Not a Custom Shop Barrel, and not a Super 16" Barrel, but I do have a Production Super 14 Match Grade .22 LR Contender Barrel. Mine wears a modified 3x12x Burris LER Handgun Scope (the model with the Fine Plex-PA and Target Turrets). I had Burris modify this scope so that I could use it at our Indoor Shooting Range at a distance of 50 feet in the winter months. What they did was reset the Parallax for me so that the graduations on the AO Ring are now in Feet instead of Yards.
I went through great pains in breaking in this barrel, and I am now reaping the bennifits of it. This barrel simply shoots much better than I can, provided it is fed it's prered diet of ammo. So far the two most accurate ammo choices have been CCI Standard Velocity and Wolf Match Target. However with a couple of the different BULK pack Hollow Points accuracy is indeed good enough for the taking of small varmints (Gophers in my part of the country).
The main purpose for this barrel is for Informal Bench Rest Shooting both at our local club, and on an E-Mail Bench Rest Match I participate in. The target we use is the USBR Target, and as such the 10-Ring measures .100". To score a "10" the bullet hole must touch any portion of the 10-Ring, however to score an "X" no portion of the entire 10-Ring can be visible. Each target has 25 bullseyes on it, and a perfect score is 250-25x. For our league at our local club this past winter I managed an average of 248-8x, and my personal high score is a 250-10x.
This is a lot of fun, and has provided me with lots of practice shooting little tiny targets with a Contender. I am the only person at our local club shooting a Contender Handgun (everyone else shoots these matches with .22 LR Rifles with 20x and higher magnification scopes), but on the E-Mail Bench Rest Matches there are a couple other guys shooting Contender Handguns.
If I had it to do over again I would buy a .22 LR Match Grade Fox Ridge Outfitters Super 16 Bull Barrel. I think for Bench Rest the added weight would be helpful. Another reason is simply that most of the authorities say that for Standard Velocity Target Ammunition 16" of Barrel is the optimum length.
Good luck with your project, I am sure if you go forward with it you will enjoy it. I have shot Contender Handguns for over 20 years, and until this past December had never owned or shot a Rimfire Contender Barrel. We all get caught up in the reloading thing, but recently I found out I was missing out of some great shooting opportunities for all of those years by not having a .22 LR Contender Handgun Barrel. Now I just need to decide what the next one will be.
Larry
