Hi, I am thinking of getting into PRS. Looking through the various.22’s offered by the manufacturers, I have noticed several offer barrels from about 16” to 20”. Take the Tikka for instance, it is offered in the 2 sizes. My question is, is there an advantage to a 20” barrel over the 16” for increased accuracy? I’m assuming under a certain yardage both are the same, but at what point does the 20” pay off. I currently have a marlin 795 and it has a barrel of 18” so that’s right in the middle but I have no experience with a mid price .22. Thanks for your advice.
Barrel length
- Thread starter 600mojo
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Mystic Precision
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- Summerland, BC
Where do you live? To determine the type of matches you are likely to see
Are you shooting production or open?
If shooting open, are you going to build up a rifle or stay with factory offerings to start?
All will help offer better advice...
Jerry
Are you shooting production or open?
If shooting open, are you going to build up a rifle or stay with factory offerings to start?
All will help offer better advice...
Jerry
Theoretically, a shorter barrel of equal thickness is stiffer, and therefore more accurate, then a longer barrel. Of course, the inherent variation between barrels makes this hard to quantify.
For the longer range matches, another thing to consider is the change in muzzle velocity with different barrel lengths. The increase per inch of barrel length really tapers off around 16-18", law of diminishing returns after that.
Most standard velocity ammo leaves the barrel right around transonic/just above supersonic. .22lr bullets are not terribly good at going transonic, so another approach is to shoot subsonic ammo, so the bullet goes through the transonic zone in the barrel and would be more stable once it leave the muzzle.
For the longer range matches, another thing to consider is the change in muzzle velocity with different barrel lengths. The increase per inch of barrel length really tapers off around 16-18", law of diminishing returns after that.
Most standard velocity ammo leaves the barrel right around transonic/just above supersonic. .22lr bullets are not terribly good at going transonic, so another approach is to shoot subsonic ammo, so the bullet goes through the transonic zone in the barrel and would be more stable once it leave the muzzle.
Ammo companies test their products with Long barrels and most match rifles in rimfire have long barrels. It requires better form to get top results as there is longer time from ignition to bullet clearing barrel. Short barrels can be very accurate and for PRS shooting, my opinion, better. They are much more maneuverable and more forgiving if shooting form errors occur, and they will! Long barrels will also, unlike centerfire, slow bullet speeds down in Rimfire which is not an advantage in Long range shooting with an already ballistically challenged round. Moving in and out and around props is much easier with a shorter barrel. I have a few different PRS rimfire guns with 16"-20" barrels. Weight and balance are another consideration. Good luck Chris
Some believe that a shorter barrel will help your stage times because you can move faster. I am not one of those people.
For PRS, you need to think about where the rifle is balanced.
You need the rifle to rest on a barricade naturally, so you don't have to use your body to steer the rifle. So the center of gravity needs to be at least 3 inches forward of the mag well.
That being said, I would go long and heavy enough to make that happen.
Some will say that max velocity is obtained by a certain barrel length, but that's irrelevant, especially for a 22. You just select ammo that hits your speed needs regardless of where max speed could be achieved. You need to stay under the speed of sound.
You also need to be able to spot the hits and misses, so a muzzle break will definitely help.
For PRS, you need to think about where the rifle is balanced.
You need the rifle to rest on a barricade naturally, so you don't have to use your body to steer the rifle. So the center of gravity needs to be at least 3 inches forward of the mag well.
That being said, I would go long and heavy enough to make that happen.
Some will say that max velocity is obtained by a certain barrel length, but that's irrelevant, especially for a 22. You just select ammo that hits your speed needs regardless of where max speed could be achieved. You need to stay under the speed of sound.
You also need to be able to spot the hits and misses, so a muzzle break will definitely help.
Check the barrel length of the top PRS rimfire shooters in both Canada and the USA. Not seeing any long barrels. Balancing a gun can be accomplished in many ways which is why stock companies make so many different weight stocks. My vudoo has a barrel that weighs as much as the stock and action combined,add the arca and a bag and well you get the idea. Your still gonna need to shoot this gun offhand. The forward balance is correct and I agree. Just don't think a long barrel is required to get there. This is just my opinion and ive been wrong many many times. Happy Easter to everyone and stay safe.
Lots of considerations. I guess my question was is there a ‘general’ sweet spot for length. Of course recognizing other factors such as ammo....I am by no means a stranger to shooting but I’ve not done competitions before. With the extra time on my hands I am trying to find the rifle with a balance between a prs gun and also a rifle to kick my buddies butt while sitting on the deck! I am not looking to pimp this rifle out. A good rifle and optics with a possible upgraded stock down the road. If it falls into the open category that’s fine, competing against myself for the most part. Thanks for the info everyone.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
Simple answer, pick an action you like and install a proper match barrel set up for the ammo and performance you are after.
Factory rifles are... factory rifles. Maybe you get lucky, likely you get 'meh'... if you want to get the highest possible performance, that is a match barrel set up to cater to the best match ammo you can afford to run.
And it doesn't need to cost a lot.
Once you decide to get a match barrel, the specs are easy to sort out for your given end uses... yes, it will get technical but there are some very exciting set ups.
PM or email if I can help.... my current LR rimfire PRS rifle is based on a 10/22 and does very well out to 425yds.
Jerry
Factory rifles are... factory rifles. Maybe you get lucky, likely you get 'meh'... if you want to get the highest possible performance, that is a match barrel set up to cater to the best match ammo you can afford to run.
And it doesn't need to cost a lot.
Once you decide to get a match barrel, the specs are easy to sort out for your given end uses... yes, it will get technical but there are some very exciting set ups.
PM or email if I can help.... my current LR rimfire PRS rifle is based on a 10/22 and does very well out to 425yds.
Jerry
I doubt that shorter barrels are inherently more accurate. In another shooting world where utmost precision is the goal ( bench rest in .22lr ) or even Olympic style 3 position shooting, the barrel lengths of the rigs are much longer, like 26 or even 28 inches. Of course that might be too long for the PRS world but certainly not because of accuracy issues.
Gilbert
Gilbert
Keep in mind that center fire PRS guys do not normally run short barrels.
That this is about 22LR, does not appreciably change the point.
However you do it, by a long heavy barrel or weights added to the rifle, or any combination... Center of gravity needs to be at least 3" forward of the mag well.
Since the OP is thinking plug and play out of the box, then the longer heavy barrel is the closest way to get the performance out of the box.
A buddy has an old brno model 4 with a perfect barrel profile and center of gravity if you could ever find one used. You don't need new.
That this is about 22LR, does not appreciably change the point.
However you do it, by a long heavy barrel or weights added to the rifle, or any combination... Center of gravity needs to be at least 3" forward of the mag well.
Since the OP is thinking plug and play out of the box, then the longer heavy barrel is the closest way to get the performance out of the box.
A buddy has an old brno model 4 with a perfect barrel profile and center of gravity if you could ever find one used. You don't need new.
There might be a lot of folk here who would like to hear a writeup about the 425 yard 10/22!
I'm thinking that putting in time with a .22LR PRS rig might be a wonderful thing to do to learn a lot about shooting, at slightly lower ammo cost and distance to walk out to the targets, before getting serious about centrefire. I'd thought bolt-action, but you have my full attention with your rig.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
20" McGowen match barrel, Promag dlx target stock, EGW base, Athlon optic, Burris XTR rings, ARCA rail and barricade stop.
There are other ways to put it together... but really the heart of the performance is the match barrel. The spec caters to the needs of Lapua CenterX and in general, this is the ammo that shoots best (barrels can have a mind of their own).
Jerry
Set up for a team mate.
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Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
My rifle is based on one of my first rifles I ever purchased... no idea how old but it is way back there. Changed the extractor, tuned up the trigger everything else is factory.
My other team mates are using new gen 10/22s (within 5yrs manf I would think).. with extractor upgrades, tuned triggers but else is factory. Given how a 10/22 works, I just don't see what a 'custom' bolt solves????
With my current set up, it runs 100% with match ammo so I don't see the need for a lighter bolt.
the only upgrade that seems interesting is pinning the firing pin... interesting in concept but given that my sloppy pin works 100% and the rifle shoots so well, not something I am going to bother to chase.... and then I wonder what fouling would do with a tighter fit?????
Custom bolts can look pretty and for many that is enough....
Jerry
