The barrel is the
HEART of any 10/22 build. Stock to action fit, trigger pull, a pinned firing pin, expensive scope & bolt headspace are all wasted if the barrel won't perform. Tony Kidd guarantees ½ inch groups at 50 yards from his barrels. I'm currently doing some ammunition testing out of a 10/22 style rifle I recently put together. Practically all the parts used are from KIDD:
My initial testing set-up was not the most sturdy platform, so I'm modifying a
"Caldwell Lead-Sled" to hold the rifle rock steady for my continued testing. My goal is to test various .22 rimfire ammunition, both match and common with this rifle and rig, to see,
for my own purposes, how the ammunition performs
in this particular rifle. From that point on, it's up to ME, and how well I can hold steady to try and emulate the results achieved using the rest.
I slugged my Tony KIDD barrel and it is very consistent in diameter throughout the bore, from chamber to muzzle. With the first round of testing, I loaded five rounds in the magazine and let the bolt push rounds into the chamber. Next up, I want to see if "single loading" makes any difference.......or not. This barrels rear extension was
"shrink-fit to the receiver", with the barrel held over-night in our meat freezer and the receiver in the oven at 250° for one hour. The fit is tight.
For me, this is both interesting and fun stuff to do.