Hey guys,
MANY years ago while in college I bought a Ruger 10/22 for $65.The It was an upgraded version of their usual carbine w/ a better looking stock and no barrel band. Through the years, I have no idea how many rounds I put through the gun, but it was a LOT. Over time it had a trigger job and some other parts replaced, but the I stock and barrel remained unchanged.

I'd always wanted to a custom barrel on my 10/22, but never got a around to it. Then I bought a Silencerco Spectre II suppressor 10 mos ago. I had a threaded 22LR pistol, but I wanted to play w/ the suppressor on a rifle. Paying a gunsmith to thread my existing barrels would cost nearly as much as buying a new, threaded barrel. So now I had a reason to finally get a custom barrel.

I replaced the wooden stock and the 50 year old 4X Leopold scope w/ a Hogue overmolded stock in Ghillie tan and a Burris 4.5-14X scope. The new barrel is made by Feddersen and is 18" long w/ a factory barrel contour. I got a factory contour barrel instead of a bull barrel because I was concerned about weight (the bull barrel is 14 oz heavier and the suppressor weighs 6 oz) and balance issues. This gun will be a hunting gun, mostly used for squirrel hunting. It's now unusual to walk 4-5 miles on a squirrel hunt w/ dog(s). The bull barrel is 14 oz heavier than the factory contour barrel. In addition, the suppressor would add 6 oz more. Swapping out the barrels went very well.

Here are the before and after pics.

I shot it for the first time this week and was very satisfied. The shooting was done at a fast pace and was far from benchrest technique as it was getting dark rapidly.All shots were w/ the suppressor and at 25 yards. This is target was shot w/ CCI standard velocity RN. There were 5 shots in the lower group; I adjusted the scope and shot 5 more for the upper group. It's not great accuracy yet, but it's a significant improvement over the old barrel, plus now I can shoot it w/ the suppressor. I expect the groups to tighten up w/ further shooting and better technique from me. The subsonic rounds are VERY quiet! This is gonna be a LOT of fun. I'm looking forward to a squirrel hunt w/ a friend and his dog this weekend.