Looking to build a lightweight short barrelled SR-22

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DaftM3

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Burlington, Ontario
As many of you know the SR-22 is quite the heavy rifle, weighing in at precisely 6lbs 2oz with nothing attached according to my shipping scale. And much of that weight is at the front which is the worst I think. I did a takedown of the rifle and weighed specific parts. The barrel weighs in at 1lbs 14oz, and the barrel handguard at 16oz (1lb). That's nearly 3lbs up front! I think that's unacceptable.

What I want to do is put a lightweight short 12" barrel on that was intended for the Ruger 22 Charger but will of course fit the 10/22 receiver. First question, is this legal in keeping the rifle unrestricted status? I did measuerments and the overall length with a 12" barrel will be 27" with the stock fully collapsed. Second question, will I lose much accuracy or bullet velocity by going with such a short barrel?

The barrel I am thinking about getting is the Volquarsten carbon fibre barrel shown here: https://www.volquartsen.com/products/481-carbon-fiber-thm-tension-barrel-for-22-charger
I think I read somewhere that the weight is 15oz. If not that then some other aluminum fluted barrel by TacSol or other. Combining this with a shorter lighter handguard rail (Dlask shorty handgaurd maybe?) I think I can lose 1.5lbs up front, making for a 4 and half pound SR-22!
Tell me what you think of my proposal. Good, bad or stupid?!
 
Just my 2 cents, with all that money you'd be spending to make your rifle light. Have you looked at the SU-22?
Also doesn't an aftermarket/cut down barrel have to be 16" to be non-restricted or is it 12"?
I'd like to put the pistol barrel on my su-22 but even if I got around the install, from what I've been told, it would be restricted because the pistol barrel is 10.1"
As for your sr-22, I agree it's heavy and expensive after you add all the stuff to it, that's why I first bought a 715T.
 
Try packing an M1 Garand for hours in the bush. Your pesky SR-22 will seem... light as a feather. As far as legal requirements: on a rimfire you must have an OAL of 660mm (26") to remain non-restricted. Short barrels are legal so long as they were manufactured at their current length if their length is less than 457mm. You cannot cut any barrel shorter than 457mm (17.99") even if it is already shorter than 457mm. NO CUTTY! Swapping a barrel however is perfectly legal and only changes a rimfire rifle's class to restricted if the rifle becomes shorter than 660mm in their shortest configuration (stock folded/collapsed etc.) With an OAL of 27" your SR-22 would remain legal and non-restricted. Accuracy is not a byproduct of barrel length. Not until you are shooting extremely tight groups at extremely long range (competetion). With a rimfire, its all about barrel quality, ammo quaity, proper bedding and a good shooter. Being that you plan on going with a VQ barrel, expect to find excellent accuracy once you find the ammo the barrel prefers. It should shoot better than your factory barrel.
 
Thanks all for the input. I'm glad that it'll stay unrestricted with a 12" barrel. I wasn't sure with so many silly RCMP rules. And from what I've read in the USA any barrel less than 16.5" on a rifle is classified as a short barreled rifle and you gotta tell the gov't and pay taxes or some bs.

As for weight, I do find it heavy. After handling my other plain 10/22 in stock form that thing is really light even with its 20" steel barrel. The SR-22 just feels like a sack of bricks in comparison. I can handle the rifle fine it just gets less fun to shoot after long use. The VQ barrel should help a lot shaving nearly a full pound up front. Speaking of which, what Canadian retailer sells Volquartsen barrels? Everywhere I search it's all US retailers and they don't ship here.
 
Whistle Pig also makes a light weight bull barrell. they are steel barrells inside aluminum. there are others that make steel barrells inside carbon fiber. that stuff gets expensive, but apparently it works well.
 
I can't believe people sink over $500 into a 10/22. That's ontop of the crazy price for the sr-22. IMO if you want a light rifle look at buying another gun. In the long run, it will save you money. I assume you want semi auto and a tactical looking gun that is non-restricted?
The mossy 715T flat top is perfect and is all kitted out stock. Plus it shoots great out of the box. $320
The su-22 is next on the price ladder. 5lbs loaded! $500
Issc is next but has had issues since its release $700
Volquartsen or Anschulz top of the line guns $2000+
I left out CZ because the semi auto isn't tactical but neither is the Vol/Ans guns!
I wish we could get the MP5 rimfire but it's prohib here! Also I think the mag limit is 20.
Another sweet gun would be the 597 in the Center Balanced systems stock. Also prohib because of being bullpup.
 
begging everyones pardon, but the Mossberg is barely more than a toy gun. My buddy has one, and he is dissapointed with it. And you will find many more that say so. yes its cheap, but it is CHEAP too. its nothing like some of the other better ones. the SR has an aluminum chassis, the Smith has full AR ergo etc.

As for the 10/22 as a money pit? you should see some of the multiple thousand dollar ones over on rimfire central. thats one of the beauties of it, its like a small block chevy, or a B series honda, its so upgradeable, and from super cheap, to big money. Guys are shooting one holes at 100+ yards with not too many upgrades. Guys do Johnny Appleseed, etc etc etc. very capable, very versatile, and its whatever you want to make of it because of the huge aftermarket and gunsmithing support.
 
personally ive had bad experiences with 10/22's and it has no features on it of any kind. i like my tactical rimfire rifles (which i assume your going for when looking for an sr) to have the same features as centerfire ones, like last shot hold open, and an eject system that doesnt use the mag lip to eject. the reminton 597 has a much nicer setup, dual slides for the bolt, last shot hold open, etc. ive never had an issue with my 597, no jams, no fte/ftf etc. it just eats any ammo, and is very happy to. my issc mk22 is pretty good, i get 1 fte about every 100 rds, it was better than that but hasnt been through a good cleaning in awhile...
 
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