optimum Barrel length for 22lrs

[wayupnorth]

while not scientific i have 2(two) Ruger 10/22's that i build.
same receiver, same bolts, same everything..... except for barrel length.
one has a 8" bull and the other a 18.5" bull.

the difference in accuracy?
i have no idea.
i cant tell the difference between them 25-50.
past that i dont know as i dont punch paper further than that.

so what i learned from shooting them is that for what im doing length of barrel for a 22 does not make a difference.

was there not a group of fella's who did an experiment with a 22 and cut an inch off all the way down to 2"?
i seem to recall there was no big difference in that experiment either.

 

[wayupnorth]

Ballistics by the inch!

that was (is) what the web site is called.

so i was just looking and ill use a 10/22 as an example.
a stock 18.5" ruger 10/22 is pushing a 40gr CCI Velociter out at 1304
test gun @18" was 1366
then minus off 1" of barrel from there and the numbers are;
1376
1340 - 16"
1336
1349 - 14"
1341
1335 - 12"
1338
1316 - 10"
1275
1268 - 8"
1244
1093 - 6"
1172
1120 - 4"
1026
882 @2" of barrel

so as you can see the velocity does not really change much between 8 and 18.5" of barrel

 

[grauhanen]

I've seen photos of guys going overboard with their AR's, but a 24 foot barrel is taking it to a whole new level... Guess if they can't hit the target with the bullet they can always knock it down with the barrel.... Cleaning must be a ##### as well.

That is obviously a typo. Of course, cleaning a 24' long barrel is a real job -- imagine swabbing one of the nine 16" guns on an Iowa-class battleship like the New Jersey, which served until the early 1990's.