No myth shorter bbl"s are more accurate than long bbl"s any caliber
I keep hearing both sides many say 16 to 24" for rimmies, would love to install a shorter factory barrel on a 10/22.
The shorter barrel is stiffer which means less sag and thus less whip plus it has a wider accuracy node requiring less consistent ammunition with a wider velocity spread to keep groups tight. The only advantage longer barrels have is with iron sights for the longer sight radius.
Good Day.
Looking at getting a shorter barrel for my SR-22, anyone out there have any experience with switching out to a short barrel on the SR-22. I am thinking a 12-16 barrel with a threaded barrel. I need to get something in the next few weeks.
Any suggestions or directions to a retailer would be great
"Sag" relates to play in the barrel/receiver interface (which bedding compensates for)... "whip" relates to the vibrations which occur from the explosion of the powder and the passage of the bullet... "sag" and "whip" are not directly related... indirectly; anything that contacts the barrel during the shot effects the barrels resonance (whip), ergo "barrel sag" may cause contact between the barrel and stock and thus effect the vibration or "whip" of the barrel. Stiffer barrels may have less "whip" but that in itself does not necessarily mean a more accurate barrel, even with other factors being equal (steel quality, bore diameter, rifling & crown quality etc...). After 40+ years of rimfire shooting and load testing out of dozens of firearms, I am not prepared to say that shorter barrels are "more" accurate, but I have not found them to be "less" accurate out to 100 meters... and the most accurate LR gun I ever had was an Anschutz rebarreled with a 20" Lilja... I can not attribute the accuracy to the barrel alone. Having blathered on like this, I will add that I prefer barrels on the short side now, for their feel and handling... and to 100 meters, I don't feel that I am compromising my potential accuracy.
"Sag" refers to the barrel bending under its own weight towards the muzzle. It is a very small but measureable amount and the reason why Enfields, Mosins etc are pressure bedded towards the muzzle. Otherwise the long, skinny barrels exhibit a lot of sag and thus a lot of whip. The pressure bedding eliminates the sag and reduces whip considerably. Shorter/stiffer barrels sag less and whip less which widens their accuracy node.
That is what I said, except sag... is not the barrel "bending", but it is "drooping" (I believe that is what you meant) as a result of a less than perfect barrel/receiver junction... long skinny barrels droop "less" than long "heavy" barrels due to the weight involved... the longer and heavier an unsupported barel is the more it will 'droop" or "sag"... but again neither has a direct effect on harmonics, a sloppy fit to reciever would have an impact but that is really a seperate issue from "barrel droop" although it is the primary culprit of it. Bedding does help with droop, but it does not help with Whip or sonic resonance... in fact most have found that it hurts, unless the proper pressure and node are located ... the old tried and true "pressure pad" bedding used for 10/22's and other rimfire rifles has been found by many to improve accuracy over floating the barrel... but only when the correct point and amount of pressure is located... accuracy usually gets worse at first... sometimes alot worse... a gun prone to much vibration often reacts badly to contact at any point.
No Hoyt, I did mean barrel sag. I know you know your stuff and know it well but we got our wires crossed here. I know about barrel droop in the 10/22 due to the slip fit tenon but what I'm talking about is the barrel itself "bending" under its own weight. That sag at the muzzle puts a bit of stress on the barrel that magnifies whip when the harmonic vibrations come down the barrel's length. Picture the long, skinny barrel of a Mosin if you will. Think about how much weight vs. rigidity it has when held horizontally by just the tenon. Now think about that same barrel cut to say 18". Drastic reduction in sag at the muzzle with an increase in stiffness due to the shorter length. Less material equals fewer grains to stretch which means more less total stretch across the length equalling more rigidity. But with the longer barrel they use upward pressure behind the muzzle to alleviate barrel sag. Pressure is tuned to dial in the harmonics for the specific load being shot. Works with any gun shooting a consistent load that isn't dialled in for that particular rifle. That was my point is all.
i love the red and blue rugers



























