short barrel shoots flatter
- Thread starter savagelh
- Start date
Apples and Oranges
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What you are kind of doing here is comparing Apples and Oranges. There are a lot of variables in trying to experiment like this and they can drive you bonkers.
First of all is the different components used, especially the barrels. The barrel diameters are probably different, and the lengths certainly are. Bedding can also cause this condition that you have experienced.
One of the big things that occurs is barrel vibration. If you think of a tuning fork, different ones vibrate at different frequencies. This depends upon length, thickness, material (steel) type used, and so on.
When a bullet is fired, it sets up a frequency at which that particular rifle barrel vibrates for that particular load. For example, lots of people are really suprised when they fire a 150 grain bullet out af a .303 British and then fire a 210 grain bullet from the same rifle at the same target and range, and find out that the 210 grain bullet actually shoots higher. In fact, you would think that the the No. 4 Lee Enfield with it's heavier barrel would be good for long range target shooting, rather than the No. 1 rifle with it's lighter barrel. The fact is, the heavier bullet exits at a different point of barrel vibration.
However, most older target shooters used the No. 1 rifle for longer ranges, between 600 and 1000 yards because it "compensated" better. One of the favorite sayings was "The No. 4 is good out to 600 yards, but if you want to play with the big boys, you had better get a No. 1 rifle."
What has this to do with your .22? Well, due to the fact that the barrels do vibrate differently, this means that the muzzle of the barrel is actually moving in a bit of a circle when it is fired. At a certain point in this circle movement, the bullet will exit from the muzzle, and it could be left, right, up or down, or points in between depending upon the load used.
This is why different weights of ammunition or different brands of ammunition can shoot in another spot from where you have zeroed a rifle. Different lengths of barrel vibrate at different frequences too, and bedding can also alter this considerably.
This is also why you find shorter and heavier barrels on target rifles that are scoped. They vibrate in a lesser circle at the muzzle because they are stiffer, thus they hold a closer zero at longer ranges. Long heavy barrels are also used especially with open sights as they give a longer sighting radius between the front and rear sight.
Then, when you add differences in bore diameters, land and groove depths, cut versus button rifling, barrel smoothness, chamber dimensions, firing pin impact, lock time, scope parallax, holding pressure due to different stock dimensions, and a dozen or so other factors, that add to or subtract from the variations of a rifle, it almost seems a wonder that we can get them anywhere near hitting in the same target.
Like the example of the .303 bullets, logically it would seem that the heavier bullet would hit lower, or in a .22 rimfire, a longer barrel would produce more velocity thus hitting flatter, but sometimes that is not the case.
The solution to this is to accept each rifle as it is, and don't worry about it. Just be aware of it when you shoot each rifle, as each rifle is as individual as a fingerprint. You can have two rifles, made one after each other by the same people on the same day, and it is quite possible that they will not shoot the same.
In other words, "Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things."
.
.
What you are kind of doing here is comparing Apples and Oranges. There are a lot of variables in trying to experiment like this and they can drive you bonkers.
First of all is the different components used, especially the barrels. The barrel diameters are probably different, and the lengths certainly are. Bedding can also cause this condition that you have experienced.
One of the big things that occurs is barrel vibration. If you think of a tuning fork, different ones vibrate at different frequencies. This depends upon length, thickness, material (steel) type used, and so on.
When a bullet is fired, it sets up a frequency at which that particular rifle barrel vibrates for that particular load. For example, lots of people are really suprised when they fire a 150 grain bullet out af a .303 British and then fire a 210 grain bullet from the same rifle at the same target and range, and find out that the 210 grain bullet actually shoots higher. In fact, you would think that the the No. 4 Lee Enfield with it's heavier barrel would be good for long range target shooting, rather than the No. 1 rifle with it's lighter barrel. The fact is, the heavier bullet exits at a different point of barrel vibration.
However, most older target shooters used the No. 1 rifle for longer ranges, between 600 and 1000 yards because it "compensated" better. One of the favorite sayings was "The No. 4 is good out to 600 yards, but if you want to play with the big boys, you had better get a No. 1 rifle."
What has this to do with your .22? Well, due to the fact that the barrels do vibrate differently, this means that the muzzle of the barrel is actually moving in a bit of a circle when it is fired. At a certain point in this circle movement, the bullet will exit from the muzzle, and it could be left, right, up or down, or points in between depending upon the load used.
This is why different weights of ammunition or different brands of ammunition can shoot in another spot from where you have zeroed a rifle. Different lengths of barrel vibrate at different frequences too, and bedding can also alter this considerably.
This is also why you find shorter and heavier barrels on target rifles that are scoped. They vibrate in a lesser circle at the muzzle because they are stiffer, thus they hold a closer zero at longer ranges. Long heavy barrels are also used especially with open sights as they give a longer sighting radius between the front and rear sight.
Then, when you add differences in bore diameters, land and groove depths, cut versus button rifling, barrel smoothness, chamber dimensions, firing pin impact, lock time, scope parallax, holding pressure due to different stock dimensions, and a dozen or so other factors, that add to or subtract from the variations of a rifle, it almost seems a wonder that we can get them anywhere near hitting in the same target.
Like the example of the .303 bullets, logically it would seem that the heavier bullet would hit lower, or in a .22 rimfire, a longer barrel would produce more velocity thus hitting flatter, but sometimes that is not the case.
The solution to this is to accept each rifle as it is, and don't worry about it. Just be aware of it when you shoot each rifle, as each rifle is as individual as a fingerprint. You can have two rifles, made one after each other by the same people on the same day, and it is quite possible that they will not shoot the same.
In other words, "Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things."
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