How important do you rate a Heavy barrel over a Lite barrel for target shooting?

[DasFriek]

Im buying a .22lr Bolt action in about a week.
As im sure you know heavy barrels cost more, Alot more depending on the maker.
Intended use is 50 yard and 100 yard target shooting, Not competition.
But accuracy is important and a 1/2" difference at 50 yards is alot of difference if just a barrel can do that.
On a scale of 1-10 rank how important a heavy barrel is to my described needs listed above. 1 being lowest and 10 highest.

 

[P.B.Walsh]

6, you still need a good stock sighting system (irons or optics), and most importantly a good shooter. And plus, it ain't like the .22lr is a barrel burner, with lots of bang going on in the barrel, but hey, you don't see any pencils on BR rifles, just sayin.....

 

[jpwilly]

2, A good trigger, bedded action, and crisp crown on a 22lr is, IMO, more important than the heavy vs standard profile bbl.

Bull / heavy barrels are "stiffer", heat up slower (cool down slower) and on some rifles will help balance them better.

 

[Uncle Mike]

Forget the heavy/light barrel thing as far as we are talking 22's here....

A heavy barrel will not shoot any more accurately than a light(er) barrel will, why then all the rave for heavy barrels.

With calibers that generate a great deal of heat, the extra meat allows more shots to be fired before the barrel heats up to the point that accuracy starts to degrade.

You shouldn't concern yourself with that, as the little 22LR wont heat a barrel enough to cause any significant accuracy degradation, not unless you just go Rambo on it!

The heavier barrels offer more stability with regards to you, the shooter moving the firearm around while in the hold, if you could hold a light weight barrel as still as you can a heavy barrel you would see that they both, theoretically, would shoot with the same level of accuracy.

IF you can master the art of 'the steady hold', then you probably could get by with a friendlier carrying, light barreled rifle.

Depends on what you think you'll be doing the most of, if your going to be packing this thing all over the lower 40, then I should opt for the lighter of the two models, and one, put up with the minuscule amount of accuracy degradation you MAY get from a lesser steady hold...and two, enjoy the ease of portability and maneuverability.

If you think you'll be doing more banging for bucks trophy's or titles and don't foresee long hikes through the wood, then the heavier barrel might do you better!

Clear as mud, huh!

The most important thing here is, like ol' P.B. says, is fit....the rifle needs to become an extension of you when you shoulder it, so I might be more concerned with stock fit than barrel weight.

Everything else come into play also, stock fit, comb height, are you going to use optics, if so you'll probably need to put some kind of raised cheek piece on the stock, is the length of pull correct for you, if not, that will have to be adjusted...so you see, the barrel weight is but a fraction of what's really important!

 

[DasFriek]

The gun will be a range target fun gun only.
Slow fire only on a rest with a good scope.

Im mainly looking into the Savage MKII and CZ 452 series rifles.
That covers alot of guns between those two makers in the $200-$400 price range.
But that wont include a heavy Varmint barrel from CZ as they go over $500 usually.
Even with a lite barreled Savage i could save on that also and upgrade the stock as needed.

 

[blackops]

A heavier barrel will only be more accurate after a substancial amount of rounds. The lighter barrel will heat up quicker and give you a wider spread on paper. So I will give a 3 out of 10.

Trigger, pillars, bedding, crowning, etc will make a significant difference.

 

[jmr40]

Uncle Mike said it best. The heavier barrel will be steadier on the bench because the weight will make it less likely to move as you pull the trigger and as the bullet travels through the barrel. On centerfires heavy barrels will heat up slower making it easier to get off 5+ shot groups before barrel over heating becomes a problem. They also cool down slower meaning it will have to sit longer between strings. Not a problem with .22's.

Barrel weight has nothing to do with how much potential accuracy the rifle has. It does make it easier for the shooter to take advantage of that accuracy however.

 

[Sport45]

For what you're doing I imagine ammo choice will have a much bigger impact than barrel choice.

 

[nathan]

My Marlin 880 SQ has the heavy barrel, it s probably medium heavy type, not too thick and not too thin. It shoots 3/4 inch at 50 yds. THe trigger has been lighten by a good friend of mine years ago. The Ruger 10 /22 target has the real heavy gauge bull barrel. I dont want that.

Now if i have to get another .22 rifle, it be the Savage Mk 11 BV. Accutrigger already installed and supposed to be really good.

[/IMG]

 

[GIJOEL]

I think the .22 heavy barrel "thing" really took off with the 10-22's, the rifle not being a free floated design, capitalized on the heavy barrel to reduce vibrations and interferance with stocks. I remember getting a remington 597 and shooting circles around my dad's 10-22 target.

 

[winchester '97]

My Marlin 25n has the light barrel on it and with the trigger lightened up it shoots 3 shot cloverleaf groups at 50 yards all the time. There really is something to be said for their micro groove design.

 

[rustcat]

The 25n is a great shooter. If you get one you won't be disappointed.

 

[Bill_Rights]

The other reason for heavy barrels, besides tolerance to heating, is barrel "whip". That is, every barrel vibrates some due to the propellant exploding (the shock of it) and the (hopefully) small rattling as the bullet settles into the grooves and lands of the rifling on its way into the barrel.

The grouping size downrange is affected by how much the barrel vibrates, right?, and how consistent the vibration movement is, shot to shot. Theoretically, the heavy barrel will vibrate with less "amplitude" (that is, the lateral displacement). But it is also important what the barrel is bearing on or what is touching the barrel. That's why "floating" barrels are good: Whatever vibration the barrel is going to do, it ought to be the same each shot. Also, maybe even better than floating would be a good bedding job. The spread-out, uniform bearing surface supporting the barrel should (theoretically) damp out the barrel vibrations some and the support surface will not change contact-patch shape as much with humidity (like bare wood does), temperature, wear-and-tear, and so forth.

How much any of this matters with .22LR is beyond me to say, theoretically or by experience....

 

[joed]

I see no need for a heavy barrel on a .22 rf. If you were going to shoot competition maybe for balance but the little .22 doesn't need a stiff barrel.

 

[alemonkey]

I couldn't shoot my 10/22 worth a darn offhand with the factory 16" lightweight barrel. The balance was just horrible, I couldn't hold it steady. I stuck a 20" bull barrel on it and it made a world of difference for offhand. Yes, it's a better quality barrel, but it's the ergonomics of the thing that really made a difference.

 

[flashhole]

You're on the right track with the CZ but you need to consider the model 453 that has the single set trigger. The trigger pull will make a big difference with regards to your ability to shoot well and there just ain't nothing sweeter than the single set trigger on the CZ.

 

[One-Time]

On a .22 it doesnt really matter

On an AR, heavier is better than lighter for target shooting

 

[DasFriek]

You're on the right track with the CZ but you need to consider the model 453 that has the single set trigger. The trigger pull will make a big difference with regards to your ability to shoot well and there just ain't nothing sweeter than the single set trigger on the CZ.

I wanted to address this post first since i just found one used, But didn't buy it. The money wont be in for another week to buy anything. But the gun was a 452 Trainer or Lux I cant tell the difference personally. Stock wood maybe?
Anyhow they wanted $339 which isn't bad.
Ive never seen a 453 locally, But im guessing its way over $400

I looked at the range of Savage offerings today also.
3 of those have my interest, You cant top the Accutrigger imo.
It also seems Savage has removed all sights and don't ship these guns with them. Perfect for me as i don't want it there anyhow.
The Light barrel on the Savages don't look so lite in person, It looks like a mid sized one.
Mark II F- I really dislike the plastic stock. $219 with a scope combo which is junk.
Mark II G- The wood stock is a big improvement over plastic, But still basic. $209 since it has no crappy scope.
Mark II BTV- Its my .17HMR's twin with another crap scope. $329 at 2 different stores.
CZ 452's start at $389 locally and go up not too much since they only have lite barrels in stock around here.

At the moment if i had the $350 for the used CZ i would have bought it, Or at least threw it in layaway.

But i have "Big Picture" concerns. I own enough rimfire's to start investing heavily into a what will basically be a bench gun.
Ill need a new scope, Benchrest and of course more ammo.
But if i do it cheaply enough like say the $209 MKII G i could pull it off without selling one of my current guns.
But that gun better had shoot as good as a $400 CZ, So i got alot of thinking to do.

To everyone who answered the lite versus heavy barrel question, Thank you as i now feel a lite barrel will do what i need just fine.

 

[Smith357]

1

A good trigger is more more important to me than a heavy barrel. .22s really don't generate the heat that warps a light contour barrel the way centerfire rifle does. After 5 shots my Winchester M70 .30-06 is barrel very hot and ten rapid shots makes it too hot to handle, after a full day of non-stop shooting the barrel on my Kimber 22 is barely warm.

My little "squirrel rifle" has won a lot of matches against heavy target rifles the weigh twice as much as it does, plus it's light weight makes it a joy to carry in the woods.

 

[Al LaVodka]

7. But not one of those stupid 1" round jobs. I've found good ammo is the main thing -- buy premium target ammo -- a brick will cost almost as much as a case but so what. STILL cheap.

And, I wouldn't bother shooting a .22 at 100 yds. unless u really have to. Its cheap and fun, but...

Al

 

[DasFriek]

Smith357- lol Those Kimbers can out shoot alot of +$1000 guns also, Lite barrel or not.
I wish i had the drive to be able to save up enough cash to buy one thats for sure.

I have no issues buying good ammo, Luckily i found a great shooter for $34 a brick.
In my gun and my buddy's Anchutz it shot as well as his Wolf ME.
Aguila Match Rifle 40gr subsonic for what its worth. Just don't make a run on it and buy all the internet has for sale!

But my current gun at 50 yards does well with about any subsonic ammo, Im not to the point where dime or quarter sized groups make a difference to me. But i don't like groups over 1" tho.
BUT that isn't always the ammo as we all know so many factors can screw up a day at the range.

I keep saying im going to the 100 yard range, But ive never stepped foot on it with my .22 or .17hmr
But i figure one day i may get bored and venture over since my .17hmr will do it and do it well. Long as the wind isn't blowing lol

 

[dubbleA]

My Marlin 880 SQ has the heavy barrel, it s probably medium heavy type, not too thick and not too thin. It shoots 3/4 inch at 50 yds. THe trigger has been lighten by a good friend of mine years ago. The Ruger 10 /22 target has the real heavy gauge bull barrel. I dont want that.

Now if i have to get another .22 rifle, it be the Savage Mk 11 BV. Accutrigger already installed and supposed to be really good.

I may be out of line but here it goes......

In the picture, there appears to be a dead Northern Mockingbird next to a rifle laying in a chair. It's the state bird of Texas and I see your location is Houston........just saying TPWD might frown apon that.

 

[DasFriek]

Looks like he's taking a siesta to me, He just forgot his sombrero that day.

 

[Uncle Mike]

Right...that ol' bird just stopped by to check out the 22, and fell asleep from all the excitement!

Well, we can't see it 'leaking' or anything.

 

[JDGray]

My Sons Savage MKII, standard barrel shoots just as well or better than my heavy barreled Savage. Both capable of 1/2" or better, 50yrd groups. The accutriggers on them are awesome, and so is the cost of good 22lr ammo The ammo will probably be the limiting factor of your desired 1/2" 50yrd groups.