I don't think there is a single answer to the question. For many years Ruger contracted their barrels and quality varied according to the supplier. My experience is limited to two mid-1970s #1Vs and a #3 from the early 1980s. On the .22-250 I couldn't get close to the lands even with a 60 grain Nosler, but it still averaged 5/8 inch five groups when I had a decent day. Sometimes I got it down to half inch, but it was rare. If that was a bad barrel, I'll still take it. The .25-06 and .223 both got around 3/4 to 7/8 inch five shot groups.
The Douglas barrels were normally considered the best and most consistent with the Wilson barrels being the poorest. I believe the .22-250 had a Wilson, because the Wilson's were notorious for extra long throats. I still think a lot of the "bad barrels" were more the result of the bullets and dies available back then. Before CNC production, many dies gave concentricity problems.
