Good Barrels for Ruger 10/22?

[wacki]

I just bought a plain Ruger 10/22 and a custom wood stock capable of handling large outer diameter .22LR barrels.

What are some high quality high bang for the buck barrels? The woman and I will be target shooting for fun so we need accuracy. However, we won't be doing any competitions or anything so I don't need to drop $1,000 on a barrel or something.

What's are some good options in the heavy steel? (for me)

What are some good options in the lightweight aluminum? (for her)

 

[Jubjub]

In the steel .920 category, they are all pretty good. A $100 Green Mountain or Adams & Bennett from Midway will shoot right along with any of the more expensive brands.

In the lightweight category, in my opinion Volquartsen is the one to get. Butler Creek sells a pseudo carbon fiber barrel that is complete junk, and generally considered less accurate than a factory barrel. Tactical Solutions sells an excellent line of lightweight barrels, but their chambers are cut for reliability, not maximum accuracy.

I have one of the 16.5" carbon fiber Volquartsens on my squirrel gun, and it will shoot its favorite Eley subsonic hollow points into .35" groups at 50 yards. The gun with scope and sling and magazine weighs 6 pounds 1 ounce and is 34.5" long. Pretty handy in the woods, if a bit muzzle light for offhand shooting.

 

[CraigC]

IMHO, cheap heavy barrels are to be avoided. I don't see much point in turning your rifle into an overly heavy club that doesn't shoot much better than a factory gun. You'd be better off having your factory barrel set back and rechambered.

The only good money spent on a heavy barrel is spent on a quality barrel. Green Mountain is the least expensive I'd bother with. Those from Clark, Shilen, Lilja and KID are among the best. $200 will get you a great shooting barrel but in my opinion, steel bull barrels belong on target rifles that don't get lugged around the woods.

If you want a medium weight barrel that will shoot as well as a heavy barrel, get a midweight or varmint contour from Clark or Shilen. This is my preference for a field gun as they are as accurate as needed but not too heavy. Steel heavy barrels are just too heavy and clumsy on a field gun.

Use a lightweight if weight is an issue but don't expect them to shoot as well as a steel barrel. Even from the bench.

 

[joejoeshooter]

Tactical Solutions SBX. I don't have one yet, but I intend to purchase one. I have a friend that installed one with Tapco stock and a collapsible butt. Also can put a suppressor inside the "birdcage" and it's still only 16 inches.

See below.

jjs

http://www.gunkings.com/index.php?m...ducts_id=454&zenid=2g472imk45h5ndm9e712gp09k5

 

[Cesiumsponge]

Mine was a Montana Rifleman 24" .920" fluted match barrel. I'm not sure what the best theoretical accuracy is for the 10/22 but I can usually keep it inside a quarter at 100 yards and usually about .3-.4" at 50 yards and I'm not a particularly skilled shooter. If I recall, it was about $300



I've heard good things from WhistlePig barrels too. They're turned down steel barrels with an aluminum sleeve with fluting or custom anodizing. They're popular if you're doing a theme build: http://www.wpgbc.com/

 

[Bill B.]

E.R. Shaw are excellent also based on the one I got in a package deal from Boyd's Gunstocks.

 

[wacki]

Tactical Solutions sells an excellent line of lightweight barrels, but their chambers are cut for reliability, not maximum accuracy.

Can you explain this? What is the difference? I assume one has a loading ramp that is cut for a smoother feed, but how can a chamber be cut for accuracy?

Thanks,

-W

 

[DoctorOfLight]

ER Shaw SPIRAL fluted bull barrel for you ~ $180

Volquartsen carbon fiber barrell for her ~ $350

Google them and you will fall in love.

 

[unwise11]

are you planning to switch barrels alot?
not the best idea.
the gun is going to weigh in about 8 pounds at most.
dont worry about for her.

 

[FlyinBryan]

green mountain barrels are pretty good for the $$$

i believe there are better ones, but for about $100 or so they are plenty good enough for me.

 

[hardluk1]

Nothing wroung with buying a heavy barrel for a range/play gun I have a bought on sale 85 dollar GM SS 20" barrel on one 10/22 and a 16.25" Clark barrel on my wifes 10/22 Priceing is very different but both shoot very small groups. The GM also makes adam-bennet barrels to.

 

[CraigC]

Can you explain this? What is the difference? I assume one has a loading ramp that is cut for a smoother feed, but how can a chamber be cut for accuracy?

No loading ramp. Tighter chambers that are perfectly aligned with the bore make more accurate guns, which is true of anything. Ruger factory barrels as well as some aftermarket barrels will have a looser chamber for utmost reliability. Most of your aftermarket barrels will have a Bentz chamber which is tighter than sporting chambers but still loose enough for good reliability. Buy a match barrel and it will have one of any number of match chambers. There are A LOT of different .22LR chamber reamers available.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Steel: Green Mountain
Alum: Whistle Pig

You can spend more on a barrel but either of those will be plenty accurate enough to test the shooter, not the rifle.

 

[wally]

IMHO, cheap heavy barrels are to be avoided. I don't see much point in turning your rifle into an overly heavy club that doesn't shoot much better than a factory gun

I don't know, this looks pretty good for a $100 barrel and $50 stock, he already has the stock:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=131138


The targets shown are 10-shot groups at 50 yards off sandbags with a cheap BSA 4-16X scope. You don't really need to spend a ton of money.

 

[rice]

I am extremely happy with my Clerke 16" bull barrel. It makes the gun look a lot like a single shot shotgun!

 

[GunTech]

A match chamber will be tight and engrave the bullet. However, this does not always make for a reliable rifle, and many match barrels for the 10/22 use the Benz chamber, which is tight at the chamber mouth, but loose at the breech face - a compromise that seems to work very well in the 10/22.

Keep in mind that the match between ammo and chamber is important too, and shooting crappy ammo in your match barrel won't magically turn it into good shooting ammo. Try a variety of ammo. Many barrels show a marked preference for certain brands.

Another vote here for the Green Mountain. It's a great high value barrel. You can buy barrels for twice as much, but they won't be twice as good. It's the law of diminishing returns - you pay more and more for small graduations of improvement. If you need pin point accuracy, it might be time to rethink your platform.