Barrel Length vs. Velocity

[YammyMonkey]

I remember reading somewhere that a 12" barrel is going to get a .22lr round up to max velocity & any length past that is just wasted space. Does anybody have any info on this as far as whether or not it is true?

I was thinking that a suppressor on the end of a SBR 10/22 with proper tax stamps would be pretty neat, but I don't want to destroy the ballistic performance.

Is there an easy way to figure out at what point extra barrel length is only adding weight?

 

[Geronimo45]

Doubt that extra barrel length would inhibit anything. Think there was somebody who did a test - and found that there was no negative change in velocity out of inordinately long barrels. It kept on increasing, IIRC. Not by huge amounts, but by some amount.

 

[YammyMonkey]

I could see that, but does anyone know approx. where the diminishing returns on the barrel length really kick in? Is there really that much difference for a .22LR between a 12" bbl & a 16" or even 20" bbl?

 

[Beetle Bailey]

Another factor to consider is the type of ammo (weight of bullet and velocity). When I shoot the Wolf match .22lr out of my CZ 452 Lux, it is slower than when I shoot the same ammo out of my friend's Ruger 10/22. The CZ has a longer barrel, but the Ruger hits the steel spinner targets harder with that ammo.