Ideal Barrel length for a 22 LR, 20" or 16 " ?

Barrel length has almost nothing to do with accuracy. Shorter barrels are stiffer and thus offer more consistency shot to shot, also known as "more accurate". You will retain 90% of possible velocity of the rimfire cartridge in barrels as short as 7 inches. Anything over 16.25 is a waste of material.

Tdc
 
Well this is correct with regards to velocity but the question that needs to be asked is ... Iron sights or Scope?

The main advantage of a longer barrel is the longer sight radius that comes along with it using irons. If scoping it then I prefer a shorter stiffer barrel.
 
jzz30tt said:
Well this is correct with regards to velocity but the question that needs to be asked is ... Iron sights or Scope?

The main advantage of a longer barrel is the longer sight radius that comes along with it using irons. If scoping it then I prefer a shorter stiffer barrel.
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With the large notch or aperature of rear sights and the large post of the front, the 4 inches in length won't matter one bit. Regardless I strongly doubt you would notice a change in sight picture between the two lengths.

Tdc
 
Depends on what 22lr ammo you use more then anything but with 16 inchs you get the most burn before you get it slows down meaning you don't need more then that. How ever with a 20 inch barrel and ammo that burns slower like the CCI stinger rounds the longer barrel bumps the speed up and you get less noise out of the firearm due to the noise. I have a 10.5 inch barrel 22lr a 24 inch and a 16 inch all differen't firearms but they all shoot around the same until you take it out to greater distances then the bolt action with the 24 inch barrel tends to win and the 10.5 inch match barrel is a close second.

I like shooting the longer barrel for 1 simple reason they make a heck of allot less noise. Longer sights on the longer barrel makes iron sights easier to use but you won't see a huge difference between long and short unless you go past 100 yards. Hit 200 or 300 and you will start to see a bigger difference. Yes you can shoot a 22lr out to 400 if you want to it's just allot of drop to deal with meaning hold way above your target and drop it on.
 
Barrel length comes a very distant second to barrel quality. By that, i mean smoothness of the bore, uniformity of bore ID, condition of the crown etc...

I've owned very accurate rifles with 16", 18", 24" and 28" barrels, and equally not-so-accurate rifles with 16", 18" and 20", so in my mind length is a relatively irrelevant factor in the real world, especially in regards to .22lr.

It will affect how you balance and steady the gun, It will affect the weight and as mentioned it may work better with sights or a scope depending on length. It will also affect the volume of the report coming from the muzzle. All matters of personal preference.

My personal preferred length is 18" because of esthetics and the feel of the rifle and the way it points.
 
I would probably go with the 16". Personally I like shorty's, I just finished my 12.5" and I'm very happy with it. I really like the look of the 16" builds though as well. 20" just seems like extra weight without much real world gains.

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/22.html

If your curious about velocity loss/gains. They don't go up to 20", but you get a good idea of how little of a difference the length makes (without going very very short).
 
While 16" is long enough to develop maximum velocity, none of the dedicated target rifles (including benchrest) ever have barrels that short. I think the longer barrels provide for more consistent velocities, which translates into better groups. If I was building a serious tack driving rimfire I wouldn't use anything shorter than 20" and would probably go for 22" or 24" unless it would cause balance problems for the intended use.


Mark
 
mikeystew said:
Barrel length comes a very distant second to barrel quality. By that, i mean smoothness of the bore, uniformity of bore ID, condition of the crown etc...
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Agree. The barrel/chamber/crowning will play a bigger role than the actual length.
Anschutz offer their match rifle with either a 500mm (19.6") or 690mm (27.2")... both will shoot about the same... the main difference being the balance.
 
Slightly off topic, I was hoping to put a 16" barrel on my 597. However because its not a 10/22 parts are less than scarce... Went over the classification part of the firearms act.. I know because you can buy a factory barrel shorter than 18.5" (ie dlask or some other) for the 10/22 it remains non-restricted. But can I get a gun smith to shorten or can I even cut the carrel down to less than 18.5" and still maintain a non-restricted classification?
 
detladee said:
Slightly off topic, I was hoping to put a 16" barrel on my 597. However because its not a 10/22 parts are less than scarce... Went over the classification part of the firearms act.. I know because you can buy a factory barrel shorter than 18.5" (ie dlask or some other) for the 10/22 it remains non-restricted. But can I get a gun smith to shorten or can I even cut the carrel down to less than 18.5" and still maintain a non-restricted classification?
Click to expand...

Nope. Cut the barrel shorter than 18" and it becomes a prohibited firearm. It doesn't matter if you or a gunsmith do it, the end result is a prohib. The 18.5" length is for semi auto centerfires to remain non-restricted. The only way you can have the shorter barrel is to buy one that was manufactured at the shorter length. Yes, it's retarded. No, it isn't logical at all. Welcome to the firearms laws of Kanada.


Mark
 
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