NEWS JUST IN!

[tomcatt51]

It's here, it's installed. VQ barrel weighs 14.4 oz, S&W 16" threaded barrel weighs 1 lb 9.8 oz. Ejector sits exactly where it should. Barrel sticks out of my Taccom CF forend 1/2" further. 1 1/2" vs 1". You have to really look to notice anything's different. Guys I shoot with are far more likely to notice the three shiny SS button head screws (had one black oxide button head) now holding my CF forend tube on than the barrel.

The weight difference is very obvious. Just swinging up onto target from low ready there's no doubt which gun I have in hand. I have a second duplicate 15-22 as a back-up gun (only difference is the barrel) so I can do a real back to back comparison. Shooting it is next. Need to make time to get to the range...

 

[Texas Made]

Nice! Mine is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Wife and Weather permitting, I hope to have it installed and range tested this weekend.

 

[tomcatt51]

...I hope to have it installed and range tested this weekend.

That means you'll probably shoot one first. Was grabbing my gear to head to the range and realized it's tied up with set-up for our big deal yearly USPSA match this weekend so it will be next week for me. Will be interesting to shoot some groups and then see what the shot timer says across a couple steel stages.

 

[Texas Made]

Mine arrived yesterday. I will try to install it tonight or tomorrow.

I had asked this earlier in the thread and after looking at the barrel still have the same question. How do you clamp the barrel to tighten the barrel nut? There is not enough steel showing to clamp onto. I'm a bit worried about putting the carbon fiber section in the aluminum vise jaws and cinching down on it enough to get the nut tight. I know with the stock steel barrel, I had to tighten the vise pretty firmly to keep the barrel from spinning in the jaws. I don't want to crush the carbon fiber outer sleeve, or break it loose from the inner steel liner. Maybe I'm just being a little too concerned about this. I called VQ to ask them but the their tech guy was out today.

Tom, how did you hold your barrel to tighten it?

 

[cjt50]

Just curious;

What does the barrel ship with?

Does it come with the barrel nut tool?

Do you use the OEM barrel nut or does it come with it's own?

Is there a suggested torque for the barrel nut?

I am assuming that the barrel comes with the barrel extension and ejector looking at the pictures.

 

[tomcatt51]

Tom, how did you hold your barrel to tighten it?

Barrel blocks to hold the barrel at the muzzle so I was on the steel end and the carbon fiber. Two pieces of pine 2x4 clamped together then I drilled a 23/32" hole down the "joint line". About the right crush with soft pine on a 3/4" barrel. I can't see any other way.

I did the same thing but drilled a 5/8" hole when I made blocks for the S&W barrel.

 

[tomcatt51]

Does it come with the barrel nut tool?

Do you use the OEM barrel nut or does it come with it's own?

Is there a suggested torque for the barrel nut?

Yes a tool that fits the OE barrel nut is included.

OE barrel nut or the Tacticool adapter. The VQ barrel has the same threads as the original.

Only torque spec I've ever seen or heard is "about that tight".

What you get from VQ is a direct replacement assy for the S&W barrel you removed.

 

[cjt50]

Yes a tool that fits the OE barrel nut is included.

OE barrel nut or the Tacticool adapter. The VQ barrel has the same threads as the original.

Only torque spec I've ever seen or heard is "about that tight".

What you get from VQ is a direct replacement assy for the S&W barrel you removed.

Very cool, thank you!

looking forward to the range reports.

 

[Texas Made]

Barrel blocks to hold the barrel at the muzzle so I was on the steel end and the carbon fiber. Two pieces of pine 2x4 clamped together then I drilled a 23/32" hole down the "joint line". About the right crush with soft pine on a 3/4" barrel. I can't see any other way.

Thanks Tom that seems like a logical approach. I will give that a shot.

 

[Texas Made]

I got the barrel mounted and was able to take it out to the range this weekend and punched some paper and a little steel. The light weight barrel really changes the feel. The gun points and swings quickly. I really like the way the gun handles shooting steel.

Conditions were not great for testing accuracy on paper. The wind was gusty blowing 10 to 15 MPH from a crossing direction. Despite the conditions, I was able to print some nice groups at 50 yards. Using CCI AR Tactical, I shot a few 10-shot groups that measured an inch or slightly less. Given the strong gusty winds and the fact that the reticle on my 7X scope covered the aiming point, I was pleased with the performance.

So far I'm really liking this barrel[emoji106

 

[tomcatt51]

VQ now has installation instructions for their CF 15-22 barrel on their website:

S&W M&P 15-22 Barrel Installation | Volquartsen Firearms

 

[Texas Made]

Tom

Thanks for posting those. I had called VQ hoping to get their feedback on how to install last Friday but their tech rep was out for the day. He called me back on this last Monday when he returned. I asked about the installation and he seemed a bit uninformed on the installation process. I did get mine installed over the weekend. It is none too tight but it shot well as I reported. I hope to test it again this weekend. Hopefully it will group as well and the point of impact won't change to the heating/cooling cycle.

 

[tomcatt51]

I made it to our Clubs' indoor range this morning. Sighted in my C-mores at 30 and 50 ft. 12 and 16 minute dots. Just shooting groups using my gear bag as a rest the VQ barrel shoots groups half the size of what I get with the stock barreled gun. At 50 ft 10 rd groups that look like a single .45 hole. Nice improvement but what's even better is the difference in how the gun feels with the lighter barrel. Major difference. I've got a club steel match and then Illinois State Rimfire Challenge coming up so I'll get to see how it works.

Installing the barrel I grabbed it GENTLY in my pine barrel blocks after tightening them on piece of 3/4" bar stock to "final form" them. Then I tightened the barrel nut also holding the upper. I used anti-seize on the barrel threads. I would definitely NOT USE the usual aluminum V blocks. I made a narrower block set so I could grab just the steel at the muzzle to tighten my muzzle brake.

More: I didn't shoot a large number of rds thru the VQ barrel, ~100, but all fired, fed and ejected just fine. Probably 80 rds of Fed Auto Match and 20 or so of Armscor 36 gr Hi-Velocity HP's.

 

[MrDonivan]

This is exactly what I came here tonight for. thanks everyone. I'm a 10/22 guy by nature, and my older kids run 10/22 race guns in SteelChallenge. But my 8yo girl is getting the bug, so I nabbed her a pink camo model from a friend that already had a 3MOA CMore and CMC Flat trigger, dropped a minimalist stock on it, ordered a new 9.9oz Handguard from Manticore, and have been searching for info on the weight difference between the barrels: which TimCat51 supplied above.

looks like I am spending some money on that Volq barrel for her.

THANK YOU!

 

[tomcatt51]

...ordered a new 9.9oz Handguard from Manticore,....looks like I am spending some money on that Volq barrel for her.

I think it was money well spent. I got to shoot our monthly bowling pin match with it saturday nite. The weight reduction makes it a much nicer gun. It's enough difference it takes a little getting used to. It changes your timing.

Gotta be careful about handguards. What I took off mine, including the steel barrel nut (it's all nylon tied together in my junk box) is 9.4 oz. I'm running Taccom3gs' CF ultralight handguard along with Tacticool22s' free float handguard converter barrel nut.