If it is just a “shooter”, cut it to whatever you are happy with…

 

I agree. Do whatever you like to make it suit your needs.

 

Speed does NOT mean more accuracy or actually precision. And it would be very hard to convince me that a 16 inch barrel will shoot just as good as a 26 inch barrel.. its your gun and you can do with it what you want but I highly doubt cutting the barrel down will make it better.. and once you do that the value of it was cut way down as well if you could even sell it.. just my .02 cents..

 

“It is an established fact that the .22 long rifle cartridge reaches it's maximum velocity in about 16 to 18 inches of barrel.”

Let’s see the data and methodology. I’m not big on preferring “established fact” over examining the corroborating data and methodology and then drawing my own conclusions regarding the validity of claims such such as the one being made here.

 

What you might gain in velocity isn't enough to really make the rifle more accurate, or better in any way. And if it's not crowned as well as it is now, it might even make it less accurate. I'm of the opinion if it shoots well don't screw with it.
A Model 69A might not have huge values today, but I also don't want to be that guy who makes changes to lower a gun's value. So I wont make changes that can't be easily reversed.
I own numerous .22 rifles with 28"-30" target barrels, and they shoot as tight or tighter groups than a lot of .22 rifles with 18"-20" barrels. One of mine with a 30" Badger heavy full round barrel will outshoot any .22 rifle I've tested it against. I see no real advantage to cutting a barrel down to 16" myself.

 

I don’t see the theory that cutting any good shooting barrel shorter will improve accuracy in a 22 Rimfire. This theory may have some basis in CF rifles with tapered barrels. It would certainly change harmonics.

 

Can attest to the theory that a shorter barrell shoots faster is not as cut and dry as it sounds.
Same day.
Same ammo
1947 52B winchester sporter 24"
A new Cooper 57m 22"
A new 1727f Anschutz 18"
A new Anschutz 1712 20"
Shot and tested all 4 with 5, 5 shot strings and groups.
With chronograph set up one day on the bench
The fastest velocity was the 1727f with the 52b sporter average only 9fps slower.
The 22 inch Cooper was 75fps slower overall.

So unless you chronograph your specific barrel before you cut it.
You have no idea what the shorter results will be.
This is caused by each barrwl is completely different then the next one produced on the same line and that's proved by benchrest competition shooters every day.
If your 69 barrwl is well worn and maybe even when new finished to close to the maximum spec? It's going to be a slow barrwl before you cut it and slow after you cut it.
By slugging the bore you can determine the highest spit in the bore. And anything after that point that is larger will result in loss of velocity..
If that choke point happens to be at 15" ? Then that should be that particular barrwls maximum length for velocity. If it's at 23"? Than cutting it at 18" won't help.
In my opinion.

 

I agree with the others. You're not going to gain much by cutting the barrel down. What little you might gain in velocity you may lose in accuracy.

I have rifles with barrels from 16" to 28". They all shoot well but I typically prefer the longer barrels. I do have a Anschutz 1416 AV with a 18" barrel that shoots almost as well as my 1712 with 22" barrel and better than some others with barrels that 20" and longer. Bore size and finish makes a difference but the velocity from the 18" Anschutz isn't much different than rifles with longer barrels.

Unless there's some other reason you want a rifle with a shorter barrel, I wouldn't bother cutting it down

 

It’s abject nonsense. It is widely distributed on the internet and absolutely not accurate information.

We had a 33 and in the 1980s bought a pair of 35Ps because we wanted to be able validate our conclusions. We learned early on that there is absolutely no value in providing documentation to individuals who were invested in ”established facts.” Data, methodology and the scientific method appeared to be either a foreign concept that either they couldn’t get their mind to accept or they expressed hostility to and treated it like kryptonite.

 

This discussion regarding barrel length and velocity vs. accuracy / precision is similar to the lubricant discussions that pop up time to time. It's your rifle, do what you want. However, be wary of "established facts" like what you were quoting. Rnj66's example appears to put question to the 'established fact'. I own a number of 22Lr rifles wit barrels from 16" to 26". My most accurate is an old 75T and the next is a Savage MkII. The Remy 540X is just being tuned, so I'm not sure where it stands in my collection. None of the shorter barreled rifles are as accurate. How does you gun shoot and what are your intentions for it? Additionally, a good drill and tap for scope mounting on a 69 probably won't diminish value nearly as much as cutting the barrel.

 

I never understood the fascination with velocity but:
Eley Match out of a 21 inch Lilja barrel AVG 1041. Out of a 26 Shilen barrel AVG 1041
Eley Match out of the 21 inch Lilja barrel AVG 1047. Out of a 26 inch Anschutz barrel AVG 1033.
What is the difference between the 26 inch Anschutz barrel and the Shilen 26 inch barrel. One has standard groove and land and the other has 8 very small speed bumps shaped rifling.
So first of all, the barrel condition, quality etc. has an effect on the velocity. Cutting off a barrel for an increase in velocity is a moot point, unless you are trying to lose weight and even that doesn't have a lot of gain. Will the barrel be more precise? Well, it will be stiffer and "should" be more precise but, in a factory barrel, I would guess the gain would minimal if not worse.

 

69A Deluxe Carbine -
Here is one of my absolute favorite shooting Winchester 69A rifles. Our very own 22AGS did the barrel "bob" to 18", overall rifle refinishing and skip-line checkering amongst other tweaks. With the chrome bolt and guard it is low-maintenance and a dream to shoot. I don't really care about velocity but the rifle handles better than any factory 69 I own, quick on target and well balanced. As long as you are not desecrating an original, collectible rifle I say go for it. The only downside is the shorter sight radius but that is more than made up for by the carry-ability in the woods. I think FlysALot has at least one of these magnificent 22AGS creations also......

 

On a .22 or any rifle it’s all about the crown. The last thing the bullet touches before the target. I have cut numerous sg’s and rifles down over the yrs. All had been damaged, refinished or altered by a po to make them non collectible. As long as your barrel length is legal and you true up the crown go for it. A shorter barrel is stiffer than a longer barrel. My 20 inch No1 MkIII.

 

On a .22 or any rifle it’s all about the crown. The last thing the bullet touches before the target. As long as your barrel length is legal and you true up the crown go for it.

Yes, the crown is important but it's only one of several parts of the accuracy recipe.

A shorter barrel is stiffer than a longer barrel.

I don't think stiffness of the barrel makes much of a difference on a 22 LR rifle unless you're planning on putting a tuner on the rifle

 

I would disagree, a bigger diameter [stiffer] barrel is better imo. Thin pencil barrels are naturally not going to be as accurate as heavy target barrels. Better for carrying afield but not as consistently accurate. Cutting a long barrel [of any diameter] down will change the harmonics and reduce the whip which should improve the accuracy. You lose your iron sight radius but if using a red dot or scope so what.

 

I am in the camp that says "It's your gun, so do what you want". But I do think the biggest changes to be noticed after bobbing the barrel are likely to be a change in weight and handling characteristics. I doubt seriously that any change in velocity will be enough to be practically noticable. It seems to boil down to a matter of preference.

 

Many thanks to all who replied. Most replies were against cutting the barrel. This morning I sighted the rifle in using CCI/Speer Blazer ammo. It's not he best but certainly not the worst. It has a 40 grain lead round nose bullet. After sighting in, the rifle produced a 10 round 1 1/8 group from a sandbag rest at 50 yards. Enough said. Not about yo cut that barrel. Will tweak the bedding a little then try it with quality ammo. Thanks again for all your wisdom.

 

To me a rifle with a stout barrel begins to look like an M79 if much of the barrel length is taken off

 

My thought: Just do it to one without collector value, like you’re doing. And do it properly so you’re happy with the result.

Pacific tool & gauge sells the tools to properly finish the muzzle. Afterward you can either sell them, make a few bucks doing the same for other people, or use them on other rifles you have.

Personally I wouldn’t get carried away overdoing it so you can leave enough material for decent sight radius and the possible need to reface the muzzle later.

I think you’ve got a great idea, and I’ve contemplated doing the same with some over-choked shotgun barrels.

 

If you don’t have a lathe:

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Use lots of pipe threading oil and clear your chips.

 

I imagine it would depend on the powder and bullet in question, but I doubt it's going to make a big difference either way. I don't think I would go to the expense of doing it unless I were threading it.

 

It is an established fact that the .22 long rifle cartridge reaches it's maximum velocity in about 16 to 18 inches of barrel.

I read all the replies and agree with those in the "leave it as it is" camp. I also agree that it is your rifle to make with as you see fit. As for the "established fact", it is a fact that the more a myth or half truth or even a lie is repeated, the more it is established as a fact and true. Like already said, it depends on the barrel and the ammo used. For subsonic ammo in a quality precision barrel some test showed best speed in a 18" - 20" barrel, but another test showed 16". That is for subsonic ammo. High and hyper velocity ammo show best speed in 20" - 24" barrels but not all are the same.

But, many people including myself shoot .22LR because of it's lower speed and lower noise. I buy only subsonic ammo but do have some older HV ammo I don't use. So if speed is what I want, I will use the HV ammo. And if I want more speed than that I will go for a .22WM of a .17HMR or the next step up like 22-250, 22 Swift or .223 / 5.56.

OK, if you cut the barrel and gain say 40fps with CCI SV, from 1050fps to 1090fps, the energy gain at the muzzle from 98fpe to 106fps, that is 8fpe gain. At 50 meter with the velocity drop the energy is from 86fpe to 92fpe, that is 6fpe. So at that distance it will have no, zero practical effect on a squirrel or a hare or rabbit. I mean, in the UK they shoot rabbits at that distance with a sub-12 FPE air rifle. If you use it for target shooting only, how much energy is required to punch a hole in paper? As for wind drift, at 50 meter you will not see much difference but at long distance like 150 meter the wind drift will be less on the slower bullet and the higher bullet speed will cause more wind drift, still not much to be concerned about.

I saw some 18" barrels with CCI SV with advertised speed of 1070fps shooting 1030fps and my rifle with a 20" barrel shoot it at 1105fps average, I have shot several chronograph strings to get to that average. I definitely don't want it to shoot faster at the risk of getting a sonic boom, it will negate using a silencer. I had some "subsonic" ammo giving the sonic boom on a few shots per magazine and I just don't buy that ammo anymore.

 

99% of the time the barrel length difference isn’t enough to affect the velocity to an extent that it would affect either the terminal ballistics for hunting or the external ballistics enough for target shooting.
You understand your needs. I think you should decide whether you want highest velocity and muzzle blast, longest sight radius, compromise between the two, or with a little meat left beyond that.
I don’t think it’s a. Right/wrong ethics thing. It’s a “do what best suits your needs” thing. Like choosing a favoured dog breed or pizza type.

 

If sight radius was the only reason for a long barrel, then why do 22lr benchrest rifles that all use scopes still have at least 24 inch barrels, if not longer? Well, the reason is accuracy.

 

I’ve only read on the topic out of curiosity and I’m no rocket scientist or physics expert. It fascinates me.
It’s my understanding that the lower pressure results in more consistency, though not velocity. The shorter barrels are more rigid on an order of magnitude. Regarding barrel harmonics it’s easier to get consistency or of a shorter thicker barrel. But regarding both the muzzle blast and consistent pressure by the time the bullet exits the barrel, longer tubes work better.

I’m no competitive target shooter so I can’t comment on real world comparisons. I’ve had far better accuracy from my 12” barrels vs 18-22” ones. But I’m only hunting and informally shooting where muzzle pressure matters less than harmonic variation.

I think the application makes a big difference.