Why only thick heavy 22 barrels?

[Tackleberry41]

Seems the only option when it comes to a replacement 10/22 barrel is standard thin sporting taper or an overly large .920 barrel. Is there some reason that a middle diameter isnt offered?

I had a heavy all steel .920 in my rifle for a long time, but not fun to go carrying around for very long. I know they make light weight carbon fiber etc, but not exactly cheap.

I was very happy with that economical butler creek that my rifle wore for a long time, it was just the weight. I can easily run it thru my lathe and turn it down to a lighter diameter. Just didnt know if there was some actual reason they need to be so thick on a 22lr, or has it simply become the 'industry standard' and everybody goes along.

[Doc Highwall]

Like you said you either get a light weight carry gun or a tricked out heavy one for rapid fire shooting.

[Hannibal]

How about cutting it down and recrowning it? I have a short, heavy barreled .22 and like it a lot. Quick handling, easy to tote around and not get hung-up on everything and lighter than some of my other .22s.

[Iowa Fox]

Several companies offer a heavy tapered 10/22 barrel. Feddersens barrel is 17" and .725 at the muzzle.

[JSnover]

Yeah, if you have a lathe, part a few inches off and re-crown it.

[Tackleberry41]

I did some reading and seems we got stuck with .920 because it was...easier. Thats the diameter where the barrel clamp is, so its just easier to machine the barrel straight. And as things tend to happen, stocks were made to fit that profile, and soon everybody was doing the exact same thing.

I messed with my old one, just playing on the lathe cut it back some, thinned it, recrowned. Still shoots as good. I have a factory sporter barrel on it now, but cut off the front sight section, put a proper crown on it along with some threads. Shoots better than it did stock, barrel was free.

I just wondered if there was an actual reason beyond cheaper and easier? I wonder if I was to make thinner profile, but not sporter barrels if people would ask..why?

[bobthenailer]

I belive that someone makes a match grade barrel in the factory std sporter contour

[country gent]

If you have a good mill and patience you can also flute the .920 barrel to lighten it. Gives more surface for cooling (not a real issue with 22 LR) maintains about the same stiffness as the full dia barrel. Also removes wieght from front end making for a better "feeling " rifle from positions. I have a couple fluted barrels and they work great. Another neat mod that would be very sharp looking would be to set it up in a dividing head and tailstock in the mill give it .100 taper and mill it to a tapered octagon profile. But this would also require a new stock. (.920 for 1" from reciever tapered to .820 at muzzle). In the lathe a tapered section from muzzle back could be cut by offsetting the tailstock with the barrel between centers or if your machine has a taper attachment even better.

[lefty o]

you can always have the best of both world, great shooting bull barrel and weighs less than the factory tube. magnum research and volquartsen both make lighweight very accurate carbon fiber barrels. there is a price to admission though.

[Tackleberry41]

Price of these barrels has always been the issue to me, often as much as the whole rifle. I wish I had a mill, but dont see me getting one soon. Just an odd thing that once the lazy .920 got made that became the standard, I can understand that on a larger caliber, but you only need so much stiffness in a barrel.

But I also know that outside the box thinking doesnt tend to go over to well. Maybe somebody made a middle diameter barrel, but not enough customers.

[NavyVet1959]

I have an old Winchester Model 90 in .22short from around 1915 (according to the serial number lookup here (http://oldguns.net/sn_php/windateslookup.php)) and it has a thick octagon barrel that is probably disproportionately greater in diameter than what is really necessary for that round. The wall thickness is easily the same (if not greater) than the bore. But, I sure did kill a lot of squirrels and blackbirds with it as a kid. So, I think thick barrels for .22s have been around for quite awhile. I guess they want to ensure that it doesn't bend if you trip and fall while hiking through the woods?

[rking22]

Green Mountain has a 17 inch heavy taper. Balances very well in the sporter walnut. It is about .7 at the muzzle. They also have several other "in between" barrels. I have one built up with the 20 in .920, one with a 28 inch light taper, a 20 inch tapered to .7 and the 17 heavy taper. The 17 inch is my favorite, the heavy .920 my least. I squirrel hunt, if bench shooting were my thing I would prefer the heavy 20inch. I think that is why the .920s got popular, but they are just too nose heavy for hunting in the woods. All shoot under 5/8 at 50yards and are all Ruger except the barrels. triggers are 2.5 to 3.25 lbs and all are bedded in Ruger stocks, with 2x7 low mounted scopes. That heavy barrel makes it sit better on sandbags but makes no difference to mechanical accuracy.

[Mk42gunner]

IIRC the .920" barrels became popular when everybody and their brother was building rifles to use in the Sportsman's team challenge competition. Not a lot of carrying involved for a range queen.

I built one with a Green Mountain fluted barrel, seems like it was either 16 or 18" long, and it was still awfully heavy to carry in the squirrel woods. Something about halfway between stock and .920" would have been about right, but they weren't offered by any one then. I do remember a light weight .920 polymer covered barrel from I think Butler Creek in the early years of this century. It was a sick looking haze gray and wasn't on the market very long.

Robert

[AZ-JIM]

If you are willing to spend the money, look at Whistle Pig Gun Barrel Co. I have one on a just finished project. 18" fluted aluminum barrel with chrome molly liner. Weighs 15 oz. Yes a bit pricey, like said earlier almost as much as the rifle. But it looks promising. As of right now I only have 20 rounds down range with it with mini mags. My goal with the project was to see how light I could build one and so far I am happy. It is in a Houge stock right now but I have plans to make my own custom stock, hopefully I will gain a few more oz's in my favor. I dont know the exact weight at the moment, I dont have an accurate method to weigh it but it is considerably lighter than anything else I own. I also have another 10/22 with an Addams and Bennet .920 steel bull barrel, it shoots well but it is too heavy for a .22, which somewhat prompted the current build.

az-jim

[Mtnfolk75]

I'll 2nd Green Mountain Barrels, I have had their Whiteface Mountain 22" Stainless Sporter Barrels on 2 different 10-22's & a 20" Blue on another. All shot like a laser, having 11* Target Crowns & Match Chambers. Pretty reasonable $$ as I recall, it was in the 90's.

[bubba.50]

Midway used to sell a match grade sporter barrel. I think maybe the were Adams & Bennett.

[Forrest r]

Most of the factory bbl's had good bores/riflings, it was the garbage chambers & crowns on them that made them so bad. Allot of people over on rimfirecenteral.com would touch up the crowns. And then cut the chamber end of the bbl back 1/4" and re-chamber them with a match reamer. The end result was what people refer to as a "tack driver".

The so called match chamber used in allot of the aftermarket 10-22 bbl, namely the bentz chamber. The kids gun (the chipmonk) has a tighter chamber.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/ptgreamers.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/ptgreamers.jpg.html)

But the bentz chamber is a huge improvement over the standard sporter chamber. Myself, I've re-chambered several 10-22 bbl's using a true match reamer. The ptg lilja reamer will turn most bbl's into fly swatters.

[GhostHawk]

Who buys barrels for a Ruger 10/22?

Enthusiasts who are looking for even more accuracy.

People who have shot their barrel too often too fast, needing a replacement barrel.

If I was in either category I'd be looking for a thicker, heavier accurate barrel that will last longer.

Thankfully I'm not, my original barrel still has more accuracy than I can use. But I've always been careful with it.

So you either want a stock replacement barrel
Or you want the heavier bull barrel that lasts longer and is more accurate.

To me it is entirely logical that those 2 are what remain as choices. With most other choices falling by the wayside.

I don't plan to replace my barrel at this point, but if I did I would get the heavy barrel.

BTW me and my shooting partner both have Ruger 10/22's, we have fought for years for dominance over the other.
I was the first to put a full sized deer rifle scope on mine. A nice Bushnell 3-9 variable. After one quick demonstration where my buddy put a whole mag at the target and failed to hit it, I picked up mine, dialed it up and with 1 shot the target was gone.

Next year he shows up with an even better scope to zero in, and so the arms race continues. :)
Some year I might just have to invest in one of those bull barrels just to get the upper hand. :)

[Markbo]

There are match grade barrels in every length and contour imaginable. Or you can send your factory barrel off to have it accurized by Que @ Que's bolt and barrel rework. He does great work. GM also offers a heavy taper barrel.

If weight is the issue and not size you cant beat Kidd lightweight and ultralight or carbon fiber barrels by Volquartsen and Magnum Research. I have barrels by all of these mentioned and more and every one will shoot sub 1/2" @ 50 yards. A few of them half that including a couple of Que'd factory barrels.

FWIW I hvae never seen evidence of a 10/22 barrel shot out even after a documented ​1/2 million rounds.

[rhead]

The extra weight out front is useful on a long offhand shot at a squirrel head. the rest of the time it is excess weight.

[jsizemore]

To address the OP's question, .920 was the magic number for a benchrest barrel to make weight in class. Shorter stiffer barrel to optimize powder burn for bore of 22 or 6mm and fit in the wide forend stock and cut down on barrel 'whip' action. Once somebody saw the winner shooting that dimension, everybody followed.