In your experience, do bull barrels actually increase accuracy compared to the tapered barrel?  

If so by how much and at what distance?    

I welcome opinions but your experience with this would be more helpful.    

This is for a 10/22 22LR

It has more to do with the chamber than the profile of the barrel, at least with rimfires.

GM makes sporter taper barrels that will shoot as well as their heavy barrels all because the chambers are the same. Harmonics do play a part but not as much as chamber dimensions.

Dolomite

Exactly what he said.
+Sticking a 3lb bull barrel on 4lb little .22 rifle completely ruins it IMO. Same thing with sticking a 2lb. scope/mount assembly on a .22.
Lot's of 9-10lb 10/22's out there to prove than people will buy all sorts of dumb things. Real easy to have a 5lb. total weight 10/22 that will shoot MOA.

Will it shoot MOA standing up?
I can sure get closer with my 9 pounder than my squirrel gun.

16-20" GM SS Fluted Bulls.  

thanks for the advise so far.  

so a bull barrel is more stable making it more accurate than a standard taper barrel?  

I don't know if I would agree with that...  The Bull is heavier, making it absorb more recoil; keeping you on target.  I think that the Std barrel is easier to shoot standing since it is lighter and doesn't take muscle to support.

Easier to shoot standing, harder to hit with. Twitchy. Unstable.
Guns for standing target shooting are neither short nor light.

I would agree with the barrel length.  I wish my 10/22 had the longer barrel instead of the carbine length...

A bull barrel is not more accurate than a taper barrel providing the chambers and bores are the same.

What a bull barrel does is allows the shooter to be more accurate whan shooting from a standing position. It is the mass of the bull barrel that helps soak up movement. It takes more to move a bull barrel because of the extra mass, this allows the gun to remain steadier than a lighter barrel when the shooter has things that cause minor movements like a heart beat or muscle movements. It isn't the barrel that is twitchy and unstable, it is the shooter. The bull barrel helps some but it isn't a cure.

Unless you are an olympic shooter you are not likely going to see a difference in accuracy between the two types of barrels when shooting standing. I would buy what you want and be happy because the gains between the two are negligible.

One more thing to consider. If you are going to be carrying the gun into the field I would try to minimize the weight. I have hunted with a 10+ pound 22 in the past and it starts sucking real fast.

Dolomite

All of this is thoeretical because each barrel is different. You might get a bull that doesn't shoot well at all while you might get a taper that shoots.

Exactly- My taper out shoots my Bull. They are 2 different rifles, but at the end of the day if I needed to hit something I would be using the lighter barrel.

I agree. I can shoot my 10/22 w/ a 3 lb stainless bull barrel offhand way better than with my son's Marlin 795. I can't hold it steady 'cause it is so light.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I agree whole-heartedly with the other posts here, but I want to chime in because I'm not sure exactly what you (The OP) are asking about.

Are you comparing FACTORY 10/22 carbines to FACTORY 10/22 Target models?

If so, the factory hammer-forged target barrel IS slightly more accurate than the sporter's...but neither one are all that accurate when it comes right down to it. The factory T model (bull barrel) also comes with a *slightly* lighter trigger.

The biggest problem is the chamber dimensions. They are not a great chamber for accuracy––they are for reliability...and to feed and extract ALL types of ammunition. Having a factory barrel set-back and rechambered will really wring out the accuracy...as will swapping out to one of the quality, aftermarket barrels.

All and all, you'd be better off buying another rifle if you are looking for accuracy. a CZ bolt action won't cost too many pennies more and will outshoot a vast majority of the "customized" 10/22's you'll find at the range.

I can hold a heaver rifle better then a lighter one.  But on the bench they shot the same.  With a good standing position you should have bone to bone contact with your muscle relaxed.  I find this to be most helpful.

Stone

My 10/22T was dismal. I had that , and one of the new ones with fancy engraving on the stock. That one had the standard barrel and outshot the heavy every time. Ended up selling the heavy barreled rifle out of embarassment.