Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire ?? 28 inch barrel on a 22lr??

Saw a beautiful 452 CZ in a gun shop. I never handled a CZ, but must say I was impressed with the bolt/action. What is the benefit/reason for a 28 inch barrel on this gun?? Was kinda weird looking----didn't like it.

They are very quiet with standard velocity ammo.

Dink

birddog65,

I have a 24" .22 and I think it looses velocity compared to my other .22.

The long barrel gives a longer sight radius when using iron sights.


Mike

Anything over 20" loses velocity on a .22lr. Actually, 18" is probably the best length but 20" will work okay.

yes. only reason?

You "think" it looses velocity.
Have you cronographed that?
Not saying it does or doesn't. Just curious.

Got a 28" sporter barrel on one of my 10-22s. Rem Subsonics function and cycle well and sound like a handclap. The bolt slapping the rear of the receiver is the loudest thing I hear. I can shoot it indoors through a partially opened window without earplugs, no prob. If I hear some commotion outside it's slung on my back just in case something needs to go away quietly.

I shot a few water jugs once. IIRC it got caught in the third one with an expanded diameter of .35. Good enough for most VARMINTs round here.

It's in one of those cheesy Muzzelite bullpup stocks to keep the length down. Surprisingly it's plenty accurate at 22LR ranges and the Timney trigger keeps the pull decent.

I've attempted to do something similar with a .40 Mech-Tech carbine and a 26" barrel 45 Colt Taurus pump. So far no luck, too much powder, might have to get a can for those.

Ringman don't need no inaccurate chronograph.

He just knows.

My son did a science fair project in high school that tested the velocity of a 22 LR being fired out of several different firearms with different barrel lengths. I had read an old report that stated that the 22 LR was at its maximum level of performance at 18 inches and any barrel length beyond that would cause a loss in velocity.

In his test, barrels varied in length from a 4 inch High Standard pistol barrel to a Ruger 10/22 with a custom 24 inch barrel. In his test the 24 inch barrel was the fastest tested. He had probably 4 different barrel lengths between the 4 inch and 24 inch barrels. With every increase in length, the velocity was higher than the previous shorter barrel, with the highest velocity coming from the 24 inch barrel. The same ammo was used throughout the test and the chronograph was tested at the start and end of the experiment for consistency.

I know that his experiment wasn't very scientific, but it did show something that I thought was interesting. The velocity didn't start decreasing as the barrel length being tested went past 18 inches. Velocity increased with a Marlin 20 inch barrel as well as the Ruger 24 inch. It likely had to do with the velocity of individual barrels made by different manufacturers, but I wasn't even close to letting him start chopping off sections of barrel from my Ruger.

It did make me wonder about the old test I saw about the optimum barrel length for a 22 LR being 18 inches.

What he needs is the followup experiment. reduce the # of variables by using the same action. He needs a donor 28" ruger 10/22... (perhaps in a bullpup stock!? lol.) and incrementally cut down the barrel.

Really, I'd chip in $10 if anyone else will, and if he is willing to re-do things.

Its been done before, but there is nothing like hands on experience. It'd be cool to see it all in time elapse too.

I can recall one of the gunwriters checking this out, probably in the '70's. He started with a long, maybe 26 or 28 inch barrel and cut it off about an inch at a time, thus same rifle, same barrel, just the length changed. I recall that the "sweet spot" with velocity was around 17 inches. Longer than that and they started slowing back down. Of course, there's always the chance that the barrel he used had a tight spot or directional constriction of some kind out past there....

48,

I remember reading a similar, maybe the same, article where someone began to cut down a 28" barrel and chrono the velocities. Wish I could find it - Maybe someone will. I remember that the subsonic target ammo showed a max velocity from a rifle barrel at 16" and the std high velocity showed max velocity at 18". Both are close to the 17" you remember, so maybe it was the same article.

What I took away from the data was:
1) that max velocity didn't prove max accuracy. Think a lot of people have read that into the test when accuracy wasn't even apart of the testing.
2) you would really get lower velocity variations going a bit longer than the max velocity barrel length they found in the testing.

Although I can't provide a citation, the fact that peak velocity on a .22 rf barrel is about 16-17" is pretty well established. It ain't rocket science.

As already noted, one reason for longer barrels, especially with traditional target rifles, is to maximize sight radius. Another reason, though not based on "more is always better", is offhand balance. There is a point at which too much weight out front becomes counterproductive.

There is also a theory that the slow time up the bore makes it desirable to get the bullet out ASAP when shooting offhand. That is why precision shooting with air rifles is so demanding, with follow through being critical.

In an effort to get the best of two worlds, some shooters have built rifles that are counterbored, leaving a short rifled section and a larger diameter smooth bored section out to the muzzle. I know one shooter who accomplished that by putting a short premium grade liner in a .22 target rifle, resulting in superb accuracy. Happens to be a vintage Winchester low wall Schuetzen rig, for offhand matches.

Paul

A variety of ammo would have to be tested as well.

I have an outdoor writer friend that was shooting some CB caps in a rifle and they would just begin to stick in a 2x4 at the yardage he was shooting.

He put the same loads into a revolver and they shot clear through the 2x4. (As a simple example of barrel lengths and velocity comparison.)

Lots of combinations out there.

Believe you might be referring to Bob Forker (Guns and Ammo). His conclusion was 16". I might add, those that have actually taken the time, and ruined perfectly good barrels, Have generally come up with 14 to 16 inches for max Velocity.

Lead fouling in the barrel might create tight spots/constrictions. Keep in mind that there are some folks that don't believe in cleaning 22lr barrels, see Shreck's recent thread on cleaning his neighbors 22lr. I can see where fouling build up in a longer barrel might slow velocity down.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/8266207/1

I have the CZ Ultralux with the long barrel. I haven't bothered to test velocity because it doesn't matter to me. I have mine set up with a Williams peep sight and love the long sight radius.

I also liked the original iron tangent sights. The pre marked adjustments worked well enough for me to hit a cola can at 25...50..and 100 yards with no hold over.

Bob Milek, a writer that lived tn Thermopolis, WY, did the same kind of test but I think he was using a .308.

At 28 inches, the bullet has forgotten what it's mission was.

Also, they are made for poking rattlers after you shot them, just to check for signs of life without gettin too close.