Recently bought a blemished Kidd barrel off of eBay. I’m shooting your basic of the mill Winchester ammo. I can’t get this thing to hold a group less than an inch at 50 yards. I have quite a bit of shooting experience with larger calibers but not a ton with precision 22lr. Could the ammo be causing this thing to shoot like crap? Hopefully it’s not the barrel as I’ve heard Kidd doesn’t put out a bad product even if it is blemished.
- Thread starter Prison Mike
- Start date
Try a better grade of ammo. Even CCI Standard I'd consider at the lower end of acceptable.
Any suggestions? I’m open to trying better ammo.
CCI Standard or Green Tag, mid range Eley (Club, Target, Contact, Semi-auto Benchrest/Outlaw), Norma Tac and Match, SK Standard+ and above, any Lapua offering if willing to spend that much.
Also double check your assembly that the V block is properly tightened and the action screw isn't too loose or tight.
Also double check your assembly that the V block is properly tightened and the action screw isn't too loose or tight.
You need to get some better ammo, Winchester is plinking ammo at best. CCI Standard Velocity would be a good place to start, if nothing else it should show you that the barrel has potential.
Going to put in an order now and see where that gets me. Thank you.
Eley, SK and Lapua Ammo tend to have some of the better results. My CZ457 and B14R both shoot these well. The CZ does not like TAC-22 but the B14R has good results with it and every so often have a flier. Not an issue when just getting trigger time. As stated above, CCI and similar ammo on the cheaper end tend to not shoot so good. Other's results may vary.
Assuming you installed the barrel in a stock Ruger receiver? Did it go in loose or really tight? V-block screws only need to be torqued to about 10 - 15 in/lb. If the barrel went in loosely, you can have barrel droop. Take down screw torque not too tight? Is the barrel free floated? Stock trigger? Ammo will definitely be an issue. A lot of variables can be attributed to large groups. KIDD blemished barrels are cosmetic issues not functional issues.
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A good barrel will help but it won't completely cover the fact that good ammo costs money.
The barrel went in very tight. KIDD trigger and KIDD bolt. Torqued to spec.
Fixed. Thank you for your service
An inch at fifty is about the best you can expect out of any rifle regardless of barrel quality or build when using what amounts to the worst quality ammo available in America ( tied with Remington in that regard)
it very likely has nothing t do with the barrel, and everything to do with the ammo.
as mentioned in inexpensive domestic ammo CCI standard wil likely do better, but to reach maximal potential something from Europe is the answer
it very likely has nothing t do with the barrel, and everything to do with the ammo.
as mentioned in inexpensive domestic ammo CCI standard wil likely do better, but to reach maximal potential something from Europe is the answer
CCi Standard Velocity, Wolf Match Target, SK Standard Plus, Eley Target are some of the cheaper better grade ammunition you might want to try. Of course there are some more expensive and better ammunition as well. The cheaper ones sometimes perform very well. Depends what your expectations are.
You never stated your end game past something better at 50 yards. I may have close to the same parts gun, plus a ruger race rifle(target).
CCI SV works well for me for both, but my expectations are not high, and utilize the rifles for what they are. I won't pay for better ammo, but on non windy days, both rifles shoot well to 250 yards.
CCI SV works well for me for both, but my expectations are not high, and utilize the rifles for what they are. I won't pay for better ammo, but on non windy days, both rifles shoot well to 250 yards.
Most likely it is not the barrel and just the crappy ammo. I have a KIDD 20inch Bull Barrel that shoots well, but it is very ammo dependent. You also didn't give any other details about the setup which could potentially help. Which Kidd Barrel Profile did you get and what length? Also, Receiver, Bolt, Stock, Trigger, etc would all be contributing factors. Optic, Bipod, etc could also be factors.
Here have been my experiences so far with different ammo groups. It also has changed a bit since changing from a stock to a chassis and messing with the action screw torque (had it set way to high because of some bad info floating around the internet when I first got it).
Either way, try some decent ammo like CCI SV, Norma Tac-22, or similar first then try moving up from there. If it won't shoot a decent group with a decent ammo or a good group with Match grade I would worry there might be something in the barrel. At that point you'd need to bore scope it to see what might be going on in there.
Also, make sure you're doing 10-20 rounds of sighters before shooting your groups. I made this mistake originally and it made a big difference the consistency of my groups.
Here have been my experiences so far with different ammo groups. It also has changed a bit since changing from a stock to a chassis and messing with the action screw torque (had it set way to high because of some bad info floating around the internet when I first got it).
| Ammo Brand | Ammo Series | Lot # | Test Date | 50 Yard Average (in) | Best Group |
| ELEY | Team | 1023-03044 | 08/19/23 | 0.458 | 0.300 |
| Norma | Match-22 | 11/19/23 | 0.518 | 0.440 | |
| ELEY | Tenex | 1023-04076 | 08/19/23 | 0.527 | 0.350 |
| SK | Standard Plus | 22523 | 09/23/23 | 0.528 | 0.425 |
| Fiocchi | Range Dynamics | 08/19/23 | 0.558 | 0.370 | |
| SK | Standard Plus | 11534 | 08/19/23 | 0.570 | 0.400 |
| SK | Rifle Match | 12342 | 09/23/23 | 0.592 | 0.376 |
| SK | Semi-Auto Rifle | 11113 | 08/19/23 | 0.625 | 0.390 |
| CCI | Green Tag | 08/19/23 | 0.628 | 0.460 | |
| ELEY | Match | 1022-06156 | 08/19/23 | 0.645 | 0.400 |
| SK | HV Match | 11772 | 08/19/23 | 0.648 | 0.480 |
| ELEY | SA BR | 1223-06035 | 08/19/23 | 0.650 | 0.400 |
| Fiocchi | Range Dynamics | 09/23/23 | 0.742 | 0.669 | |
| CCI | Green Tag | 09/23/23 | 0.751 | 0.431 | |
| Norma | TAC-22 | 09/23/23 | 0.762 | 0.588 | |
| CCI | Standard Velocity | 08/19/23 | 0.784 | 0.518 | |
| ELEY | SS HP | 3523-30059 | 08/19/23 | 0.788 | 0.400 |
| ELEY | Club | 3122-30140 | 08/19/23 | 0.831 | 0.742 |
| Norma | TAC-22 Subsonic | 09/23/23 | 0.841 | 0.526 | |
| CCI | MiniMag | 08/19/23 | 0.851 | 0.592 | |
| ELEY | Target | 3123-30069 | 08/19/23 | 0.878 | 0.823 |
| Federal | Auto Match | 08/19/23 | 0.978 | 0.579 | |
| Federal | Champion | 08/19/23 | 1.060 | 0.982 |
Either way, try some decent ammo like CCI SV, Norma Tac-22, or similar first then try moving up from there. If it won't shoot a decent group with a decent ammo or a good group with Match grade I would worry there might be something in the barrel. At that point you'd need to bore scope it to see what might be going on in there.
Also, make sure you're doing 10-20 rounds of sighters before shooting your groups. I made this mistake originally and it made a big difference the consistency of my groups.
Hmmmm, delicate?
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