Shortening .22 Rifle Barrel...Any Down Side?

[DFOOSKING]

High velocity in a suppressed gun is pointless from a noise perspective. If its accurate that way or more accurate that way (out of shear luck)....I guess it's fine. It's not hearing safe ever. But people 200yds away hear you just fine. That said, I will always opt for the can IF the accuracy of the firearm isn't negatively effected so that it defeats the advantages a bolt gun provides.

Normally you want the can to dramatically reduce the noise. And the best way to accomplish that is subsonic ammo. Full speed through a can is like a 10% reduction in noise....hardly worth going through the motion. Subsonic ammo through a can compared to open full speed is a 95% drop in noise. Keep in mind, your only dropping from 1250fps averages to 1050fps averages. Your still 80% the ugga dugga's of full speed. Its not like a 308 going from 2650fps to 1050fps....well over half the velocity lost. That's why .22LR is the most popular application.

If you are shooting tree rats and cottontails at stone throwing yardages to the back of the backyard....you don't need high velocity ammo for that. If I was shooting a pack of big fat coons over unknown distances in a open corn field out of a semi auto.....then high velocity would make more sense. I'm trying not to get chewed on and have fast follow up shots. And high speed in a semi auto is always better mechanically speaking. More gas means better cycing.

Taking single well aimed pokes with a bolt gun is where the suppressed gun really shines. And that's not to say your making no noise signature. But if your smart....it can mixed in with other area noises to the point that offendable ears don't necessarily put 2 and 2 together. And be assured, nothing sounds like a ricochet. That BRrrrrvvvvvvv sound followed by something in the distance getting unexpectantly crashed into. Your going to become far more cognizant of your rounds skipping. Shooting up into the treetops not so much. The other thing is the very audible THWAP sound on impact can be like a firecracker. Birds are dumb. But not dumb enough to hear the sound of metal slapping meat and not get the fuck out of there.

There's an art to just picking good times and setting up locations to soak up or difuse your signature. But that is something you will learn over time.

 

[Buck Wilde]

I would actually like the neighbors and their horses to hear me, because they need continual reminders that I have the right to shoot here and plan to keep it up. A lady in the subdivision across the fence went an HOA meeting and tried to get them to do something about me. Unbelievable entitlement. They had to tell her they had no authority over me.

We get northeastern transplants here, and they sometimes think they're still in Poughkeepsie or Brookline where they can push people around.

We have to keep Florida Florida. The northerners have already managed to ban bear hunting.

I think this can is safe with high velocity, but I will try out CCI 0074 if it ever becomes available again.

 

[N_Turs]

I chopped the barrel on a jp ar22 down to 11" to match another ar of mine as a trainer. I run a Checkmate HD on it and its a blast to shoot. Hella quite and just as accurate as before the chop if not a little better. Never really tested accuracy with it on a bench tho sense its more of a trainer for me. Id say chop it at less then 16 and sbr or pistol brace it.

 

[Vodak]

SBR would be fine, but making it a pistol is not legal in the situation the OP posted. You can go from pistol to rifle and back again, but you can not make a rifle into a pistol.
Goes for AR style lowers as well. If you bought a rifle, or your dealer sold you a lower as a “rifle” on the paperwork you can’t make it into a pistol.
Sorry to be the fun police but I don’t want any of you guys going to jail over a mistake.

I chopped the barrel on a jp ar22 down to 11" to match another ar of mine as a trainer. I run a Checkmate HD on it and its a blast to shoot. Hella quite and just as accurate as before the chop if not a little better. Never really tested accuracy with it on a bench tho sense its more of a trainer for me. Id say chop it at less then 16 and sbr or pistol brace it.

 

[N_Turs]

SBR would be fine, but making it a pistol is not legal in the situation the OP posted. You can go from pistol to rifle and back again, but you can not make a rifle into a pistol.
Goes for AR style lowers as well. If you bought a rifle, or your dealer sold you a lower as a “rifle” on the paperwork you can’t make it into a pistol.
Sorry to be the fun police but I don’t want any of you guys going to jail over a mistake.

This is true, I didn't take into account that it came from the factory as a complete rifle.

 

[zeroz]

Im a little late to the party but Id stick with subsonics for your ears and to keep some peace. Like you said you're potentially sending rounds off property with the 22. If you want the neighbors to know you can shoot, shoot something bigger, into a good backstop. If a 22 lands next to somebody and they hear the shot it could be a PIA. If they dont, they probably will think a bird shit or something. Supressed subs out of a 22 are movie quiet. The supersonic crack still isn't great for you. Here and there its probably fine but why not. Theres no real downside. Ive watched enough 20-150 lb hogs die on the spot from CCI standard to the brain that Im pretty sure well placed shot is enough for a squirrel. The subsonic hollow points would only help your cause further.

 

[Buck Wilde]

I would still like to give this job a whack, and I picked up a new dial test indicator, but after some thought, I decided to pick up a new rifle.

Savage makes a 16.5" threaded version with a camo stock, and they run about $275. It's exactly what I want the existing rifle to be.

I plan to call Savage and see if they will sell me a 16.5" threaded barrel, just for the hell of it. I can put it on the older gun, and then my son will have a Savage waiting when he's old enough. And I can also try threading the 22" barrel for practice.

 

[Buck Wilde]

Here is some news for anyone thinking of buying an A22: don't.

I talked to Savage. They will not sell parts for this gun. No parts at all? I don't know. They apparently have an arbitrary policy that varies from part to part and gun to gun.

They will not sell me a barrel or nut. If I want a barrel replaced, I'm supposed to send them the gun. They will only replace the barrel with the same barrel it came with.

The gun I have on the way will be my last Savage. I can buy OEM parts for lots of other guns. Not sure why Savage wants to be difficult.

In case any future Googlers are wondering what size barrel nut their A22's have, large shank or small shank, the answer is neither. It's an A22 nut. If you bang it up, you'll have to pay a machinist to make one or MAYBE get Savage to send one to an FFL or licensed smith, so your $15 nut costs $50.