I can only speak for the Kidd as I haven’t owned a lilja yet. But I had a light weight 16” Kidd barrel that had no business being as accurate as it was. It would stack a 5 hole group into a ragged hole at 50 yards. I took that rifle to the southeast regional match the first year of NRL22 and won overall. I ended up trading that barrel for a heavy match Kidd barrel that was threaded for a suppressor and it didn’t shoot as well as that aluminum sleeved barrel. Wish I had it back, I have pictures of the rifle and a group I shot with it on my other phone. If you’d like I can post the photo later this afternoon when I get home from work.

 

+1 kidd

 

Lilja is a well respected barrel maker BUT for a 10/22 Kidd is also considered top of the heap and cost wise is cheaper by a good bit over the Lilja option.
That probably is one reason you see Kidd getting more love plus Kidd guarantees their barrels except for some of the UL series to shoot 1/2" or better at 50 yards.

Again why spend more on a 10/22 barrel unless you want a longer barrel length or some iteration that is not available from Kidd but can be ordered through a different manufacturer?

 

I'm pretty happy with my Kidd Barrel (20 inch Match Bull). It can definitely shoot solid groups but I didn't get as lucky as some seem to have. It'll do 1/2 groups though at 50 yards with some ammo it likes, but it isn't quite as good as our factory CZ 457 VMTR barrel. Not that I expect it to out-shoot the CZ for the price, but I've seen some Kidd barrels that shoot better than mine.

I don't think you'd be unhappy with it for the price, but if you want to avoid the slight luck of the draw, I might spring for the Lilja.

 

Group size doesn’t exactly correlate with shooting for score (BR shooters will understand), but few here do the latter. No experience with Lilja RF barrels, but my KIDD ULW will agg in the .6s and .7s (moa) at 50 yards with mid-grade match ammo. Considering it only weighs 5.7 pounds loaded I consider that pretty good.

BTW, KIDD doesn’t guarantee moa groups with their ULW barrels.


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Group size doesn’t exactly correlate with shooting for score (BR shooters will understand), but few here do the latter.

Most guys shooting for group size have their optics zeroed off of the POI.
I will say to a great extent if the point of aim is the same every shot then the point of impact hence group size will definitely relate to a given barrel/firearms and ammunition along as well the shooters capability to hit the EXACT point they are aiming at.

Whether you are shooting each bullseye with a single shot and moving to the next target or placing 5 shots aiming at the same bullseye the amount of variance, wind and shooter inputs are effecting the point of impact the same.

 

How many BR score matches have you competed in? Not many is my guess. Without going into too great detail for non-BR shooters: BR group shooters will chase conditions after the first shot, because that hole becomes their real target. Wind, mirage and bag positioning matter and they need to be compensated for - winning BR shooters know this. Score shooters on the other hand have only a single chance to hit the bullseye, unlike their group shooting cousins they cannot correct for conditions or an errant first shot. Once the trigger is pulled it’s on to the next target.

Too, repositioning the rifle for each target adds yet an another variable - ever notice how sometimes two consecutive groups are not in the exact same place relative to the point of aim? Group shooters can compensate for this, score shooters not so much. We are talking about actual competition here, not a lazy day at the range where we can ignore a poor group or errant shot. Shooting for score is much more challenging than most think, give it a try with your .5 moa rifle sometime and let us know you raw score.


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Wind, mirage and bag positioning matter and they need to be compensated for - winning BR shooters know this. Score shooters on the other hand have only a single chance to hit the bullseye, unlike their group shooting cousins they cannot correct for conditions or an errant first shot. Once the trigger is pulled it’s on to the next target.

And which on their next new target BR shooters are also making their adjustments for the errant or missed bullseye first shot just on a fresh target.
Actually the group shooter may well if the conditions remain the same not shift their point of aim at all either.

The BR shooter is trying to hit the exact poi in relation to his point of aim as the Group shooter is.

"give it a try with your .5 moa rifle sometime and let us know you raw score. "

Just because BR shooters may have a lot more tied up in their rifle and are using a rest that easily can cost in excess of $1000 which does a fair amount of the work for them does not mean they are a better shooter than the lowly group shooter shooting his Lilja barreled 457 off of a bipod and rear bag.

 

Kidd. They use wl blanks for exactly 1 caliber. Thats all the do,its their bread and butter. My all kidd , thanks hump, shoots as good or better than my CZs. Buy the kidd , barrel, trigger , and rear tang . Bolt handle and receiver. In that order.

 

…The BR shooter is trying to hit the exact poi in relation to his point of aim as the Group shooter is….

I knew it was pointless to explain the game to those who have never tried it. Ignorance is bliss I guess. Too, it sounds like you just might be prejudiced against shooters with expensive equipment. Or jealous.



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I knew it was pointless to explain the game to those who have never tried it. Ignorance is bliss I guess. Too, it sounds like you just might be prejudiced against shooters with expensive equipment. Or jealous.

when I shoot groups i position my cross hairs over a intersection of lines on the target so they match, then i click the poi down 1 moa so that im not obliterating my point of aim when i shoot.
when i shoot for score , my poi and poa match.

 

Thanks for the responses. Kidd barrel it is and probably a trigger as well. I will see where that gets me and go from there.

 

To first slightly derail, the question “who makes the best drop-in barrels for the 10-22 platform“ can be replaced with the question “who makes very accurate barrels for the 10-22 platform most consistently“, which imo is a better question.

When you do that, ime the answer is “Lilja and Kidd”, with Lilja edging out Kidd by a very small margin.
I own 3 Kidd and 2 Lilja 10-22 barrels, all ~20” SS straight bull, at different times they all have been in guns and have been tested, and those are my results. Small sample - I know, but most of my personal reading supports this conclusion.

Now, when you read comments from other shooters you’ll see “10 X” more positive comments about Kidd barrels than Lilja barrels, and there’s a very good reason for that 😎 - the so-called installed base for Kidd barrels is at least that much greater, and for another great reason - Lilja costs double what the Kidd costs.

Bottom line imo is if you want to maximize your chances of getting a great drop-in barrel regardless of the cost, you go with Lilja - again, though, the return, measured in accuracy gain, on that incremental expenditure will be very small.

Finally, IF (hey, stuff happens to… EVERYONE) you need after the sale service from either one of those 2 outfits, it is widely accepted you will likely have a better experience with Kidd, perhaps much better.

Now, Lilja people 😎 have never been anything but kind and patient with me (never got a bad barrel but had questions), they answer the phone, respond to emails (once with almost an essay 😎) but you also hear from people who’ve be nearly told to *** off and die 😂🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️ - okay, maybe not that, but they were according to them treated poorly, but, again, based on my personal dealings I suspect they contributed to that outcome a great deal.

… it’s close 😎

* Just saw OP made up his mind - not trying to change it, don’t have a dog in this fight 😎, leaving the response up in the unlikely event someone finds some value in it😊

 

Well I haven't ordered anything yet so...Appreciate the information. When I posted the question I was thinking Lilja having been very pleased with a Lilja CZ 457 barrel. Sample size of 1. I also believe that you generally get what you pay for. More money generally means more accuracy. Probably will not buy anything for a month or two anyway. Not sure that I want to go completely down the rabbit hole with the 10/22.

If all I ultimately do is better trigger, probably a KRG Bravo and a good barrel would the rifle be able to make use of a slighly better (more accurate) barrel?

 

I also believe that you generally get what you pay for. More money generally means more accuracy

That’s the inconvenient truth I had to confront as well very early on in the game 😎

Here‘s what you want 😂🤦🏼‍♂️😊:

Lilja barrel (for double the money 🤦🏼‍♂️😎)
Kidd receiver
Kidd bolt (why not?😎) or another quality bolt, both with confirmed headspace - for the peace of mind 😎
KRG Bravo or the new-ish Kidd precision chassis - longer forend -(for near-double the money 🤦🏼‍♂️😎) because you DO want to take advantage of the tang/second attachment point - imo the calling card of a Kidd action-based build.
Kidd trigger (DUH!!😂🤦🏼‍♂️) - seriously, the Gold Standard 😎 for 10-22 triggers.

 

I have two KIDD barrels: 16" pleb and 20" Supergrade. Both are outstanding. I think the difference between the two (besides price) will come down to the individual barrel. I would get the KIDD simply because it's cheaper.

 

I guess it depends on what you want out of the rifle. Kidd Barrels makes a difference in the 10/22 arena. I don't have a Lilja, but have read about them and the benchrest crowd seem to like them. Me personally, I think they both can get you where you want to be. 👍

 

I just built a Heinz 57 10/22. Brownells receiver, Kidd bolt. Shilen ratchet barrel 20", Timney trigger. MDT ORYX chassis.
after breaking in the barrel it out shoots my buddies Heinz 57 rifle with a Kidd Barrel.
From what I have researched, KIDD used Lothar-Walther blanks for its barrels.

 

I can't speak for the Lilja, but I own a Kidd Supergrade and absolutely love shooting it. It will routinely give me teens/5 shot groups at 50 yards with SK Match and it's a hammer with Center-X! Great barrel, your won't be disappointed in my view.

 

I’ve had them both, and currently have Kidd. I had to heat the receivers to install my Kidd barrels. The Lilja was a sloppy fit and had to be glued in.

 

...after breaking in the barrel it out shoots my buddies Heinz 57 rifle with a Kidd Barrel....

Same shooter, same range, same day? How many groups? It matters when comparing high-accuracy firearms, particularly a "10/22" since technique and conditions play a huge part in actual accuracy.

That said, of the two topic barrels I only have experience with a KIDD ULW. It shoots very well, but using a decent heavy barrel is easier to shoot tiny groups. I've owned a Lilja centerfire barrel, they were as good as it got when comparing BR barrels but probably the same as Hart, Shilen etc. since individual barrels would make a bigger difference than brand at that level - that difference is in thousandths of an inch in group size. Exactly where the KIDD fits in, that I do not know.


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Regarding Lilja’s shank diameter, it is barely oversized v. the OEM so in order to achieve somewhat acceptable W ssnugness you do need to use a Kidd receiver with its slightly undersized hole.
OEM receiver along with many others that are also not undersized will indeed produce what can only be described as a sloppy fit.
So if a really snug fit is one of the objectives, Kidd/Kidd is the way to go.

 

Get what you want I have a 20 and 24 inch green mt both shoot good

 

Mostly a bolt guy but may venture down the KIDD rabbit hole with my 10/22.

 

I'm mostly a bolt guy also, but having the 10/22 as a pet project has been a lot of fun. I definitely encourage you to try it out.

 

I don't have much compairson info/data.....but my Volquartsen receiver/bolt & Lilja barrel shoots lights out. So good that I have no need to experiment with and/or compare!

 

Again: My opinion only. First off I do not own a Kidd barrel. I do own one Lilja and a Shilen in 22 and three Shilen in centerfire.
This my 10/22 with the Lilja and for a while I shot it in local ARA matches in the under 11 pound class. I had one 1st and one 4th then switched to my Anschutz without the Tuner. It just made the weight without the tuner. I also have two first places in the under 11 pound class in the 100 yard group matches with a .429 and a .330. The target is typical with carefully selected lots of ammo. But, the barrel is only one leg of the tripod. Barrel, bedding and bullets. Without those three being in pretty good condition, you are wasting money.