222 Contender Carbine barrel

[gewehrfreund]

I am waiting for the mailman to deliver an older factory 21" 222 carbine barrel I recently bought. I have searched this forum topic and found a few threads about the accuracy of these barrels. Does anyone have any updated info on what I can expect for accuracy with a good scope and the right loads? Also, what do you prefer for scope bases for the Contender: I have a few Weaver bases, a Leupold, and an old Tasco World Class (same as the newer Nikon system). I's like to try a Redfield or Burris base at some point. Thanks.
FWIW my other barrels are a 22 Match, 22 Hornet, Custom Shop 32-20, Custom Shop 24" 357 Max, and a token 357 octagon pistol barrel.
LC

[DEACONLLB]

I have a 10 inch 222 in the contender and love it and from what I read in the gun digest the 222 will outshoot the 223 and it is a better cal. but the drawback is that the 223 is much cheaper to shoot. about all that I know on it.
Deaconllb

[Ladobe]

Depending on how old that carbine barrel is... if its an early enough classic carbine barrel it might have a single forend mounting standoff instead of the two on the later 21" barrels.   If it is a single standoff it will be an accuracy issue for that barrel that is difficult to overcome.

As suggested the 222 is generally capable of better accuracy than the 223, and on a tuned Contender frame with tuned handloads it can really be very accurate.   The 223 being cheaper to shoot suggestion must be based on only shooting factory loaded ammo because that is not true if you reload yourself (which you should do anyway if accuracy really is your main concern).

Properly mounting the scope is way more important than which scope base you use since the 222 doesn't require anything special because of recoil (IOW, 2 rings are plenty instead of 3 or 4).   I've always used Burris, Leupold and Redfield bases and rings on the moderate calibers, and Warne, Stratton or T'SOB on the heavy hitter Contenders.     


 

[OLDHandgunner]

Depending on the condition of the barrel you have purchased. But it should be a shooter, most 222's are.
I have four 222's in various guns. One is in a contender. All are very good to super accurate. My 20" Bullberry 222 Contender barrel is by far one of my most accurate barrels I own. I've alway's had good luck with these powders IMR 4198, IMR 3031, and so far the best for me lately has been H-322. I shoot mostly 50gr Hornady SX & Sierra 50gr Blitz in mine.
Make sure you get the best scope & mounts that you can afford. I have a target 4X12 Burris Compact on my Bullberry barrel with Leupold rings & bases.
Hopefully your 222 is a shooter too.  GOOD LUCK  & keep us informed.

[gewehrfreund]

Thanks for the replies. I am a definite reloader; I have three other 222's but this will be my first Contender barrel. Numrich had a few of these a few years back and I missed getting one, so I was happy to find this one.
I was actually thinking of putting my Burris 4-12 Mini RF scope on this barrel. I'll report back when I've had a chance to try this, but it may be a while with the winter we're having this year up here.

[Grumulkin]

The slickest scope mounting system that works on low recoiling cartridge are the T/C Duo-Rings.

That said, I've pretty much gone to Warne Maxima bases for my Contender and Encore rifle barrels and use Warne QD mounts.  That way I can easily move scopes around.

With the right load, you should be able to get 100 yard 3 shot groups in the 0.5 to 0.75 inch range.

[Ladobe]

Actually the TC Duo Rings/Base doesn't allow for any adjustment of the rings, so the system relies entirely on the mounting holes in the barrel being perfectly centered over the barrel/bore.    Otherwise the scope can be mounted canted off level, and it's click range has to be great enough to compensate for any misalignment and still cover the adjustment range you need in your type of shooting.   We all know that perfect sight mounting holes and concentric bores doesn't always happen on TC factory barrels, and even a custom barrel slips through now and then with the same problems.   

Bottom line, there are a lot of better choices out there for low to medium recoil cartridges IMO, almost any of them better than the Duo Mount.

[gewehrfreund]

I've never tried the duo mount, mostly because I like my scopes as low as I can get them, especially on the TC carbine which has a lot more drop in the stock than is desireable IMO. The Weaver mount seems to work as good as any and is fairly interchagable/repeatable. The Burris or older Leupold (not the double dovetail they have gone to in recent years) are probably the most desireable to me. Everybody has their preferences for good reasons I suppose.

[Camp Cook]

I just purchased a older but never fired stainless steel 21" factory barrel in 223.

I have to say that with my H322/40gr V-Max loads @ 3380fps average velocity I am completely amazed at the accuracy that I am getting.

I mounted a Burris Short Mag 3-9X Ballistic Plex scope on Leupold Quick Detachable scope rings onto an aluminum 4 screw Weaver base that will soon be removed and a MGM (Match Grade Machine) s/s base installed in its place.

I am shooting 1/2" X 1 3/4" 10 shot 200 yard groups and did an amazing 3 shot 3/4" X 1 1/2" (2 in the 1" bulls eye) 300 yard group first time I tried, I haven't tried it since don't want to spoil it for myself.


Anyway I am competely amazed at the accuracy of this factory barrel...