What Barrel Length Is Best for .22 LR?
Woody's answers are based on published federal and state law. Not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for your specific situation.
16 to 20 inches is optimal for .22 LR, balancing velocity gains with practical handling. Shorter barrels lose significant velocity while longer barrels show diminishing returns.
How This Affects Your Shooting
The .22 LR cartridge continues burning powder and accelerating the bullet much longer than centerfire rounds, making barrel length critical for performance. Unlike high-pressure cartridges that reach peak velocity quickly, .22 LR benefits substantially from every inch of barrel up to about 20 inches.
The Detail
The .22 LR's relatively slow-burning powder and low chamber pressure mean the bullet continues accelerating throughout a longer barrel length than most cartridges. You'll typically see velocity gains of 20-30 fps per inch of barrel length up to about 16 inches, with more modest gains continuing out to 20-22 inches. After that point, friction begins to overcome the diminishing powder burn.
A 16-inch barrel represents the sweet spot for most applications, providing excellent velocity while maintaining reasonable handling characteristics. You'll get roughly 90-95% of the maximum possible velocity from most .22 LR loads. Going shorter sacrifices meaningful performance, with 10-12 inch barrels losing 150-200 fps compared to 16-inch tubes.
For precision shooting where every bit of velocity matters, 20-22 inch barrels extract maximum performance from the cartridge. The additional length helps with sight radius and can improve accuracy, though the velocity gains become minimal beyond 20 inches. Some target rifles use even longer barrels, but you're chasing smaller and smaller improvements.
Suppressor use changes the equation somewhat, as the suppressor acts like additional barrel length and can add 10-20 fps to your velocity. If you're planning to run suppressed frequently, you might opt for a slightly shorter barrel to maintain overall handling while still achieving good velocity.
Build Impact
For a general-purpose .22 rifle, 16 inches gives you the best balance of performance and practicality. If you're building primarily for precision work, go with 20 inches, but remember that every inch beyond 16 adds length and weight for increasingly modest velocity gains.