. 22" is ideal, but you may want to start with 24" so the barrel can be set back as the throat wears, or if you want to convert to a different caliber (i.e. from 6BR to 6PPC) 300m to 600m: A variety of lengths will work here, but you will probably be shooting heavier bullets, with a slower-burning powder, so you want a longer barrel that will give you more velocity. We recommend 26"-28". However, barrels as short as 24" do just fine at 600 yards with the right bullet. 600m and Beyond: Go with at least 28". A 30" length tube may be even better, but with some powder/bullet combinations, you may actually get less velocity with a barrel much longer than 29". With a standard 6BR case, 28" is probably long enough, while a 6BR Improved case can give a little more velocity with a 30". But keep in mind shorter barrels will be stiffer, if they are the same contour.

 

How Much More Velocity Will I Get with a Longer Barrel? Going from 20" to 24" can increase velocities up to 160fps (40fps per added inch), depending on the rifling. After that, expect another 25-30fps extra velocity for each added inch up to about 28". Beyond that, you'll probably get a little extra speed, especially with 6BR Improved cases. We recently completed a barrel velocity test using a rail-gun. A Krieger 6mm barrel chambered for a standard 6BR was cut down from 33" to 28" in one-inch increments. The Average Velocity at 33" was 40 fps higher than at 28". The Average Velocities showed a pretty steady increase of 8 fps per inch past 28". For example the Average Velocity at 30" was 16 fps higher than at 28". Based on this study, you're not going to gain much by going from 28" to 30". And world-record-holder Richard Schatz is getting 3025fps with his 6 Dasher using a 26" Hart barrel. So arguably, 26" is long enough, at least for the Improved cases. For maximum speed, 30" is a useful limit, but remember that this adds weight to the gun and you'll be sacrificing barrel stiffness.

 

Are Shorter Barrels More Accurate? As a general rule, the answer is yes. A shorter barrel will be stiffer, pound for pound, since you can run a thicker contour (diameter) with the same weight. As you increase diameter, barrel rigidity rises to the 4th power of the increase. But if you lengthen a barrel, stiffness declines in proportion to the cube of the length. So a barrel that is just a few inches longer and a bit thinner can be half as rigid as a 20" max contour barrel (More details). The added stiffness of fat 20-22" BR barrels raises barrel harmonic frequency to the point that barrel vibration becomes a non-issue (provided the bedded action is rigid as well). Common sense tells us that it is easier to make a shorter piece of steel perfectly straight, and with less bore length to drill, there is less chance of a flaw in a shorter barrel. Benchrest competition proves that short barrels, in the 20-22" range, give maximum short-range accuracy in 6mm, assuming you use a scope. For a gun with iron sights, longer barrels offer increased sight radius which helps the shooter aim more precisely. And don't think that a 26" or 28" barrel can't be very accurate. We've seen 28" barrels deliver 5-shot groups in the "ones" at 100 yards.

[Redgum]

you are correst. here is some reading for the many.

 

bob.

 

enjoy

 

What is the Best Barrel Length? Different shooters have their preferences, but here are some general guidelines: 100/200 yd 6mm Benchrest Gun: Use a short, 20"-24" barrel. 22" is ideal, but you may want to start with 24" so the barrel can be set back as the throat wears, or if you want to convert to a different caliber (i.e. from 6BR to 6PPC) 300m to 600m: A variety of lengths will work here, but you will probably be shooting heavier bullets, with a slower-burning powder, so you want a longer barrel that will give you more velocity. We recommend 26"-28". However, barrels as short as 24" do just fine at 600 yards with the right bullet. 600m and Beyond: Go with at least 28". A 30" length tube may be even better, but with some powder/bullet combinations, you may actually get less velocity with a barrel much longer than 29". With a standard 6BR case, 28" is probably long enough, while a 6BR Improved case can give a little more velocity with a 30". But keep in mind shorter barrels will be stiffer, if they are the same contour.

 

How Much More Velocity Will I Get with a Longer Barrel? Going from 20" to 24" can increase velocities up to 160fps (40fps per added inch), depending on the rifling. After that, expect another 25-30fps extra velocity for each added inch up to about 28". Beyond that, you'll probably get a little extra speed, especially with 6BR Improved cases. We recently completed a barrel velocity test using a rail-gun. A Krieger 6mm barrel chambered for a standard 6BR was cut down from 33" to 28" in one-inch increments. The Average Velocity at 33" was 40 fps higher than at 28". The Average Velocities showed a pretty steady increase of 8 fps per inch past 28". For example the Average Velocity at 30" was 16 fps higher than at 28". Based on this study, you're not going to gain much by going from 28" to 30". And world-record-holder Richard Schatz is getting 3025fps with his 6 Dasher using a 26" Hart barrel. So arguably, 26" is long enough, at least for the Improved cases. For maximum speed, 30" is a useful limit, but remember that this adds weight to the gun and you'll be sacrificing barrel stiffness.

 

Are Shorter Barrels More Accurate? As a general rule, the answer is yes. A shorter barrel will be stiffer, pound for pound, since you can run a thicker contour (diameter) with the same weight. As you increase diameter, barrel rigidity rises to the 4th power of the increase. But if you lengthen a barrel, stiffness declines in proportion to the cube of the length. So a barrel that is just a few inches longer and a bit thinner can be half as rigid as a 20" max contour barrel (More details). The added stiffness of fat 20-22" BR barrels raises barrel harmonic frequency to the point that barrel vibration becomes a non-issue (provided the bedded action is rigid as well). Common sense tells us that it is easier to make a shorter piece of steel perfectly straight, and with less bore length to drill, there is less chance of a flaw in a shorter barrel. Benchrest competition proves that short barrels, in the 20-22" range, give maximum short-range accuracy in 6mm, assuming you use a scope. For a gun with iron sights, longer barrels offer increased sight radius which helps the shooter aim more precisely. And don't think that a 26" or 28" barrel can't be very accurate. We've seen 28" barrels deliver 5-shot groups in the "ones" at 100 yards.

 

If the topic were about centrefires then yes this article is very good, a .22lr with a subsonic round will burn up all the powder withing the first 14inch's, after that the pressure curve is dropping and the friction of the barrel will be slowing the bullet so there is no velocity advantage in a longer barrel,not in a rimfire,well possibly in a hmr.

[scotland rifles]

If the topic were about centrefires then yes this article is very good, a .22lr with a subsonic round will burn up all the powder withing the first 14inch's, after that the pressure curve is dropping and the friction of the barrel will be slowing the bullet so there is no velocity advantage in a longer barrel,not in a rimfire,well possibly in a hmr.

 

 

you will still loos FT Lbs on a 22lr and you will in a 17 hmr, the info was given as a guideline the few who care to read it, the principles still apply,if you chop the barrel on a charlie 2 tank it will loose energy too.

 

bob.

[scotland rifles]

i have just read this as well.

 

it gets more interesting the more you troll the web.

 

Optimum Barrel Length for 22LR

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As a general rule many think a rifle chambered in 22LR with a 16½" - 18½" barrel is considered optimum for standard over the counter ammo. Everything in life is a trade off. As the bullet travels down the barrel it loses energy to friction, however, the more length in the barrel the greater the stability relating to accuracy, but finally, a significant loss of energy results in an undesirable trajectory.

 

Some shooters say that anything over 16½" is pointless, and even detrimental. This isn't always necessarily true. In match shooting you will see shooters using special subsonic cartridges in rifles with barrel lengths of 26". There's definitely a point to which additional barrel length is nothing but detrimental, however, a lot depends on ammunition and application.

 

My Ruger 10/22 has an 18½" barrel and it is considered a carbine. I've found it to be more accurate with open signs than some of my older more expensive rifles in 22LR with various barrel lengths. The energy lost to friction between 16½ to 26" is inconsequential as it relates to most shooters in ordinary application. It has more to do with the quality of the rifle and ammunition.

 

The drop on 22LR is rather ridiculous so I've never had much use for putting a scope on these rifles other than to experiment with ballistics while cutting down the walking distance between where I am shooting from and my target.

 

bob.

[Redgum]

quote,

Some shooters say that anything over 16½" is pointless, and even detrimental. This isn't always necessarily true. In match shooting you will see shooters using special subsonic cartridges in rifles with barrel lengths of 26". There's definitely a point to which additional barrel length is nothing but detrimental, however, a lot depends on ammunition and application. unquote

 

I have no idea what a special subsonic cartridge is, probably a match load or even customed to a longer barrel but it will not be propelling the cartridge faster out of the barrel otherwise it would no longer subsonic.

 

Technically we could split hairs all day but as a live quarry hunter and not a target shooter in my experience( and many others) a 14 to 16inch barrel with a moderator is the ideal for handling, barrel stiffness( accuracy ) and bullet velocity.

[Dekers]

quote,

Some shooters say that anything over 16½" is pointless, and even detrimental. This isn't always necessarily true. In match shooting you will see shooters using special subsonic cartridges in rifles with barrel lengths of 26". There's definitely a point to which additional barrel length is nothing but detrimental, however, a lot depends on ammunition and application. unquote

 

I have no idea what a special subsonic cartridge is, probably a match load or even customed to a longer barrel but it will not be propelling the cartridge faster out of the barrel otherwise it would no longer subsonic.

 

Technically we could split hairs all day but as a live quarry hunter and not a target shooter in my experience( and many others) a 14 to 16inch barrel with a moderator is the ideal for handling, barrel stiffness( accuracy ) and bullet velocity.

 

 

My last WMR was 16" (actually, to be specific it was 15.75") and had a Sako Mod on the end, which pushed the length/balance back out again a bit. Balance and accuracy were ok but when I got my new WMR I cut the barrel to 19" and fitted a SAK.

 

Whatever anyone wants to say about ballistics, which are without doubt VERY important, there are many other factors. Short barrels change the balance, feel and harmonics in a rifle, even the humble .22lr.

 

Then there is the psychological effect, are you happy or not, this can turn a bad rifle into a half decent one and a good one into a not so good one, impossible to really understand but true just the same.

 

I was not happy with my 16" barrel, which loved the CCI 40g HP Maxi Max V, my new one doesn't, it prefers the 30-32g of almost any brand.

 

Lots to consider...if you want a glorified pistol then get the hacksaw out, I'm certainly not in the flagpole of a barrel camp, accurate, workable and manageable are my requirements, but I do very little shooting from a vehicle!

 

ATB