Re: 10/22 barrel droop adjustment.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Imurhuckleberry</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How much of an adjustment is required to be made for the barrel droop on the 10/22 rugers for 100, 200, and 300 yds. I'm in the process of building one up. Nothing fancy just a hogue stock with a tac sol bull barrel 16.5 inch with a 3x9 bushnell.
I have the moa adjustments from here for those distances but would like to know the specifics of the barrel droop only. </div></div>
"An adjustment", or correction to the barrel angle to compensate for
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">10/22 "Barrel Droop"</span></span> is a separate matter from adjusting a gun's open or telescopic sight to shoot at a given distance (which simply has the operator angle the muzzle higher to raise the point-of-impact). Barrel droop correction is done to "level" the barrel in relation to the receiver. The amount of barrel droop varies from gun to gun, but food-for-thought is that 60 MOA = 1 degree. That means that even if your barrel only droops 1 degree you need 60 MOA "Up" just to "level" the barrel.
Barrel droop is an inherent byproduct of the 10/22’s V-Block. The V-Block has a single point of contact (the rearward cut in the barrel notch) to secure the barrel to the barrel block on the lug. The rest of the notch is un-loaded. As the two (2) V-Block screws are tightened the barrel is pulled downward, inducing barrel droop. Some barrel droop can be addressed through the use of an adjustable V-Block such as the
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Rimfire Technologies V-Block Stabilizer</span></span>,
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">"Gunsmither" Elevation Compensating Barrel Block for the 10/22</span></span>, or shimming of the barrel tenon, but these are band aids. They are never as accurate, reliable, or consistent as threading is.
Also, don’t forget that your scope’s LOS (line-of-sight) is 1.5” or more above the bore at the receiver, so even without barrel droop you're going to burn up some elevation to sight-in. I said “at the receiver” because the sight offset will vary from the chamber and muzzle ends due to barrel droop.
You can gain back some of your “lost” elevation by using a
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Tactical Solutions 15 MOA Picatinny Rail</span></span>, or an
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">EGW 20 MOA 10/22 Extended Picatinny Rail</span></span>, but that’s’ not what the rails were designed for, is it? Canted rails are designed to extend shooting distances.
The <span style="font-style: italic">best solution is to <span style="font-weight: bold">eliminate</span> barrel droop by threading the receiver.</span> Not only will you use less elevation to zero, but in combination with a 15 or 20 MOA base and a scope with lots of travel and/or a tactical reticle you'll be able to reach out to 300 more easily. As far as groups you are at the mercy of the wind. You can bed the barrel for support so you don't have to worry about warping the receiver under the weight of a heavy barrel.
Aside from the elimination of barrel droop, another key advantage of a threaded-in barrel is consistency. A rigidly-attached, threaded barrel will always remain in alignment with the receiver from shot-to-shot. The barrel-to-receiver alignment will not change, providing consistency. Consistency contributes to repeatability. Some people talk about how tight their barrel tenon-to-receiver fit is - how they had to heat the receiver and zap the barrel with 300 Below and then hammer the barrel into the receiver. Or how they shimmed the barrel and/or the v-block. That’s' all fine and well, but theres’ a lot of power released and vibration going-on when a .22 is fired. Why do you think that .22 Shorts are used to drive anchors into concrete? I'm not a physicist, but I'd say that the detonation of a .22 Short probably has enough shock power to momentarily knock/vibrate/force a non-threaded, non-pinned barrel out of "the sweet spot". This includes the hex screw of some modified/adjustable v-blocks. And that’s’ to say nothing about the pounding the breech takes as the bolt slams home, or the lighter, but still present jolt to the receiver's bolt stop (or bolt buffer if your rifle is so equipped) from the bolt.
Keep in mind that there is more to threading the receiver and barrel together than using a tap and die set - the receiver material must be strong enough to handle the stress of the weight of the barrel and to endure that stress and the mild but ever-present recoil of firing. The receiver face needs to be squared (machined at a 90 degree angle to the receiver sides), the receiver threads need to be square to the receiver, and the barrel threads have to be concentric with the receiver. Once this is done and the barrel and receiver are threaded together barrel droop is eliminated.
The best <span style="font-style: italic">overall solution</span> is to use a threaded receiver with a secondary lug, which will anchor the action to the stock. A firmly anchored receiver allows free-floating of the barrel - something that is normally not possible in a single lug 10/22 action (some people over at
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Rimfire Central</span></span> have anchored the rear of the receiver by
<span style="font-weight: bold">pinning the receiver through the sides of the stock</span>. I don't like the idea of running pins through the side of the stock, which places stress on it. IMO the sides of the stock are somewhat thin and weak already.
Check-out the
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">MOA 17-4 SS Receiver</span></span>, the
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">L.H. Precision, LLC</span></span>, or the upcoming Kidd Receiver, although the Kidd will be aluminum. While I prefer steel over aluminum, Tony Kidd sure knows what the hell he’s doing so I'm sure his receiver will be up to the task of handling the stress of a free-floated heavy barrel.
If you choose not to anchor the receiver through the use of a two lug receiver or the pinning method, bedding the barrel is the next best method to keep the action and barrel from tipping forward. With a fully bedded barrel you don't have to rely on a tight barrel channel or pressure pad to keep the action and barrel from "teeter-tottering" (the Ruger 10/22's single lug allows this "teeter-totter" effect because there is nothing holding down the back of the receiver). This is why virtually every 10/22 stock around has a snug-fitting barrel channel or uses a pressure pad for barrel support.
And, since you plan on shooting out to 300 yards, if you haven't already bought the Tac Sol barrel I suggest you rethink your barrel choice - the sleeved
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Tactical Solutions</span></span> barrel doesn't seem to the best barrel for accuracy, and I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment at long range. I suggest going with a solid barrel from Kidd or Lothar Walther. Green Mountain has great price/performance ratio reputation, but if you're feeling spendy a tight bore .2150 Krieger may be the ultimate.
Keith
