Ruger Drop-In Barrels for the 10/22 & 77/22
We are making a true match grade replacement barrel for the popular
Ruger 10/22 and 77/22 rifles chambered for the 22 long rifle, 22WMR,
and 17 HMR chamberings and in 17 HM2 for the 77/22. These barrels
are all made from our rifle barrel quality stainless steel, button
rifled, stress relieved, and hand-lapped. (Click
here to see information on the Ruger Model 96 lever
action.)
Price: $365 for the 22 long rifle, 22
WMR, 17 HMR & 17 HM2 plus shipping.
Barrel Data
All 10/22 and 77/22 barrels listed below are normally kept
in-stock: Click
here to see a picture of the three barrel contours.
 Ruger
77/22 .920"dia. x 21" finish weight 3# - 9 oz.
Ruger
77/22 Varmint Taper, 23" finish (17 HMR and 22 WMR) 3# - 0
oz.
Ruger
77/22 Factory Sporter, 21" finish (22 WMR and 22 LR) 2# - 0
oz.
Ruger
10/22 .920" dia. x 21" finish weight 3# - 9 oz.
Ruger
10/22 Factory Sporter, 21" finish (22 WMR and 22 LR) weight
2# - 0 oz.
They are chambered
with a match type chamber, the 10/22 barrels with a "Bentz"
semi-auto match chamber and crowned with an 11 degree target crown.
The fact that these barrels are hand-lapped and that the internal
diameters are on the tight side contribute to their extreme accuracy
and make them a true target type barrel.
Rob Horton working on another batch of drop-in barrels.
Customers ask if any gunsmithing work is required to install these
barrels. The quick answer is: no there isn't. Below we have information
describing the procedure to change barrels. It takes about 5
minutes. But, if you are using the original wooden Ruger stock the
barrel channel will need to opened up for the larger diameter barrel.
However, most of the aftermarket replacement stocks are available
with the larger barrel channel.
Our customers are all interested in improving the accuracy potential
of their rifles, so a very legitimate question is: what accuracy
can I expect with a Lilja barrel? With good quality 22 Long
Rifle target ammo the 10/22 and 77/22 barrels will very
easily shoot 1/2" - 5 shot groups at 50 yards with many groups in
the .2's and .3's. Shooting at 100 yards we often see groups of
.7" and better. We do not have a "favorite" brand of ammo that
we recommend with these barrels. They all seem to be a little individualistic
and some experimentation with different brands of ammo will show
which is best for that barrel. We do not recommend using CCI
Velocitor or Stinger ammo in the 10/22 barrel. To learn more
about this - Click
Here
With the 22 WMR cartridge we do not have as much
ammo selection to choose from. But there are a couple of good choices.
Most customers report that the Federal Premium ammo is giving them
the best accuracy. These cases are loaded with a 30 grain Sierra
hollow point and velocity is quite high. Probably the next best
is the W-W brand ammo with the solid bullets. Remington is producing
a round loaded with a 33 grain Hornady V-Max bullet that is also
very accurate. Typical accuracy at 50 yards for 5-shot groups are
in the .3's and at 100 yards in the .7's.
Accuracy with the 17 HMR round has been outstanding.
Our experience has been that 5-shot groups in the .2's - .3's at
50 yards and .6's and .7's at 100 yards can be expected. Occasional
groups are even better than these. And we've had numerous reports
from customers confirming these results. It is also a deadly round
on smaller varmints. Our drop-in barrel is a direct replacement
for the 22 WMR factory barrel. The 22 WMR magazine functions flawlessly
with the 17 HMR round. We are no longer offering 17 HMR barrels
for the 10/22.
We have a set of barrel break-in and cleaning instructions that
we suggest for both the 22
rimfire and centerfire
cartridges. Although the 17 HMR and 22 WMR cartridges are not
centerfire, the bullet is jacketed and the break-in is the same
as for centerfire cartridges.
Drop-in barrels do not require any special gunsmithing. Occasionally
the receiver hole is slightly oversize in the Ruger receivers. In
cases like this we can make a special oversize shank on the barrel.
About 90% of these oversize holes are found on the stainless steel
version of the 77/22. The nominal diameter is .687".
Directions for installing the barrel are furnished with each barrel.
These instructions can also be found directly below. If you do not
feel qualified to install your new drop-in barrel we can do so for
a $25 charge.
Installation Instructions
for the Ruger 10/22 or 77/22
1. To remove original barrel remove the two socket
head cap screws using a 5/32 Allen wrench as shown in drawing.
2. Slide out dovetail block that was held in place
by socket head cap screws.
3. Pull original barrel out of receiver.
4. To install new barrel reverse the above procedure.
The dovetail block will align the barrel.
5. Retighten socket head cap screws reasonably tight.
Installation tips for best accuracy.
We turn the shank diameter on our Ruger barrels to a diameter of
.687" - .688". This is on the large side as compared to
the original barrels. This diameter is a slip-fit into the Ruger
77/22 and 10/22 receivers. We have found however that some receivers
have an oversized hole in them which results in a slightly sloppier
fit than is desirable. We can turn an oversize shank diameter for
you on special-order. The draw back to this is delivery would most
likely be several months rather than off-the-shelf. Keep in mind
that 99%+ of the receivers are a good fit with the standard diameter
shank.
There is a good indicator if you have a loose fit between the barrel
shank and receiver. With the barrel in the receiver and the screws
holding the dovetail block tight, hold the barreled action up to
a light and look from the side at the receiver and shoulder junction.
If it is a loose fit there will be a gap on the top side between
the two. If this is the case, some gunsmiths advocate using Loctite
on the barrel. If you decide to use this procedure, do so without
tightening the two screws and hold the barrel and action vertically
while the Loctite sets up.
With Ruger 77/22 rifles check to be sure that both locking lugs
on the bolt are engaging the receiver. It is not uncommon to have
just one lug touching. If this is the case the lugs should be lapped
for uniform contact.
We offer a 22 rimfire Go Gauge of
.043" made by Pacific Precision for $19.
UPDATE: Ruger 10/22 Magnum Rifles
The Ruger 10/22 Magnum (WMR) rifle is now being manufactured
with a second extractor (or as Ruger calls it; a cartridge support)
in the bolt. This is like the Ruger 77/22 bolt. These
rifles were originally made with a single extractor, like the 10/22
Long Rifle version. When we first made the 10/22 WMR drop-in
barrels we made them with one extractor cut. We are now making
these with the second cut. These barrels with two cuts will
work with either bolt: the original style with one extractor or
the new version with two extractors.
If you have one of our 10/22 WMR drop-in barrels with a single
extractor cut and have a receiver with a bolt with two extractors,
we will re-machine your barrel with the second cut at no charge.
We will also re-polish the exterior of the barrel at that time and
inspect it.
If you are having extraction problems with a single extractor bolt,
Ruger will replace the bolt with the new style at no charge.
Ruger says that they are replacing these bolts on a as-needed basis.
Not all single extractor rifles have an extraction problem.
Our shop 10/22 mag for example, feeds and extracts just fine with
one extractor. The phone number for the Ruger Product Service
Department is 603-865-2442.
77/22 .22 Hornet Barrels
The Ruger 77/22 Hornet receiver is different than either the 22
long rifle or 22 WMR receivers. The Hornet barrel is screwed in
the receiver and we do not make a drop-in type barrel for the Hornet.
One of our .224" centerfire barrels can be fit to this receiver
by a gunsmith but we do not do that work.
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