All things being equal-ie twist rate is there any reason to go with the 22" barrel over the 16.5 inch barrel-either will be scoped.

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Forum consigliere

I had a Mauser 4000 commercial series gun .223 that had something like a 24 inch barrel and that thing was super accurate (still trying to remember why I got rid of that gun) with factory ammo. I am not sure if that barrel length had anything to do with it, but I can't imagine the 16.5 being less accurate with the right load.

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Vaya con Dios

A longer barrel is supposed to have a higher muzzle velocity -from what I gather- and so the bullet drop happens farther down range.

Here's an interesting table:

The Effects Of Reducing The Barrel Length On Velocity And Accuracy In The 223 Remington

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

You confirmed what I said. I screw up so much that it's good to see that I got something right for a change

I have and recomend Cooper rifles. Most all of their center fire guns are single shot. My .223 has 1 in 14 twist but 1 in 9 and others are made. With Black Hills 50 Gr A-Max I put one shot into the hole in the center of a Cheez-it at 200 yards. There are many feats to be heard, some to raise question or two but when it comes to Coopers I tend to believe them. A 24in varnint model will set you back about $1300 plus, but it has scope mounts from were they factory test them for their 1/2 or1/4 MOA garentee. You will need a good scope [mine has a 6.5x20 Leopold VXIII] and good ammo, they come with a group card with a little data on the load. They Usually have a long throat and seem to shoot best 0-.005" off the lands. I was tickled to find an ammo I could buy of the shelf that shot as well as my hand load, so I bought 15 hunderd rounds of the same lot. I have a friend with a 22-250 Cooper that buys his ammo by the 1000, A normal 2 year supply.

I bought a Ruger 77R in 223 w/ 3 *** safety several years ago for my primary Chuck/Rat/Yote gun. It cost $500 or so. I put a 3x9 Leupold Compact on it. I have shot this gun a lot, and I'm not sure I could sell it or trade it. It has been an exceptional value. I had the trigger adjusted to 2.5lbs and the barrel bedded before I fired a shot. It has been an excellent rifle, barrel is 22". A shorter barrel would make the gun less lively, as a slightly muzzle heavy gun settles into position better for me than a very short carbine. Just my experience. beaver.

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beaver

As already explained in previous posts, you can choose the potential velocity of various combinations of barrel length and loads, with about 20" the seeming sweet spot for most .223 configurations. Anything longer is probably superfluous, shorter lengths not only cost some velocity, but also alter weight/balance, perhaps undesirably. I think near perfection in the bolt gun configuration was achieved by Remington's Stainless/Synthetic Model Seven, with 20" barrel. My use is for hunting mostly small predators, at fairly close called-in range, i.e., under 100 yards. Your requirements may vary...

I have had a Remington Model 7 with a wood stock and 18-1/2 inch barrel for about 10 years. I like the idea of a smaller action for a smaller cartridge. Out to ranges at which I can hit little things, I find it shoots no flatter than my old 20 inch AR-15. It's a fun little rifle; the cartridge offers great accuracy with little to no recoil. You can shoot it well all day.

If I wanted a bigger, heavier, longer .22 centerfire bolt gun, I'd get another one chambered for .22-250. I wore out the barrel on a Remington 700 Varmint so chambered back in college. My vision has declined and I can no longer take advantage of the longer practical range like I could 30-35 years ago. Our primary varmints here are jack rabbits and ground squirrels ("pot guts"); if I shot prarie dogs I might go back to the bigger round.

Accuracy wise, it shouldn't make a difference. For the same barrel diameter/contour, the shorter barrel will be stiffer. The shorter barrel will also be louder. I shot Combat Rifle with the Kansas Army National Guard team years ago, so have put a lot of rounds through an M16A1. Even with good hearing protection, the CAR versions with the 16" barrel seemed obnoxious to me.

I've got a little Mini Mauser by Interarms that is fantastically accurate. Shoots with my .222 and .22-250 heavy barrels.

We used to buy 'seconds' bullets from one of the major manufacturers. Some of these were seriously deformed but they were cheap. Just as a test one day, we loaded up five of the worst we could find and this gun still put them under an inch at 100 yards, with a 1.5-5 Leupold set on 5x.

I have a heavy-barrel Ruger M77 Mark II target rifle. It has a 26-inch barrel; heavy but extremely accurate. I'd be interested to see what gain, if any, the 26-inch tube has over the more-or-less standard 22-inch version.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -