starlight32 Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Right chaps, I am think of having a barrel shortened and re-screw cut on a rifle of mine. Does anyone know if this has an impact on accuracy & velocity? My gunsmith says no........as with modern propellents the fast burn rates achieve bullet twist before it reaches anywhere near the end of the barrel. I am thinking of taking 18" down to 12 or 13" on a 22 rim, there are replacement barrel's available but unfortunately none available in the country at the moment and unlikely to be for ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Rob, Anschutz make a target rifle with a 14" barrel so I can't see how it will affect accuracy. You may lose a little in velocity but not enough to even give a second thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 My 10/22 had a 12.5" carbon/stainless barrel, and my Quad has a 14" .22 lr barrel. I can't answer about loss of velocity but the accuracy is great when I use it which is very rare because of .22lr ejection problems related to the Quad. With a tiny little soundbiter moderator on the end it is seriously car window friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharpshot Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 dont do it!! you lose velocity!! if you want a short barreled rifle then buy one. i did a .22lr not long back and regreted it so much i binned the rifle! 12" is the legal limit in this country i think. i wouldnt say accuracy is greatly affected but i lost a lot of range with mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapper063 Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 dont forget having barrel cut you have to have it re proofed or you cannot sell it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 dont do it!! you lose velocity!! if you want a short barreled rifle then buy one. i did a .22lr not long back and regreted it so much i binned the rifle!12" is the legal limit in this country i think. i wouldnt say accuracy is greatly affected but i lost a lot of range with mine Where is the difference between shortening a barrel and buying a short one? The velocity of a .22 bullet will be the same from 2 barrels of the same length. A 12" barrel is a 12" barrel is it not? dont forget having barrel cut you have to have it re proofed or you cannot sell it Do you? I worked for a company who imported Baikal shotguns and have cut down hundreds of barrels and they never went for reproofing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight32 Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) Rob, Anschutz make a target rifle with a 14" barrel so I can't see how it will affect accuracy. You may lose a little in velocity but not enough to even give a second thought. Thats what I thought with the .22. Mine is old as the hills anyway but as there is a guy who has started up locally who cuts down and recrowns for 35 quid, I thought I might give mine a new lease of life, and treat it to a new mod as well. However, I am told the the .17 needs 18 3/4" of barrel to achieve full burn and maximum velocity-apparrently every inch removed below equates to 26 ft a sec. Edited June 18, 2009 by starlight32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 it's not as simple as saying that one inch equals a certain velocity. One inch taken from a 23" barrel won't be the same as one inch taken from a 16" barrel. Short of using quickload and playing with it inch by inch or cutting down a barrel inch by inch you'll not know exactly what it will be. And, no two barrels are the same. Some barrels shoot fast, some shoot slow. Case in point, my savage stainless HMR barrel was right around 20". With standard 17gr ammo, it averaged 2600-2610 velocity. If you look at the bullberry data, the same length barrel is a tich over 2500. Tight or loose chambers, tight or loose bores, and temp will all make a difference. While some dispute the motives behind the test (and the data generated), about the only data available is the bullberry data for the HMR. Long story short, you don't loose that much speed or range by shortening the barrel. It is around 15 fps per inch for upper teen lengths, and 40-ish for the 11-14" lengths. If I were buying/building an HMR right now for use in the truck with a Sak (or equivalent) I'd be looking right around 16" or so. http://www.bullberry.com/HMRdata.html Thanks, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 I wanted mine cut to 16" I did lot of searching about, eventually I spoke to a very well respected riflesmith. He advised me to go for 14" which is what he did for me, and all though I never chrono'd it before or after there has been zero loss of accuracy and the rifle is far more car friendly as a result Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuck1 Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 I had my CZ barrel cut down to 14.5 inch. I can't tell how how much power it's lost, as I'm rubbish with facts and figures, however it has taken nearly 1000 rabbits in the last 18 months at reasonable ranges, and appears to be just as good ( no actually better) than before it had the snip. I can't see any downside at all, it's a joy to use from the vehicle, and nicely balanced for me when walking and shooting. Mine is the varmint. Cost was 35 notes. Thumbs up from me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharpshot Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Where is the difference between shortening a barrel and buying a short one? The velocity of a .22 bullet will be the same from 2 barrels of the same length. A 12" barrel is a 12" barrel is it not? Do you? I worked for a company who imported Baikal shotguns and have cut down hundreds of barrels and they never went for reproofing. i believe it is against the law for an rfd to sell an unproofed chopped down riffle but a private sale is ok and there are rifles out there that do not send the rifling all the way to the end of the barrel to preserve it when cleaning so chopping one down takes this benifit away? again it is only my opion. i would buy a porsche and make it look like a fiesta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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