.22 LR effect of barrel length

[Humanartistry]

I am about to buy a new "Trail-Lite" barrel for my Buckmark I have briefly searched the web to find comparisons on velocity and accuracy between 4, 5.5 and 7.25 inch barrels I know generally length increases both but i dont know to what degree especially in lengths this short and close together a ballistics table comparing these lengths would be ideal but even a general idea of how much difference I can expect would be very much appreciated on a side not lately I have noticed an increasing number of feeding and ejecting problems I have considered the feed ramp (which will be addressed with the new barrel) and the ejector and have ruled out magazine any thought would be helpful also while I'm on the subject if anyone knows who makes replacement sights for a Buckmank that would be great.

Thanks,
OX​

 

[Steve C]

Length helps with accuracy as it provides a longer sight radius and adds some extra weight to the handgun. With a Red Dot sight the difference in accuracy is a function of the barrels innate accuracy and not related to length.

I have noticed an increasing number of feeding and ejecting problems I have considered the feed ramp (which will be addressed with the new barrel) and the ejector and have ruled out magazine any thought would be helpful{/QUOTE]

Every time my Brownings have started having problems with feeding and ejecting the issue has been resolved with a good cleaning and lubricating. Usually only clean and lube about every 600 to 1,000 rounds unless problems appear.

 

[Got_Lead?]

can't speak for the Buckmarks, but I have a Ruger MK II with the 6 7/8" target barrel, I just fired it using a 2X M8 scope, I got 1" groups at 50 yards with it using Bulk Remington Golden's. They Chrono'd 1100 fps 7 yards downrange. I could see the wobble of my rest using the scope, and beleive that given a more steady rest, my groups would have been perhaps 1/2 to 3/4" at 50 yards.

Velocities from the Golden's weren't real consistant, ranging from 1010 to 1160 fps, and everything in between. Recoil impulse at the shooting end seemed relatively consistant, no squibs or the like, however, most rounds were around 1100 fps +/- 50.

I ended up the shooting session sitting on a hillside, popping shotgun shells at 70 yards with this pistol. Almost makes me want to leave the scope on it.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I have a MK III with the 5 1/2" tube, which I haven't benched yet, but seems equally accurate. I know it looses a little velocity, because the rounds don't have that supersonic "crack" to them as they go downrange, just the pop of the pistol when it fires. The 6 7/8" MK II makes a crack as the bullet goes downrange, so even before I chrono'd it, I knew it was shooting 1100 or more.

 

[Geckgo]

From 4-7 inches with typical ammo you may see your velocities go from 900-1050 or something similar depending on the ammo, there was a website that had published data for different length barrels but I can't remember it.

 

[dhodgins]

I'm not sure you'll find a ballistics table for this since the difference will be insignificant. .22 increases speed right up to around 12-14" barrel length, after which anything longer actually starts to slow the little round down.

 

[Humanartistry]

thanks for the input everyone what iv gathered from the posts is that the difference will be negligible correct? oh and SteveC this is not an argument to your statement rather a follow up question i was under the impression that as well increasing velocity a longer barrel increased accuracy due to increased stability from being influenced more by the rifleing is this incorrect or just not applicable because of the length of the barrels in question also the feeding/ejecting problems isnt related to a dirty unlubed (is that a word, guess it is now) gun all of my guns are impeccably maintained so anymore suggestions would be very welcome


oh ya very off topic but if anyone knows of a SOB holster for the FN five-seven besides a roto holster please let me know

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

Generic estimates are:
4" bbl = low 900's
7" bbl = low 1000's
10" bbl = low 1100's

To get that extra 100fps, and make it to 1200fps, you need a 16" to 18" barrel. Diminishing returns. As you can see, the .22LR actually does very well in short tubes. Below is a ballistic gelatin test for the P22, with a 3.5" barrel:
http://www.brassfetcher.com/WaltherP22test.html

As to your other question: NO, more rifling does not make a barrel more accurate of itself. Think about it - the lands and grooves are cut by a machine, so once the bullet is engraved, the only two things more rifling can do is 1) stay the same 2) get out of spec. Unless the gun in question uses ultra-rare gain twist rifling, then the bullet will be stable the moment it reaches sufficient velocity in the barrel (RPMs) - that point will be different for every powder type and bullet combination, so a real world barrel needs to be sufficiently long for a wide range of ammunition. Long story short, there are many other more important factors that influence real world accuracy (like rate of twist and crown cut).

Fortunately, the .22LR uses a fairly light bullet, and a very small charge of fast burning powder - thus very little barrel length is needed to achieve sufficient velocity, stabilization, and thus potential accuracy.

 

[BCRider]

I gather from reading that the bullet is actually fully locked into the rifling grooves within well under an inch once it engages the grooves. So the rest of the grooves are just to keep it spinning at the same original rotational rate. So a longer barrel doesn't aid that part of the picture.

Likely the reasons that target or hunting barrels are better are;

• The longer sights base distance which makes it easier to be more fussy with your sight picture. If using a scope or red dot this means little.
• The rifling is likely cut with a bit more accuracy.
• the muzzle crown, which makes a HUGE difference, is likely cut to a higher accuracy for squareness to the bore.

Other than this you're looking at a slight gain in velocity such as has already been mentioned.

Oh, there's one other aspect if you hand hold freestyle. The longer barrel will tend to steady the sights a touch better just due to the effect on the guns quivering in your hands. The inertia of the longer and heavier bull barrel will damp out some of the smaller muscle nervousness.

 

[Got_Lead?]

A longer barrel does not necessarily improve accuracy. I have target pistols in both 7" and 5" barrel lengths, accuracy is not significantly different.

A longer barrel does increase velocity. I've been doing quite a bit of load development with my .45's lately. 4" barrels shoot about 70 fps slower than the 5" ones. I haven't extensively clocked .22 LR's yet, but expect to see similar finds.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Here's a thread from another place and time...

http://www.kifaruforums.net/showthread.php?6867-22LR-Barrel-Length-VS-Velocity&