What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

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What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by jwai86 » 12 Jun 2022, 1:15 pm

I've seen 22LR rifles on the market with barrel lengths of 16", 18", 20", 22", 24" and even as long as 28",

My current understanding over a long period of researching online is that:
- A 16" barrel is sufficiently long enough for the powder in 22LR cartridges to be fully consumed.
- A longer barrel can increase the round's velocity, but there will be a point when the round will stop gaining velocity and start losing it from friction with the longer rifling.
- A stiffer shorter barrel (particularly on varmint models) is less likely to be affected by the tiny vibrations that occur during shooting that may affect accuracy.
- When using iron sights, a longer barrel increases the sight radius which can make it easier to make accurate shots.
- A short and compact rifle is ideal if you are expecting to take it through dense bush or are shooting from a vehicle.
- Barrel length can affect the balance of the rifle, particularly if you are shooting it offhand.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by bladeracer » 12 Jun 2022, 2:08 pm

jwai86 wrote:I've seen 22LR rifles on the market with barrel lengths of 16", 18", 20", 22", 24" and even as long as 28",

My current understanding over a long period of researching online is that:
- A 16" barrel is sufficiently long enough for the powder in 22LR cartridges to be fully consumed.
- A longer barrel can increase the round's velocity, but there will be a point when the round will stop gaining velocity and start losing it from friction with the longer rifling.
- A stiffer shorter barrel (particularly on varmint models) is less likely to be affected by the tiny vibrations that occur during shooting that may affect accuracy.
- When using iron sights, a longer barrel increases the sight radius which can make it easier to make accurate shots.
- A short and compact rifle is ideal if you are expecting to take it through dense bush or are shooting from a vehicle.
- Barrel length can affect the balance of the rifle, particularly if you are shooting it offhand.


I have ten .22LR rifles in 18", 18.5", 20", and 25" barrels. When I was a kid I also had 16" and 28".
Generally, I like 18". If you want to get full value out of high-velocity ammo, longer is better, 22" is a good choice. If you enjoy the hyper-velocity ammo a 25" may be better. If most of your shooting is subsonic or low-subsonic a shorter barrel may be better. I find 18" to 20" to be the best all-round compromise.

.22LR is also used in handguns so it uses a very fast powder that is going to be consumed in very short barrels.
I shot a _very_ quick test a couple years ago.
https://enoughgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=13101
Basically, CCI Quiet lost 30fps in a 25" compared to 18.5".
CCI Copper gained 180fps in the longer barrel.
CCI Standard Velocity was identical in 18.5", 20" and 25".

The external points are all valid but come down to personal preference. If you or your ammo preference shoots best in a shorter barrel, you can use various barrel extensions to lengthen your sight radius, and still reduce barrel time. I'm strongly considering ordering the Henry Frontier for it's 24" barrel due to my worsening eyesight, just to push the front sight six-inches further from my eye. Switching from an open sight to a receiver-mounted aperture can help a lot with front sight definition as well.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by Over The Hill » 12 Jun 2022, 5:48 pm

I have tried both 18" and 24" on my scoped CZ 455. For me I find I get better grouping wit the shorter varmint barrel. Prob because the bullet is out of the barrel quicker so my wobble doesn't affect it as much :). I also recently had 4" removed from the barrel of my Browning BL22 lever gun, not to make it shoot better, just because it now looks so much better :)
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by northdude » 12 Jun 2022, 7:03 pm

over here we have different rules. The rifle I use for possum culling has an 11" barrel we are aloud the modify them ourselves over here without permits or legal stuff as long as we keep it at or over the legal minimum length. This rifle was a sportco semi mod 78 I think, got it given to me as part of the barrel was rusted out from the muzzle end so 11" was where I still had some good barrel. shoots really good haven't chronyed it tho. Only problem I ran into and I had a good idea this would be a problem is that having the barrel that short it wont cycle reliably probably because being a short barrel it doesn't develop enough pressure to operate the blow back system reliably, so I threaded it and fitted a suppressor that was a good improvement. If any one on here is familiar with this old model Ive got a question..
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by jwai86 » 13 Jun 2022, 9:09 am

bladeracer wrote:Generally, I like 18". If you want to get full value out of high-velocity ammo, longer is better, 22" is a good choice. If you enjoy the hyper-velocity ammo a 25" may be better. If most of your shooting is subsonic or low-subsonic a shorter barrel may be better. I find 18" to 20" to be the best all-round compromise.

I get that subsonic ammo is used when noise is a potential concern, but when would high velocity ammo be desirable?
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by flashman » 13 Jun 2022, 10:52 am

I have 18" heavy bull barrels on mine, for my type of shooting they work well........ :thumbsup:
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by bigpete » 13 Jun 2022, 1:12 pm

jwai86 wrote:
bladeracer wrote:Generally, I like 18". If you want to get full value out of high-velocity ammo, longer is better, 22" is a good choice. If you enjoy the hyper-velocity ammo a 25" may be better. If most of your shooting is subsonic or low-subsonic a shorter barrel may be better. I find 18" to 20" to be the best all-round compromise.

I get that subsonic ammo is used when noise is a potential concern, but when would high velocity ammo be desirable?

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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by bladeracer » 13 Jun 2022, 2:08 pm

jwai86 wrote:
bladeracer wrote:Generally, I like 18". If you want to get full value out of high-velocity ammo, longer is better, 22" is a good choice. If you enjoy the hyper-velocity ammo a 25" may be better. If most of your shooting is subsonic or low-subsonic a shorter barrel may be better. I find 18" to 20" to be the best all-round compromise.


I get that subsonic ammo is used when noise is a potential concern, but when would high velocity ammo be desirable?


High-velocity is preferred by many people for killing larger animals, like calves and big roos injured on the road. It can also be better for foxes, but I use subsonic CCI SV for hunting as it's more accurate. If I need to shoot something with more impact I have plenty of centrefires to choose from.

99% of my shooting is subsonic, if I don't need to be noisy I prefer not to be.
If I'm shooting very close to the house I prefer to go low-subsonic with CCI Quiets at 710fps, it's quieter than my air-rifles.
I like high-velocity for long-range practice as the trajectory is flatter, though the accuracy is not as good. But long-range with .22LR means the groups are already quite large, at 300m they're around 250mm if I'm shooting very well in a steady wind. At 300m, with a 100m zero, CCI Standard Velocity at 1070fps drops 4100mm, the Federal 510 at 1275fps drops 3400mm.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by hunting99 » 13 Jun 2022, 6:04 pm

The only problem I have with a 16” barrel is it’s a bit loud for what I use a 22 for
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by jwai86 » 16 Jun 2022, 1:00 pm

hunting99 wrote:The only problem I have with a 16” barrel is it’s a bit loud for what I use a 22 for

Ah, I forgot about that consideration with shorter barrels. What are you using your .22 for?
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by mickb » 24 Jun 2022, 1:31 am

OP your points are all pretty much correct. Myself I like longer barrels, no interest in the current fetish for short barrels and carbines on anything.I never had problems using regular length barrels either unless it was a specialised task like a boat or bike gun. I even liked the 25" barrel on my former CZ452 22LR. Id choose 22-24" if I could. Current 22LR is a 96/22 with 18" barrel, its a little noisier than I like but not too bad.

Regards subs vs high powered ammo, depends on use. With high powered ammo you can still get accurate enough for almost all tasks. Some of the ultra high velocity powered ammo( CCI stingers, CCI velocitors, remington yellow jackets) have enough oomph to take the 22LR up a level for killing power( IMO).
When I get a 22LR I see if it likes Stingers or Velocitors, then CCI minimags as its good news if it likes the fast stuff right off. Failing that I start running through regular HP ammo brands at 1200fps or so to find one it likes.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by joneda1 » 24 Apr 2023, 12:34 pm

bladeracer wrote:
jwai86 wrote:
bladeracer wrote:Generally, I like 18". If you want to get full value out of high-velocity ammo, longer is better, 22" is a good choice. If you enjoy the hyper-velocity ammo a 25" may be better. If most of your shooting is subsonic or low-subsonic a shorter barrel may be better. I find 18" to 20" to be the best all-round compromise.


I get that subsonic ammo is used when noise is a potential concern, but when would high velocity ammo be desirable?


High-velocity is preferred by many people for killing larger animals, like calves and big roos injured on the road. It can also be better for foxes, but I use subsonic CCI SV for hunting as it's more accurate. If I need to shoot something with more impact I have plenty of centrefires to choose from.

99% of my shooting is subsonic, if I don't need to be noisy I prefer not to be.
If I'm shooting very close to the house I prefer to go low-subsonic with CCI Quiets at 710fps, it's quieter than my air-rifles.
I like high-velocity for long-range practice as the trajectory is flatter, though the accuracy is not as good. But long-range with .22LR means the groups are already quite large, at 300m they're around 250mm if I'm shooting very well in a steady wind. At 300m, with a 100m zero, CCI Standard Velocity at 1070fps drops 4100mm, the Federal 510 at 1275fps drops 3400mm.


I've just had my licence approved and I'm shopping for a gun now. I mainly need a gun to shoot foxes and I'm close enough to neighbours that I really want to keep the noise down. I also need to be able to kill foxes at up to 50m range.
What's your experience with the CCI Quiets? And maybe CCI Quiet Semi-Auto if I wanted to compromise a bit on noise level?
Are they likely to disturb neighbours who are about 40-50m away, mostly through a tall grove of trees?
Just how loud do they seem at a distance?
Compare to standard subsonics, is there a great deal of difference in noise level?
Will they have the power to kill foxes reliably, assuming a decently aimed shot?

I notice elsewhere that you did some test on muzzle velocity for different barrel lengths but with higher velocity ammunition. Would you have any comments on both the muzzle velocity and noise level of CCI Quiets and other subsonics between say 18" and 21" barrels?
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by bladeracer » 26 Apr 2023, 4:49 pm

joneda1 wrote:I've just had my licence approved and I'm shopping for a gun now. I mainly need a gun to shoot foxes and I'm close enough to neighbours that I really want to keep the noise down. I also need to be able to kill foxes at up to 50m range.
What's your experience with the CCI Quiets? And maybe CCI Quiet Semi-Auto if I wanted to compromise a bit on noise level?
Are they likely to disturb neighbours who are about 40-50m away, mostly through a tall grove of trees?
Just how loud do they seem at a distance?
Compare to standard subsonics, is there a great deal of difference in noise level?
Will they have the power to kill foxes reliably, assuming a decently aimed shot?

I notice elsewhere that you did some test on muzzle velocity for different barrel lengths but with higher velocity ammunition. Would you have any comments on both the muzzle velocity and noise level of CCI Quiets and other subsonics between say 18" and 21" barrels?


For some reason this thread doesn't pop up when I search for new posts, but I stumbled upon it now.

You're looking for a rifle, guns are smoothbore ;-)

CCI Quiet is very good, but as with all .22LR it will depend on whether your specific rifle shoots it well enough to head-shoot foxes out to your preferred maximum, 50m is certainly viable. Anything that is subsonic is all going to be relatively similar in overall noise output. The difference to the ear between Quiet and Standard Velocity is very noticeable to a shooter, to a non-shooter both sound like gun shots. If neighbours are inside double-glazed housing it is very likely they will hear nothing at all, especially if they have local noise as well, like television. Without double-glazing it's possible a good ear might pick up a shot. I really would not be relying on shooting at all in the hope that nobody will ever notice it. Assume you will be heard.

CCI Quiets specifically will lose velocity in longer barrels, and the longer barrel will trap the burning powder for longer so it will be a little quieter. Reducing velocity also makes it less effective on the target though, and the primary goal has to be a clean kill, even if it requires more noise. There are some other cartridges that shoot in that low-subsonic realm so you'd want to try them all and determine which shoots best for you. I keep a rifle zeroed at 40m with Quiets for shooting around the house, it wouldn't be my first choice for chasing foxes. But a fox dazzled in a spotlight at very close range would certainly drop on the spot with a clean head-shot. They don't group as well for me as other ammunitions, but are perfectly capable at 50m max, for me with my rifle.

Making such shots will require lots of practice, preferably not within the restrictions of a range. You need to spend time in the field, shooting in field positions at targets of different shapes, sizes and colours at random distances until you can hit them every time. Ideally you want to be able to hit a circle about 30mm diameter under all conditions to be confident of clean kills on live targets. If you can manage that out to 30m, but not past there then make that your maximum range. The lower velocity ammunition has a more curved trajectory so keeping the ranges short is beneficial.

You could also look at a centrefire using reduced subsonic loads. The jacketed bullets tend to have better accuracy and trajectory than the cast bullets of .22LR, so they can give you more range even at the same low velocities. The sound of the shot will be somewhat greater due to the larger case volume requiring you to burn more powder to generate the same pressure. A .22 Hornet would be good as it is a relatively small case volume. A subsonic 40gn bullet in the Hornet would burn about 2.5gn of Trailboss, about three times more than the CCI Quiet.

You might also want to look at a non-springer air-rifle in .22-cal or .25-cal. These can be very quiet - similar to CCI Quiet - and have excellent accuracy. They can be quite expensive though. All laws around firearm usage apply exactly the same to air-rifles so it's not a advantage in that regard. Once you are licenced you will be able to borrow other people's firearms and try different ammunitions to get a better feel of what options might be available. Again though, I would not be shooting with any assumption that you can do so entirely incognito. Understand that you are likely to be heard and keep it in mind.

You could try convincing your neighbours that it's great having some chooks for their eggs. Soon as they start losing chickens they may come knocking on your door to help them sort their own fox problems ;-)

You could also talk to your local Police (the people that will be responding to calls from your neighbours), explaining what your issues are and that you really do think shooting these foxes would be the safest and most humane way to deal with them. They may be willing to come out to your property for a look and tell you whether it's viable or not. But that doesn't guarantee that they'll stand up on your side in court if ever did go wrong.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by joneda1 » 26 Apr 2023, 6:52 pm

bladeracer wrote:
joneda1 wrote:I've just had my licence approved and I'm shopping for a gun now. I mainly need a gun to shoot foxes and I'm close enough to neighbours that I really want to keep the noise down. I also need to be able to kill foxes at up to 50m range.
What's your experience with the CCI Quiets? And maybe CCI Quiet Semi-Auto if I wanted to compromise a bit on noise level?
Are they likely to disturb neighbours who are about 40-50m away, mostly through a tall grove of trees?
Just how loud do they seem at a distance?
Compare to standard subsonics, is there a great deal of difference in noise level?
Will they have the power to kill foxes reliably, assuming a decently aimed shot?

I notice elsewhere that you did some test on muzzle velocity for different barrel lengths but with higher velocity ammunition. Would you have any comments on both the muzzle velocity and noise level of CCI Quiets and other subsonics between say 18" and 21" barrels?


For some reason this thread doesn't pop up when I search for new posts, but I stumbled upon it now.

You're looking for a rifle, guns are smoothbore ;-)

CCI Quiet is very good, but as with all .22LR it will depend on whether your specific rifle shoots it well enough to head-shoot foxes out to your preferred maximum, 50m is certainly viable. Anything that is subsonic is all going to be relatively similar in overall noise output. The difference to the ear between Quiet and Standard Velocity is very noticeable to a shooter, to a non-shooter both sound like gun shots. If neighbours are inside double-glazed housing it is very likely they will hear nothing at all, especially if they have local noise as well, like television. Without double-glazing it's possible a good ear might pick up a shot. I really would not be relying on shooting at all in the hope that nobody will ever notice it. Assume you will be heard.

CCI Quiets specifically will lose velocity in longer barrels, and the longer barrel will trap the burning powder for longer so it will be a little quieter. Reducing velocity also makes it less effective on the target though, and the primary goal has to be a clean kill, even if it requires more noise. There are some other cartridges that shoot in that low-subsonic realm so you'd want to try them all and determine which shoots best for you. I keep a rifle zeroed at 40m with Quiets for shooting around the house, it wouldn't be my first choice for chasing foxes. But a fox dazzled in a spotlight at very close range would certainly drop on the spot with a clean head-shot. They don't group as well for me as other ammunitions, but are perfectly capable at 50m max, for me with my rifle.

Making such shots will require lots of practice, preferably not within the restrictions of a range. You need to spend time in the field, shooting in field positions at targets of different shapes, sizes and colours at random distances until you can hit them every time. Ideally you want to be able to hit a circle about 30mm diameter under all conditions to be confident of clean kills on live targets. If you can manage that out to 30m, but not past there then make that your maximum range. The lower velocity ammunition has a more curved trajectory so keeping the ranges short is beneficial.

You could also look at a centrefire using reduced subsonic loads. The jacketed bullets tend to have better accuracy and trajectory than the cast bullets of .22LR, so they can give you more range even at the same low velocities. The sound of the shot will be somewhat greater due to the larger case volume requiring you to burn more powder to generate the same pressure. A .22 Hornet would be good as it is a relatively small case volume. A subsonic 40gn bullet in the Hornet would burn about 2.5gn of Trailboss, about three times more than the CCI Quiet.

You might also want to look at a non-springer air-rifle in .22-cal or .25-cal. These can be very quiet - similar to CCI Quiet - and have excellent accuracy. They can be quite expensive though. All laws around firearm usage apply exactly the same to air-rifles so it's not a advantage in that regard. Once you are licenced you will be able to borrow other people's firearms and try different ammunitions to get a better feel of what options might be available. Again though, I would not be shooting with any assumption that you can do so entirely incognito. Understand that you are likely to be heard and keep it in mind.

You could try convincing your neighbours that it's great having some chooks for their eggs. Soon as they start losing chickens they may come knocking on your door to help them sort their own fox problems ;-)

You could also talk to your local Police (the people that will be responding to calls from your neighbours), explaining what your issues are and that you really do think shooting these foxes would be the safest and most humane way to deal with them. They may be willing to come out to your property for a look and tell you whether it's viable or not. But that doesn't guarantee that they'll stand up on your side in court if ever did go wrong.


Thanks, all good info which I will take into account before buying a rifle.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by bladeracer » 26 Apr 2023, 7:27 pm

joneda1 wrote:Thanks, all good info which I will take into account before buying a rifle.


I neglected to mention a bow as another option, which is not governed by the firearm laws, but laws regarding fear and annoyance still apply. Bow shooting is a skill that can take a very long time to master sufficiently to confidently take humane kill shots on small animals, but if you can do so it would achieve the goal.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by animalpest » 26 Apr 2023, 7:34 pm

In all of my .22 rifles, CCI Quiet does not shoot the first couple of rounds very accurately at all. I thought I would check the zero of one at 40 yds a few days ago. Shot was 5" low so checked again, so adjusted the scope. Next shot was 5" too high. Yep.

They are also extremely marginal for shooting foxes except at quite short range and with brain shots only.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by womble » 27 Apr 2023, 4:16 am

Quite short range is somewhat ambivalent.
How marginal is a length of string.
However 5 inches of target is not optimal
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by womble » 27 Apr 2023, 4:32 am

In my limited opinion some 22’s are good shooters. Some are not. Barrel length has nothing to do with it.
I’ve owned a takedown 22 with a 16 inch barrel that was a tack driver. It was just a s**ty norinco or something.
You just try out all readily available ammo and if nothing works, well you just sell it to animalpest for his dodgy rifle collection.

I have found a long barrel with subsonics. I think it wa 22 inch barrel. Very quiet, probably not far of using a suppressor.
But I’m not a fan of subsonics. I can see their benefits in some situations but hunting isn’t one of them.
Ok so I don’t see any benefit in them
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by bladeracer » 27 Apr 2023, 8:20 am

animalpest wrote:In all of my .22 rifles, CCI Quiet does not shoot the first couple of rounds very accurately at all. I thought I would check the zero of one at 40 yds a few days ago. Shot was 5" low so checked again, so adjusted the scope. Next shot was 5" too high. Yep.

They are also extremely marginal for shooting foxes except at quite short range and with brain shots only.


Yes, you need to zero with the ammo you intend to use. Quiets are significantly slower than the majority of ammo so you need to zero for it and expect it to be very low from a standard or high-velocity zero. And you need to shoot some groups to ensure it does actually shoot well in the rifle before going after live targets.

There is not enough difference in sound to warrant using low-subsonic on anything bigger than rabbits in my opinion. The price you pay in sound between 700fps and 1100fps 40gn bullets is tiny compared to the much better terminal performance offered by that additional 400fps. One of the 45gn 1000fps-odd loads would be even better if they group for you. If you have a Norinco barrel even the 60gn Aguila might be a good choice if it groups for you.

For an inexperienced shooter it may well be better to step up to supersonic in the 1200-1400fps with 40gn bullets. At close range these are still supersonic at impact which can do more damage. The sonic crack definitely adds very significantly to the noise, but it is not obnoxious. I would avoid the "hypersonic" ammos as they rely on much lighter bullets and often lack fine accuracy, but if you find the Stinger, Yellow Jacket, Copper-22, etc groups particularly well for you they may be an option. They don't add noticeably in noise over the lower high-velocity loads.

But a bullet through the brain at even 500fps will certainly kill any fox. Heart/aorta/lung hits will also kill them, but you have a cage of ribs protecting those which could deflect a slow bullet just enough to miss the vitals - go for the brain. Hitting a single lung might prove fatal but is not guaranteed. Having your neighbours finding dead foxes on their properties will do you no favours at all.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by straightshooter » 27 Apr 2023, 9:56 am

Many many years ago I used CCI CB and RWS Zimmer to shoot cats coming to a prepared bait at about 25 meters.
I did this from a hide and I would sight in for an exact zero at that precise distance and location. I didn't notice any particularly erratic accuracy problems with either brand but most definitely only a brain shot produced an immediate kill.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by bladeracer » 27 Apr 2023, 1:25 pm

straightshooter wrote:Many many years ago I used CCI CB and RWS Zimmer to shoot cats coming to a prepared bait at about 25 meters.
I did this from a hide and I would sight in for an exact zero at that precise distance and location. I didn't notice any particularly erratic accuracy problems with either brand but most definitely only a brain shot produced an immediate kill.


On that point it's worth noting that if you can set up such a position, shooting with the muzzle well within an enclosed structure will reduce the perceived sound heard outside the structure. The sound of the shot for you inside is also greatly amplified so wear hearing protection even with a .22LR when shooting indoors. The risk though is that you limit your view of what might be moving into your line of fire.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by Shootermick » 27 Apr 2023, 4:27 pm

So, assuming it made the legal length, which I think it would….how would a 14” lightweight charger barrel perform on my 10/22? It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by bladeracer » 27 Apr 2023, 5:56 pm

Shootermick wrote:So, assuming it made the legal length, which I think it would….how would a 14” lightweight charger barrel perform on my 10/22? It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.


In .22LR I would expect it to work just fine, it's only two inches shorter than the 16" Compact barrel.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by JohnV » 27 Apr 2023, 6:28 pm

15.75 inch 40cm is the minimum legal length in NSW. I don't like very short barrels as accuracy can suffer due to extra muzzle blast around the projectile as it exits .
From Firearms Regulation 2017

152 Shortened firearms

(1) For the purposes of section 62 (2) of the Act, a firearm is to be considered as having been shortened only if—

[...]

(b) in the case of a firearm that is a rifle, not being a combination smooth bore shotgun and rifle or an air gun--

(i) the length of the barrel or, if it has more than one barrel, of the longer or longest barrel is less than 40 cm, or

(ii) the length of the stock is less than 30 cm or it has no stock, or

(iii) the overall length is less than 80 cm, and

In plain English, in the case of a rifle, your minimum overall length is 80cm. It must have a minimum of a 30cm stock (trigger to the buttplate) and a minimum of a 40cm barrel. If it doesn't meet those minimums, it is a shortened firearm, which is prohibited.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by womble » 28 Apr 2023, 2:19 am

That’s because NSW is retarded.
Not sure if you can legally fit a 14 inch barrel in VIC, but I still think you should because that would look awesome on a 10/22
Last edited by womble on 28 Apr 2023, 2:56 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by madang55 » 28 Apr 2023, 2:23 am

OMG!!!!!!
Buy a rifle you like. Buy a packet of every brand of 22LR ammo you can get yr hands on. 50m zero. choose the best and go shoot rabbits. I have a Mod2 which liked CCI Subs. My new CZ is really scary accurate and will shoot ELEY, CCI, FIOCCHI, RWS,(all subs) and hold under 1inch at 50m with them all. And, guess what, I didn't say how long the barrel is. It doesn't matter. What does yr 22 like?
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by womble » 28 Apr 2023, 2:48 am

How long is the barrel on your CZ ?
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by joneda1 » 28 Apr 2023, 6:33 am

bladeracer wrote:
animalpest wrote:In all of my .22 rifles, CCI Quiet does not shoot the first couple of rounds very accurately at all. I thought I would check the zero of one at 40 yds a few days ago. Shot was 5" low so checked again, so adjusted the scope. Next shot was 5" too high. Yep.

They are also extremely marginal for shooting foxes except at quite short range and with brain shots only.


Yes, you need to zero with the ammo you intend to use. Quiets are significantly slower than the majority of ammo so you need to zero for it and expect it to be very low from a standard or high-velocity zero. And you need to shoot some groups to ensure it does actually shoot well in the rifle before going after live targets.

There is not enough difference in sound to warrant using low-subsonic on anything bigger than rabbits in my opinion. The price you pay in sound between 700fps and 1100fps 40gn bullets is tiny compared to the much better terminal performance offered by that additional 400fps. One of the 45gn 1000fps-odd loads would be even better if they group for you. If you have a Norinco barrel even the 60gn Aguila might be a good choice if it groups for you.

For an inexperienced shooter it may well be better to step up to supersonic in the 1200-1400fps with 40gn bullets. At close range these are still supersonic at impact which can do more damage. The sonic crack definitely adds very significantly to the noise, but it is not obnoxious. I would avoid the "hypersonic" ammos as they rely on much lighter bullets and often lack fine accuracy, but if you find the Stinger, Yellow Jacket, Copper-22, etc groups particularly well for you they may be an option. They don't add noticeably in noise over the lower high-velocity loads.

But a bullet through the brain at even 500fps will certainly kill any fox. Heart/aorta/lung hits will also kill them, but you have a cage of ribs protecting those which could deflect a slow bullet just enough to miss the vitals - go for the brain. Hitting a single lung might prove fatal but is not guaranteed. Having your neighbours finding dead foxes on their properties will do you no favours at all.


I expect I will buy boxes of 50 Quiet, 50 Quiet Semi-auto and 50 standard subsonic. I'll fire off enough at home to test the noise level, choose one and then stick to it. The rest of the others can be shot at the range. There are a lot more options to choose from in standard subsonic so if the noise is acceptable then I agree that's a better choice for being able to kill foxes.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by bladeracer » 28 Apr 2023, 10:48 am

joneda1 wrote:I expect I will buy boxes of 50 Quiet, 50 Quiet Semi-auto and 50 standard subsonic. I'll fire off enough at home to test the noise level, choose one and then stick to it. The rest of the others can be shot at the range. There are a lot more options to choose from in standard subsonic so if the noise is acceptable then I agree that's a better choice for being able to kill foxes.


Noise level is less important than testing their accuracy. There's no point in being 30dB quieter if you're only wounding your targets. As I said before, lower velocity is significantly quieter than higher velocities, but they are still gunshots. No .22LR ammunition is loud enough for anybody to consider it undue noise in a rural setting, having a chainsaw running for a few hours would be far noisier. Your neighbours finding dead and injured animals on their properties will be a worse situation than them hearing you shooting.

This guy did a fairly basic test to see whether CCI Quiet has enough punch for hunting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihXZ1If50Zc
710fps CCI Quiet is essentially identical at 20m to 1070fps CCI Standard Velocity at 320m, or 1235fps MiniMag at 400m with regard to their effect on the target - 40gn lead bullets impacting at about 700fps. Limit your range, hit the brain, and you'll have no trouble. My own testing has the CCI Quiet penetrating corrugated steel wall sheeting at 165m so it's not to be sneezed at.
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Re: What is your preferred barrel length for 22LR?

Post by JohnV » 28 Apr 2023, 1:41 pm

In Victoria you can't shorten a barrel to less than 19.6 inch but you can buy a new gun with a 16 inch barrel So which state is retarded ?
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