Best Ruger 10/22 Rifle Barrels

Gun owners and Ruger enthusiasts, we’ve found the best barrels for your 10/22 rifle. Keep reading to find out more. 

The Ruger 10/22 is the best-selling rifle of all time. It’s so popular because it’s reliable, affordable, and accurate. With a host of customization options, including barrels, stocks, and scopes, it can be tailored to any shooter’s needs or preferences.

However, not every barrel will work with your particular model. Some have been designed specifically for the 10/22 platform, while others are universal in design.

The Ruger 10/22 is a semi-automatic rimfire rifle with over 7 million units sold since 1964. Gun owners use it in a variety of capacities, such as hunting small animals, target shooting, and self-defense. If you own one of these guns or are looking at buying one, this post will help you find which barrel is right for you.

	Beyer Barrels Ruger 10/22 Ultralight Target Barrel	Cerakote coating for rust and corrosion resistance .17 HMR version is available in addition to .22 LR Dissipates heat fast, so good for extended firing sessions Heavier than most standard 10/22 barrels (although still lighter weight than most bull barrels)	$187 Shop NowClick to read my review
	Tactical Solutions SB-X Ruger 10/22 Barrel	Very short at twelve and a half inches, in addition to outer threads Essentially makes your 10/22 an SBR, but without requiring ATF paperwork Suppressor-ready Lacks open sights	$242 Shop NowClick to read my review
Top Pick	Volquartsen Ruger 10/22 Barrel	Made of durable and lightweigh carbon fiber steel build Threaded for cantilever scope mount Taper honed, match bore and chamber leads to outstanding accuracy Very expensive No threaded versions for suppressors available	$297 Shop NowClick to read my review
	Green Mountain Ruger 10/22 Replacement Barrel	Made with durable steel alloys Easy to fit on the Ruger 10/22 Good for custom builds Heavy barrel	$129 Shop NowClick to read my review

You may wish to get the most out of your 10/22’s capabilities. With many aftermarket upgrades available, it may be hard to personalize your rifle exactly as you want.

Barrel customization is the most common modification to Ruger’s 10/22. That’s because the barrel has the greatest direct influence on accuracy and overall performance.

Buying a Ruger 10/22 barrel involves a few considerations, which we’ll discuss further below. As a follow-up, I’ll go through my thoughts on the best 10/22 Ruger barrels currently available.

Why Go With The Ruger 10/22?

Ruger wanted to create a semi-automatic rimfire with the level of excellence as the centerfire hunting rifles of the day, such as Winchester or Remington’s.

Because of its reputation for dependability and longevity, accuracy, and customization choices, the 10/22 became an immediate hit and remains one of the most popular rimfire rifles to this day.

The 10/22 is also a highly versatile platform because you can use it for everything. From competition target shooting to casual plinking, including small game hunting, pest control, general homestead use, and an SHTF survival weapon.

Buyer’s Guide To Finding The Best Ruger 10/22 Barrels

When searching for a new aftermarket Ruger 10/22 barrel, you will want to consider the following:

Twist Rate

It is common for rifles to have spirals in the barrel (or bore) that form the rifling. The twist rate is a measurement of the rifling’s degree of depth.

Additionally, the number of times a bullet completes an entire revolution in the barrel is the number of complete rotations. For instance, a barrel with a twist rate of 1:7 indicates that the bullet will rotate once every seven inches inside the barrel. The ideal barrel twist rate for a.22 rifle is 1:16.

Barrel Thickness

The next consideration you will need to have is the thickness of your barrel. Every time you pull the trigger on your 10/22 and send a bullet downrange will cause the barrel to get warmer. So when you rapid-fire multiple rounds downrange at once, your barrel will indeed heat up very quickly.

Aftermarket magazines for the 10/22 contain 20, 25, 30, 35, and even more rounds. Plus, with the 10/22’s semi-automatic nature, it’s simple to understand how your barrel may rapidly heat up.

A thicker barrel could handle rapid-firing better. On the other hand, a thinner barrel can alter the performance of a round as it heats up. The bullet’s performance can be altered because of the heat conducted and vibration of the barrel with each bullet fired. But with a thicker barrel, less heat will be conducted, and the barrel will vibrate less with each round fired. This means that you can shoot more rounds downrange in one time period with a thicker barrel before you will need to allow the gun to cool off.

The 10/22 is already a lightweight carbine, and adding a thick bull barrel to the end will improve its shooting performance at the price of making the pistol less maneuverable. This is not ideal if you want to take your carbine out into the woods to go small game hunting, particularly if you need to carry the gun for long distances.

Threading

Finally, you may want to consider getting a 10/22 barrel with threaded ends, enabling you to add a sound suppressor. Factory threaded barrels do exist for the 10/22, but not in abundance. This is why it can be worth spending the money to buy an aftermarket barrel for a 10/22, because you can get a threaded model to add a suppressor if you so choose.

Remember that sometimes the Ruger 10/22 aftermarket barrels can cost as much as the 10/22 out-of-the-box itself. Therefore, sending this kind of money may only be worth it if you’re spending it on getting a barrel that can make the gun significantly quieter to shoot.

Installing A 10/22 Barrel

You don’t need a professional gunsmith to install a 10/22 barrel. However, it is still a fairly intricate process. Installing the barrel yourself will require you to fully strip the rifle down, so you will need to have all of the necessary tools as well as the required knowledge to do so.

Here are the basic steps that you will need to follow in order to install your 10/22’s barrel:

1. Take apart the stock and the action. Do this by removing the stock retaining screw and barrel band (you’ll need a screwdriver to do this)
2. Disassemble the action by removing the takedown pins, which will separate the receiver and the trigger assembly
3. Take out the recoil spring, bolt, and charging handle, leaving you with the receiver and the barrel
4. Remove the barrel retaining screws from the receiver using a hex key (a clamp will also make this easier)
5. Remove the old barrel from the receiver
6. Place the new barrel into the receiver
7. Follow the previous steps in reverse
8. Confirm that the rifle is functioning before firing ammunition through the new barrel

You’ll need a screwdriver and a hex key at the bare minimum in order to follow the above steps and replace your 10/22’s barrel. If you are using a 10/22 chassis instead of a stock the process should be similar.

Now that we’ve gone through the considerations you need to have when choosing a new 10/22 barrel and how to actually replace it, we will next dive into the top three best Ruger 10/22 barrels on the market today.

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The 4 Best Ruger 10/22 Barrels

Beyer Barrels Ruger 10/22 Ultralight Target Barrel

The Beyer Barrels Ruger 10/22 Ultralight Target Barrel is lightweight, durable, and well-made. Don’t get us wrong: this barrel is still definitely heavier than most Ruger 10/22 barrels. You’ll also notice an increase in weight in contrast to the 10/22 that you get from the factory. However, it is much lighter than most other 10/22 bull barrels that are available on the market.

Built out of an incredibly durable 7075 aluminum, the Beyer Barrels is actually significantly more durable than many other 10/22 barrels on the market. Beyer also claims that this barrel will cause the heat to dissipate faster than standard steel.

The outside of the barrel is coated in cerakote, which is a very durable and rust resistant finish. The interior of the barrel has a twist rate of 1:16, which as we discussed previously is ideal for a .22 rifle of any kind.

In addition to the standard .22 LR version, Beyer also builds a version designed to fit the .17 HMR version of the 10/22. Beyer only recommends that you utilize a heavier Ruger 10/22 charging handle assembly and bolt carrier if you want to switch to the .17 caliber, however.

On top of everything else, this barrel is also not as expensive as several other quality aftermarket 10/22 barrels. Sure, it’s still going to be quite expensive overall and cost nearly as much as the 10/22 itself, but it is the least expensive barrel option in this list.

Overall

If you’re looking for a target bull barrel that is not excessively heavy, the Beyer Barrel is without question one of your best choices. This is a durable and rust-resistant barrel that will greatly improve the accuracy and performance of your 10/22.

Tactical Solutions SB-X Ruger 10/22 Barrel

Are you looking to add a suppressor to your Ruger 10/22? If so, the only way you can possibly do so is if you have a barrel with a threaded end.

A suppressor can certainly be a good thing for your 10/22 because it can dampen the nose of the rifle when shooting. If you’re shooting near your neighbors or on the range and just want to create less noise to be more considerate, a suppressor is what you need.

The downside, of course, is that a suppressor will greatly add onto the length of your 10/22 to make it less nimble and more unwieldy. But what if there was a threaded barrel that was already short so your barrel wouldn’t be so long when the suppressor is added?

This is the problem that is directly solved by the Tactical Solutions SB-X Ruger 10/22 barrel. A suppressor can increase the length of the barrel when added by as much as eight inches. Considering the fact that the standard barrel of a 10/22 can be sixteen inches or more, this can make your 10/22 a bit too unwieldy in tight conditions.

Fortunately, the rifled part of the SB-X barrel is only twelve and a half inches long, in addition to internal threads that extend beyond the barrel to accept a rimfire suppressor. This essentially gives you the functionality of an SBR, or short-barreled rifle, but you won’t need to go through the ATF in order to get it.

The twist rate of the SB-X barrel is 16:1, which is perfect for the .22 LR cartridge. However, the outside of the barrel is coated in a matte black finish, which isn’t the nicest looking finish by any means, and there is also a lack of iron sights as well.

Overall

If you want to add a suppressor to the end of a 10/22 barrel while still keeping the overall length of the rifle fairly short, the Tactical Solutions SB-X barrel is a prime option. This would be a great choice of barrel for the 10/22 Takedown model especially.

Volquartsen Ruger 10/22 Barrel

You can find the best barrel for your Ruger 10/22 from Volquartsen, if you’re prepared to pay the money. Even though their goods are expensive, this firm is well-known for producing some of the world’s best rimfire barrels.

That’s because the Volquartsen built this barrel with a taper honed, match chamber and bore to create the best possible accuracy out of your 10/22. In addition, this barrel is made of space ace carbon fiber steel, which is the most robust barrel for the 10/22 presently on the market. Instead of attaching a 10/22 scope to the top of the receiver, the top of the barrel has threads for use with a cantilever scope mount.

Volquartsen does not currently provide a suppressor-compatible version, but maybe that will change in the future. However, a compensator version is available. Also, you can enhance your 10/22’s appearance with its sleek black and silver finish.

Currently, there are two versions of the Volquartsen available for sale, one that measures sixteen inches (the standard length) and another, much more expensive version that measures eighteen and a half inches.

Overall

The Volquartsen is one of the highest quality aftermarket Ruger 10/22 barrels in existence. There are few, if any, barrels on the market that will improve the accuracy of your 10/22 as much as this one.

Green Mountain Ruger 10/22 Replacement Barrel

The Green Mountain barrel is made from high-quality materials, with quality craftsmanship and the highest precision standards for optimum performance and durability. So, when it comes to quality, you can rely on this barrel even under heavy use. This barrel also provides easy-to-install and low-cost replacements for the Ruger 10/22 and it has a 1:16″ twist.

Another nice feature is that it has a standard Bull contour as well as a fluted contour. When a barrel is fluted, it has grooves that run the length of the barrel. The grooves allow more air to contact the barrel, keeping it cool and lighter than the standard option, which is fantastic. The Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Company is well-known for being the industry leader in accurate barrel manufacturing.

For custom 10/22 builds, Green Mountain barrels are one of the most popular choices in the market today. This barrel has 20 “long blued bbl, weighs 3.17 lbs (51 ounces) and has” Bentz “chambers for consistent accuracy and cycling. Making it useful and comfortable to use. 

If you want to improve the accuracy and appearance of your Ruger 10/22. The Green Mountain Ruger 10/22 replacement barrel is an excellent choice. A fluted blued or stainless steel model, weighing 2.75 pounds or 44 ounces, is also available for weight reduction.

Overall

This Green Mountain Ruger 10/22 Replacement Barrel provides high-quality performance at a reasonable price. This barrel is one of the unified options for custom builds. As a result, it is a good investment at a reasonable price; you can’t go wrong with this product if you try it.

Conclusion

The 10/22 may be an excellent rifle already right out of the box, but any one of these barrels will be sure to maximize performance for it even further.

You might also like to read:

• Ruger 10/22 Mods
• Best Ruger 10/22 Charging Handles
• Ruger 10/22 Takedown Review: “One To Go, Please!”